INTRODUCING SOLIDS - BABY - SIMPLE HOLISTIC APPROACH

Starting a baby eating solids is a time of great trepidation for many parents (myself included). This might be because this transition from exclusive breastfeeding or formula feeding to family foods (which starts around 6 months and continues until between 18 and 24 months) is a very vulnerable time. It's a time when patterns like "fussy" or picky eating, or babies not eating enough to meet their requirements can sneak in, leading to malnutrition or failure to thrive. Delays in developmental milestones around feeding can and often do occur unless good feeding and eating practices are set up, ideally from the start. And of course, there's always the fear of choking. No wonder this time can be such a big cause of stress for parents. But in spite of the clear importance of this transition period, I don't think that it needs to be stressful or scary. I actually think that starting your baby on solids can be an enjoyable, fun and even relaxing time for kids and parents. And in fact, by taking a deep breath and chilling out you can actually help your child learn to feed themselves in a timely manner, get all the nutrition they need, and have fun doing it. And don’t forget that each child is different therefore strict rules will not work for all.

THE 3 THINGS THAT ACTUALLY MATTER

What I think is far more important than the kind of feeding, are three contextual factors that are about way more than just what texture of food you're feeding your child. These three things are: eating as a family, having fairly regular meal times, and trusting your child's innate ability to self-regulate their eating.

1. Eat as a family. Step back in time and try to remember how our parents did it. We ate the same meal together as a family at the table, or occasionally on a bed sheet on the ground in the backyard.  My parents always eat with us – they didn’t  make us a separate meal and have us ate at first.It doesn't have to be the entire family sitting down together; just one adult will do. At least one of us (me or my partner) should be there eating the same meal right alongside the kids ( if possible of course).What are the benefits? From age 6 months and up, eating is a learned behaviour so the more your kids get to observe you eating, chewing, and enjoying food, the more proficient and confident they will become at it themselves. If your kid never or rarely sees you eating, how are they supposed to learn how to chew and feed themselves? It is for this reason that if you have kid/s and you skip meals, have a restrictive or distorted relationship with food, or have a diagnosed eating disorder, now is the time to start healing your own relationship with food for the sake of your babes. 

Some people introduce food before 6 months. Look for clues – discussed later on. I consider the time between 4 and 6 months to be the “tasting” time. So hear me out, I do NOT recommend taking your 4 month old home and feeding her an entire jar of baby food. In fact, this is exactly what is likely to cause problems. Also I would not introduce food for babies before 6 months if the only reason is  “better night sleep”….

Tasting small amounts of food primes the immune system and the digestive system.   Having small bits of food – especially small bits washed around with lots of breastmilk and saliva – helps the immune system know that a certain food is “safe.”   Small amounts of food allow the digestive system to slowly release more and more digestive juices (good enzymes, stomach acid, and hormones that tell the gall bladder and stomach what to do).

Tastes are also super fun because it means the baby can be a part of the family mealtime.  The baby gets to lick the finger or spoon and feel like he’s a part of the family! This is a very important part of raising a healthy eater! (4)

2. Have regular meal times. Back home, we eat fairly regular meals - breakfast, lunch and dinner with some snacks depending on the age of the kid/s (see WHO info below). We generally didn’t go more than three hours or so without eating a meal or a snack.The exception to this 3 meals and 2-3 snacks a day thing, is when your baby is just starting out on solids (around 6 months old) and may only eat 2-3 times a day as she or he is still getting most of their nutrition from breastmilk or milk replacement. As they grow older their feedings will become more frequent and eventually resemble the regular meal and snack times of the rest of the family.

"WHO recommends that infants start receiving complementary foods at 6 months of age in addition to breast milk, initially 2-3 times a day between 6-8 months, increasing to 3-4 times daily between 9-11 months and 12-24 months with additional nutritious snacks offered 1-2 times per day, as desired." - World Health Organisation

What are the benefits?Having regular meals rather than grazing all day allows time for rest and optimal digestion between eating and seems to fit seamlessly into our natural circadian rhythms. It also takes a bit of pressure off the whole "when are we going to eat?" thing, and allows you to allocate brain power to aaallll the other things parents have to do! (4)

3. Trust your child. Whether they’re six months old or 6 years old, I recommend you let your children feed themselves at the table with the rest of the family. Just put the food on a plate in front of them and let them feed themselves.What are the benefits?Trusting that your baby knows how much to eat is intrinsic to setting up a good feeding relationship. By leaving them the hell alone, you’re encouraging autonomy and body trust. You're giving them the space to feel their hunger and fullness cues. You’re setting up the foundations for a good relationship with food and their bodies.You're helping them grow up to become intuitive eaters, giving them the best possible chance to avoid developing disordered eating, eating disorders and body image issues.In the Division of Responsibility, Ellyn Satter sets out that when we first begin introducing solids to babies, parents are in charge of the when, where and what of eating, while babies are in charge of the if and how much of eating (1). This division of responsibility shifts as the child ages, but for babies just starting out on solids, you are in charge of everything... except how much they eat, or whether or not they eat at all.Whether you're doing baby-led weaning, traditional spoon/progressive texture feeding, or a mix of both, trusting your kid means responding to their directives and cues. It means stopping when they have had enough, rather than continuing to try to make baby eat just because you're worried he or she hasn't eaten enough.Trust your child.By including babies and toddlers in family meals, having regular meal and snack times, and letting them feed themselves, you’re helping them move through their developmental stages of feeding in a naturally timely and well paced manner. (4)

When to start solids? A better guide is to start solids based on what your baby can do, not on how old he or she is. The signs that baby is developmentally ready to start eating solids are: 

• when baby can sit up independently (with or without a chair)

• when baby can see food coming, and open up his or her mouth for it. 

That is around six months for most babies.Obviously you don't just swap to nipple feeding (breast or bottle) to solids in one day - it's a slow transition over 1-2 years. Many parents will still be breastfeeding or bottle feeding their babies whilst starting solids and beyond. The World Health Organisation recommends exclusive breastfeeding (i.e. no other fluids or solids) for six months and then continued breastfeeding combined with solid foods for 2 years or as long as mother and baby desire (2). 

What to eat?

I asked post part support doula, Selena (info bellow) this question as she already has a plenty of experience with two of her beautiful daughters. When I say that "baby eats the same meal as the rest of the family", I mean that you shouldn’t have to cook something separate for your baby (unless you’re dying for a spicy hot curry!)

Starting Solids. - by Selena @mummalove Postnatal Support Doula

Absolutely.. Starting solids for the first time can be creative, fun and a whole lot of mess. It has to be one of my most favourite times in a baby’s development. After being in such a cocoon of pregnancy and birth. Not to mention the simplicity of breastfeeding being the only source of food for your baby. Knowing that there will be a change in the routine is something to look forward to.

By the 6 month mark not only are mum and bub ready but the family are too. Dinner time is such a great way to integrate baby into the family.

In our home cooking seperate meals was never an option .We always have made our main meals to cater not only for the adults of the family but also the babies and the toddlers. For the little ones we would seperate certain ingredients from the whole meal but we are all eating from the same pot. With the use of seasonal whole foods there are really so many recipes out their too choose from.

In the winter months we eat a lot of grounded vegetables. Soups and stews are a big one in our family. Always making extra vegetables for bubba and the rest would be for the whole family to enjoy.

For example: Roasted Butternut & Coconut Soup

For bubba we would blend up the butternut pumpkin and the remaining vegetables would be made into a delicious soup with extra ingredients for the whole family to enjoy.

In the summer months it’s all about cooling down. Lots of salads, fruit and wholegrain are on the menu.

For example: Healthy Bowl.

For bubba we would smash up the avocado and sweet potato. For the rest of the family we would roast the sweet potatoes and add them to our bowl of ingredients with smashed avocado on the top.

One of the first foods i gave my girls was organic bone broth, especially before the age of 1.

We would add this to every meal. They loved it and it is a great source of protein.

Keep it simple, take it slow, adding more ingredients as you go.

They will let you know, if they don't like it...

………….

Talking about curry….I have also asked Ayurvedic post part support souls , Dani, about basic Ayurvedic approach ( info about Dani bellow the text)

Basic Ayurvedic approach by Daniela Escobar 

The Ayurvedic approach to introducing a baby to food is generally when their first tooth appears (nature’s sign they’re ready) or when they start showing curiosity in food. Both are good signs which usually happen when the baby is around 6 months.

it is recommended to start with very easy and light food and only one type of food at a time. The purpose is to kindle agni (digestive fire) slowly and gently. Traditionally in India, the first food that is given to a baby is a thin rice broth or thin split mung dhal which gradually can be made thicker until it becomes solid.

The process of weaning can take up to 2 months. 

A good start is with one grain or one vegetable or one fruit at a time. Everything should be cooked until its soft and with lots of love. The number of meals will increase from one to three per day in time.

Here is an example:

* Days 1-3 introduce one meal per day. This could consist of:

- A very thin rice broth

- Raggi (red millet) or white millet (in a broth)

- Split mung dhal soup

* Days 4-5 introduce two meals per day. The second meal can be some smashed veggie or steamed fruit. 

* Days 6-7 introduce three meals per day. These meals can have a more solid consistency. 

During the week, you will start to get an idea of your baby's likes, or dislikes. Here is a recipe to try out :)

Amruta Baby's Kitchari 

- 1 cup of basmati rice

- 1/2 cup of split mung dhal

- 1/4 cup of urud dhal

- 1/4 cup of 1 vegetable of your choice

- 1 tsp of ajwain

- 1 tsp of cumin seeds

- 1/4 tsp of fenugreek

- pinch of asafetida 

- pinch of turmeric

- pinch of salt

Instructions

- Wash the grains/legumes and dry roast in a pan

- Blend coarsely into a rough mix

- Add some water and cook for a few minutes with spices (asafetida and turmeric should be added at the end!) 

- Add one type of veggie and cook until soft

- Garnish with a teaspoon of ghee

Can you still spoon feed and puree?

Of course! If you and baby enjoy spoon feeding, then go for it. just make sure to follow your baby’s cues for instance:

1. Wait until they open their mouth before placing the spoon into their mouth. Don't push the spoon too far in as it may cause a gag reflux.

2. Stop when they show signs they are done ( head turning away, closed mouth, trying to get out of their chair).

One thing to watch out for is getting caught up in this spoon feeding stage.

Delays in developmental milestones around feeding can occur when parents insist on continuing to spoon feed for too long, say past 12 months, and not giving their baby enough free reign to feed themselves.

Self spoon feeding is a skill kids should be getting a hold of around 6-12 months. A child who is still unable to spoon feed themselves at 18months has probably missed the opportunity to practice feeding themselves enough times to learn this skill at a more appropriate age.

Smelling, touching and tasting is part of the food experience. So let them play and build a healthy relationship with food.

When you notice that your baby has developed the palmer grasp ( around 5-6 months) load up their spoon and allow them to spoon feed themselves. By the time they are 12 months old your baby will be hand and spoon feeding themselves beautifully with very little interference from you required. (2)

Reference:

Selena @Mummalove Postnatal Support Doula selena.vanloon@gmail.com

Daniela Escobar 
Ayurvedic Health Practitioner @ SOMA  
Women’s Health & Postpartum Ayurvedic Care 
@Orchard St. Clinic 
 www.soma-shakti.com.au 

(1) https://www.ellynsatterinstitute.org/how-to-feed/the-division-of-responsibility-in-feeding/

(2) https://www.breastfeeding.asn.au/bfinfo/how-long-should-i-breastfeed-my-baby

(3) https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1414850

(4) https://www.funkyforest.com.au/blog/the-laid-back-parents-guide-to-babys-first-solids