Weaning readiness checker

The age is the easy half

WHO, the NHS, the AAP and the current US Dietary Guidelines all say the same thing about when: around six months. WHO recommends "introduction of nutritionally-adequate and safe complementary (solid) foods at 6 months together with continued breastfeeding up to 2 years of age or beyond". The AAP recommends only breast milk "for approximately 6 months after birth". Australian guidance says most babies show the readiness signs by around six months, and that solids should not be introduced before four.

That unanimity is unusual and worth noticing, because the second half of the question — is this baby ready — is where the actual answer lives, and almost nothing online covers it.

Three signs, and they have to arrive together

The NHS publishes them as a set. Your baby can stay in a sitting position and hold their head steady. They can co-ordinate eyes, hands and mouth well enough to look at food, pick it up, and put it in their own mouth. And they can swallow food rather than pushing it straight back out.

Each one is doing a different job. Head control is a safety requirement as much as a readiness one — a baby who cannot hold their head steady cannot protect their own airway while learning to swallow. Co-ordination is the hardest to fake and the easiest to see, and it is why offering finger food from the start works: a baby who can get food to their own mouth is telling you they are ready. And the tongue-thrust reflex that pushes solids back out fades on its own schedule; food coming back out on the chin is an answer, not a failure.

The three things people mistake for readiness

This is the part that prevents more early weaning than anything else, and the NHS lists it explicitly: 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."

Sleep deserves its own sentence, because it is the reason weaning most often starts early and the reason with no payoff. The NHS: "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."

Why six, and not four or five

The NHS gives four reasons and they are worth reading rather than skipping. Milk provides the energy and nutrients a baby needs until around six months, with the exception of vitamin D in some cases. Exclusive breast milk to around six months helps protect against illness and infection. Waiting gives a baby time to cope fully with solid food. And a baby who has waited is more able to feed themselves and better at moving food around their mouth — which usually means smooth purées can be skipped altogether.

Australian guidance adds the reason easiest to forget: iron. Babies live on iron stored before birth for the first six months, "but babies' iron stores go down as they grow. By around 6 months, babies need to start having iron-rich solid food." That is why the far end of the window matters too. Raising Children Network: "If your baby is nearing 7 months of age and hasn't started solids, you might like to get some advice from your child and family health nurse or GP."

Babies born preterm

This is the one case where this tool deliberately gives no answer. The NHS instruction is a single line: "If your baby was born prematurely, ask your health visitor or GP for advice on when to start introducing solid foods."

Corrected age — your baby's age counted from their due date rather than their birthday — is the fairer yardstick for anything developmental, and the tool shows it. But iron stores, gut maturity and oral skills do not all correct at the same rate, which is precisely why preterm weaning is individualised rather than charted. Take the three signs to the appointment: "she sits steadily and reaches for food, but everything still comes back out" is a far more useful sentence than an age.

Once you start

Start small, and start before a milk feed rather than instead of one. 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." Milk is still the main event — WHO puts breast milk at half or more of a child's energy needs between six and twelve months.

Do not delay allergenic foods. Peanuts, hens' eggs, gluten and fish can all be introduced from around six months, one at a time and in small amounts so a reaction is easy to spot. If your baby has severe eczema or a known egg allergy, ask about peanut introduction specifically before you start. And expect it to take longer than you think: "It may take 10 tries or more for your baby to get used to new foods, flavours and textures."