At around six months your babies may start to show an interest in what’s on your plate - but the idea of introducing solids to multiples can be extremely daunting.
It’s fascinating how infant feeding recommendations and practices have evolved over time. Previous generations may have begun spoonfeeding puréed food at around 4-5 months, but in 2002 the World Health Organisation changed their infant feeding guideline by extending the recommended duration of exclusing breast or formula feeding to six months, thus the recommended age in New Zealand for starting solids is six months.
While the average age for introducing solids is six months, if your babies were born prematurely, they might not be ready for solid foods until later. Your babies’ paediatrician can help you work out the right time to start.
New Zealand Plunket offer some advice on signs that your babies are ready for solids:
They seem hungry after milk feeds
They can hold their head up well and sit unsupported
They are watching you eat with interest
They make chewing motions and their tongues don’t push food out when you bring food to their mouths
They also offer some signs that your baby isn’t ready, which include:
Turning their heads away
Shutting their mouths when you offer food
Losing interest or getting distracted
Pushing the spoon away
Every baby is different and will engage with solids in their own way - and this doesn’t change when feeding multiples!
Additional resources:
HealthEd: Starting solids
Plunket: Feeding
Raising Children: Starting solids
NZ Nutrition Foundation: Infants and toddlers
Health New Zealand: Food and choking in children
Jumpstart Nutrition: Starting your baby on solids
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