Your baby is 4, 5, or 6 months old and you know that solid food introduction is about to begin. Until now, it was enough to measure the right amount of formula powder or offer your breast for feeding, but now a whole new set of questions pops into your mind. How can you tell your baby is ready for introducing solids? Which foods should you start with? Can your baby try everything? What portions of food and milk should you offer daily? Where should you start? To find out, let’s explore together how your baby’s meals will be organized in the near future.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
- Identifying the Right Time and Starting Solid Foods
- Planning Baby’s Meal Schedule
- A Sample Daily Portion from 6 to 12 Months
- Combining Breast Milk or Infant Formula and Solids
- Gradually Replacing the Bottle with the Plate, Utensils, and Sippy Cup
Identifying the Right Time and Starting Solid Foods
The first thing to remember when introducing solids: there is no perfect moment. There, it’s said! You can relax. Fortunately, there are plenty of indicators to help guide you so your baby can best explore new textures, smells, and flavors.
- Breastfeeding fully meets your baby’s nutritional needs up to six months of age.
- Milk (breast or formula) is the only recommended food for infants, forming the basis of their diet until one year old and remaining a key nutritional source up to age three.
- Before four months, an infant’s digestive system is not mature enough to properly handle solid or a varied diet.
- A baby who can hold his or her head upright and shows interest in what you’re eating is ready to begin trying solids.
Because there are big eaters and little ones, adventurous types as well as the easygoing, the process of learning and discovering food is never linear. As is often the case with children, the key is observation.
Planning Baby’s Meal Schedule
Solid or semi-liquid foods mark the beginning of new tastes for your baby. It also signals the start of a mealtime routine that increasingly mirrors that of adults, with four meals per day. For a baby aged around 6 to 8 months, here is what their day could look like.
- 8 a.m.: a bottle or breastfeeding, with or without infant cereals, with or without fruit purée, depending on age and appetite.
- 12 p.m.: starchy foods, blended or not with vegetable purée, animal proteins (meat/fish/egg) about 0.35 oz (10 g) or two teaspoons, and a small dairy with or without cooked fruit purée or mashed ripe fruit.
- 4 p.m.: a bottle or breastfeeding with fruit purée, a slice of very ripe fruit, plain yogurt, or two petit suisses.
- 7 p.m.: a bottle or breastfeeding and vegetables, starchy foods (a bit of shredded cheese may be added), or purée by spoon if baby is not too tired. You may also offer soup, either in a bottle or sippy cup, and mashed or blended fruit purée.
A Sample Daily Portion from 6 to 12 Months
Because dietary changes can be disorienting for both you and your baby, pediatricians’ recommendations for a child aged 6 to 12 months, once solids have been introduced, are as follows:
- 17–27 fl oz (500–800 ml) of breast milk or formula and dairy products (plain yogurt, petit suisse, fromage blanc, etc.),
- 7–16 oz (200–450 g) of vegetables and the same amount of fruit, with no added salt or sugar,
- about 0.35 oz (10 g) of meat or fish (or two teaspoons) or ¼ of an egg,
- 1 then 2 tablespoons of cereals with gluten,
- 1 teaspoon of uncooked fat (for example, in vegetables or starches).
Starting at 6 months, add a little mineral water offered in a sippy cup, training cup, or glass. After the appearance of the first teeth, you can offer a small biscuit or a piece of bread to chew. Most important of all: always respect each child’s wishes, refusals, and personal pace.
Combining Breast Milk or Infant Formula and Solids
Even once solid food introduction or BLW (baby-led weaning) has started and become a part of your baby’s routine, milk remains essential for your child’s health up until age 3. So, you need to be skillful in offering and getting your baby to accept both breast or bottle and new foods.
It’s recommended to offer the bottle in the second part of the meal, after eating. That way, a hungry baby will more easily eat their plate of carrots and ham before finishing with a bottle to fill up. If your baby still wants more, fruit purée, mashed fruit if they accept pieces, or dairy products are great options.
Conversely, if you start with the bottle, your baby (especially if they drink fast) probably won’t want to eat afterward. To understand this, imagine being served a plate of pasta carbonara after having finished a whole bottle of soup!
Gradually Replacing the Bottle with the Plate, Utensils, and Sippy Cup
Many children outgrow the bottle on their own around their third birthday. Others refuse it as soon as they try the first solid foods. In that case, your concern won’t be replacing the bottle, but rather maintaining the recommended daily intake of dairy (custard, rice pudding, and vanilla creams are your allies here).
For good meal organization and to support your child’s development, a good tip is to vary the containers. At Élhée, we designed the biberon physiologique en silicone médical, as well as the Bubble sippy training cup, to encourage autonomy in complete safety from 4 months old. At Petit Léon, alongside Élhée products, you’ll find silicone plates and ergonomic utensils to set off on the grand adventure of discovering food.
In any case, remember that there’s not just one right way to do things, but a multitude, and nothing is ever set in stone. Your child may love cooked carrots today and completely refuse them tomorrow. Try to stay flexible, offer all foods—fruits, vegetables, cheese—without restriction, and try again later if one is rejected.
Starting solids, like all learning, is a journey that you and your child take together—more like a marathon than a sprint—and above all, always remember that it’s about discovering the joy of eating.
