Mom-Tested Tips for Starting Solids
Introducing solids to your baby? We asked 10 moms to offer up their most useful and effective tips for making those early meals a success — and a lot of fun!
Put Veggies First
“The best piece of advice I received about introducing first foods, which is also the tip I heard the most, was to introduce veggies first and fruit last. Once the baby tastes fruit, that is all they will want to eat. Don’t get me wrong, my son Alexander can’t get enough of blueberries, but he doesn’t reject his peas!” – Cat G.
Sweeten the Deal
“When making vegetable purees, it was suggested to me to add a bit of breast milk (if you’re nursing) to the mixture to make it more appealing to Baby. That way she can get used to a new food, but still has that familiar taste of breast milk.” - Shannan M.
Cereal Sleuth
“When starting my daughter, Cecelia, on a stronger flavored vegetable, I would mix a little of it in her rice cereal first so she’d get used to the taste. She never knew the difference and is a good eater today.” – Cheryl C.
The Secret Ingredient: Love
“I actually really enjoyed making my son’s baby food, as opposed to buying the jarred stuff. I’m by no means a gourmet chef, but I found it was really easy to steam fruits and veggies and puree them. I could set aside some time on the weekend to make a batch, pour it into ice cube trays to make small servings, then freeze them. It was easy to pop out a serving or two whenever we needed them during the week.” - Selena J.
Freeze Frame
“I love those mesh teethers. I put frozen peas or mixed veggies in them. It combines the taste of veggies with coolness and relief for the gums.”
- Paula S.
A For Avocado
“For whatever reason, guacamole is something many babies enjoy — either homemade or those little snack size packets. I freeze the packets, then take them out for a snack later. I leave it cold, but mushy. It felt good on my daughters’ gums when they were teething.” - Elena D.
Thicken Up
“I know they say to thin out the baby cereal, but I found that when it was a little thicker my kids were able to figure it out faster.” - Alyson S.
The Three-Day Rule
“It’s so important to wait at least three days between new food introductions just in case your child has an allergy. If you don’t wait and a rash or other allergic reaction happens, you won’t know which of the foods is the culprit.” – Lindsay L.
Have Patience
“I learned not to stress so much when my baby didn’t immediately accept certain foods. Be patient and just try to provide the most nutritious food you can, knowing it will all work out at the end of the day.” - Jenn H.
Try, Try Again
“My son, Everett, had a habit of rejecting nearly any green food I put in front of him. I found that even if he turned his head away from green beans on a Monday, if I tried again on Friday there was a good chance he would eat them without a second thought. So don’t give up — try again in a few days … and a few days after that!” - Maureen L.
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