\n<\/p>\n
Learning how to eat is a process that can take time. Some babies figure it out very quickly, while others need more help. We teach Baby-led Weaning, or infant self-feeding, in our\u00a0online course<\/a>, and we know that while it can be an amazing experience for many, it doesn\u2019t always go as expected for some. If you\u2019re in this boat, please do not blame yourself or assume you did something \u201cwrong.\u201d It\u2019s not your fault if your baby doesn\u2019t love solid foods, and there\u2019s nothing wrong with your baby if they\u2019re not into them either!\u00a0<\/p>\n We wanted to walk you through a few things to try right now if your baby isn\u2019t taking well to solid foods. This is just a starting point – our Infant Course <\/a>has a complete Troubleshooting section that will help with almost any issue you might be dealing with when solid foods aren\u2019t going well.<\/p>\n Before we begin, please know that many babies do not swallow a quantifiable amount of food for many weeks to months when doing Baby-led Weaning. It\u2019s a gradual process.\u00a0<\/strong>Our clients report that they start to notice their baby actually consuming food sometime between 7-9 months of age, but this varies depending on the baby and environment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n If your baby is not taking to solid foods, try these things today:<\/p>\n 1. Make sure your baby is ready for solid foods.<\/strong> We recommend starting around 6 months of age, when your baby is:<\/p>\n It might be hard for your baby to sit well in their high chair, know how to bring food to their mouth and have a desire to eat if they\u2019re not exhibiting these readiness cues yet. For more about readiness cues, head\u00a0here<\/a>. If your baby is older than 6 months and still isn\u2019t showing readiness cues, our\u00a0Infant Course<\/a>\u00a0goes into detail about how to help them get there.<\/p>\n 2. Make sure your baby\u2019s high chair positions them well for eating.<\/strong> Babies (and adults!) are more willing to sit and eat when they feel stable, supported and comfortable in their chair. If you\u2019ve ever sat at a bar stool with your feet dangling or have tried eating while reclining in bed, you might understand what we\u2019re talking about! Proper positioning (ability to lean forward and reach your food, back supported, feet supported) can make a monumental difference for new eaters. Read more about this and our favorite high chairs here<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n 3. Eat with your baby<\/strong>. Babies learn about the world through watching us, so it\u2019s imperative that we eat with them when they\u2019re learning how to eat. They observe us picking up food, putting it in our mouth and chewing it, and they learn that it\u2019s OK to try different foods on their plate because we are eating them too. Make sure your baby\u2019s chair is right next to the table so they\u2019re included in the mealtime experience and can see you eat.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n 4. Make sure your baby can pick up the food you\u2019re serving. <\/strong>It seems obvious to cut up your baby\u2019s food into tiny pieces, but a 6-month-old can\u2019t pick up small pieces of food because they don\u2019t yet have a pincer grasp. Instead, offer strips of soft food that pokes out of the top of their hand when their tiny fist is holding onto it. Learn how to do it here<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n 5. Offer more meals a day.<\/strong> We recommend starting with at least 1 meal per day at 6 months of age, working up to 3 meals a day by 9 months of age. However, if your baby isn\u2019t taking to solids well, bump up to 2-3 meals a day right away. The more practice they get, the more successful they will become with solid foods.<\/p>\n 6. Try loaded utensils.<\/strong> Sometimes babies don\u2019t quite understand what to do with food until you put it on a loaded spoon or fork. We want babies touching food with their hands first and foremost, but utensils can help if food is slippery or hard to hold. Our favorite starter utensils are the NumNum GOOtensils<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n \u00a07. Put food on their favorite teether or (washable) toy.<\/strong> Sometimes babies will put all the things<\/em> in their mouth, just not food. One of our favorite techniques is to put food on<\/em> the toys they already like to teethe on. Once they understand that food is meant to go into their mouth, they might be more willing to try strips or pieces of food.<\/p>\n 8. Let your baby get messy.<\/strong> Yes, we know mess can be triggering, but messy eating is one of the best ways babies learn to eat. They have to feel comfortable touching and exploring food to be more willing to put it into their mouth. If we\u2019re constantly wiping their hands or face as they eat, they might not love the mealtime experience. If we don\u2019t let them touch and explore food, they are less likely to bring it to their mouth. Messy eating is essential.<\/em> Let them get messy as they eat and wait until the end to clean up \u2013 it will help them be a better eater in the long run!<\/p>\n 9. It\u2019s great to encourage your baby, but don\u2019t force them to eat.<\/strong> If you\u2019re trying to push food into their mouth, feed them while they\u2019re distracted or \u201cairplane\u201d the spoon into their mouth while they\u2019re not looking, they might not love the feeding experience. Instead, let them eat on their own terms. Bring them to the table frequently, but don\u2019t make<\/em> them eat. Rather, let them explore their food and try to keep it a positive experience.<\/p>\n 10. Know that it can take some time, but once it \u201cclicks\u201d your baby will be off and running (err, eating)! <\/strong>Many of our clients say that their babies didn\u2019t \u201cget it\u201d for awhile, but once they did, they became voracious about solids. It just took awhile to get there. Stay consistent and positive, and work with your doctor if you don\u2019t see improvement by 12 months.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n