this article may contain affiliate links
Baby Not Really Eating Solids? 7 Common Things Babies Do When Starting Solids (Besides Eat Them)
things babies do when starting solids
All we hear about is ‘feeding baby solids’, ‘baby eating solids’ – hardly do we hear about ‘baby learning solids’.
The latter is my preference when talking about a baby who is just starting out with baby led weaning. Why? Because, it it very common for babies to be hesitant and observant (and even appear to not like solids!) when first being introduced to solid food.
And instead of setting ourselves up with the expectation that baby will eat ‘all the solids right away or something is wrong’, ‘learning solids’ allows grace, time and practice for our babies to learn the skills of handling foods and chewing foods, and let’s them get used to new, funky textures on their tongues and in their throats that have only encountered milk thus far.
Some things babies do when starting solids have nothing to do with actually eating them, and that is VERY normal, okay and part of the learning process for the more hesitant, sensory-sensitive, observant babies.
I want more first time moms to know this, so they stress less at mealtimes, allow their baby ample opportunities to learn and explore, and so everyone can enjoy this stage in development and life. It’s an exciting new adventure a young family can have together – discovering foods!
Let’s talk about what you can expect when starting solids, so that you have a clear idea of what is developmentally appropriate and don’t feel discouraged or disappointed when these things happen with your baby…
Read this next:
16 Simple & Sensory Ways To Serve First Foods (Recipes!)
21 Picture Examples Of How To Serve Foods With Baby Led Weaning
Master List! 30+ Starter Baby Led Weaning Foods For 6 Month Old
7 things babies do when starting solids (other than eat them)
1. nothing
Nothing?! Yes, some babies do nothing when you place a sliver of banana on their tray. They keep looking around, watching the dog, looking out the window. They seem not to notice or care about the food.
If this happens, don’t make any decisions about their affinity with food just yet. First, see if they notice it’s there by bringing their attention to it. You can tap on the tray or lift the piece up and place by their hands.
When just starting solids, many babies don’t know that a piece of food is different than a toy that they aren’t interested in. In this case, you can eat a piece yourself, model eating and make sounds to encourage they engage with their food as well.
Finally, do you know if they are hungry? It’s a great idea to sit down for some food after they have showed you some hunger cues, so you are more likely to have an interested and engaged eater. Babies are intuitive eaters, so they won’t eat if they aren’t hungry.
Some common hunger cues are:
- tracking food with eyes
- fussing and then reaching for foods if offered
- opening mouth when food is offered
- getting excited or relieved at the sight of food
Keep in mind at this stage, they might not know what to do with foods yet. Show them what to do by doing yourself, expose them to a variety of colors, shapes and flavors, and make sure they are hungry when you sit down to serve them foods.
Just getting started with baby led weaning and not sure how to go about it all? Check out my Low Stress Baby Led Weaning eBook & Starter Kit for nervous first time moms!
Starter Kit for Low Stress Baby Led Weaning: Mom's Step-By-Step eBook For The First 6 Weeks, First Foods List, What To Expect, Foods To Avoid, Supply List & More!
2. swipe foods off the tray or drop them on the floor
Why?! It’s true that if baby has been eating and does this, it is a sign they are done. It is also true for babies closer to 12 months+ that do this to a food they have had before, they may not want that particular food but something else instead.
BUT, this is one of the things babies do with starting solids, specifically for the first few months (6-10 months) that can simply show that they are still learning to control their body properly for feeding themselves. Gripping, holding, bringing to their mouth in a controlled manner, this can be hard and tiring, depending on your baby’s fine motor skills right now.
They also may be inclined to first play with the food, as they do toys, before trying to bring it to their mouth for an actual taste or bite.
A silicone finger food placemat with ridges might be helpful if your baby struggles to grip foods because they slide all around their tray.
Otherwise, see these articles for some great ideas on how to serve foods. You can see which shapes your baby does best with:
Modeling what to do and mixing up how you serve foods to them so they can practice many different ways, will help them hone their skills and eat more easily.
For ages 6 months to – 9 months, larger pieces, about the size of an adult index finger is typically recommended for grasping purposes. Most babies use a palmar grasp at this age.
Then, from 9-10 months+, smaller chopped pieces, about the size of frozen peas and diced carrots, can work well, as babies are usually using a pincer grip.
3. play with foods
Um, it’s eating time though! Don’t forget your baby is at the very beginning of life where they are just learning how to use their body and how things work when they squeeze, slap, smash, push…
Whoa this feels different. This feels cold, sticky, wet. Self-feeding is very sensory and feeling foods is a big part of that experience. Just like toys, your baby is witnessing cause and effect with their foods.
Show them how else food is intended to be interacted with – to eat it! Serving a variety of foods in different ways and modeling how to eat will offer your baby lots of observational learning. Soon, they will be tasting all kinds of stuff right alongside you!
Check out these helpful starting solids tools:
4. lick or chew a little
That’s it!? One little nibble?! One thing babies do when just starting solids is lick or chew a little tiny bite and that is all. The rest is left on their tray. Normal! Don’t decide just yet if they like or don’t like that food. It’s more about their eating skills and overall eating experience at this point than it is about the foods themselves.
With starting solids, there is so much newness for your baby – self feeding is way different than drinking form a boob or a bottle. All the colors, textures, smells – there is a lot to take in and a lot for them to actively do, unlike when they were just drinking milk.
Don’t stress if this is what your baby does. Keep serving new and different things, presenting them in different ways and let your baby get practice in. Try a super soft zucchini stick one day, zoodles another day and garlic smashed zucchini on a spoon another day. Which do they go for more?
Another thing to keep in mind is chewing comfort and teething – certain foods may be uncomfortable for them to chew (ground beef vs a smooth banana) not in a bad way, just different.
As for teething, some babies will eat less when sick and/or teething. So, keeping a helicopter view of what they eat over the course of 3-4 days will keep you from stressing over things if they don’t eat much during one meal.
5. spit out
While they have been ‘eating’ since birth, those meals have been liquid. And while chewing is something we, as adults, do without focusing on it or thinking about it, it is a skill.
Likewise, swallowing chewed solid foods feels different in the throat than swallowing milk does.
Don’t jump to thinking that your baby doesn’t like those foods they’re spitting out just yet. Most likely, it is just their reflexes kicking in and a period of adjusting to new flavors, textures and skills.
Keep serving safe variety and they will grow into swallowing more often than spitting out, with time, exposure and practice.
Check out these starting solids with blw books:
6. gag
Ah! Are they ok!? They’ve only had milk go into their mouth and down their tiny throats so this gagging is expected. It’s their body’s protective response to food hitting a certain part of their mouth/tongue that has not been touched before.
When we as adults gag, it usually means something tasted or smelled gross to us. This is not the case with babies just starting to chew and swallow.
It can be scary to see your baby gag, but it is part of learning solids, and because of their strong gag reflex at this age, they are likely able to push the food out of their mouth safely which is different than choking where the airway gets blocked.
Know the difference between choking and gagging, and know what to do if your baby is choking.
Consider taking an infant CPR class with American Red Cross or look up the most recent standards for infant CPR online.
Modeling coughing is the most encouraged way of helping your child if they are gagging.
7. make funny faces
Silly scrunchy face! New, robust flavors and all different textures can be quite the experience for your little baby and they have no (face) filter when it comes right down to it. They won’t hold back from making a scrunchy face with their tongue sticking out if the orange was wildly sour to them. Yet, they will continue on eating it or sucking at it.
Chalk it up to newness and let them adjust to foods. They are still learning their preferences, so it’s really too soon to say if they do or don’t like a certain food just because they make some wild faces.
As with all the things babies do when starting solids above, keep serving that variety, cut foods into different shapes, let them practice the skill of self feeding, show them how to happily eat by modeling, and soon enough they will have mastered their eating skills, and mealtime will be just about hanging out eating together, not so much worrying about how many bites or what baby looks like or is doing with the food in front of them!
All of these things that I have listed above are things that most babies do when starting solids!
Does that make you feel a little better about your little sensory-sensitive, hesitant eater?
I certainly hope so! Rest easy, watch them do their thang, let them ‘learn their solids’ and know you are doing it right and they are fine, too!
(It’s funny how intense our feelings are leading up to and during the milestones, and then how quickly we forget what it was like, come a year down the road! Motherhood is a trip!)
Want a FREE instant download of my Low Stress Baby Led Weaning Starter Guide Cheat Sheet? Drop your name & email below! We never spam.
Everything you need to start solids with more ease and confidence. Includes: what to expect, introducing allergens, how to serve foods, foods to avoid, sample feeding schedule and more!
more helpful baby led weaning posts:
