Tips on Introducing Solids

Words on Parenting Wednesday is a weekly post series on the subject of parenting. I’ll talk about any adventures we have with our girls to motherhood experiences to fun and games for children to featuring mommy bloggers.

*If you would like to guest post on my blog on the topic of children or any other topic, send me a message.

When it comes to starting solids for your infant, do you know where to start? When are they ready? What types of food do you feed your infant first?

I have two toddler girls of my own, Katie and Sophia, so I’ve introduced solids twice. It is a messy process, but my girls sure enjoyed the different flavors of the foods.

One of my readers requested some tips on introducing solids, so I thought I would share my experience with my girls.

Katie, 4 months old

Sophia, 4 months old

Below are several tips on introducing solids to your infant.

1. Age. Infants are ready to start solids at 4-6 months old. I started feeding solids to Katie at 4 months old and Sophia at 4.5 months old.
2. First signs. When it seems like your infant is constantly eating, they need solids to keep them full longer. Katie and Sophia seemed like they were eating every hour, so I knew they were ready.
3.  Start with rice cereal. I started feeding my girls rice cereal three times a day for about a month before I introduced fruits and vegetables. Add rice cereal to 1 ounce of milk. Add little bit of cereal at a time until you get the right consistency. The rice cereal shouldn’t be thick.
4. Introduce fruits and vegetables. After a month of feeding my girls rice cereal, I introduced fruits and vegetables. Start out with sweet potatoes, carrots, peas, green beans, bananas, apples, peaches, and pears. Feed your infant each type of food several times in a row before introducing a new food. Once your infant has tried all fruits and vegetables, you can start feeding your infant food that is mixed.
5. Feedings. When I started feeding my girls solids, I laid them in their baby bouncer since they weren’t quite ready to sit in a high chair yet. After I introduced rice cereal, fruits, and vegetables to my girls, I started feeding my girls three times a day – rice cereal (2 ounces of milk), fruit, and vegetable.

Katie, 6 months old

Sophia, 4 months old

Hope these tips help you when you introduce solids to your infant.

Are there any other tips for your infant or toddler you would like to know more about? Let me know and I’ll share my experience on that subject matter.