When it’s time to start feeding baby solids, why does it seems so confusing?

From the minute my baby started acting interested in food, my intuition led me to give him small bites of food off of my plate- anything that could be mashed easily with gums. If he doesn’t have the teeth to thoroughly chew the food, his digestive system probably isn’t ready for it. So I won’t be grinding any chicken or beef any time soon.

There are so many different schools of thought on the subject of baby’s first solids…from baby-led weaning to steaming, pureeing and freezing, to exclusive breast feeding for the entire first year.

Then there are those moms who just do what comes naturally. I had a conversation with a mom seated at a table next to me in a restaurant the other night who had the same age baby. She watched as I gave him sips of water through my straw. I was certain she was thinking- “look at her! I cant beleve shes letting her baby drink water straight from the tap. Doesn’t she know babies should only have water that has been boiled and cooled?” So I explained that my son was teething and this was the only thing that would please him at the moment.

Then I asked her if she had introduced solids yet to her baby (she was not quite 6 months yet). She looked at me with the most puzzled look, and asked what I meant. I asked if she was feeding her any foods yet and she said- “oh yes. She loves apples and pears and anything cold, and I also I’ve her lots of breads.”

Oh, you mean like hard bread for her to gum while he’s teething?

“No, like bread from the bread basket at restaurants.”

But of course. Here I am taught to not introduce wheat until at least 9 months and only whole wheat at that point to lessen the risk of gluten allergy, and there her baby is, happy as a clam while she eats her bread. And her mom is probably way more relaxed in all areas of life. And to think I thought she was questioning my allowance of tap water sipping!

I tend to over think things (really?), and our current baby/child rearing culture has done a very good job of encouraging us to rely on our instincts less and “the experts” more.