Is your baby ready to start solids?
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Signs your baby is ready to start solids
Check out our weaning essentials shopping list here
1️⃣ Sitting unaided
2️⃣ Your baby can accurately and purposely put things to their mouth
3️⃣ Your baby has lost their tongue thrust reflex
Today marks the end of National Weaning Week (15th – 19th May 2023)- The aim of Weaning Week is to offer a supportive week and forum for families, experts, retailers and brands to come together and talk about weaning.
Introducing your baby to solid foods, should start when your baby is around 6 months old*
We say ‘around 6 months’ because every baby develops at a slightly different rate. So observing your baby and looking out for these 3 things will help you to establish when your baby is ready to start weaning (some before and some even a few weeks after 6 months)
1️⃣ Sitting unaided – if you place your baby on their bottom, they will happily sit for a few minutes unaided and unsupported for a few minutes at a time
Not a supported seat, as this is not the same as sitting unaided.
You want a nice strong core and a clear airway as this helps them digest food and minimises the risk of choking
2️⃣ Your baby can accurately and purposely put things to their mouth.
For example, if you give them a spoon or toy, they can put these to their mouth easily, supporting their hand-eye coordination
3️⃣ Your baby has lost their tongue thrust reflex, which is a baby’s natural defence against them swallowing foods or liquids before their system is physiologically ready to do so. Typically around four to six months of age, the tongue thrust reflex naturally diminishes
You can observe the tongue thrust reflex when you give your baby medicine, teething granules, vitamin D drops or any medication. It often dribbles back out or they push it out with their tongue. It’s a subconscious thing that happens
So look out for all 3 signs before introducing those solids.
Up until about 6 months a baby’s systems (digestion, gut bacteria, immune system and microbiome) are not mature enough to deal with the process of eating (swallowing and digesting solid food)
Simply looking interested in food and ‘eating everything’ by pulling literally everything you give them to their mouth is not quite enough. Their systems still need to develop and mature to be ready to process, swallow and digest the food too.
*If your baby was born prematurely, ask your health visitor or GP for advice on when to start introducing solid food
Click Here to book our 2 hour Weaning Workshop Here (live online – with Adeline)
