by Reed Mangels, PhD, RD
It’s exciting for new vegan parents to imagine their baby starting to eat solid foods. There will be adorable photos of the baby after a meal, with more of the meal on the baby than in the baby’s stomach. There will be the thrill of the baby’s first taste of a strawberry or broccoli or another new food. How can parents know when it’s appropriate to introduce solids?
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that babies be introduced to foods other than breast milk or infant formula when they are about 6 months old and that introducing solid foods before 4 months is not recommended. Introducing solids earlier than 4 months appears to increase the risk of childhood obesity. Breast milk or infant formula meets a baby’s nutritional needs for the first 6 months and generally there is no nutritional need for solids before age 6 months. Around age 6 months is when babies typically are ready to develop the skills needed to eat solid foods. Each baby is different, of course, and it’s more important to consider signs of readiness for solids than to only look at the baby’s age.
Some signs that a baby is ready to start solid foods include:
- The baby can sit up in a high chair, a feeding seat, or an infant seat with little or no support and can control their head and neck. This means the baby can lean forward when they want food or pull back or turn away when they’re no longer hungry or interested.
- Being interested in what others are eating. They may watch others eating, reach for food and open their mouth when you try to give them food.
- When they are given food, they swallow it (or at least some of it) instead of pushing the food out of their mouth with their tongue.
- The baby tries to grasp small objects and brings objects to their mouth.
If your baby’s doctor approves starting solid foods but the baby does not seem interested, wait a few days and then try again. Breast milk or infant formula will still meet the baby’s nutritional needs as they begin to eat solid foods.
To read more about feeding vegan babies see:
Vegan Nutrition in Pregnancy and Childhood
The contents of this website and our other publications, including Vegan Journal, are not intended to provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. We often depend on product and ingredient information from company statements. It is impossible to be 100% sure about a statement, info can change, people have different views, and mistakes can be made. Please use your best judgment about whether a product is suitable for you. To be sure, do further research or confirmation on your own.