Four months, six months, or do first foods even matter? Starting solids is less about a specific date and more about listening to your baby. With a few cues, your little will let you know when to begin first foods.
An active interest in food is one cue that I always look for.
Other cues can include a loss of baby’s tongue thrust, the ability to sit unsupported, and increasing hunger – especially at night. However, unsupported sitting and loss of tongue thrust often come with time and may not happen until later.
But one thing is certain.
Food before one is more than just fun.
When to begin first foods
I’m about to bust a myth about first foods for baby that sometimes comes as a surprise: After 6 months, breast milk is not enough.
Yes, breast milk is critical for good digestion. It does things like supports brain development and protects against respiratory infection. Breast milk is undeniably important.
But after 6 months, your baby needs more. And this is when it’s time to think about starting baby on solids.
According to the World Health Organization,
The target age for complementary feeding is generally taken to be 6 – 24 months of age, even though breastfeeding may continue beyond 2 years.”
It turns out that at around 6 months, a healthy breastfed baby’s iron levels drop so low that outside sources of iron are necessary. And levels of zinc in breast milk also fall at around this time.
Let’s be clear – no matter how many supplements you take, your breast milk will not meet your baby’s requirement for iron or zinc.
But your baby’s first foods will.
Specific foods like chicken meat, liver pate, and wild-caught salmon are soft enough for a 6 month old baby to squish between the roof of his mouth and his tongue. And they’re high in “meaty minerals” like iron and zinc.
First foods to include when starting solids
The most common nutrient deficiencies you will see in breastfed babies are iron and zinc.
There’s also the danger of vitamin D deficiency if mama doesn’t get enough vitamin D through foods or supplement with roughly 6000 IU a day.
And because your baby has a rapidly developing brain, it’s critical to offer first foods that are high in long-chain omega-3s, usually in the form of fatty fish.
Why fatty fish?
The human body does a poor job of converting short-chain omega-3s (found in plants, nuts, and seeds) into its long-chain cousins – most notably DHA.
If you’re wondering where to find all these wonderful nutrients, here are some more ideas to get you started.
Iron
Liver, bone marrow, beef, lamb, sardines, oysters, and high-quality spirulina.
Likewise, foods high in vitamin C will boost iron absorption. This includes sauerkraut, papaya, and kiwi fruit.
Zinc
Oysters, crab, beef, chicken, and yogurt.
Vitamin D
Wild-caught salmon, sardines, fish roe, and egg yolk.
Long-chain omega-3s
Wild-caught salmon and sardines. You can find smaller amounts of long-chain omega-3s in red meat and egg yolk.
Such a great article!
Thank you mama!
I love all that you are saying! Any comments on bone broth?
Bone broth is a WONDERFUL medium to cook with. It adds another layer of nutrition (especially if you add in a hardy seaweed, like kombu) and it’s a great way to introduce some new flavors so that you’re less likely to deal with picky eating later on. For example, ginger and spring onion to support the immune system or red dates, which can support sleep. These are therapeutic and expose baby to different flavors.
If you’re in the habit of making bone broth, I would use that to soften veggies or to cook soured quinoa in. Squeeze it in where possible, in addition to soups or stews.
Hope that answers your question!
The information you’ve provide is very enlightening. However my challenge is I have an almost 9 month old who is EB though she refuses solids. Do you have any suggestions or recommendations?
Does she completely refuse solids? You might want to:
1) Offer only iron-rich foods (liver, red meat, or even spirulina)
2) Offer often. As in a couple times a day, every day.
3) Pre-chew the food you offer. I know this one is a little out there for some mamas. But there are researchers who say that pre-chewing is the “second arm” of health and survival for young babies — the first “arm” being breast milk. This has to do with your baby’s immune system and the nutrition that pre-chewed food offers, especially when it comes to animal foods. Also, I know some babies *prefer* pre-chewed food over purees. Worth a try 😉
Hope this helps. Let me know how things go!
Thank you so much for this article. Very informative. I am on my third baby (she is 5 and a half months) and we are planning to start solids in two weeks. I am trying to avoid the mistakes I made with the other two.
Here’s my problem: she has a very sensitive digestive tract and was diagnosed with allergic proctocolitis. She is exclusively breastfed- never had anything other than my milk. She is over 16 pounds and definitely needs some outside nutrition.
I tried eating chicken livers myself and she had gross diapers for days just from my milk. I also have to be careful with egg as she has exhibited some sensitivity to egg protein. Are there any really bland iron and zinc rich recipes that I can try? How can I be sure she is getting all the nutrition she need? I am even considering supplementing with HiPP allergy formula to get her extra vitamins. I’ll try anything to get her the vitamins she needs, but I am scared of the diarrhea. Thank you!!
Hi Lauren,
Have you done a full elimination diet (ruling out cow dairy, egg, soy, wheat, and corn)?
Lamb is a red meat (so it’s rich in easy-to-absorb heme iron and zinc) and considered hypoallergenic, so I would definitely begin there.
While breastfeeding, you may also want to try pancreatic enzymes — the idea is that they help you break down the offending food proteins before they’re absorbed into your blood stream and secreted in breast milk.
Hope this helps! Keep me updated with how things go,
xo <3
Megan
Our baby was interested in foods at six months. I had not read this information yet and started her off with avocado, sweet potato and a couple weeks later, banana. She LOVES bone broth. After finding out her iron dipped a little at 9 months (she was also 4 weeks early, 5.4 pounds and had enough blood loss at birth to require two blood transfusions) I’ve added ground beef paired with broccoli or strawberries for Vitamin C. She LOVES salmon, which we just started giving her. I’ve also been adding molasses and tahini to her diet. I’m hoping, hoping, hoping to increase her iron with food. If she’s still low next week at 10 months, we may need to supplement for a short time.
My daughter is almost 8-mo-old and is interested in solids, but seems very prone to constipation. I’m not sure if I should take a break from offering her solids, or forge ahead. Any input on how to avoid constipation?
Hey Sarah,
Constipation is really common after beginning solids. The microbes in a baby’s gut radically change with introduction of food! And these microbes are partially responsible for slower transit time (: If you haven’t already incorporated stone fruit (plums, apricots, peaches) and pears into her diet, that’s one of the first things you can try. Also, if you’ve been offering banana — this is one fruit that tends to contribute to constipation.
If you make stock or bone broth for her (it’s a great way to add another layer of nutrition to softened veggies or use when making liver pate) — add fennel seed as you cook it. About a teaspoon for every cup of water. Bonus: If you breastfeed, a little bit of fennel can support the letdown of milk.
If you want to try a probiotic, I have a couple listed in my shop that I really love. Another one that you can probably find at your local market is called Ultimate Flora Baby Probiotic (it looks like this: http://amzn.to/2ccmdXg) and it will also help to soften stools.
I would continuing offering solids! With a focus on those that are rich in iron, zinc, vitamin D, and omega-3 fats. In the membership library, you can download a free eBook that talks more about this.
Thanks for your great question!! xo <3
Thank you so much for your reply, Megan! Going to try adding in some bone broth with fennel and also the probiotic. I really appreciate the amazing resources you provide!
What are your opinions on starting earlier than 6 months? I do want to try a baby led weaning style but with your suggested first foods. I figured chunks of pate and flakes of salmon would be good to start. I want to do egg yolks too and may spoon feed some that are just soft boiled but maybe cook some a little more for him to feed. Anyway, BLW says 6 months and when baby can sit with minimal support and do pincher grasp… however doc pushes to start food a little earlier as he says research supports closer to 5 months to prevent the formation of allergies. Thoughts?
Hey Tonja!
I think the best thing to do is wait for signs of readiness, which include things like loss of tongue thrust and an interest in food. If your baby happens to show an interest *before* 6 months, it’s okay to begin introducing solids. A lot of mamas think they need to wait until exactly 6 months to protect gut health, but this timeline is flexible and depends on your baby. I’ve seen healthy “paleo” babies begin solids at 4.5 – 5.5 months. The keys are tuning into your baby’s signals and focusing on iron-rich foods. Liver and salmon sound like perfect first foods.
xo!
How much spirulina would you recommend for a 14 month old?
Hey Nicole,
About 1 teaspoon a day, or what feels natural for your family. Some folks add spirulina to smoothies and yogurt. I usually add 1 tsp to smoothies and my green salad dressing (aka magical green sauce). You can also make homemade date/coconut/seed bars with spirulina or add it to a toddler-friendly guac.
xxo!!
Hi, what are your recommendations on first food if we are a vegetarian (not vegan) family. I would love to hear from you about how I can ensure a nutrient dense diet for my 6.5 month old. Thank you ☺
Hey Blessy,
I have an article that I wrote for a toddler who didn’t love eating meat and it has some good tips to start with: https://megangarcia.com/toddler-wont-eat-meat-tips-for-picky-eating/
I would focus on including spirulina, maybe even make it a daily thing. As well as seaweeds and vegetarian animal-based foods like eggs and dairy.
Overall, I recommend avoiding rice cereals. Although other fortified cereals may be a good option. Here’s more on that: https://megangarcia.com/infant-cereal-the-shocking-truth/
Hope this helps mama, keep in touch if you have any more Qs xxo!!
Thank you so much for the helpful reply!
Circumstances required that my baby ended up being mostly formula fed which he is still continuing. The formula has iron (Nestle Goodstart) – does that mean I can skip on the iron fortified cereal (since he is already getting a source fortified with iron). As much as it’s important, I also don’t want to overdo it!
I heard Chris Kresser say once, that carbs aren’t a good idea as first foods because they can’t digest it properly at that age. I can’t find his source. What’s your opinion on this? I’d like to do the first foods you recommend, but can I also intro some sweet potato, fruit and winter squashes? When is best for these intros? Thanks so much!
Hey Marit,
I cover this in my First Foods program. In short, babies have enough salivary amylase and pancreatic amylase to digest starch. What’s more, breast milk contains enzymes needed to digest starch!
I just did a podcast interview with Cassy at Fed and Fit and we talked about how plant foods are harder to digest. For MANY reasons, I love meat as baby’s first food. If you want to give baby sweet potato or squash, I recommend mixing it with whipped bone marrow.
Here’s the recipe: https://megangarcia.com/whipped-bone-marrow-recipe-6-months/
xxo!!
I love your work and recipes and I’m interested in purchasing you First Foods and beyond for my 6 month on (EBF). Is the approach BLw or traditional solids? BLW makes me nervous. If you could explain why, that would be great!
Hey Laura,
I focus on nutrition first. Many babies don’t do well with baby led weaning. So I put more emphasis on responsive feeding and letting baby self-feed.
We know from some semi-recent studies that BLWers are at a greater risk of iron deficiency. Whereas spoon fed babies may not fully develop the capacity to self regulate and may struggle with texture.
In the program, several of the recipes *are* purees – you could also opt to keep the food whole and not puree it. I think both methods – BLW or spoon – can work. It’s just about how you approach it 😉 Hope this helps, xxo!!
Hi Megan,
Thank you so much! I’ll stick with purées since I’m most comfortable with that. He had some bone broth and chicken liver for the first time (your recipe) and he although he has all the signs of readiness, he wasn’t too interested other than a taste or two. Looking forward to reading you First Foods & Beyond guide. Love your work 🙂
Laura
Hi,
I’m wondering what you know about dairy products and anemia for babies under 12 months. A doctor told me not to do yogurt because it can can iron deficiency.
Thanks,
Zara
Hey Zara,
This is only an issue if baby’s diet doesn’t regularly contain iron-rich foods! There are a lot of other factors that put baby at risk for anemia, so it’s worth looking at whole picture and you do want to include dairy because it’s a top allergen.
xxo!!
Do you recommend waiting on the whole egg until baby is 1? or okay to introduce the whole egg as long as you watch for s/sx of allergy.
Hey!
I would give whole egg before 12 months. Here’s more on why: https://megangarcia.com/how-to-introduce-allergens-to-baby/
xxo!!