Baby Food - When

 When do you introduce solid food to your baby?


Starting your little one on solid baby food is a beautiful bonding experience, as well as a playful and messy one!

For many first time parents, this transitional stage can also be very confusing. There is so much conflicting information out there it is sometimes hard to work out which is the best way forward. No matter what type of feeding method you choose, there is no right or wrong way. Every baby and every parent is different so of course there will be different methods, food orders and procedures for starting solids. We have outlined some simple steps to follow, to get your baby on the right track for a lifetime of healthy eating.

It is recommended that solid foods should be introduced to your baby between 4 to 6 months of age. The rationale behind this is because the digestive system is totally developed by the age of four months, and after six months, a baby may reject the texture of solid food. This doesn't mean it is the only way though. Many mum's we have spoken to over the years have breastfed their baby for longer and started introducing solids later in their babies life. Ariella on the other hand was so interested in food and was never satisfied. I started her on solids at 4 months and she absolutely loved it!

So you see every baby is different and there is no right or wrong. Don’t worry, your baby will tell you when they are ready for solid foods.  Here are some tell-tail signs that your child is ready to move on from a liquid only diet.

  1. They can support their own head and neck.
  2. Their birth weight has doubled, or they have reached about 6.5kgs (or 15 pounds)
  3. They may attempt to reach for food from you or your plate.
  4. They are hungry more often.
  5. They will begin to make chewing-type motions, as the tongue and mouth develop with the digestive system.

From 4-6 months it is a time for introducing individual fruit, vegetable, and grain purees into the diet whilst your baby is still getting their nutrition from breast milk, or formula feeds. Usually this is done one food at a time, with a 3-day gap between foods so that you are able to notice if your baby has any allergic reactions to specific foods (realistically it is only one or two teaspoons of food and most of it ends up dribbling down their chin). Our downloadable food chart has a guide for introducing baby foods, and we also have designed a meal plan example for you to follow when introducing solid baby foods. Of course though, every baby is different so please consult your doctor for advice and guidance.

There are also some clear signs that your baby will use to tell you when they are satisfied, as each feeding session will vary.

  1. Baby will turn away from food.
  2. Become distracted.
  3. Refuse to open mouth and accept more food.
  4. Baby will physically lean back away from the food.

Our introducing solids guide is available here and contains over 50 puree recipes.

Baby food chart 4-6 monthsFrom 6-8 months of age, purees can be mixed and you can get creative with flavours using herbs and interesting food combinations. You can also start to create a little texture by mashing some food and pureeing others. Little Mashies are most commonly used from 4-8 months to store baby food made in bulk and to transport baby food when you are feeding your little one out and about. You can also buy attachable soft spoons from any pharmacy that allow you to feed your baby straight from the food pouch.
Between 9 and 11 months of age, most babies are able to pick up objects, and this would be the stage that your baby will usually start to self-feed.  Soft foods that mash well are the best ideas for finger foods. You can cut them into strips so that your baby has something to hold onto. Feeding in this stage can be quite frustrating because often your baby is determined to be “independent”, however they are unable to properly feed themselves. This is usually the stage when your baby will want to hold Little Mashies, and start to feed itself.

Offer your baby a soft-tipped spoon or a Little Mashies food pouch to hold while you are feeding them.  This will not only help them learn how to hold the utensil, but will also keep them distracted, and from grabbing the spoon that you are attempting to feed them with.

From 10-12 months of age, your baby will be able to eat miniature versions of your food (as long as it is healthy). For this baby food stage Little Mashies reusable food pouches are often used for times when your baby is tired or grumpy, or when they are being fussy. It is also common for parents to fill their Little Mashies reusable food pouches with yoghurt or healthy smoothies for snacks on the go, as well as pureed versions of main meals if the child is having trouble consuming his or her food on her plate. 

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Starting Solids?


Most babies are ready around 6 months. Look for signs like sitting upright with support, showing interest in food, and a reduced tongue thrust reflex. Every baby develops at their own pace. Readiness matters more than age alone.

At 6 to 8 months food should be very soft and easily mashable between your fingers. Around 9 months babies can handle more texture and small soft pieces. If you are unsure, start softer and increase texture gradually as confidence grows.

Gagging is normal when babies are learning to manage texture. It is different from choking and is part of the learning process. Always supervise meals and offer appropriately sized soft foods. Most babies improve quickly with exposure and practice.

Not necessarily. Many meals can be adapted for baby with simple texture adjustments. You do not need to cook three different dinners. With a simple rhythm and small changes you can feed everyone from the same base meal.

Refilling your reusable yoghurt pouches is easy! Simply turn the reusable food pouch upside down and open the wide double ziplock at the bottom of the pouch. Once the zipper is open you can spoon yoghurt into the pouch or pour it in (out of a jug or bottle).

If you are concerned about making a mess you can use a kitchen funnel so that all of the yoghurt stays away from the yoghurt pouch zipper.

Another idea that we commonly do at home when filming videos (but it would also be useful when holding a baby in one arm), anyway.. the idea is that you put the pouch upside down in a glass (with the lid on), open the ziplock and the glass acts like a second hand, holding the pouch still whilst you spoon the yoghurt in. This is what I do when I only have one hand to use for the refill!I also tend to refill my reusable yoghurt pouches in bulk. I'll buy a good quality yoghurt from Coles or Woolworths and will fill a whole 10pk of pouches in one go so they are all ready for snacks on the go.

My kids always want to eat when they are out and refilling the reusable pouches one at a time just doesn't work for us. The only time i do that actually is when I've pureed a meal that my toddler refused, put it in a reusable pouch, and given it to her again. Oh and the other time I do singles.. there are two actually. When we go for ice-cream (it is so much cleaner when in a pouch), and when I have leftover smoothie (again, it stops me getting smoothie all through my car, pram, or playroom).

Little Mashies refillable yoghurt pouches are compatible with pouch filling machines that are on the market. Our spout is universal so even though we don't think you need a filling machine, our reusable pouches will fit. All of our yoghurt and baby food pouches come with anti-choke lids as standard.

Cleaning reusable baby food pouches is easy! We have designed Little Mashies refillable yoghurt pouches without corners so there are no places for food to get stuck (we would hate your little one to get sick from old food stuck in corners)!

When you open the ziplock you can see all the way through the pouch to ensure it is clean. If you have a dishwasher you can clean the pouch using that, otherwise you can wash your reusable baby food pouches by hand and this takes around 20 seconds. Little Mashies squeeze pouches are BPA Free and are safe to wash with warm water.

If you need some meal ideas for your refillable pouch you can find home made yoghurt here, baby food recipes here, and pouch smoothie recipes here.

Now, to clean your Little Mashies food pouches by hand simply open up the ziplock at the bottom and take off the cap. Run warm water through the open ziplock with the baby pouch facing downward so the water comes out of the spout and into the sink. The shape of Little Mashies reusable pouches acts like a funnel, pushing out food and making the pouch very easy to clean.

To start washing your reusable pouch, squirt some dishwashing liquid into the refillable pouch, then use a baby bottle brush to clean the inside walls (just like a baby bottle). To clean the spout use a straw brush (like the ones we have here), and clean it in the same manner that you would clean the teat from a baby’s bottle. Give the reusable pouch a rinse and place it over a kitchen utensil in the drying rack to dry. If you don’t have time to dry it fully place it in the freezer until you are ready to use it again. Do not put wet reusable food pouches in dark cupboards or draws. They are very easy to dry if you have removed the cap, and placed something inside the zipper to keep the pouch open (we use a whisk, tongs or a spatula).

Note that if you continuously wash your pouches in the dishwasher the high temperature will make the zipper wear out more quickly. At home we wash our pouches mostly by hand because it is so quick and easy and then just use the dishwasher when we have had loads of kids over and served reusable yoghurt pouches or smoothies to them all.

Oh and while I remember if you use the code RECIPE at the checkout it will remove 100% off the price of the baby food recipe ebook so you can get some inspiration for your refillable pouches.

Some parents start introducing a sippy cup or straw cup to their babies around 6 mths of age. This can make it easier to transition from breastmilk or bottle feeding around 12 mths of age. Most paediatricians recommend babies 18 mths or older use an open sippy cup rather than a bottle, so anytime before then is fine. This is why we have a 4 in 1 sippy cup, so that you don't have to purchase seperate products as your baby moves through the stages of learning how to swallow and drink. To shop the Little Mashies silicone sippy cup, check out our baby feeding range here.

All of our baby food recipes are contained within our ebook. You can get a free download by using the coupon code RECIPE at the checkout. Simply add it to the cart, pop in the coupon code, and it will remove 100% of the price.