Starting Solids: Creating a Positive Eating Environment
Aug 27, 2020At around six months old, your baby maybe showing the signs they are ready to begin complementary feeding. At this early stage the aim is to allow your baby the opportunity to explore food and start to become familiar with new tastes and textures - food should be fun. You can help make this process as relaxed and enjoyable as possible for both of you by following a few pointers below on creating a positive eating environment.
When beginning weaning your baby should be sat upright safely in a highchair or equivalent and it’s helpful to find a time when baby is happy and alert to try this new activity with you.
Milk feed one hour before
Giving your baby a small breastfeed or bottle feed one hour prior to their first tastes of food can help them to feel happy and content and reduce frustration from hunger. If they show little interest they may have become too full and do not feel motivated to place the food to their mouths. Don’t worry if this happens, it is totally normal and all a learning curve for you and your baby. You may find your little one responds better to small tastes of food before their milk feed. Every infant is different, but a small milk feed is a good place to start and then mix it up if that doesn’t work for them.
Offer single foods
In the beginning it is recommended to offer single food items to allow your baby to detect individual flavours and textures. Combination foods can be offered later in weaning when your baby has had the chance to explore and distinguish between lots of single flavours.
Start with a bitter vegetable
Your baby's very first tastes of food should ideally be a bitter flavour that is vegetable based (for example broccoli, brussels sprout, cauliflower etc.). Evidence suggests that the very early tastes of food can influence choices later in the weaning process, so it is advisable to opt for a savoury flavour as opposed to a sweeter fruit-based food. You will be setting your baby up to hopefully enjoy a wider range of flavours further on in the food journey.
Positive reinforcement
While your baby is tasting foods, try and provide a positive environment, giving them lots of eye contact and using verbal cues such as ‘nom nom’ or ‘yum yum’ to help them learn and enjoy this new experience.
Socialize with family meals
Mealtimes are a social time, a time to interact with your baby and make conversation. If you can, try and minimise distractions by keeping televisions turned off and tablet and phone use out of sight during this time. Be a role model to your baby. Family meals encourage your baby to develop their eating skills as they watch and learn from you and their siblings or other family members.
If at first you don’t succeed… try 10 more times!
Babies can require exposure to one food type over ten times before they will accept it! Being patient and persistent will pay off in the end. Your baby is highly likely to pull faces at new foods or even spit food out, this is due to the sensation on their taste buds following what has been a very simple menu of milk for the first 6 months of their lives. Their confidence with flavours will improve over time and these reactions will reduce as they begin to develop a more mature palette. There are few quick results with weaning, but it is worth every minute of time and effort you put in for them.
Go at your baby's pace
It is important to allow your baby to go at their own pace, eating is not a race. Every baby is different. Some will enjoy food from the beginning and help themselves, confidently developing in to independent eaters quite quickly. Whilst other babies may play with the food with their hands putting very little to their mouths and take a little longer in the learning process. It is all totally normal and it is important that whatever their response, this should be a fun time for you and your baby.
Keep calm and enjoy
Try not to get upset or stressed around your baby if they don’t try the food you offer them. A baby’s appetite can be variable at different times of day and on different days. Sometimes they may eat the whole plate and other times two mouthfuls may be sufficient.
Finally always stay with your baby during meal and snack times to ensure they are safe whilst eating. Baby-led weaning can be a messy process at times but is well worth the long term benefits you are providing your baby. Enjoy!
