Lifestyle

Signs Your Baby Is Ready for Solid Foods

This blog post has been sponsored by BSM Media and Beech-Nut. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this post are mine and mine alone. #Infantfluencers

Starting your baby on solid foods is an exciting time for the family, but can also be a journey that you are not quite sure baby is ready for. There are so many questions parents ask themselves prior to putting baby on solid foods and I am happy to share some of those with you today!

  • Is  baby between four and six months old? This is the ideal time to start baby on solids because their tiny tummy has developed the enzymes it needs to break down solid food. 
  • Has baby has doubled his birth weight? This is a key sign. In general, when babies have doubled their birth weight and reached at least 13 pounds, they may be ready to attempt eating solids (according to the American Academy of Pediatrics).
  • Has baby stopped reflexively thrusting out her tongue? If your baby swallows their food and doesn’t push it out of their mouth, then this is a great sign that they are ready for solid food! The tongue-thrust reflex, as this instinct, so if your baby is still showing signs of this, please don’t force solids. 
  • Can baby hold his head steady while sitting? Your baby should be able to hold their head up well while sitting when first starting on puree foods.
  • Is baby is eyeing or reaching for your food? This is probably my most favorite sign that baby is ready for solids, I just love when they become interested in the food you are eating! If your baby can’t take their eyes off you when you eat, chances are they are probably excited about what you’re eating. Your baby may even try to reach or grab your food or utensils while you eat. this is also another great sign.
  • Does baby opens wide at the sight of a spoon coming toward his mouth? If your baby is engaging in eating when you place a spoon in front of their face, this is a clear sign they are ready. If baby is refusing to open their mouth and not willing to eat from a spoon, again, please don’t force it!
  • Is baby healthy (no signs of a fever or a stuffy nose)? It is always best to attempt solids when baby is feeling 100%, I do not recommend attempting solids for the first time when they are unhappy and unhealthy. 

Now that you know your baby is ready to start on solid foods, the next question is which food to choose for them! This can be incredibly overwhelming as there are a vast amount of options out there. As a mother of three, there has been one brand that I was always drawn to when starting solids, and that was the Beech-Nut brand. With a new baby on the way, I have started familiarizing myself with the latest products on the shelf and was thrilled to discover that I now have the option of choosing Beech-Nut® Naturals!

Signs Your Baby Is Ready for Solid Foods

We have learned a lot over the years about the importance of the ingredients that are in our foods. I became very proactive several years ago about slowly transitioning our foods to more natural and organic because I wanted what was best for my family. This is no different for my little one on the way and the last thing I want is to put food in her that contains ingredients that I can’t even pronounce! What has excited me most about the new line of Beech-Nut® Naturals is that it is real food with real ingredients that are gently cooked.. There is nothing unexpected in the ingredients, the flavor you are purchasing is precisely what the ingredients are… nothing extra!

Signs Your Baby Is Ready for Solid Foods

Beech-Nut® Naturals offers an impressive variety of natural and organic baby food products that are free from artificial preservatives, colors and flavors. Their baby food is made with real ingredients that are gently cooked over indirect heat in order to preserve color, flavor, and nutrients. What do they mean by real ingredients? This simply means that their baby food only contains natural fruits & veggies and all of the foods in this collection are Non-GMO Project Verified. Beech-Nut® has even gone as far to ensure the integrity of their baby food by conducting over 20 rigorous tests on their purees, testing for up to 255 pesticides and heavy metals (like lead, cadmium, arsenic and other nasty stuff). 

Signs Your Baby Is Ready for Solid Foods

Starting your baby on solids is already overwhelming and the last thing you need to worry about is that the food you are providing them with contains less than favorable ingredients! I hope that this post has helped you not only recognize the signs that baby is ready for solids, but provided you with enough information to understand why I choose Beech-Nut® Naturals for my baby over all the other brands.

Signs Your Baby Is Ready for Solid Foods

 Good luck to you on this new journey! Make sure to sign up for  Beech-Nut® #Infantfluencers! It seems like everyone is an influencer these days, doesn’t it? And some of the most opinionated influencers in the game are our babies! They develop funny personalities, strong preferences and little quirks at such a young age – making them the real influencers of today! Beech-Nut Family to be in the running to win prizes if they tell their #Infantfluencers story, so make sure to check that out!!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.