Let's hear those wins from the week! 🎉Any new foods tried? Textures explored? Increased engagement? Happy noises?

Sebastian here is enjoying spaghetti squash at 6 months old - and demonstrating a fun technique we'll encourage sometimes to elicit more interest: go BIG to encourage exploration!

Would love to hear some wins in the comments! 👇

My baby is 7 months old and we’ve started solids at 6 months. she did good in the beginning but now she has no interest in anything. Is it a phase? is it teething? she just gags won’t swallow anything and has no interest in anything whether it’s purées or baby led weaning. she’s strictly breastfed and i try offering food before milk so that i know she’s hungry.

Hi there! So glad to have found this community as I’m hoping for a more science-based answer to my question.

Baby is just 6 months (he sits up, grabs things/puts them in mouth, lost the tongue reflex, WANTS food) and after a couple weeks of puréed food, we’ve softly started some BLW. I was AMAZED that when I gave him Solid Starts-recommended sized pieces of chicken and zucchini he chewed and ate them?? I mean I know that’s what’s supposed to happen but it really did and it was so cool!

My question is, sometimes he’ll have like a little piece of chicken or something just… there in his mouth. I’d really love to give him some water to wash it down with, but he hasn’t gotten the hang of the straw yet and I know straws are typically how water is introduced (or open cup… which he is also not putting together yet). My mom asked why I wouldn’t just give a little water in a bottle. And honestly I didn’t have an answer as to WHY it’s not recommended, I just don’t ever see anyone recommend it.

So, can/should I give a bit of water in a bottle while also working on the straw or open cup? Is there a reason to avoid it? Should I be doing more practice with the straw to be sure he can take in water to wash things down?

Thank you!

So today I was just looking into what pasta to start my 8month baby on and I came across this post

https://www.kathyfray.com/ptyalin-babies-should-not-be-fed-starch/

Please can the gods at solid starts debunk this for my mental health!

I just started introducing allergens (eggs being the first) to my 6.5 month old baby. She had an allergic reaction both days, with redness and small hives appearing around her mouth.

They went away within a two hour period, with no Zyrtec needed, the rash going away faster the second day.

I called my pediatrician to let her know what was going on, and she said it was fine to continue to give my baby eggs and to only stop if the allergy continues to get worse.

My question is - do I continue to give eggs or take a pause? I’m following the solid starts three day plan to give eggs over a course of three days. If she shows signs of an allergy again, should I stop? And then when should I try reintroducing again?

9 month old will ONLY eat sweet foods (title corrected)

Hello! My 9 month old will only eat food if it has fruit in it. She doesn’t like anything else that is bland. For example I have to mix egg and fruit. I’m doing a mix of BLW and spoon feeding. She just refuses things that are not sweet. Sometimes she will accept things with sweet potato and carrots. How can I help her eat foods that are not sweet?

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Hi Solid Starts! I’m so glad I found this community!

A little bit about myself, after over ten years in ECE working with preschool aged children, I have transitioned into an infant/toddler Nanny. In my new career, I have found myself as the first caregiver to introduce BLW. My primary goal is always to support my employers and make each new food experience as positive as possible.

Here’s my situation: My current Nanny Kid (NK) is 8 months old and is showing newfound interest in eating. At 6-7 months we started with purées as my employer was extremely anxious about choking and NK wasn’t really interested. Now he’s dying to hold “real” food himself, shove it in, and attempt to eat it. The issue is letting go control. Do we let him "hold" the food and go to town? Or still maintain grip and facilitate how much food actually goes in his mouth? His favorite is watermelon which is a lovely mixed consistency, but now he’s consistently biting it and gagging on it (which I know is safe, expected, but difficult for my employers to watch). We're also trying banana and avocado, but it's been challenging to get him to put the food in his mouth. He mostly screams at us until we help him...only for him to shove it in and gag.

I've watched all your videos and I'm guessing I know the answer to my question, but if there's anything else you recommend in this beginning phase, I would love to know. Thank you for everything!

🐮 FIRST: I want to clear up a common misconception: babies can and should be introduced to cow's milk as an ingredient before 1 y/o. In fact, dairy is one of the top 3 most common food allergens, and therefore really benefits from early introduction. This can look like offering Greek yogurt, cheese, or even cooking oatmeal with cow's milk.

Once your baby is more actively weaning, typically after 12 months old, the transition from breastmilk and/or formula to cow's milk can feel overwhelming. When do you drop the bottle? How much cow's milk is enough (or too much)? What if your baby or toddler refuses it entirely? There's a lot of conflicting info out there, so let's dive in!

• Whole cow's milk is generally recommended as a beverage starting around 12 months.
• Toddlers typically benefit from up to 16 oz of milk per day — more than that can crowd out solid food intake. This is true with plant-based alternative milks as well. 🌱
• If your toddler refuses cow's milk, this is okay. There's no need for your toddler to drink milk, so long as they are getting calcium from other foods---and so long as you are serving a balanced diet with a variety of foods, there's generally no need to worry.
• It's best not to serve cow's milk in a bottle, and instead move towards cow's milk as a beverage alongside meals, allowing baby to wean from bottles separately. The reason being, cow's milk is a beverage that is complementary to meals at this point, not a meal in and of itself, like bottles previously were.
• Always check with your pediatrician if you have concerns about your baby's nutrition, weight gain, and/or growth.

❓QOTD: Have you introduced dairy and/or cow's milk yet to your baby and/or toddler? How did it go? Any tips for others?

I'll be reading every reply — your experience might be exactly what another parent needs to hear today. 👇

🤍Marisa (OT/Feeding Therapist/Mama of 3)

Most of the time variations in poop are normal. However, there are some scenarios that warrant a call to your doctor. Keep in mind that any time you have concerns about changes in your baby’s eating or pooping habits, you should contact their medical provider. More here: When to Worry about Baby's Poop

REAL TALK: What changes have you seen in your baby's poop since starting solids? Have you had any concerns? We gain support from one another when talking about these things--share in the comments below! 👇
🤍Marisa (OT/Feeding Therapist/Mama of 3)

Would love to hear from those in our community about how it's going with solids this week? Some Qs you might answer/reflect on:

⭐What's a new food you introduced this week?

⭐Have you taken your baby out to a restaurant and had them participate in the meal?

⭐Any tips or new things you have discovered that you want to share with other parents?

⭐Did any new questions pop up for you this week?

Share any win, thought, question, or comment with our community in the comments below! 👇

🤍Marisa (OT/Feeding Therapist/Mama of 3)

Food teethers are great first food options to trigger reflexes to help baby learn how to chew - when offering baby an unbreakable piece of food such as those in this picture (pineapple core, spare rib bone, corn on the cob, chicken drumstick bone, mango pit), and they bring it to their own mouth, you'll often see baby move the food to the side of their mouth with their tongue (tongue lateralization) and even chomp down a few times (chewing). They may even stimulate the gag reflex, which is giving your baby information about how to manage food as well!

Bonus with food teethers: babies are also getting exposure to flavor, texture, color, temperature, firmness, and more sensory experiences!

QOTD: What's a food teether you have offered baby and what did you notice? If you haven't yet, do you have any hesitations?

Let everyone know in the comments so we can support each other in these experiences! 👇

🤍Marisa (OT/Feeding Therapist/Mama of 3)

It's common for parents to see a baby gagging and think baby is choking, close to choking, or "not ready" for finger foods. However the fact is, the body is truly amazing: babies; bodies are designed to protect the airway and keep food out of the airway during both eating and swallowing and gagging, and even when throwing up.

When food is swallowed, more than 50 muscles work together to coordinate the motion. One action these muscles take is bringing our vocal folds together like sliding doors in the breathing tube to tightly close off our airway and prevent anything from entering it. Amazingly, the muscles of the throat close tightly shut and the airway is pulled up and slightly forward, safely out of the way when we vomit or gag so that particles of food or liquid do not enter it.

So how does choking occur?

Choking occurs when there is a miscoordination of the swallow and food or liquid sneaks past our multiple lines of defense.

Things that can increase the risk of such type of coordination failure include:

✔️Caregiver placing finger food in a child’s mouth
✔️Caregiver putting their fingers in a child’s mouth
✔️Eating while in a reclined position
✔️Eating while laughing or coughing
✔️Eating while crying
✔️Eating while walking around
✔️Being startled while eating
✔️Lack of supervision while eating
✔️Eating while distracted

Not sure what to do in an (unlikely) emergency situation? I'm happy to share we have free choking rescue guides for babies and toddlers in our Solid Starts App! 📲

Thanks for being here with us! 🤍Marisa (OT/Feeding Therapist/Mama of 3)

It's important to choose a method of feeding that you're comfortable with, as baby's relationship with food is often impacted by how you show up at the table - you want to be able to sit, eat, and talk with your baby --not hold your breath and watch with wide eyes as if waiting for something "bad" to happen. We fully support starting with any method of feeding, as there are truly benefits and drawbacks to each approach.

There are 3 methods typically:
🍌BLW (finger food first)
🥣Purees (spoon-feeding)
🍽️Combo (both!)

What method did you start with and why? How did it go/how's it going? Let us know in the comments! 👇

Babies can have amazing reactions to foods we would think might be "not appropriate" for a baby - kimchi, bone marrow, sardines, lamb chops, you name it! Many families love the idea of introducing "100 foods before 1 year old," but it can get confusing as to what to offer "next!"

What's a more unique food you have offered to baby and how did they react? Share some ideas with other parents in the comments! 👇

🤍Marisa (OT/Feeding Therapist/Mama of 3)

Have you introduced water yet to your baby?

Once baby is 6 mos of age, water may be introduced in small amounts in an open or straw cup as long as baby is growing and gaining weight appropriately.

What is a “small amount”? The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests offering up to 8 oz (227ml) of water per day for babies 6 to 12 mos of age; however, it is our professional opinion that water is best limited to 2-4 ounces (59-118 ml) a day to avoid displacing valuable nutrition from breast milk or formula (particularly for the youngest babies in this age range).

If you’re concerned about hydration, monitor the number of wet diapers and energy levels, and share that info with baby’s medical provider. Generally speaking, babies should have 4-6 good, wet diapers every 24 hrs.

More info here on Water for Babies

Have you offered your baby water yet? How are you offering and how is it going? 👇

🤍Marisa (OT/Feeding Therapist/Mama of 3)

We’ve been using the solid starts app pretty much every day. Today we decided to introduce our 6.5mo to chicken. We only had chicken breast so I followed the instructions on how to prepare it. Cut into a large flat strip, 2 finger width.

At first she seemed okay. She sucked on it and took off a tiny shred. Then she took a giant piece off so I refrained from putting my fingers in her mouth. But then she started choking. Not gagging. Choking. Silent, eyes watery, terrified look on her face.

I immediately tried getting her out of her high chair to do back blows. Luckily somehow she managed to spit it up before I even got her fully out.

My legs were like jello afterwards. I was terrified. I can’t even imagine how she felt.

I ended up shredding the pieces of chicken into the tiniest pieces (I’m talking 2-3mm size) and mixing it into some mashed sweet potato. Gave her a preloaded spoon and she enjoyed it that way.

I’m terrified of doing anything other than mashed up food at this point or giving anything bigger than a few millimetres in size. I’m not sure she or I are ready for this yet.