Starting Solids

One of the most confusing things for many parents is figuring out when exactly to start solids. You may receive the ok from your pediatrician at 4 months, but you may also hear to wait until 6 months. There’s also information about introducing allergens between 4-6 months, so which is right? For the most part, we look for signs of readiness more than a certain age.
As with all things parenting, there are exceptions to every rule. These are the general guidelines we use to assess whether or not a child is ready to start solids, but there are reasons that certain children may need to start solids earlier or later. If you are ever concerned, you can work with a pediatric dietitian or feeding therapist who can familiarize themselves with your individual situation.

Bread is by far one of my favorite ways to introduce wheat to babies when I’m focusing on the top 9 allergens. But there are a few things you need to keep in mind when purchasing and serving bread to your baby.

First, check ingredients and avoid honey (for babies under one) and any bread with nuts or seeds. Second, make sure you serve it appropriately. In general, babies do better with crusty breads or lightly toasted breads. The very soft breads can get gummed up in their mouths and increase their risk of choking.

Creating a registry for your baby can be both fun and extremely overwhelming. There are a million different products targeting new parents and it can be really difficult to figure out what’s actually important (and what’s just trying to make a buck). Picking out a high chair for BLW or purees can be challenging with so many options on the market. A high chair is actually one of only a handful of feeding tools I recommend investing in (if it makes sense for you financially).
Now, if you already have a high chair for whatever reason, it’s probably fine to use it, but if you’re shopping around for the best one on the market, this post will help you figure out what you need.

Choking is a leading cause of injury and death in the United States, so it’s no wonder that many parents are very concerned about it. Gagging, however, is a very normal process. It causes no harm to your baby, but can be extremely difficult for you. Knowing the difference between gagging and choking can really make mealtime less stressful.
Every baby will probably gag at some point in their feeding journey. Knowing what to look for and how to handle it will make the experience less challenging for everyone.

If you are just starting solids, you may have heard that iron is a crucial nutrient for your baby. Or you may have had an iron test done and realized your child’s iron stores are a little low. Either way, you may be looking for iron foods to include in your child’s diet. Luckily there are a lot!