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Intro to First Foods

When starting solids with your infant, you can use the traditional method, the baby led weaning (BLW) approach, or a combination of both feeding styles. But, ultimately, baby chooses the method. Learning about the benefits of each approach and how to safely administer foods can support your baby (and you) on the journey!

Choose a Feeding Method

Baby-led Weaning

Traditional Method

Baby-led Weaning

Starting solids takes patience, practice, and repetition - just like everything else in parenting. Most parents are eager for the challenge but don’t know how to get started. Team ezpz is here to help!

Traditional Method

Starting solids takes patience, practice and repetition - just like everything else in parenting. Most caregivers are up for the challenge, but don’t know how to get started. Team ezpz is here to help!

What is the traditional method?

The traditional feeding method involves parents spoon feeding their baby smooth purees. In this method parents are in control of the feeding process, the pace of the meal, and learning baby’s fullness cues. Here are a few ideas to think about as you get started.

Start purees for the first few weeks of solid food introduction. Once you are sure that baby can safely swallow purees, start introducing strips of soft foods. Continue with both textures (purees and soft
strips).
Purees are a great texture that will stay in a child’s food repertoire for a lifetime.

To learn more about the different puree textures to give baby, check out our blog: Three Puree Textures to Try.

What products do I need to get started?

It’s important to navigate purees safely, as this will help you avoid feeding challenges and make mealtime less stressful. Choosing the right products can make the feeding journey ezpz!

Pre-feeding Tools

Oral Development Tools are sensorimotor devices that help support the sensorimotor movements for pre-feeding. Tiny Pops are a popsicle mold made for infants, and you can introduce breast milk or formula popsicles (½ oz) at 4+ months.

Bowl + Spoon + Training Cup

Select a bowl that will fit on your highchair tray and a spoon that will allow baby to learn how to self-feed. To transition from bottle to open cup, start with a training cup that is portion-sized at 2oz or less + sized for baby’s hands. The First Foods Set includes the developmental tools you need for first bites and sips: the Tiny Bowl, Tiny Spoons and Tiny Cup.

Bib

Pick a bib that doesn’t tie around baby’s neck, as this can cause irritation, pressure, chafing and increased choking risk. We love how BapronBaby bibs tie around baby’s back! Check out BapronBaby splash mats for easy cleanup.

Highchair

Select a highchair that has a stable and moveable footrest to help with posture. Keep the baby at midline while feeding to decrease choking risk. Our community loves these highchairs + ezpz pairings.

To learn more about products and tips for starting solids, check out our blog: Introducing Solids with the Tiny Bowl.

Can I start purees at 4 months?

Sometimes families are so excited to start baby on solids that they begin too early (without knowing some of the risks). Here are some signs of readiness to look for:

Can baby sit up on their own without losing their balance?
Does baby reach for your food or drink and/or grasp objects?
Does baby bring their hand, objects or food to their mouth?
Does baby have the head control to look up, down and to both sides without falling forward?
Does baby stare at you intently while you are eating and/or have an interest in food?
Does baby start to drool, munch on their hand or open their mouth in time with you feeding yourself?
Has baby’s tongue thrust reflex decreased?
Does baby have ALL the above skills and is at least 4 months of age?

To learn more about starting solids too soon and other feeding tips, check out our blog: Are you Feeding Baby Too Early.

How do I decrease gagging and choking associated with spoon feeding?

Make sure the spoon you are using is properly sized for baby’s tiny mouth.
Don’t overfill the spoon. Give tiny bites.
Pause between bites and give baby time to swallow all the tastes lingering in the mouth.
Look for signs of fullness: pushing the spoon away, turning their head away and closing their mouth.

To learn more tips on spoon feeding, check out our blog: How to Decrease Gagging When Spoon Feeding Baby.

Should I spoon feed my baby or try the baby-led spoon feeding approach?

Select an infant training spoon (a spoon designed for a baby to hold), like the ezpz Tiny Spoon.
Pre-load the spoon with a puree and hand baby the spoon so they can self-feed. Babies learn more about the tastes and textures of food if they are controlling their eating experience.

To learn more tips on how to avoid mistakes with spoon feeding, check out our blog: Three Mistakes Parents Make During Baby-Led Spoon Feeding.

Can purees help my baby obtain feeding milestones?

Yes! Purees can help ensure baby has a safe swallow, assist with open cup drinking and develop self spoon-feeding skills.

Developmentally, at 4-6 months baby should transition from breast / bottle to sips from an open cup held by an adult (not a sippy cup). The ezpz Tiny Cup is a perfect choice for teaching open cup drinking with thin and thick purees, as well as smoothies.
Choose an infant spoon that baby can easily hold and self feed with. The ezpz Tiny Spoon was designed to help baby learn how to use a utensil independently and be successful with the fine motor milestones of dipping and scooping!

To learn more about infant cup drinking and spoon feeding milestones check out our blogs: Feeding Milestones for Baby: Cup Drinking and Baby-Led Spoon Feeding at 6 Months.

How do I offer purees to my baby?

Parents want to make sure they safely transition their baby from breast (or bottle) to puree foods. Here are a few of the tips to make purees tasty, safe and fun for parents and baby.

Offer purees that have bright colors.
Expose baby to a variety of colorful purees to help with variety (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, brown and white). This can be from a cup, bowl, spoon or even a popsicle.
Don’t get stuck on purees. It’s important to make sure that baby can handle a variety of tastes and textures that are safe and appropriate for their developmental stage.

To learn more about offering purees and other feeding tips, check out our blog: Introducing Purees.

How do I choose the right purees to start with?

You can introduce purees by purchasing pre-made purees, cooking your own baby food or starting with whole foods that are easy to mash into a puree. Here are a few ideas to start off with.

Pouches

The purees in pouches come in vibrant colors and delicious smells, but baby won't experience these sensory delights if you don’t pour the puree out of the pouch and into a bowl. The ezpz Tiny Bowl is a great choice for puree introduction!

Jarred

Like with pouches, jarred baby food needs to be placed into a bowl that baby can see. Remember - exposure helps avoid picky eating tendencies in the future.

Spoon

Pick foods that are soft, like avocado. Take an avocado and scoop out the flesh. Place it in a bowl and mash with a fork. Add a little breast milk or formula to make it the appropriate texture for baby. Then pre-load it on a spoon to help baby with their spoon milestones.

To learn more about making purees and other feeding tips, check out our blog: How to Make Five Quick Purees.

What are the developmental milestones for feeding?

Lip Control – Having baby learn to close their lips on an open cup or spoon is a feeding milestone critical for safe swallowing. Improve lip control with the Tiny Cup + Tiny Spoon.
Drink from an Open Cup (held by an adult) – Developmentally, at 6 months of age baby should transition from breast / bottle to sips from an open cup held by an adult (not a sippy cup). Improve cup drinking skills with the Tiny Cup.
Ready for Thin, Thick and Lumpy Purees – The unique oval shape of the Tiny Bowl encourages infants to easily see inside the bowl, making eye-hand coordination for self-feeding more successful. Improve feeding skills with the Tiny Bowl.
Ready for Soft Foods (at 6 months) – Baby led weaning (BLW) starts at 6 months of age. Since the Mini Mat suctions to the table, it supports stability and posture, allowing baby to pick up strips of food easily. Improve feeding skills with the Mini Mat.
Hold and Bring Object / Spoon to Mouth – The appropriately sized Tiny Spoon helps baby move their jaw, cheeks, tongue and upper lip in order to decreased gagging associated with stating solids. Improve baby-led spoon feeding with the Tiny Spoon.
Rake (Grasp) Objects and Food –Since ezpz mats suction to the surface, baby can easily rake up foods. This makes self-feeding skills more productive. Improve raking grasp with the Mini Mat.

What Does Baby-Led Mean?

Baby-led means that your little one is in control of their experiences, with the adult following their lead! In this approach, the adult observes, supervises for safety, and supports baby during activities like oral care or feeding. This method, which includes Baby-Led Oral Care (BLOC) and Baby-Led Weaning (BLW), fosters developmentally appropriate skills by letting baby take the lead.

At ezpz, our products are designed with these baby-led principles in mind, ensuring that our products encourage your baby’s independence and growth.

This baby-led approach is quite different from an adult-led method, where the adult would brush the baby’s teeth or spoon-feed them purees from a long-handled spoon. Baby-led means empowering your baby to explore and develop at their own pace, with you there to guide and support.

What is Baby-Led Weaning (BLW)?

Baby-led weaning (BLW) is a feeding approach where babies are introduced to solid foods by eating the same foods as the rest of the family. Instead of being spoon-fed purees by an adult, babies feed themselves with a Baby-led™ spoon or by picking up soft strips and cubes of food with their hands.

Why Are Baby-Led Handles Important When Starting Solids?

ezpz baby-led handles are perfectly designed for baby’s tiny hands and the development of the palmar grasp (stabilizing an object against their palm while curling their fingers around it). This is baby’s first feeding grasp, and offering tools designed for this stage encourages them to explore, practice, and strengthen their fine motor skills. Watch for this grasp when you introduce your baby to the following baby-led products:

Tiny Pops are a (½ oz) popsicle mold made for infants and toddlers that helps with mouthing pain and provides nourishment, too! Here are a few recipes and tips for offering popsicles to your little one.
Tiny Spoons are designed to help baby learn how to dip and scoop foods to feed themselves independently. Here are expert tips for why you want to use two spoons when starting solids.
Oral Development Tools are utensils and sensorimotor tools that help with mouthing, chewing, and feeding. Here are additional tips for using these tools.
Baby-Led Toothbrush is an important product to use when starting solids. Developmentally, babies can grasp and bring a baby-led toothbrush to their mouth to explore. This oral exploration might start with munching the toothbrush at first, but with practice, your baby will learn to brush their own gums and teeth after each meal right in their high chair!

What Products Do I Need to Make Starting Solids Easier and Safer?

Most babies start solids around 6 months of age and showing consistent signs of readiness. Use these products to help make starting solids easier and safer for both you and baby.

Baby-Led Weaning Food Cutters: designed to cut food into finger-length strips to support the palmar grasp (6m+) and serrated cubes to promote the pincer grasp (9m+). ezpz food cutters ensure that baby’s meals are prepared for their age and developmental stage.
Tiny Bowl: The baby-led Tiny Bowl is designed to fit on the tiniest of high chair trays. It suctions to the surface to decrease the mess and help baby successfully feed themselves with their hands and spoons.
Tiny Cup: When starting solids, it is important to slowly transition from bottle to open cup. Start with the baby-led Tiny Cup, which is portion-sized at 2oz and sized for baby’s hands. (The First Foods Set includes baby’s first cup, spoons and bowl all in one beautiful kit).
Bib: Pick a bib that doesn’t tie around baby’s neck, as this can cause irritation, pressure, chafing and increased choking risk. We love how BapronBaby Bibs tie around baby’s back! Check out BapronBaby Splash Mats for easy BLW cleanup, too.
High Chair: Select a highchair that has a stable and moveable footrest to help with posture. Keep baby at midline while eating decreases choking risk. Our community loves these highchairs + ezpz pairings.

How Do I Know When My Baby is Ready to Start Solids?

Sometimes families are so excited to start baby on solids that they begin too early (without knowing some of the risks). Here are some signs of readiness to look for:

Is baby six months of age?
Can baby sit up on their own without losing their balance?
Does baby reach for and grasp objects?
Does baby bring their hand, objects or food to their mouth?
Does baby have the head control to look up, down and to both sides without falling forward?
Does baby have an interest in food?

To learn more about the ages and stages for starting solids, check out our blog: Are you Feeding Baby Too Early.

What feeding and swallowing milestones start at 6 months of age?

Open cup drinking, spoon-feeding, and self-feeding milestones all start at 6 months of age. Parents need a safe open cup, spoon, and baby-led strips of food to help their baby become an independent drinker and eater!

Self Feeding: Babies learn to self feed by using their palmer and pincer grasps. This is why our Baby-Led Weaning Food Cutters are designed to cut food into finger-length strips to support the palmar grasp (6m+) and serrated cubes to promote the pincer grasp (9m+). ezpz food cutters ensure that baby’s meals are prepared for their age and developmental stage.
Cup Drinking: Developmentally, at 6 months of age baby should be introduced to sips of breastmilk, formula, or smoothies from an open cup held by an adult (NOT a sippy cup!). The ezpz Tiny Cup is a safe choice for teaching open cup drinking.
Spoon Feeding: Choose a baby-led spoon that your little one can easily hold and self feed with. The ezpz Tiny Spoon was designed to help baby learn how to use a utensil independently and be successful with the fine motor milestones of dipping and scooping!

To learn more about infant cup drinking milestones and infant spoon feeding milestones check out our blogs: Feeding Milestones for Baby: Cup Drinking and Baby-Led Spoon Feeding at 6 Months

How do I decrease gagging and choking?

Cut food with the BLW Food Cutters to ensure it's the right size and shape for baby's age + developmental stage.
Only place a few strips of food in a bowl or mat at a time to decrease overstuffing and choking risk.
Give baby time to swallow all the food in their mouth before offering more food in the bowl.

Always supervise baby while they are eating. For more tips on how to decrease choking and pocketing check out our blogs.

How do I choose the right foods for BLW?

ezpz Baby-Led Weaning Food Cutters in Blush Pink / 6 months and 9 months feeding milestones

Pick foods that are soft and ripe.

Choose foods that can be cut in long strips to make it easy for baby to pick-up and hold easily.

Cut food with the BLW Food Cutters.

Happy Feeding!

Dawn Winkelmann, M.S, CCC-SLP

Speech Language Pathologist & Feeding Specialist for ezpz

Dawn Winkelmann (M.S, CCC-SLP) is ezpz’s Pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist and Feeding Specialist. She has 28 years of experience teaching parents and medical professionals how to start babies on solids safely and encourage toddlers to overcome picky eating tendencies. In addition, “Ms. Dawn” is the designer of our award-winning feeding products.

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Parent Resources

Intro to First Foods

Baby-led Weaning