If you’re getting ready to start your baby on their first solid foods, you may be wondering just how much food you need to feed them during this first year. Lalo’s co-founder Michael Wieder talks to Kim Grenawitzke, feeding expert at Solid Starts, about just how much food you need to be prepared for.
Staring Solids 101:
Michael: What is the right amount to feed your child when you're starting out?
Kim: I want everyone to remember that when your baby first starts solids, they don't even know that the food in front of them is food. When they first start, that thing in front of them is just another toy that they want to explore with their mouth, and it takes some time for their body to realize, oh, I can swallow this. It tastes really good, and it fills my belly.
Until the time you start solids, your baby only knows breast milk, formula, bottles and/or the breast. So when they're hungry, that's what they want. When you want them to start exploring solids, we want them to just explore it first so that they can get used to the textures and the flavors. They have to get used to sitting in a high chair with distractions and the dog running around, and their toddler sibling throwing stuff, and the noises in the kitchen. It's a lot for them to learn about.
In the beginning, one piece of food is totally fine. I like to tell families, especially thinking about the impact of food waste and food insecurity and cost at this moment, you make your dinner and pick one thing off of your plate that you can make sure is sized and cut appropriately for your baby. Generally, in the first month or two of solids, your baby is probably going to explore that piece of food for a couple of minutes and then be done. That's completely fine.
Does Baby Seem Hungry?
At close to 8 or 9 months they actually start realizing that food actually makes them feel full. At that point, start with that same small amount- one piece of food, two pieces of food, maybe a scoop or two of a puree if you're doing something like that and look for them to tell you they want more.
How to Know if Your Baby is Hungry:
Kim: Your baby's behavior is communication. So what they're doing at the table is telling you how to respond. If your baby has food in front of them and they start throwing it, windshield wipering it, or if they get fussy, don't think of that as being bad or doing something wrong. They're just saying, I'm over it, I'm done, I'm ready to move on.
At that point, you can move them onto your lap and continue your meal and see if maybe they want to explore a little more, but they may or may not, both are completely fine.
If your baby is sitting at the table and they've finished what's on the tray and they're still engaged and they're looking at you, and they might even be grabbing for other things, give them another piece or two. It's completely fine to just respond to what they want.
Follow Hunger Cues:
Somewhere between 9 and 12 months, most babies are taking a little bit less breast milk or formula and they're starting to take a little more food. Again, you're looking at them and at their hunger cues. We're not trying to give them a certain amount.
By the time they hit 12 months, it's not uncommon for a lot of babies to be completely weaned off bottles and formula, but some babies still need them until they're closer to 15 to 18 months. That is totally fine. Do not feel behind if your baby is 13 or 14 months and still needing some support from bottles.
What we just want to see is a gentle decrease in the amount of bottles and a slow increase in the amount of food. Something that's really tough for us to get our heads around, and I think this is a big generational change, especially if you have grandparents watching your baby is that the goal is not to finish the jar, it's not to get in a certain amount of ounces. What we really want to try to do is have your baby, even from the beginning, learn what it feels like to feel hungry and what it feels like to be full.
Michael: Nutrition will take over when your child is ready and you will have to listen to your child and trust your intuition as a parent a little bit about what's needed. We can do the best we can. You can serve a Michelin Star perfect nutritious plate that has all iron rich foods with a sprinkle of zinc and perfect complex carbs. You can make the most gorgeous plate ever, but if your baby doesn't want to eat it, and they don't have the skill to eat it, it doesn't matter. So, we just need to give them those opportunities to learn to eat those foods and be exposed to those foods so they have the chance to eat them later.
This is not medical advice, speak to your pediatrician with any questions or concerns regarding starting solids.
