Finger Food First | Methods & Readiness

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Baby Food Hacks | Blueberries

Blueberry may be introduced as soon as your baby is ready to start solids, which is generally around 6 months of age. ➡️ When can babies eat whole blueberries? Blueberries are a choking hazard until age four or five because of their round, firm shape. Once your child becomes an advanced eater (chewing and swallowing well and not smashing fistfuls of food into their mouth) you can try offering whole blueberries in a safe eating environment. You may also “graduate” to whole blueberries by flattening the berries a little less each time you serve them. ➡️ Are blueberries a common allergen? No. However, individuals who are sensitive to salicylates may be sensitive to blueberries. How do you prepare blueberries for babies with baby-led weaning? ➡️ 6 to 12 months old: To serve blueberrie

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Tongue Thrust and Starting Solids

You may have heard that one of the signs of readiness for solid food is the disappearance of the tongue thrust. This claim, however, is not supported by research. On the surface it seems to make sense: if baby’s tongue pushes food out, they must not be ready to swallow and are therefore not ready to eat solid food. There are 2 issues here. Read on...

How to Introduce Black Beans to Babies

How do you prepare black beans for babies with baby-led weaning?* ➡️ 6 to 9 months old: Blend cooked black beans into a smooth paste and serve on its own to encourage hand-scooping or spread on thin rice/grain cakes. To boost nutrition, add breast milk, formula, olive oil, or even full fat yogurt to the blender when making the paste. Start with small portions: beans + young babies = poop! ➡️ 9 to 18 months old: If you feel your baby is ready, this can be a good time to introduce whole beans as long as the beans are cooked until soft. If you are nervous about choking, gently flatten the beans before serving or serve as a mash on a pre-loaded baby’s spoon. Keep experimenting with added nutrition by mixing the beans with milk, oil, or other healthy fats. ➡️ 18 to 24 months old: Keep ser

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Gagging is a completely normal reflex in infants, children and adults alike. Gagging is very common and will happen a lot in baby’s solid food journey. All babies gag in their eating journey—it’s one way they learn how to eat. The good news is that babies typically outgrow gagging after a couple of months of practice with various textured foods. True choking is when the airway is obstructed, and the baby is having trouble breathing. For more info, visit our website: solidstarts.com

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First Foods

How to Introduce Real Food to Babies

Our free First Foods® database has everything you need to know about introducing real food to your baby. Search for any food to find nutritional info, allergen info, videos, recipes and how to serve any foor to your baby according to their age.

How to Serve Bananas to Babies

Bananas may be introduced as soon as your baby is ready to start solids, which is generally around 6 months old. Most babies love bananas because of their sweet taste. If you introduce bananas early in your solid food journey, try to also regularly offer other flavor profiles as well, and not just sweet ones. How do you prepare bananas for babies with baby-led weaning?* ➡️ 6 to 9 months old: Try whole, peeled bananas on their own (break it in half so it’s not too long) or banana spears from a banana that has been split into thirds lengthwise, or mashed with a pre-loaded spoon to encourage self-feeding. ➡️ 9 to 12 months old: Banana spears are great at this age. You can make them by splitting the banana lengthwise with your finger as shown above. You can also serve smaller, bite-sized

How to Cut Green Beans for Babies

Green beans may be introduced as soon as your baby is ready to start solids, which is generally around 6 months of age. To minimize the risk of choking, cut lengthwise or offer your child a whole string bean to munch on. Bigger is often safer! For more info and tips, head to solidstarts.com and search for green beans in our free First Foods℠ database where you'll find everything you need to know about introducing real food to your baby. xo

black beans with text that reads 15 foods to eat when lactating

15 Foods to Eat When Lactating

When lactating, focus on foods rich in vitamins A, B1, folate, B12 and minerals calcium, iron and zinc. Also, eat plenty of healthy fats, especially omega-3 fatty acids. And of course, drink water! Here are 15 foods to eat when lactating: Beans (especially black, navy and pinto) Collard Greens Grass-fed Beef Liver Mushrooms Mussels Oysters Peas Salmon Sardines Scallops Shrimp Sunflower Seeds Sweet Potato Trout (farmed, rainbow, Steelhead but avoid lake trout) Read more...

How to Introduce Kiwi to Babies

Kiwi may be introduced as soon as your baby is ready to start solids, which is generally around 6 month of age. ➡️ 6 to 9 mos: Serve skinned kiwi halves or quarters to encourage your baby to pick up and suck on the fruit. Try mashing the kiwi and mixing it with Greek yogurt. ➡️ 9 to 12 mos: If your baby’s pincer grasp is developed, they'll be able to pick up smaller, bite-sized pieces. ➡️ 12 mos. +: Offer bite-sized pieces as finger food and/or serve with a fork for utensil practice.

a cupcake with white frosting and sprinkles on top is featured in the article how to avoid raising sugar - obesed kids

How to Avoid Raising Sugar-Obsessed Kids

From infant foods and juices to condiments like ketchup, sugar seems to be in just about everything. It’s natural to worry that sweet foods will forever shift a child’s taste preferences for the worse. So let’s dive into the sticky, messy story behind sweets and sugars and the impact on a child’s taste preferences. In general, it’s recommended to delay the introduction of added sugars until 2 years of age. Delaying added sugar introduction could help provide....Head to our website for more.

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Easy Snack Ideas

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Easy Snack Ideas for Babies & Toddlers

Celery makes a great snack, but it is a common choking hazard & must be modified to be safe for babies & toddlers. Here's how: ➡️ 6 to 12 months: Cut a stalk of celery on the bias into half-moon slivers, sauté in unsalted butter until soft. ➡️ 12 to 18 months: Serve cooked or raw celery that has been sliced into half-moon slivers. ➡️ 18 to 24 months: At this age your child may be ready for celery sticks. Cut into thin matchsticks to aid chewing and so pieces are not too big to swallow.

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Helpful Tips for Baby-led Weaning

Pressuring your child to eat often has unintended consequences. Try to avoid:⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ✖️Complimenting your child for eating* ✖️Asking your child to eat more (e.g., “one more bite”)⠀ ✖️Requiring your child to eat a certain food before they get more of another⠀ ✖️Introducing new foods with no familiar foods available ✖️Using videos/toys/distractions ✖️Getting upset if your child spits out food ✖️Showing disappointment or worry *Note: Complimenting a skill (“nice work using your fork!”) is ok!

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Free Guide: Baby-led Weaning Tips

When it comes to food and feeding, our good intentions as parents often have unintended consequences. This 1 pager of tips will help you keep the big picture in mind and avoid the mistakes that many well-intentioned parents make during meals. Designed to be printed and posted on the fridge or bulletin board, keep these pointers in plain view so that when the going gets tough, you’ve got a visual reminder of what to do–and what not to do–in the moment. #SolidStarts #babyledweaning #firstfoods