When it comes to deciding when your baby is ready for solids, there are many things to consider, so let’s take a look at a few important ones that will help you in determining if it is the right time.
Waiting Until 6 Months
- Six months gives your baby’s development to build up to having strong head and neck muscles. This is important because before 6 months, your baby might not be able to fully turn their head to refuse food. So making sure that your baby has full control of their head and neck muscles should be a major reason to wait until 6 months.
- You should look to see that your baby does not have the extrusion reflex. This is the reflex where your baby will push food out of their mouth with their tongue. If your baby is doing this, they are still not fully ready for solids yet.
- Your baby should weigh twice their birth weight, this should be 15 pounds or more.
- Your baby should be able to sit upright, with support, which allows to be able to lean forward for another spoonful of food or to lean back, to refuse anymore food. This is all part of reading your baby’s cues, Mamas.
- When it comes to a breastfeeding baby, your baby should be breastfeeding 8-10 times in a 24 hour period, emptying both breasts and still wanting more to eat. If your baby is doing this, they’re ready for solids.
- For formula fed babies, they should be drinking no more than 40 ounces of formula in a 24 hour period and still want more.
- Your baby is clearly showing an interest in others that are eating. Although, this can begin as early as 4 months of age, waiting until the 6 month mark is still better.
- Your baby should be able to have good hand/eye coordination skills. This means being able to bring an object that is in their hand up to their own mouth.
- Another sure sign is that your baby is beginning to wake up more during the night for a feeding and is very fussy.
- During the day, you will notice that your baby’s naps are also getting shorter, waking up earlier than expected. Your baby is now ready.
A good rule of thumb to know how much formula or breastmilk your baby needs is to take the weight of your baby and multiply that number by 2.5. For every pound your baby weighs, they need 2.5 ounces of milk/formula. This equals out to 50 calories/day/pound of body weight.
Reasons Your Baby Isn’t Ready Before 6 Months
- A baby’s tongue and throat muscles are not yet fully developed
- Baby’s head and neck muscles might not be fully developed either
- Their baby’s digestive tract is not mature until the 6th month, which will make it impossible to fully digest solid foods.
- Beginning solid foods prior to 6 months has also shown that it increases the risk for obesity, food allergies and developing breathing problems.
Note: Solid foods should never replace bottle or breastfeedings, they should add to your child’s feedings. During the first year, solid foods are mostly for training your child’s tongue and throat muscles. This allows the body to adjust once they make the switch from mushy foods to harder, more solid foods to chew with a full mouth of teeth.
Now it’s time to have fun with some delicious food options!
