Is starting solids a bit confusing?
There are so many things to consider!
From an eat-play-sleep point of view, how do you fit in solids?
Can solid food impact sleep?
What time of the day should my baby have solid food?
After scouring many blogs, reviewing what my clients have done, and my own experience, here are a few tips I suggest:
1) Milk is #1 food source until age 1
What this means is that as your baby ages, and their interest in food increases, milk still is an important part of their diet.
If you have a younger baby (6 months-ish), milk is first, then solids.
At this age, they are usually only taking in a few tablespoons of food per day, so milk still needs to be the priority.
2) Start small and go slow
It takes time for your baby's tummy to adjust to solid food, so if you're giving them new food every day, it may lead to an upset tummy.
Give yourself three days between starting new foods so that you can see how your baby adjusts to them.
I found a chart from AHS about amounts for different age groups, check it out here!
3) Give solid food earlier in the day if it's impacting the bedtime feed
If you find that your baby is taking in solids around dinner time, then not drinking milk very well at bedtime AND nighttime sleep seems to be impacted- then move when you give them solid food earlier in the day.
4) Quality Matters- fat + protein + carb
Have you ever had a day where you realized you just ate CARBS all day long?
How do you feel at the end of the day...?
HANGRY.
As you prepare food for your baby, consider having carbs + protein + fat sources with most meals and snacks.
There is a link between the quality of calories and sleep!
If you have a 6-month-old baby, solids are just for fun and exposure.
If you have a 10-month-old, solids should be more of 'quality' as per the suggestion of the food sources.
Etc, etc.
If your baby isn't on solids yet, but you find that they eat more during the night instead of the daytime- read about that here!
Have questions? Hit reply and let me know!
Here for you,
Melody Patton
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