Have you been wondering what signs to be on the lookout for that indicate your baby is ready to
start taking solid foods? In this video I’m going to tell you 5 true signs of readiness to eat and
3 false signs. I’m going to finish off talking about the dangers of starting solids early.
If this is our first time meeting, I’m Dr. Belousov. I’m a board certified pediatrician
and I equip parents with knowledge, so they can care for their children with confidence.
Introducing your baby to solids is an exciting milestone.
But I find that a lot of parents are very nervous about it. I put together this Youtube video series
to show you how simple and enjoyable the process can be for both you and your baby.
This is the second video in the series. In the first video I answered the top questions
that parents have regarding starting their baby on solids. If you haven’t seen it,
I have it linked up here. Be on the lookout for more videos released on a weekly basis.
Hit the subscribe button and ring the bell so you get notified when the newest video is released.
First of all let's address around what age a baby should be started on solid foods.
Both the American Academy of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization have
statements recommending that a baby start taking solids around 6 months of age.
In the first 6 months breast milk, or formula, or the combination of both is all that’s necessary to
meet the baby’s nutritional needs. The exceptions are some of the babies who are born premature.
They may need additional fortification of their milk feeds. The baby’s healthcare
provider or a dietician will provide the guidance necessary if that’s the case.
Besides the age recommendation, there are also 5 signs that indicate that a baby is developmentally
ready to safely start taking solids. So what are the true signs that a baby
is ready to start eating solid food? First it’s important that the baby has
good head control. The baby can hold his head up on his own and is able to look up, down,
right and left. Most babies master this developmental milestone around 4 months.
Secondly the baby should no longer have the tongue thrust reflex.
This is a natural reflex that causes the baby to automatically push out solids or foreign objects
that touch or press down on the tongue. It serves to protect babies from choking on or breathing
food into their airways or lungs before they are ready to start eating solids. This reflex
typically disappears between 5 and 6 months. Thirdly the baby reaches out to grab things and
brings them to the mouth quickly and accurately. Most babies start grabbing objects using both
hands around 4 months, and really improve their hand-eye coordination and precision leading up to
6 months. During this time it will seem like the baby puts everything in the mouth and gnaws on it.
With time the baby will even start to make chewing movements with the mouth.
Fourthly the baby is able to sit upright on her own with little to no support. Most babies
are only able to do this around 6 months. Finally the baby needs to be showing an
interest in food. When seeing you eating, the baby will not only be watching you intently,
but will start to grab for your food and try to bring it to the mouth.
When all of these are present, it’s an indication that the baby is developmentally ready
to safely start eating solids. All babies develop at their own pace. Some babies will be several
weeks past 6 months before they are showing all these signs of readiness, and it’s best to wait.
Especially babies who were born premature, since their development tends to lag compared
to a baby who was born full term. For example if your baby was born at 36 weeks gestation,
this would mean that he was 4 weeks early. He may not be developmentally ready to start
taking solids until around 7 months chronological age, which would be his 6 months adjusted age.
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So what are the false signs that a baby needs to start eating solids? These are signs that
some people perceive to indicate that the baby needs to be taking more than just milk.
But these signs do not accurately reflect a baby’s readiness to start taking solids.
The first and most common false sign is that the baby wakes up in the middle of the night.
A lot of parents think that their 4 month old baby is waking up in the middle of the night because
they are hungry. By this age, if the baby has been gaining weight appropriately, then they should
have enough reserves to go 8 to 12 hours without needing a feed. Some parents start solids early or
even put baby cereal in the baby’s bottle in hopes that this will help their baby sleep through the
night. However, there is no evidence that giving solids before 6 months solves the problem of night
time waking. Babies wake up in the middle of the night for all sorts of reasons. Babies go through
sleep cycle changes around this time. Also babies are used to the routine of waking up every several
hours to feed. This has been established for them since they were newborns. The solution is that
the parents need to put some effort into sleep training the baby to go longer stretches between
feeds. Pain from teething also commonly starts bothering many babies around 3 to 4 months of age,
and can cause the baby to wake up in the night. Putting baby cereal in a bottle can
increase the chance of your baby gagging and/or breathing the thickened mixture into the lungs.
Unless you have specifically been instructed to do it by your baby’s healthcare provider, this
practice is discouraged by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the healthcare community.
Another false sign is that the baby is small. When babies are small it’s either because of
their genetic makeup or because they need more nourishment. If the baby is under 6 months,
it’s not taking solids that the baby needs to help them catch up, but more breast milk or formula.
It’s important to keep in mind that even after the baby starts eating solids, the majority of
nourishment and calories will continue to come from breast milk or formula the first several
months. Initially solids are just complementary and give the baby the opportunity to learn to
chew and swallow food and get exposed to new flavors and textures, not replace milk feedings.
The other false sign is that the baby is big. Babies who are born big, or who get
big very quickly, don’t need to start taking solids earlier. They are big either because of
their genetic makeup or, in some cases, because they are having more milk and calories than they
really need. The idea that a big baby needs food earlier is left over from the 1950s and 1960s,
when it was mistakenly believed that once a baby reached a certain weight, the baby was
ready to start taking solid foods. Breast milk or formula is all a baby needs for the first 6 months
regardless of how small or big she is. So what’s the big deal if you start
feeding your baby solids early? Babies who start taking solids
before they are developmentally ready are at increased risk of choking on the food
and/or breathing it into their airways or lungs. This is why it’s important that your baby has good
head control and is able to sit up on his own relatively unassisted before starting solids.
Another concern is that a baby's digestive system is not mature enough to start taking solids early.
In addition, early introduction of solids prevents exclusively breastfed babies and their mothers
from getting the full benefits associated with 6 months of exclusive breastfeeding.
Also early introduction may be associated with increased risk for overweight and obesity.
Research shows that babies get all the nutrients they need from breast milk or
formula until they are around 6 months. I know that there is so much pressure on
parents these days to start shoveling baby food into the baby’s mouth at 4 months.
Having seen a lot of babies in the office, I will tell you that not a single one of them showed all
the true signs of readiness to eat solids at that age. Most showed all the true signs around
6 months. In an upcoming video I’m going to talk about the activities you can do
with a baby starting at 4 months to help prepare them for the first food introduction. That episode
will be linked up here once it’s released. I'm looking forward to seeing you in the next video.