Are you nervous and confused about starting solid foods?

I have recently seen the most crazy ideas for infant feeding! And all those baby food items at the grocery store!! Where do you begin? I want to share the safest and most evidence-based information on introducing your 5-6 month old baby to first foods..It's by the American Academy of Pediatrics and their site is called Healthychildren.org. It's the gold standard for evidence-based information. See the live link below. I wanted to lightly summarize:

For readiness and safety:

Answer these questions: Is your baby able to sit up on their own in the high chair? Can they hold their head up well? When you sit them next to the dinner table, are they interested in your food? Most importantly, when you bring a spoon toward their mouth, can their tongue help move the softened contents on the spoon back toward their throat?

You need to have all of the above questions answered with a "yes" to proceed!

Talk with your Pediatrician as well. Great first foods are very simple and basic and you can add breast milk to them. Think simple baby oatmeal with your breastmilk as a very first try. Then later add a mushed ripe banana to the oatmeal, then next time a little mushed avocado on a spoon. Watch how they react and keep the first foods liquidy and very soft.

Start with this thickened breast milk on a spoon…It's not quite the time for them to feed themselves yet with slices of table food…that would not be safe yet and comes later!!

Start slowly and make it a positive experience once a day with your baby in a high chair. Typically one solid meal time in a high chair at this age of 5-6 mos and then progressing to 2 meals per day 7-8 mos…this is in addition to your breastmilk. The AAP recommends "providing your baby only breastmilk for 6 months and then continued nursing along with introductory foods." This is an exciting time and your baby will love sitting up in the high chair at the table. Enjoy this phase and here is this link for the full article by AAP. Remember to always ask your pediatrician about ways to introduce a wide variety of foods and dealing with allergies as well!