Starting solids might be daunting for you, but imagine how daunting it is for your baby’s digestive tract.

Depending on the kid, whether or not they are breastfed, formula-fed, or both, and who knows what other factors, your kid might quickly either develop diarrhea or constipation when introduced to the new diet. A bit of knowledge about food types will allow you to calibrate the baby’s intake to help ease the transition, and thus avoid a trip to the pediatrician, buying medicines, or buying other supplements.

Foods that slow down and thicken up (called the BRAT diet by medical professionals):
Bananas, Rice cereal, Applesauce, Toast (breads)

Foods that thin down and loosen up (this has no fun acronym):
Apricots, Peaches, Plums, Prune juice, Pears, Oatmeal cereal, Carrots, Breastmilk, Extra water

My son spent a few weeks at the start of eating solids having a really hard time with his bowel movements. His little body was so used to only eliminating solid waste every seven or eight days (pretty average for a breastfed six-month-old) that it must have been a huge shock to have all that fruit and starch in there. At the advice of a friend who is in a pediatric residency program, we completely eliminated all the BRAT foods and began starting his days with a nice big bowl of oatmeal cereal made with diluted prune juice. He loves his morning oatmeal and hasn’t had a problem since, even as we've slowly re-introduced the BRATs over time. - Leigh G.