8 Months of Solids – How We Started and How It’s Going

 If you’ve read my earlier post “Starting Solids... and a Whole Lot of Drama!”

 you already know how clueless and overwhelmed I was before starting my daughter’s food journey.

Well… here’s the update. 

My daughter is now 8 months old, and I was just thinking… why not share how we started solids?

I’m not an expert. I’m a first-time mom, and every single day feels like a new adventure.
Somehow, we’re managing.

I started her solids after she completed 6 months.
I never gave her daal ka pani or rice ka pani. Honestly, I was confused — what will she eat? How will she react?
So I started slow, with fruit.

First fruit: banana.
Then apple puree.
I’ll be honest — she didn’t eat much in the beginning.
The first two months were all trial and error.

Please note: my daughter is fully formula-fed (Nan Pro).
That made me even more concerned about nutrition because I really wanted her to start eating solids.
I never gave her Cerelac or any other packet food apart from her milk.
Yes, a lot of food went to waste in those early days.

I tried plain boiled daal (no pani), nicely mashed.
I tried boiling rice with potato.
Initially, I gave very small quantities — but consistently.

What worked for us:

• I never force-fed her.

• I started feeding with my hand first, then slowly introduced a small spoon.

• I offered food even if she didn’t eat — and tried again later.

• When me and my husband ate, I would offer her too, so she felt part of it.

Now at 8 months, she actually waits for her meals.
She has breakfast, lunch, and dinner — plus two fruit servings (banana, papaya, or steamed apple).

Her meals look like this:

• Breakfast → Porridge of oats, ragi, sweet potato, or apple (whatever is available)

• Lunch → Dal rice or curd rice, with one vegetable a day (pumpkin, drumstick, bottle gourd, etc.)

• Dinner → Oats or ragi porridge again

I mostly use moong dal or toor dal.
No masala yet, but I do use garlic, onion, tomato for flavor, and a little ghee.

This is not advice — just what worked for us.
Every baby is different, but if you’re in the same boat as me, I hope it helps you feel less alone.