Like many other caregivers out there, we practiced baby-led weaning. I mean, ‘weaning’—we still breastfeed.
Our two kids have been very different experiences. For one thing, Gwendolyn was fine starting foods, but not buggy before we introduced them. She ate easily, and was open to everything. Harry, on the other hand, has a very, very strong gag reflex, so it took him longer to be comfortable eating. He was probably 9 or 10 months before he could eat things regularly without gagging. To be honest, he still shoves way too much food in his mouth, and gags on the regs (y-u-c-k, man). It makes me so grateful that I’m still able to breastfeed him, so I know he’s getting enough nutrients. He was also very interested in pizza since like 2 months old (too bad for him!)
There’s a lot of information out there, but I thought I’d break down how we go about it.
First, we always wait until 6 months before introducing any foods. It’s the safest route, and I want to make sure my babies are ready. With both kids, we’ve started off with vegetables—carrots, peas, peppers, zucchini (all raw; no oil, no salt). From everything I’ve read, What tiny kiddos eat early on effects their preferences throughout their life (though breastmilk flavor from mom’s food does that, as well—fun fact!). So, if you go straight into giving your kids sweets, they’ll acclimate to the very sweet profile of those, instead of just fruit. Not to say they can’t enjoy other things, just that a child starting out with sweets is less likely to enjoy vegetables after that.
After a few months of veg, in the last 1/4 of their first year, I offer fruits, too. Harry l o v e s all fruits! He hollers at me until he gets some—bananas, blueberries, pears, apples; he can’t get enough. Then we started giving him a couple pieces of our cooked [salted] veg, and breads. His first bread was farmer’s market focaccia (which is to die for), which sparks joy for me. But it was so amazing that he has to have all breads now.
we love our Stokke’s high chairs! 
no family meal is complete without at least one cat scavenging
When it comes to introducing foods, remember to do one food at a time, so you know what baby ate if they react weird. And, if you eat a lot of healthy foods, it does flavor breastmilk, so baby will be more likely to enjoy those foods, too! I love breastfeeding facts.
The number one thing to remember, I think, is to not worry, or rush. Especially if baby is still getting milk—they’ll get into foods soon enough. No pressure. I feel that pressure often leads to aversion with foods (personal experience). And don’t forget to put the food on your plate first, then hand it to baby—then it’s ~extra tasty~.
Good luck!
For tips on dealing with picky eaters, check out this blog post.
