How to Introduce Baby Food
Before you start serving solid food to your baby, it is very important to make sure your baby is actually ready for it! As a registered dietitian specializing in infant nutrition, I’ve seen so many families introducing food to their babies too early for various reasons, including to help with sleep, growth, and to calm a fussy baby. Note starting solids earlier won’t help with any of these. Starting solids when your baby is not ready can actually be quite dangerous. It can lead to increased risk of choking, obesity and diabetes later in life, and premature reduction in breastmilk or formula intake, to highlight a few. So how can you tell if your baby is ready for solids? Here are some of the signs of readiness to look for:
Able to sit with minimal support for at least 20-30 seconds Has good trunk, head, and neck control Shows interest in food Fading tongue thrust reflex (causes the tongue to stick out when touched)
For more detailed information, be sure to grab my FREE starter guide (click below) that will help make sure you start introducing solids at the most optimal time. As a bonus, you will also receive a USDA approved guide on starting solids that you can print out and easily refer to.
Feeding Schedule for 6 Month Old Baby
In addition to exploring new foods, this stage is also for building structure and routine around mealtimes along with breast milk or formula. It is best to offer milk 30-40 minutes prior to the meal so your baby isn’t overly hungry and get frustrated at the table. You can also offer more milk 15-20 minutes after the meal if your baby still seems hungry. I am sharing our schedule to give you an idea of how to fit in a meal along with milk and nap times. You will notice this pattern – eat, play, sleep. Note that having a schedule doesn’t mean you have to be super rigid with it. There’s always room for flexibility. But having a predictable routine can be really helpful for your baby and you as you will be able to plan your day accordingly.
7 am – wake up and milk 9-10:15 am – Nap 1 10:20 am – Milk 11 am – Solid food 12:15-1:30pm – Nap 2 1:35 pm – Milk 3:30-4:30 pm – Nap 3 4:35 pm – Milk 6:30 pm – Milk 7 pm – bedtime 3 am – Milk ( we dropped this at around 6.5 months)
Best Foods for 6 Month Old Baby
Regardless of whether your are doing purees, baby-led weaning, or both, here are the top foods to introduce to your baby. They all meet the criteria of being nutrient-dense to make every bite count. They are also great for flavor and texture exposure and can easily be incorporated into your baby’s diet.
Iron-Rich Foods
I’ve dedicated a whole post to this along with recipes! I believe you will find it extremely helpful. Best iron-rich foods for babies
High-Energy Foods
Think carbohydrates and fats. Some examples include nuts and seeds, avocado, full fat yogurt, grains, bread, etc. Fat is an essential nutrient at this age for optimal brain development and growth. And these calorically dense foods are a great way to make every bite count.
Avocado Oatmeal Nuts and Seeds Lentils Quinoa Yogurt Bread Pasta Muffins Dips/Sauces Waffles Pancakes
Best Weight Gain Foods for Babies
Fruits
Mango Apple Pear Banana Kiwi Berries (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries), smashed Watermelon Peaches
Vegetables
Butternut squash Sweet potatoes Beetroot Cauliflower Broccoli Bell peppers Mashed peas Zucchini Carrots Cabbage Mushrooms Parsnip
When cooking vegetables, don’t forget to season with herbs and spices!
Feeding Tips
Number one tip – Follow the division of responsibility! It is SO important in raising competent, joyous eaters! Eat together – SHOW them how to pick up food, use a spoon, chew, swallow, sip from a cup, etc. Make sure your baby is sitting upright before you begin. Make sure your baby is comfortable. Full diapers, pain due to teething or other illnesses (e.g. sore throat or ear pain, constipation, etc.) can all hinder your child from eating. Sit on your hands! This is what I had to do to stop myself from trying to clean up or prevent the mess from happening. Let your child get messy! Playing, smearing, smushing…they are a HUGE part of learning to self-feed.
6 Month Baby Food Menu/Meal Plan
It doesn’t matter which meal you want to start with. Pick a time of day when you and your baby are both relaxed and not on a time crunch. You may want to experiment with different times of the day to find when your baby seems most interested in food. With both of my kids that was lunch time as you can see above. Here are some meal ideas to help get you started. While I have them categorized, there’s no reason why you can’t serve any of these meals at any time of the day. And here is a master list of baby led weaning recipes
Breakfast
Avocado spear rolled in hemp seeds (or mashed) + oatmeal + steam roasted zucchini Spinach pancakes + yogurt Overnight oats with carrots and yogurt Blueberry chia pudding with peanut butter Banana french toast + avocado + steam roasted carrot Avocado + chickpea cookie Quinoa baby cereal Baby cereal – here are my top picks for store-bought infant cereals as well as ways to add more variety and nutrition
Lunch
White beans and sweet potato mash + steamed red bell pepper Quinoa with avocado + mango rolled in hemp seeds Beet muffin + red lentils hummus toast with frozen strawberries Salmon quiche + steam roasted broccoli beetroot pesto + tofu + beet
Dinner
Steak strip (or puree) + Broccoli and Zucchini cooked in olive oil Slow cooker chicken curry (from my one pot meals cookbook) Meatball + zucchini Chickpea pasta in bolognese Spaghetti squash with iron-rich pasta sauce Hulk pasta + mashed white beans + carrot
Foods to Avoid
Hard or crunchy texture – raw fruits and vegetables, whole nuts, crackers, popcorn, etc. Sticky texture – a glob of peanut or nut butter Honey until 1 year as it can lead to botulism – it’s unsafe even if it’s uncooked. Be sure to read the labels as it’s an ingredient in a lot of unexpected foods. Unpasteurized milk, yogurt, cheese, or juice (which should be avoid until 2) Milk for drinking (can be used in recipes) High mercury fish
Favorite Feeding Tools
Here are the essentials that I know will save you time and your sanity! I know it’s tempting to buy all the adorable products that are out there. But truly, these are really all you need!
3 Month Meal Plan Program
If you are struggling to move beyond purees or feeling overwhelmed trying to give your baby the best, here’s a complete roadmap that would show you through daily videos and photos of what foods and how to serve them to your baby AND the rest of the family at the same time! I actually filmed EVERYTHING I made for her as well as my toddler, husband, and me from Day 1 to Day 84 (so 3 months) in real time and turned them into an easy to access and follow program!
