Is My Baby Ready to Start Solid Foods?

How do I know if my baby is ready to start solid foods?

If you are feeling pressure to start solid foods early - before 6 months of age - please know that from a nutrition standpoint this is totally unnecessary as babies get all of the nutrition they need from infant milk (breastmilk and/or formula) for the first 6 months of life.

From a developmental standpoint, it is not safe for your baby to swallow anything except infant milk until your baby can sit relatively unassisted on their own.

In this video we’re taking a closer look at two important precursors to safely starting solid foods with baby-led weaning:

Why your baby should be 6 months of age or 6 months adjusted age if born prematurely
Why your baby should be able to sit on their own before your start solid foods

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For more information on giving your baby a SAFE start to solid foods, check out my free one hour online video workshop called BABY-LED WEANING FOR BEGINNERS.

Inside of that training I will:

-Take you on a tour of the first 10 days of baby-led weaning…so you don’t get stuck on the simple starter foods like avocado, banana and sweet potato
-Show you how to prepare a variety of safe baby-led weaning foods…so you don’t accidentally offer high risk choking foods when you are starting out
-Give you a copy of my 100 FIRST FOODS list…so you’ll ensure your baby is getting all of those trickier texture foods, new flavors and the allergenic foods in early & often

To learn more about Katie Ferraro's Baby-Led Weaning digital program for starting solid foods safely and navigating the original 100 FIRST FOODS™ meal plan with over 5 hours of concise self-paced video training click here:

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[CandySnchz]

YES YES YES! My baby’s pediatrician stated my baby would probably be ready for solids at 4 months. He just hit 4 months and he has good head control and is showing interest in food, however he cannot sit up on his own and my instinct was telling me to look into signs of readiness. So glad I came across this video!! Thank you for sharing🫶🏼

[murkshah]

Thank you for drilling it into my brain that I have absolutely no reason to rush feeding and I can wait one more month

[nataliefoxRD]

my baby is 4 1/2 months and is sitting independently. You didnt discuss early developers in this as it relates to the 6 month guidelines.

[gmiller]

Very informational and covered all my questions. My baby was born at 38 weeks and takes a bit longer to achieve milestones so I feel more assured to wait before starting solids.

[greenaround]

I have a 33 weeker, will be 6 months soon. Has head control, and can sit up on their own pretty much like the example you shared. Shld i yet wait for adjusted age. Thanks!

[kayg]

Omg your videos are so helpful. First time parents & Twins mama here & I felt the same pressure when everyone said ‘oh they are 6months old, you haven’t started solid yet’ . That gives us(premature multiple babies mom) more stress. But finally I found someone (you) who understands how premature babies starts their solids. Thank you so much !

[russelljbriscoe]

“We have been on this planet for decades “ !

[naps_]

Holy moly you have quadruplets AND twins??? What are the odds, , thats wild

[tj]

This was so helpful, thank you!!! I've been excited to try blw on my little for months and we're approaching 6 months now but I specifically wasn't sure how his slight earliness (37 weeks) would impact things. I'll be patient and wait for him to be nice and ready. 😊

[Alina-ltbw]

This makes so much sense, thank you so much!! My pediatrician wanted me to start at 4 months but it just didn’t feel right so I’m still holding off. Do I need to supplement iron? I do vitamin D since her birth but now I’m confused and don’t want her to be deficient. Thank you!☺️

[DannieEmma]

My baby was born 6 weeks early, he's now 7 months old and only just starting to try and sit up, no one ever mentions when its suitable for preemies and its so stressful

[tiffanywake]

My baby girl is six month and one week we have only seriously started blw at 6 months. Before that when she would go to the sitter (5+mo.) they would try to spoon feed her applesauce or oatmeal with breast milk because she won’t take a bottle. The problem I’m having now is that she won’t even try to put the food in her mouth. If I’m out in the garden and I hand her a pea pod or a pepper she will chew on it. When I put her in her high chair and give her food she picks it up, smashes it or pushes it off the tray. Sometimes she wipes it in her hair or drops it in her lap. If I go in with a spoon she takes it from me and the food just falls off. If I take say a green bean and try to put it directly in her mouth she won’t open up for it

[gabytalila]

My pediatrician told me to start solid foods once a day for my 4 month baby due to reflux. My little one can hold his head really good but can’t sit on his own. I always planned to start blw when he turn 6 months and now I’m afraid to start.

[vprice]

My baby is 5 months now but has been able to sit on his own since 4 months. Should I still wait?

[klemen]

Every baby is different. Some babies hit milestones early. My baby was almost 11 lbs at birth. He was constantly hungry. Formula was not enough to keep him full for more than hour at four months. I'm sorry but fed is best. I did BLW for 2/4 of my kids at 4.5 to 5 months and they are all normal boys living normal lives. Do what is right for YOUR baby.

[nikiesarma]

Thanks for your video! My 6 months baby can sit up for 5 to 10 seconds but I am not sure what the definition of “sit up on his own” is? I have to get him to the sit up position and after that he can sit but he doesn’t have the core strength to get to the sitting position on his own. Can you please share if he is ready for blw

[michaelasmith]

So what if I already started at 4.5 months per my pediatricia? Should I stop and continue at 6 mos? It’s been a week and we started with purées 🤦🏻‍♀️

[salmahossam]

Hello, thanku for your video they are very helpful.
I want to ask about my LO was born just 10 days before her due date, should I wait 10 days after 6 mon. or she is considered born at a normal age?

[Sugarchaela]

My baby boy is almost 5 months and he opens his mouth if u bring anything to his mouth

[maxhernandez]

I don’t understand the out of order foods that are given. Like fruits have A lot of acid cab cause gastritis this is a fad