This little girl definitely has shown an interest in food. Mainly my food. As the New Year rolled around, I had Scarlett in my lap (like always) as we sat down to the family dinner table. With her newfound core strength, she suddenly careened forward, reaching for my plate. Before I could react, she pulled it close and stuck her wiggly fingers right into my food to touch, pat, and explore. Wow – I didn’t see that one coming!
The more I sat with her that evening, I noticed she truly was ready to try solid foods. Scarlett had showed us over Christmas that she knew how to sit up, unassisted. She had fabulous neck control, and her tongue-thrust reflex, which is the natural reaction babies have to push things out of their mouths, had become less persistent. I handed her a baby spoon to check out her interest, and she showed some skill in handling it! Scarlett was meeting all the signs of readiness for solid foods and I hadn’t even noticed. The very next day, Chase and I got to making her a bowl of oatmeal so she could check it out, complete with camera rolling. (You can check out her reactions here!)
Beech-Nut, with pediatric nutrition expert Nicole Silber, has conveniently provided the checklist above for parents to evaluate whether or not their little one is ready for solid foods. Because they are dedicated to infant nutrition, Beech-Nut has also curated some awesome content on their blog, like the awesome Guide to What Baby Eats Now. Although you might think you know already what to feed your baby, there is a TON of worthwhile information in there. Not just product listings, but also nutritional recommendations for your baby and what your baby’s body is actually doing with all that stuff; how to introduce proteins (because in my humble opinion, pureeing spaghetti and meatballs is not on my list!) and even helpful hints if your baby isn’t dealing with mealtimes well. I was learning more with every turn of the page!
I felt like the Guide was a really good accompaniment to my feeding plan. It reassured me in my decision making; that it was right for Scarlett and our family. While I made many foods from scratch for Red (and plan to do some for Scarlett), I’m learning that there are some awesome options from Beech-Nut for my little girl, like exotic guava, prunes and even plums. I plan to start with color-rich veggies like sweet potatoes and butternut squash, working my way up to richer and stronger flavors like green beans and asparagus (both of which I love, personally!).
Given Scarlett’s intense love for oatmeal, I might mix some of that in with her first foods – to begin with a mild sensation of flavor and work our way up. I hope that she grows up with her Daddy’s adventurous palate!
I am very pleased to announce that I will be working with Beech-Nut during 2016 as a sponsored ambassador, sharing Scarlett’s journey to solid foods and shedding some light on the #BabysFirstFoods process. Come and share a bite to eat!
I went with what my pediatrician recommended as far as giving my kids solids. I wouldn’t have tried it without his go-ahead.
My daughter is about to have her baby in April! We’ll definitely be keeping this checklist ready as baby grows and starts to show interest in solid food.
What a great stage – you can really see your baby’s development day by day. Moving onto solid food is a big milepost for any baby!
This is a great checklist. I had a difficult time trying to decide when to put my first child on solid foods. This would have been great to have.
Great checklist. Solid foods for a baby is an great accomplishment.
These are great tips for knowing when it is the right time to give solids. I’ll be sure to share this with friends who have little ones.
Thanks so much for this handy checklist! My sister recently had her second baby and he is already a much better eater than her first, so knowing when the time is right for solids is extra important.
Thanks so much for sharing the guide. I’m so happy that beech nut provides so much help for new parents!
This is interesting – I always wondered if there were some indicators for this.
I will share this with my sister-in-law, as I am sure she will find it useful.
Your baby is so cute!!! I love this checklist – solid foods are fun new milestones to reach but they can be scary if you don’t know where to start or when!
This is a great checklist, it makes it easier as a new parent to use a guide and then go from there. We have a 3 month old granddaughter and Beech Nut knows babies!
Thank you for this guide, it really helps parents to properly change way of feeding their kids!