What's on the menu
Around six months old, your baby’s rapid growth and development requires more energy. This is about the time care givers can start to introduce new foods in addition to their current formula or breast milk. A well mashed single fruit or vegetable are great options for trying out different textures.
Some options could include:
- avocado
- poi
- rice porridge
- steamed carrots
- beans or lentils
- bananas
- sweet potatoes
Practicing a new skill
The best part of feeding time is connecting with your little one through eye contact but it can require a lot of patience at first. Eating solid food is a skill that takes time to learn. Baby’s are practicing the skill of moving food from the front of the mouth to the back for swallowing. A small taste is all they need at first using a spoon or clean finger. In the beginning, your baby may turn their head away or cry when feeding. If they seem uninterested, it’s best not to force them to eat.
Going back to just formula or breastmilk for a few days is totally okay before trying again. A few signals that your baby is enjoying their food may be opening their mouth for the food, moving their head towards the spoon with an open mouth, and reaching for food.
Mealtime messiness
Once your baby gets the hang of tasting new foods, they may start to reach for the spoon to touch and play with their food. Often, meal times turn messy. But there is meaning to the mess (and bibs)! When infants touch and taste different foods, it helps their brains grow and develop. Feeling their food engages their curiosity as they smash, squeeze, and squish food using their eye-to-hand coordination and fine motor skills.
Offering a range of foods slowly, starting in infancy, will shape what your little one likes to eat later in life. Making sure they get foods with lots of vitamins and nutrients is key to supporting their fast-growing brains and bodies.
The Book Nook
My Food / Mi Comida by Rebecca Emberley
Let's Eat / Vamos A Comer by Alan Benjamin
How to Fold a Taco/Como Doblar un Taco by Naibe Reynoso
References
Mura Paroche, M., Caton, S. J., Vereijken, C. M. J. L., Weenen, H., & Houston-Price, C.
(2017). How Infants and Young Children Learn About Food: A Systematic Review.
Frontiers in psychology, 8, 1046. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01046
For your local parenting resources visit us at health.oregonstate.edu/opec
more articles at beav.es/parenting-together
