How to Start Solids with Square Baby 🥦💪

Starting your baby on solid foods can feel overwhelming. With so much information on baby’s first foods, feeding schedules, and how to introduce allergens, it’s easy to get lost in the details. But with the right guidance, introducing solids can be smooth and enjoyable for both you and your baby. We asked mompreneur Katie Thomson, co-founder of Square Baby and a Registered Dietitian, how to get started with solids. Let’s dive in!

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Is My Baby Ready for Solids?

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Your baby might be eyeing your avocado toast, but how do you know if they’re truly ready to start solids? The transition to solids starts with knowing when your baby is ready. You should get this information at your baby’s four month well child visit, but the guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics is to look for these signs: 

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• Baby can sit up with little or no support.
• Baby can hold their head up independently.
• Baby shows interest in food by watching others eat or reaching for food.
• Baby can move food to the back of their mouth without spitting it out. This one is a reflex that looks like the baby is pushing food out of their mouth. It usually goes away around 6 months.

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Here are some other signs and milestones to look for.

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If this sounds like your baby, they may be ready to explore their first foods. Still unsure? Always check with your pediatrician to confirm your baby’s readiness. They will give you the final OK!

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Why Might Purées Be the Best Way to Start Solids?

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When introducing solids, many experts, including Katie and the AAP, recommend starting with smooth purées. They’re easy for young tummies to handle and allow babies to explore new flavors and textures with minimal choking risk.

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Katie’s Tip: “You don’t have to choose purées or Baby Led Weaning. Many families find great success in a combination of both!”

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Purées vs. Baby Led Weaning

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Ah, the big question: should you start with purées or go straight to baby-led weaning (BLW)? Here’s a quick rundown of both approaches:

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Purées

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• Parents spoon-feed babies purées of various textures – typically starting with smoother purées and working their way towards chunky, thick purées.
• Allow parents to have more control on the variety and pace of the meal. 
• Purées are easier for babies to swallow and digest because they often don't need to be chewed.
• Purées can also offer independence and self-feeding when you allow baby to explore and use utensils themselves.
• It may be easier to introduce allergens in a certain dosage when using purées.

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‍Baby Led Weaning (BLW)

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• Babies are offered the same foods as the rest of the family, but modified for their age and safety. 
• Parents put large pieces of soft food on the table or in the highchair for babies to pick up and feed themselves. 
• BLW allows babies to eat at their own pace and follow their hunger cues. 
• Encourages baby to explore food, offers more independence and a sense of curiosity.
• Eventually, most babies naturally transition to self-feeding.

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Which is Better?

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The short answer: neither is inherently “better” than the other. Both methods offer their own unique benefits. And many families find success with “combo feeding” – incorporating purées and BLW as it fits into their lifestyle and daily meals.

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“Parents often feel pressured to choose one method or the other, but you don’t have to. As with so many nutritional recommendations, it’s all about balance. You don’t have to offer only purées, nor should you feel the need to avoid purées altogether. It’s perfectly fine to mix and match—perhaps you offer purées at breakfast and allow your baby to self-feed at lunch. Or, use purées as a sauce, dip, spread, parfait topping, or even a popsicle teether! It’s about finding what works for your baby and your lifestyle. A hybrid approach may be best for your family—allowing baby to explore various foods and flavors, practice with a spoon and self-feeding, explore their food, pay attention to their hunger cues, and enjoy a range of textures that will help with palate development.”
– Katie Thomson, Registered Dietitian & Co-founder/CEO, Square Baby

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Parents should do what works for them. Not all babies will successfully take to finger foods or self-feeding when they are ready for solids (typically around 4-6 months). And some babies will be ready to move past the purée stage pretty quickly.

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Tips on How to Combine Purées with Baby Led Weaning

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You don’t have to choose between purées and baby-led weaning—it’s all about finding what works for your family. Here are some creative ways to blend the two approaches:

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• Use purées as a dip, spread, or topping. Let your little one dip soft veggies 🥕 or bread 🍞 into their favorite purée.
• Make purées a sauce base. Stir purées into quinoa, noodles 🍜, or steamed veggies. For extra nutrition, add puréed veggies and meats to mac and cheese 🧀.
• Pair purées with table foods. Add whole or smashed peas, diced avocado 🥑, soft peaches 🍑, or flaked salmon to a purée for a mix of flavors and textures.

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Feeling inspired? You can find even more tips on combining BLW and purées to suit your baby’s needs and mealtime preferences.

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What Food Should I Introduce to My Baby First?

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The AAP recommends starting solids with iron-rich foods like iron-fortified cereals or puréed meats, as a baby’s natural iron stores begin to deplete around 6 months. But let’s break it down into practical, delicious options for those first bites:

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• Sweet Potatoes and Carrots: Naturally sweet and high in beta-carotene, these veggies are perfect for introducing savory flavors. 🥕🍠
• Bananas and Avocado: Creamy and nutrient-dense, these fruits are packed with healthy fats and potassium. 🍌🥑
• Puréed Meat or Poultry: Rich in iron and zinc, these are excellent options to support your baby’s growth and development. 🥩🍗
• Iron-fortified cereals: Oatmeal, barley, and quinoa-based baby cereals are great foundational foods with added iron. 🌾

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Katie’s Tip: “You can mix purées with baby cereal for added texture and taste.”

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Feeding Baby to Prevent Food Allergies

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Recent research, like the LEAP, PETIT, and EAT studies, has shown that introducing allergens early (between 4–6 months) can help prevent food allergies. Regularly offering allergenic foods like peanuts 🥜, eggs 🥚, and dairy 🧀 during this stage may reduce the risk of allergies.

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Katie’s Tip: “Babies are not born with food allergies. They develop over time. And there’s research that guides how we can start preventing them today.”

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Remember, talk to your pediatrician before introducing allergens – especially if your baby has eczema or a family history of food allergies.

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OK—Let’s Get Started with Feeding Tips

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The first feeding is all about exploration and fun! 🎉 Here are some simple steps to make the experience positive for both you and your baby:

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• Begin with half a small spoonful: Your baby’s first experience with solid food might be confusing for them, so go slow.
• Make sure your baby is hungry, but not “hangry”: Give your baby a little breast milk or formula first to reduce hunger, then offer a tiny amount of food.
• Stay patient and positive: Most of the food may end up on your baby’s face or bib, which is completely normal. The goal is simply to introduce the concept of eating solid food.
• Don’t force it: If your baby turns away or cries, that is OK! Try again tomorrow.

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Katie’s Tip: “Remember, it often takes 10–15 tries before a baby accepts a new flavor. Building an adventurous palate is a process.”

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What to Expect in the Diaper After Starting Solids

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Let’s talk about what happens after your baby’s first meals. Once solids are introduced, expect some changes in the diaper department:

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• Texture: Poop 💩 will become more solid.
• Odor: It’ll have a stronger smell. 👃
• Color: You may notice color variations depending on the foods your baby eats. 🌈

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These changes are completely normal and part of your baby’s digestive system adjusting to new textures and nutrients.

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Why Square Baby Is Changing the Game 🌟

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As a mom and a registered dietitian, Katie Thomson was fed up by the unbalanced, fruit-heavy options available for her baby. She wondered if her son was getting the right nutrition for his growing body and feared he’d grow up craving sweets and denying veggies. She was frustrated by the misleading marketing that made parents feel like they were buying a balanced meal (but often duped by loads of applesauce with a sprinkling of superfoods). 

She wanted to alleviate every pain point she felt when choosing foods for her baby.

So she created the Square Meal System® to take the guesswork out of feeding baby the best, balanced nutrition.

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Customizable Nutrition for Every Baby 🥗🥛🍗

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Katie wanted to offer customizable nutrition. Offering meals that are easily tailored to your baby’s age/stage and various dietary needs. Vegan? Gluten-Free? Dairy-Free? Need Extra Iron? Rest assured you can choose any 2-3 Square Meals/day and know you’re offering baby 100% of their daily recommended fruits, veggies, whole grains, & protein. 

Square Baby offers a wide variety of healthy fats, veggies, and protein sources often lacking in the baby food aisle. Their proteins include organic chicken bone broth, salmon, nuts, eggs, whole milk yogurt, soy, lentils, and legumes. They also offer healthy fats like avocado oil for baby’s brain development – and introduce herbs/spices and unique fruits/veggies to help babies develop an adventurous palate.

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And the meals are fresh and delicious! Square Baby’s organic purées are made fresh with no additives or preservatives.  The purées are quickly frozen to lock in nutrients and freshness – and delivered straight to your doorstep.

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Let’s Talk Heavy Metals 🧪🚫

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Transparency and testing is essential – especially for baby food. Square Baby is proud to partner with local and sustainable farms and suppliers that are known to have healthier soils with fewer heavy metals, naturally.  They also test all of our meals (in their packaging) to make sure they’re always offering the highest-quality and safest foods for your family.  

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After rigorous, 3rd-party lab testing for heavy metals, plasticizers, pesticide residues, and over 400 other contaminants - Square Baby is proud to have earned Clean Label Project’s Purity Award! 🏆

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No Guesswork 🥄✅

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Square Baby takes the guesswork out of feeding by creating meals that meet the AAP’s guidelines - now that is the definition of pediatrician approved! They have a special Square Meal System™ that ensures your baby’s daily diet includes all essential food groups. Each meal provides a mix of fruits, veggies, protein, and grains to meet your baby’s daily needs.

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Bonus, Square Baby meals introduce a variety of flavors and textures, promoting palate development and encouraging adventurous eating from an early age.

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Square Baby Guides Your Through Early Allergen Introduction 🌈

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They are the only baby food company to offer an allergen introduction menu including 8 Top Allergens – making allergen introduction easy, safe, and delicious!

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A Veggie-First Commitment 🌱

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Did you know that only about 10% of children consume the recommended daily amount of vegetables? Whether it’s picky eating, poor choices, or a lack of availability – this is a problem that Square Baby is passionate about solving. 

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Square Baby is a proud founding member of Partnership for a Healthy America’s “Shaping Early Palates” initiative and integral in the development of the “Veggies Early & Often” campaign and certification logo. This initiative is about evidence-based science. It’s about coming together as educators, healthcare professionals, and the baby food industry. It’s about offering more veggies – early and often – to help our littlest ones get the nutrition they need and grow up to be an adventurous eater.

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In addition to 100% Daily Nutrition, Square Baby also commits to have more VEGGIES than any other food group in every meal. They are doubling down on this commitment to raise the next generation of veggie-lovers and their new flavor launches will have even more veggie content than before.

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Stress-Free Baby Food Planning 🧘‍♀️

Get your fresh baby food delivered to your door? Yes please! Square Baby offers different subscription options that take the stress out of baby meal planning. Their baby food packages can be stored in the freezer for months. When you’re ready, thaw the meals in the fridge and they can hang there sealed for 4 weeks. You can cancel and pause anytime. 

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Square Baby’s customer service is next-level. They are really here to help make feeding your baby easy and stress-free!

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Square Baby Cares About the Planet 🌍

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Square Baby goes above and beyond for every ingredient – working with local, sustainable, and family-owned farms. Plus, Square Baby is committed to Animal Welfare and Ethical Sourcing of their proteins. They currently source 100% of our organic chicken bone broth from farms that have earned Global Animal Partnership (GAP) certification. 

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Learn more about Square Baby’s Nutrition Promises.

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And let’s give a shoutout to their award-winning, sustainable packaging! Their new custom containers are BPA- and phthalate-free – and made from 100% post-consumer materials. And they deliver their frozen meals in a compostable cooler box with dry ice (no Styrofoam or plastic cold packs!)

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Ready to Get Creative in the Kitchen? 🍴✨

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Square Baby meals are versatile! Once your baby is ready, you can use the purées in quick, nutritious recipes:

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• Almond Butter & Banana Toast: Spread purées over whole grain toast for a sweet and satisfying snack. 🍌🥖
• Apple Curry Chicken over Quinoa: A savory twist to introduce complex flavors. 🍛
• Beet Berry Parfaits: Mix purées with yogurt for a colorful, nutrient-packed treat. 🍓🥄

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Ready to Give Square Baby a Try? 🎉

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Ready to start your baby’s solid food journey? Use code VILLIE25 for 25% off your first order, and let Square Baby help you and your baby take on this new adventure with confidence!

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