When you should you introduce solid food to your baby?

We often think of eating as something we just figure out, but learning how to manage food safely requires complex motor skills involving the entire body. Some babies need more practice than others, just like some babies take longer to learn how to walk and talk.

Have you ever heard of the "motor window of opportunity"? In her book Responsive Feeding, Melanie Potock explains that the best time to let baby start exploring solid food is between 6-10 months. This is the time that their oral reflexes are starting to integrate and become voluntary.

We need to make sure we are giving them plenty of time to explore and practice. Waiting too long to introduce solids or not offering a variety of safe textures can hinder baby's ability to learn to bite, chew and swallow safely.

"In a study of 9,360 babies, researches found that babies introduced to lumpy foods at 10 months or later developed feeding delays. By 15 months, they were significantly less likely to be having family foods when compared to those introduced between 6-9 months."

When did you introduce solids to your baby?