6 tips: What do you need to start solid food?
Good preparation is very important so that you can get the solids start going smoothly. Here you can find out what else you need in addition to spoons and bibs if you want to feed your baby with porridge.
During the first few months of life, your baby’s calorie and nutrient requirements will increase steadily. Between the 5th and 7th month of life there usually comes a time when it becomes necessary to introduce solid food in addition to breast milk or formula. In this way you can ensure an optimal supply of nutrients and support the growth and development of your baby as much as possible. But what exactly do you actually need so that the solid food start doesn’t go completely wrong? We have put together a few tips for you to start with.
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Toggle1. The right seat for the start of solid food
If your baby is still very small when it starts solids, it may be easiest if you hold it on your lap or in your arms when it first tries to feed. However, depending on how active and mobile your little one is, this can quickly become exhausting. Therefore, in most cases it is more practical if you sit across from your baby.
For babies who are not yet able to sit up independently when they start solids, a baby bouncer is ideal . In this, your baby sits stably, his back is well supported and you have both hands free for feeding.
Older children who can sit up straight with support are well looked after in a high chair when feeding . You have the choice of whether you prefer a free-standing chair or a model that can be mounted on the edge of the table. If the chair is freestanding, it can be handy if it comes with a dining tray . So later, when your baby starts trying to eat for the first time, it will also have its “own little table” on which it can easily reach and occupy itself with the food on offer. It is advantageous for all models if they can be easily cleaned , i.e. if they can be washed with a damp cloth, for example.
Important: afirm footing, stability and safe assembly should always be the alpha and omega of a high chair.
2. Bib for the start of complementary feeding
When starting solids, your baby not only has to get used to new food, but also to a completely new feeding method. So it is not surprising if at the beginning only a fraction of the pulp ends up in the mouth and stays there. Bibs are essential so that you don’t have to completely reclothe your baby after each feeding attempt. These are available in a wide variety of designs, materials and designs.
Cotton bibs, which are easy to machine wash , are practical . Preferably at 60°C, so that they are really clean and no bacteria or germs can settle. However, there are also washable bibs made of plastic or with a plastic coating. A bib with sleeves can come in handy at the latest when your baby starts to explore the complementary food with their own little hands .
Tip: The right clothing also makes feeding more relaxed for you. So it’s better to wear an old t-shirt that doesn’t matter if a blob of porridge lands on it.
3. Spoon to start complementary feeding
Of course, without a spoon, nothing works at all when you start solid food. In principle, you can feed your baby with normal teaspoons. However, special baby spoons are more practical. They are usually made of flexible plastic and are particularly narrow and flat. This makes it easier for your child to eat the porridge offered on the spoon.
Some baby spoons are also made of particularly soft material, which should ensure a comfortable feeling and as little resistance as possible in the baby’s mouth. Note: If you do not choose a soft material, it is important to check before feeding that the feeding spoon does not have any corners or sharp edges . Your offspring could easily injure themselves on such.
If you feed your baby with complementary food from the jar, long-handled spoons are ideal . They make it easier for you to reach the porridge on the glass floor. Spoons with heads slightly tilted to the side are also helpful, as they make it particularly easy to “free” the last bits of pulp from the jar.
Tip: A single feeding spoon will probably not be enough in everyday life. It is therefore better to buy them as a set. You also have the opportunity to give your baby a clean spoon to play with while feeding, so that it can familiarize itself with the new “tool” on its own.
4. Children’s tableware for the start of supplementary food
Everything is still new and unfamiliar to your baby when you start solid food. It will certainly want to deal with the new foods in detail. To ensure that nothing breaks, special children’s crockery is a good idea. This is usually made of unbreakable plastic , so that plates and bowls remain intact even in the event of small “accidents”, such as falling off the table.
Some plates or bowls also have special additional properties. For example, some are equipped with a suction ring with which you can attach them firmly to the table. This way you can prevent your baby from accidentally knocking them over and the porridge landing on the floor. So-called warming plates are filled with hot water so that the contents do not cool down so quickly during feeding.
Children’s crockery is particularly practical if it is not sensitive to heat , for example if it is suitable for the microwave. So you can easily heat porridge if necessary. Attention: Children’s crockery is often made of melamine. However, this should not be heated in the microwave. Therefore, pay close attention to the properties when buying and ask the specialist staff if necessary.
5. Drinking cup to start complementary feeding
With the start of complementary feeding, it is important that you offer your child additional liquids in addition to the remaining milk meals . At the latest when the third baby meal is introduced, this will become indispensable, but ideally your baby will have the opportunity to drink something before or during the meal. You can find out to what extent water or unsweetened tea is suitable for babies and what you need to pay attention to in general in our article “Water, teas and juices – what should your baby drink?” . By the way: You can easily have your tap water tested to ensure it is of drinking water quality .
In the beginning, you can simply let your baby drink the additional drinks from a normal bottle. However, make sure to exchange the milk teat for a tea teat . The perforation in tea teats is slightly smaller, so that not too much liquid comes out of the opening at once and your baby does not choke so easily.
Not all babies are willing to accept anything other than bottle milk. In this case, sippy cups or special drinking cups are suitable . Your baby can use this in a similar way to a bottle, but does not have to suck as hard. With most drinking cups, the lid can be removed later so that they can be used as normal drinking cups. You can find more information on this topic in our article “Learn to drink” .
Note: Of course it is also possible to teach your child to drink from a normal cup right from the start. However, glasses are not recommended. They could easily break and pose a risk of injury to your child.
When you start solids, you have the choice of buying ready-made porridge in a jar or preparing the solids yourself. If you choose the latter, then some kitchen utensils are particularly helpful.
Since your baby cannot chew properly at first, you should finely puree the cooked complementary food. A hand blender or a food processor are suitable for this, for example . A fine sieve can also be an advantage to separate any fibrous components from the rest of the pulp. If you cook larger quantities of complementary food and want to freeze the porridge, you also need suitable containers.
You can find many great complementary food recipes in our special complementary food .
6. Patience when starting solids
No master has fallen from the sky yet and complementary food is a completely new world for your baby. Therefore, give him enough time to familiarize himself with the new subject matter. This is very important, especially when trying to feed for the first time, because it is not uncommon for babies to initially refuse the porridge or only eat very small amounts. You can read in our article “8 tips if your baby doesn’t want to eat” why it could be if your baby still refuses complementary food after several attempts .