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Parent Resources
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 caregivers are up 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 is baby-led weaning (BLW)?
A strict BLW approach skips purees and starts baby on finger foods (oftentimes foods that the rest of the family is eating). In this method, baby is in control of the feeding process, the pace of the meal, and learning their own fullness cues. This approach encourages baby to be independent and consume the quantity they choose. Here are a few ideas to think about as you get started.
- In the beginning start slow and offer one food at a time.
- Next, offer up to 3 different foods at a meal.
- Avoid giving more than 5 foods, as too many choices can be overwhelming for a new or hesitant eater. To learn more about BLW check out our blog: Baby Led Weaning.
What products do I need to get started?
It’s important to navigate soft foods safely and avoid feeding challenges. Choosing the right products can help!
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. Here are a few tips for offering popsicles for BLW.
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.
High Chair
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: 6 Must Have BLW Products.
How do I know when my baby is ready to start BLW?
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 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?
To learn more about starting solids too soon and other feeding tips, check out our blog: Are you Feeding Baby Too Early.
What other critical feeding milestones should 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 infant cup and spoon to help baby become an independent eater and drinker!
Cup
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!). The ezpz Tiny Cup is a safe choice for teaching open cup drinking.
Spoon
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 milestones and infant spoon feeding milestones check out our blogs: Feeding Milestones for Baby: Cup Drinking and Baby-Led Spoon Feeding at 6 Months.
I’m nervous about starting BLW and doing it wrong!
Introducing your baby to solid foods can be a fun, yet nerve wracking transition. Here are some expert tips to help you feel confident and comfortable starting BLW.
- Wait to offer food until 6 months.
- Wait to clean baby’s face until the end of the meal.
- Learn the correct portion sizes for your baby’s age.
- Use a sectioned plate.
To learn more about the most common pitfalls parents make (and how to avoid them) check out our blogs: Common BLW Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them (Part 1) and (Part 2).
How do I decrease gagging and choking?
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.
How do I choose the right foods for BLW?
Pick foods that are soft.
Chose foods that can be cut in long strips (like French fries)
Use foods that baby can pick-up and hold easily.
To learn more about introducing favorite BLW foods like banana and avocado, check out our blogs: How to Introduce Banana to Babies and How to Introduce Avocado.
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.
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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