1,2,3,4 of introducing solid food to babies

“When? How? What?”:  a rule of thumb guide for your baby first solid foods

Literally, every time one of my children started eating, I googled information on how to feed them. When my first child was born 11 years ago, I felt like the internet wasn’t as full of advice and recipes for the new mom and baby, as it is now. But now, wow!

Anything you want to know and any opinion you need to hear is out there, in video, text, reels and Pinterest and idea boards. It’s a blessing and a curse. There is so much information available now on when, what and how to feed your baby, it can be very overwhelming so, it’s good to maybe just stick with the basics and forge your own path after you and your baby have come to a non-verbal agreement on how this journey is going to go.

It is recommended that as parents we try to exclusively breastfeed until your child is 6 months old. That doesn’t mean that is wrong to use formula or introducing them to some gentle solids. Here at Loco Bebe we have gathered information from motherly wisdom, peer reviewed papers and personal experiences.

This is by no means medical advice, and we strongly recommend that you consult your family doctor before introducing solids to your baby’s diet, especially if there’s a history of allergies or sensibilities to certain foods in the family.

With that out of the way Let’s start with our Loco Bebe recommended Stages 1,2 3 and 4! 

Stage 1 baby foods are very smooth purees that can run off a spoon and tend to be simple combinations, but if you’re making your food at home and you’re striving for a true stage one, but your puree seems a little thick, add some breastmilk in and thin it out. (6 months of age)

Stage 2 foods tend to be a little denser, perhaps more ingredients and may be more roughly pureed. They usually have a thicker consistency. (6 months +)

Stage 3: Also known as Baby Led Weaning. Which involves finger foods. Around 8-9 months your baby can use their thumb and pointer finger to pick up soft fruits and veggies roughly the size of your pinky fingernail.

Stage 4: 10 to 12 months include foods that have mixed textures such as chopped family meals, finger food and such. A good example would be a Bolognese sauce on pasta and cylindrical thin vegetables.

Items to avoid in the first 12 months.

	No honey: Children younger than 12 months should not be given honey. Why? Because babies under the age of 12 months do not have a digestive track that is equipped to fight off the bacterial spores that can be found in contaminated honey.
	No juice: Follow AAP guidelines and stick with breast milk, formula, or a little water and steer clear of juices. Honestly, stay away from Juice if possible or you will be fighting the fight for longer.
	Cow’s Milk should generally be avoided as a beverage until 12 months. According to the CDC, “cow’s milk may put him or her at risk for intestinal bleeding. It also has too many proteins and minerals for your baby’s kidneys to handle and does not have the right amount of nutrients your baby needs.” My personal experience, as soon as my middle child started drinking cow’s milk it was over for breastfeeding.

 A brief conclusion (and extra tip!)

Feeding your baby is always an adventure and usually at the beginning pretty hilarious with the faces they make as they taste something different for the first time. Also never try a food once and assume your child doesn’t like it. Typically, it takes babies 3-5 to start liking a new food. This was the best advice I received from a fellow mom when she saw me basically feeding my son the same food over and over again. Just keep putting on their plate, eventually they will try it and like it.

As parents, and owners of Loco Bebe, we understand the importance of reliable sources and support and we would have loved to have some of this information when I first became a mom (also the next time and the next, since we never stop learning in this process!). So, as we said in our previous post “It takes a village”, so let’s build it together!

If you have any other tips, recommendations, or simply an experience that might be useful to other parents going through this amazing process share them with us in our upcoming live on October 29^th or on our social media platforms.

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