When to start

The NHS is unambiguous: "Introducing your baby to solid foods, sometimes called complementary feeding or weaning, should start when your baby is around 6 months old." The World Health Organization sets the same marker globally — exclusive breastfeeding "for the first 6 months of life", then "from the age of 6 months, children should begin eating safe and adequate complementary foods while continuing to breastfeed for up to two years of age or beyond". The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends "providing your baby only breast milk for approximately 6 months after birth".

The NHS gives its reasons rather than just the number. Breast milk or first infant formula provides the energy and nutrients a baby needs until around six months, with the exception of vitamin D in some cases. Waiting "gives your baby time to develop so they can cope fully with solid foods", makes self-feeding possible, and means a baby is better at moving food around their mouth, chewing and swallowing — which is why some six-month-olds never need smooth purées at all.

The three signs that count

The NHS names "3 clear signs which, when they appear together from around 6 months of age, show your baby is ready for their first solid foods". Your baby will be able to:

stay in a sitting position and hold their head steady
co-ordinate their eyes, hands and mouth so they can look at the food, pick it up and put it in their mouth by themselves
swallow food rather than spit it back out

Together is the operative word. One out of three is not a green light.

The AAP asks a near-identical set of questions: can they hold their head up and sit with good head control in a feeding seat; do they open their mouth when food comes their way; can they move food from a spoon into their throat.

The three that fool everyone

The NHS names these explicitly as behaviours "mistaken by parents as signs that their baby is ready for solid foods": chewing their fists, waking up in the night more than usual, and wanting extra milk feeds. "These are all normal behaviours for babies and not necessarily a sign that they're hungry or ready to start solid food."

And the sentence that saves the most wasted effort: "Starting solid foods will not make your baby any more likely to sleep through the night. Sometimes a little extra milk will help until they're ready for solid foods." The NHS adds that babies "do not need baby rice to help them move to solid foods or sleep better".

Babies born prematurely

The NHS says directly: "If your baby was born prematurely, ask your health visitor or GP for advice on when to start introducing solid foods." Readiness for a preterm baby is a conversation, not a calendar date. Our adjusted age calculator will tell you where your baby sits developmentally, which is the number that conversation will start from.

What normal looks like at the start

Small. The NHS: "In the beginning your baby will only need a small amount of food before their usual milk feed. Do not worry about how much they eat." Babies "have tiny tummies, so start by offering them small amounts of food (just a few pieces, or teaspoons of food)", and they do not need three meals a day at first. Milk stays the main event: "Breast milk or infant formula should be their main drink during the first year."

Rejection is normal too. "It may take 10 tries or more for your baby to get used to new foods, flavours and textures. There will be days when they eat more, some when they eat less, and then days when they reject everything. Do not worry, this is perfectly normal."

What to offer first

The NHS suggests single vegetables and fruits — mashed or soft cooked sticks of parsnip, broccoli, potato, yam, sweet potato, carrot, apple or pear — and deliberately includes the vegetables that are not sweet, "such as broccoli, cauliflower and spinach", to widen the range of flavours early. Move on from purées to mashed, lumpy or finger foods "as soon as they can manage them".

What not to add, and what not to give

No salt and no sugar, including stock cubes and gravy: salt is not good for a baby's kidneys and sugar causes tooth decay. Honey is out until twelve months because of the risk of infant botulism. Whole cows' milk can be used in cooking from around six months but not as a main drink until one year. The NHS also lists foods to avoid for safety: whole nuts (crushed or flaked under five), popcorn, jelly cubes, marshmallows, hard or sticky sweets, peanut butter on its own, chewing gum and ice cubes, plus mould-ripened and unpasteurised soft cheeses, raw shellfish, shark, swordfish, marlin and pâté.

Vitamins

The NHS recommends a daily supplement containing 8.5 to 10 micrograms of vitamin D from birth for breastfed babies, and for babies having less than 500ml of formula a day, plus vitamins A and C from six to twelve months. Babies having 500ml or more of formula daily do not need supplements.

What is not normal

Coughing, wheezing, a rash, swollen lips, vomiting or diarrhoea after a particular food is a possible allergic reaction rather than fussiness. Persistent refusal of all food well beyond seven or eight months, a baby who cannot sit steadily by then, or weight that has stopped tracking are all reasons to ask rather than wait.

When to speak to a health visitor or doctor

Raise feeding at the nine-to-twelve-month review, which the NHS says covers diet among other things, or sooner via your health visiting team. Contact them earlier if your baby has a suspected reaction to a food, is not managing textures by around nine months, is losing weight or has stopped gaining, or if mealtimes have become distressing for either of you. Call 999 immediately for a severe reaction with swelling, breathing difficulty or collapse.

Starting Solids