By Diana K Rice, Nutrition, LLC, RD, LD, CLEC

In the medical community, there's a clear consensus on when infants should begin complementary feeding: at 6 months old. But despite the AAP, ACOG, AAFP and WHO recommendations being very clear about this timeline, parents often start much earlier.

The primary reason that official guidelines push for this 6 month mark is that very early introduction of complementary foods has been shown to reduce breastfeeding's overall duration. The medical community also holds concerns that introducing solids prior to the age of 6 months could increase the risk of choking and aspiration, lead to diarrhea and poor gut health and contribute to the onset of certain chronic diseases later in life, including diabetes and celiac disease.

So why is there so much confusion over this?

By Diana K Rice, Nutrition, LLC, RD, LD, CLEC

Starting solids poses such a challenge because we’re not only trying to sort through all of the available information and opinions on the topic, but also fit a brand new feeding and food preparation routine into our already busy lives. And, in the hustle to get this done, we often forget the most important element of introducing our children to food: Helping them foster a healthy relationship with food for life.

By Frances McGrath, BNurs, BAppSc, DipNut
Reviewed by Catherine Foresetell, PhD

With a death toll of over 200,000 Americans and rising from Covid-19, we are all feeling the effects of this cruel pandemic. What it has highlighted however, is that certain conditions appear to increase the severity of the symptoms and the risk of death; at the top of the list is obesity and the health complications associated with it.

• You provide, let baby decide. You provide what foods are on offer, and baby decides when they have had enough

• Keep mealtimes happy and stress free
• Remove unnecessary distractions such as TV or devices
• Ensure baby is sitting comfortably and facing other family members
• Role model healthy eating at every opportunity.
• Respond to hunger and fullness cues and leave behind expectations of how much you want baby to eat. 
• Feed slowly, encouraging baby to eat and never resorting to bribery
• Avoid unhealthy foods you know baby will eat to ensure they ‘just eats something’
• Only offer food for hunger and not for any other reason

Disclaimer: The information provided is the opinion of Good Feeding, it has not been evaluated by healthcare professionals, and is for educational purposes only. Before starting any new foods or feeding practices, please consult your baby's healthcare professional.