Introducing solid food
Whether weaning the baby before 6 months of age or after that, the golden rule is: no solids before 17 weeks and before baby can control his head and neck while sitting upright supported in a chair to be fed.
Because at around 6 months of age, baby’s iron reserve is dried out, they should start weaning on iron-containing foods like: rice baby cereals, broccoli, lentils and baby food fortified with iron.
Iron, magnesium, zinc and vitamin D have a huge impact on sleep, so a breastfeeding mom could also try to eat more food rich in all these minerals and vitamins to support her baby during this transition.
Once your baby is around 6 months old and you’ve started giving him solid food, it is vital to introduce him to this new food gradually. It is also important to start always with milk as this is the most important food in baby’s first year of age. Nevertheless, after 6 months of age, milk is no longer enough to cover all the nutritional needs of an infant. This is why most paediatricians recommend introducing solid food to babies around 6 months milestone.
Moreover, as baby gets closer to its 1st birthday, it is important to find a balance between milk intake and solid food, so that baby does not reject one or the other.
That means that if baby drinks too much milk after 8/9 months of age, having difficulties accepting solid food, it would be worth considering reducing a bit the amount of milk (especially during the night) to encourage more solid food intake (during the day).
On the other hand, if baby eats too much solid food around this age and starts rejecting milk, consider capping the amount of solid food during the day, so that baby does not wake up at night more to catch up on milk.
Furthermore, the type of solids and when are they given to your baby influence its sleep extremely.
Food weaning to support sleep
Gina Ford, the author of “Content little baby book” recommends introducing solids slowly after the 11am feed, starting with 1 teaspoonful of organic baby rice, mixed to a very smooth consistency with formula/expressed milk or cool boiled water. Once baby tolerates this baby rice at 11am, you can give the rice after 5pm instead. Once baby is happily taking 1-2 teaspoonfuls of baby rice with milk or water at 5pm, a small amount of pear puree can be introduced after the 11am feed. If baby tolerates the pear puree, transfer it to 5pm feed, together with some healthy carbohydrates (this will also prevent the baby from being constipated).
Small amounts of vegetables and fruits can be now slowly introduced after the 11am feed (more root vegetables than fruits which are sweeter).
Every new food should be tested for about 3-4 days, increasing 1-2 teaspoonfuls a week. Keeping a food diary could be also helpful to avoid /detect any allergies.
Between 6 and 7 months, baby could have daily 2-3 servings of carbohydrates (baby cereals, wholemeal bread, pasta or potatoes) + 3 servings of fruits & vegetables (cooked, rich in vitamin C to help iron absorption) + 1 serving of animal / vegetable protein + 3-4 milk feeds (180-240 ml).
The first weaning foods could be: pure organic baby rice, pear, apple, carrot, sweet potatoes, potatoes, green beans, zucchini, parsnips, mango, peaches, barley & peas.
Broccoli, cauliflower, avocado and banana are recommended after 7 months since they could cause mild tummy aches and gas. Protein (meat, poultry, fish, beans & lentils) could also be introduced around 7 months, at lunchtime first (because they are harder to digest) and later on (around 10 months) at dinner.
By the time babies reach 10 months of age, they should be well established on 3 solid meals per day (home-made if possible), with the right balance between protein and healthy carbohydrates at all meals. This will give them the chance to sleep through the night, without any feed. Yeees! 
After 1 year old, baby’s milk feed at lunchtime should be slowly replaced by water or diluted juice from a Sippy cup, while drinking milk can remain a nice part of the bedtime ritual until closer to 2 years of age.
Remember to always smile and have a positive expression when offering new foods to your baby. 
See the next post for suggestions for sleep inductive food for toddlers.
If you need more guidance to help your baby improve its sleep, feel free to get in touch and book a Discovery Call below.