I can’t believe it! We’re here. Baby M is almost 5 months old and she’s ready to have her first solid food. I’m really excited to share what we feed her, how we prepare it and whether or not she liked it. We made the decision that Avocado would be her first food. This one is easy prep! But first, I want to talk about how we decided Baby M was ready for solids, and some of the things we did/ I encourage you to prepare before you start.

When we decided it was time to introduce solids:

• After 4 months of age
• Could lift/hold her neck up
• Could sit up with help in a high chair
• Started staring at us eating and smacking her lips and tongue

Tips for starting Solids

• Talk to your pediatrician
• Have your pediatrician’s number for non-life threatening emergencies
• Know where your local ER is and how to get there for life-threatening allergic reactions or emergencies
• Take a course on baby CPR/ Choking or watch countless youtube videos. Your child may choke, be prepared
• Know the difference between gaging and choking. Gaging is a normal reaction to solids as your little learns how to use their mouth to eat food
• Solids are not your little’s primary source of nutrition. The primary source is still breast milk or formula. 
• The purpose of starting solids is to introduce your little to the flavors to prevent picky eating in the future
• Once you introduce a food item, continue giving only that item to your child for 3 days. This helps narrow down any food allergies

My favorite resource for all things baby food and introduction of solids is Solid Starts. They have so much information about Baby-Led Weaning, as well as a full database on foods, allergens, how to prepare to minimize choking, etc. Their Instagram page is worth following.

Although Avocados are not a food that generally cause allergic reaction, we’re still sticking with our 3-day rule. Baby M will get mashed avocado and avocado spears for 3 days before we introduce something new. We’ll also be alternating between fruits, veggies, meats and dairy.

Once a food is introduced without an allergic reaction, We’ll begin mixing foods together.

Now back to the Avocados. Make sure to peel and finely mash the avocado if you’re going for mashed. If going for Solids, cut the avocado into fourths. Baby M is less than 9 months old and we’re keeping any solids in large pieces to prevent choking. To make it easier to hold, you can leave the skin on the avocado spear.

Remember, in the early stages, introducing food requires adult supervision.

To store the mashed avocado, I simply placed them into a silicone baby food tray and put it in the freezer. This way, we’re all ready to go the next time we give Baby M avocados.

So what was the verdict? SHE LOVED IT! We’ll be giving her lots more avocados in the future.