Parents, take note: How to smoothly transition your baby from liquids to solids

The baby’s first year is a fascinating journey of discovery and growth, but also a period that causes many parents anxiety and insecurity, especially when it comes to feeding and the gradual transition from liquids to solids. While the baby learns to taste new flavors and experience different textures, parents find themselves dealing with astronomical amounts of dirty laundry, fears of choking, and worries about proper nutrition.

Noga D'Angeli, Matan Mor Turgeman, and Daniela Schreiber, three experienced mothers, came together to share their experiences and provide practical tips to help parents get through this challenging period successfully. From combining breastfeeding with advanced bottles to modern approaches to independent feeding, here is the full guide.

“When my daughter was 4 months old, she was always next to me while I was eating. Her eyes just followed my food, until I put it in my mouth and she looked at me, and you feel that she’s swallowing saliva and she wants some too,” describes Matan Mor Turgeman the first moments when she realized her baby was ready to start tasting.

Although it is customary to start tasting at six months, she says: “I believe in the baby’s need, in the baby’s feeling.” Signs of readiness include following adults’ food with their eyes, swallowing saliva when seeing others eat, and reaching hands toward the food. “Suddenly you see her doing this… and little bubbles coming out of her mouth, and she wants it. You feel that she wants it.”

Matan recommends starting with vegetables and not fruits. “The moment you give her a banana, she won’t really want the potato or zucchini.” The recommended approach is to start with vegetables such as zucchini, sweet potato, and carrot, and only then move on to fruits.

The first period is mainly about getting used to it. “The first tastings are nothing, she doesn’t swallow,” Matan explains. “It’s just the feeling in her mouth, what she feels. And if she tastes something along the way, then it’s fine.” It’s important to be patient and remember that even half a spoonful is a real achievement at the beginning.

One of the most significant developments in recent years is the Philips Avent Natural Response bottle. “The moment the baby doesn’t suck, no milk comes out,” describes Matan the innovation. “That means if the baby pauses to breathe or to process what came into her mouth, the milk doesn’t keep flowing like with regular nipples.”

The new technology allows the baby to determine the pace of feeding intuitively. “Suddenly less spitting up and things like that, and it’s more comfortable. So it’s something I really, really connected with,” Matan testifies. In addition, the nipple includes three openings instead of one, which imitates natural breastfeeding and eases the transition between breastfeeding and bottle-feeding.

In addition to the advanced nipple, the bottles include an Air Free Vent insert that significantly reduces the amount of air bubbles entering the baby’s mouth. “This thing is basically to reduce… it almost prevents air bubbles from entering the baby’s mouth, which basically leads us to the fact that it can significantly reduce the chance of colic, gas, or reflux for those who have it.”

Daniela Schreiber presents a more modern approach called Baby Led Weaning. “It’s basically letting them eat what we eat, just in a more accessible way, cut into strips, into pieces they can hold.” This approach saves parents the long stages of mashing and allows the baby to learn to eat from family food.

“It’s also better for us in the long term, fewer stages. Just take food from my pot, no need to do anything special,” Daniela explains. However, it is important to make sure the food is safe for the baby to handle and to sit next to him during eating without creating unnecessary pressure.

When it comes to safety, Matan emphasizes again and again: “I recommend every parent, mother, father, and even grandparents who look after the children, to take a baby first aid course.” One of the common mistakes is loading too much food in the mouth when the baby hasn’t yet swallowed the previous amount.

In the case of mild choking, the first step is to turn the baby over and give light taps on the back. “First thing, turn her over. Don’t put any finger in the mouth, because a baby can easily close the jaw on your fingers,” warns Matan. The course helps parents feel more confident and know how to respond in emergencies.

Not everything always goes smoothly. “The truth is that with my little one it didn’t go very smoothly, but I knew that at some point she would eat, so… you need to give them their time,” Daniela says honestly. She emphasizes that it’s important to remember every child develops at their own pace and not to panic if the process doesn’t happen immediately.

Matan notes she has a special connection with her children’s food. “With food, I’m like… meaning, the calm I feel when they eat, this thing doesn’t go away. I’m calm when they eat healthy things.” Her insight is that this is a natural maternal instinct, and it’s important not to be ashamed of it but to manage it in a healthy way.

The message is clear: Anything that can make things easier for parents and allow them to focus on their basic role should be used. There’s no reason to be ashamed or apologize for asking for help.

In the end, all the mothers agree on one thing: this stage passes. “In the end they will want their fries and they’ll get to that stage, you won’t have to steam forever and it’ll be okay,” Matan reassures. The important message is to listen to the baby, be patient with yourself, ask for help when needed, and remember that all babies eventually learn to eat.

New technologies like Natural Response bottles can significantly ease the transition, but the most important thing is to give yourself and your baby the time and patience this process requires. As Noga D'Angeli said in conclusion: “If you find yourself eating your kids’ leftovers, it’s totally normal. A natural and expected stage in your development as parents.”