Watching the changing – and often comical – expressions on your baby’s face when they first try solid foods is a delightful and exciting time for many parents. It’s also a time when parents have many questions for their child’s doctor: when to start, what foods to begin with and how much to feed.
“In the beginning, it’s important to remember that starting solid foods is all about learning for the child,” says Katharine Padrez, M.D., a pediatrician at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation. “Keep the experience fun and enjoyable. Your baby is learning about new flavors, different textures, how to move solids from the front to the back of the mouth and how to take food from a spoon.”
Starting solids does not mean that your baby will finally sleep through the night or need less milk during the day, Dr. Padrez adds.
“The majority of your baby’s calories will still come from breast milk or formula for at least the first few months after starting solids,” says Dr. Padrez.
Here are answers to some of the most common questions parents ask Dr. Padrez about introducing their child to solids.