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Medical Disclaimer: The information in this article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Speak with your health visitor or paediatrician before starting your baby on solid foods, particularly if your baby was premature or has any health conditions.
Starting solid foods is one of the most exciting milestones in your baby’s first year. It is also one that comes with a lot of questions, conflicting advice from well-meaning relatives, and sometimes anxiety about getting it right. This guide gives you the current evidence-based guidance on when to start, what signs of readiness to look for, and how to approach those very first tastes.
The Current NHS and WHO Guidance on When to Start Solids
The NHS, World Health Organization, and most major health organisations recommend introducing solid foods at around 6 months of age. Before this age, your baby’s digestive system, immune system, and physical development are not ready to handle anything other than milk.
The NHS specifically advises:
- Do not start solids before 17 weeks (just under 4 months)
- Start at around 6 months, when all three signs of readiness are present
- For premature babies, use their corrected age for developmental milestones
The Three Signs of Readiness
Timing is important, but so is readiness. Health professionals look for three specific signs that indicate a baby is developmentally ready for solid food. All three should be present at the same time:
1. Can Sit Up with Minimal Support and Hold Their Head Steady
Your baby needs to be able to sit in an upright position and hold their head stable. This is important for safe swallowing and reduces the risk of choking. A baby who cannot yet sit up unsupported or hold their head steady is not ready for solids.
2. Has Lost the Tongue Thrust Reflex
Young babies have a protective reflex that pushes food or objects out of their mouth using their tongue. When you introduce a spoon and your baby consistently pushes the food back out with their tongue, this reflex is still active and they are not ready. By around 6 months, this reflex naturally fades, allowing them to move food to the back of their mouth and swallow it.
3. Can Pick Up Food and Bring It to Their Mouth
Sometimes described as hand-to-mouth coordination, this sign indicates your baby has the motor skills to participate in feeding. This is particularly relevant for baby-led weaning approaches.
Misleading Signs That Are NOT Signs of Readiness
Many parents are told that certain behaviours mean their baby is ready for solids before 6 months. Current evidence does not support this. These are NOT reliable signs of readiness:
- Watching you eat with interest is a normal developmental behaviour, not a signal that solids are needed
- Waking more at night is almost never caused by hunger in a healthy, well-growing baby and is usually related to developmental changes
- Seeming hungrier than usual often reflects a growth spurt that will resolve with more frequent milk feeds
- Being a “big” baby does not mean the digestive system is more mature
What Foods to Start With
When all three signs of readiness are present and your baby is around 6 months, you can begin. First foods should be soft, nutritious, and easy to manage. Good first foods include:
- Smooth vegetable purees: sweet potato, butternut squash, carrot, parsnip, pea
- Smooth fruit purees: cooked apple, pear, mango (ripe soft mango can be offered as a soft finger food)
- Baby rice or porridge mixed with their usual milk
- Soft-cooked broccoli, cauliflower, or courgette fingers (if doing baby-led weaning)
- Full-fat plain yoghurt (from 6 months)
Early Introduction of Allergens
Current NHS guidance advises that common allergens (peanuts, egg, tree nuts, wheat, dairy, fish, shellfish, sesame, soya) should be introduced one at a time, from around 6 months, as part of a varied diet. Early introduction (not avoidance) is now known to reduce the risk of developing food allergies. Always introduce new allergens at home during the daytime, not at nursery or while out, and wait 2 to 3 days between each new allergen to identify any reactions.
Foods to Avoid in the First Year
- Honey until 12 months (risk of botulism)
- Whole nuts and large hard pieces (choking hazard)
- Added salt or sugar
- Cow’s milk as a main drink (as a drink, wait until 12 months; as an ingredient in cooking or yoghurt and cheese, it is fine from 6 months)
- Shark, swordfish, or marlin due to mercury content
- Rice drinks until 5 years due to arsenic content
How Much and How Often
In the early weeks of weaning, solid food is about exploration and learning, not nutrition. Milk (breast or formula) remains the main source of nutrition for the first year. Start with just a few teaspoons of food once a day, gradually increasing over weeks and months to three small meals per day by around 8 to 9 months.
Do not worry if your baby does not eat much at first. Some babies take readily to solid foods; others take several weeks to show much interest. Both are normal.
Recommended Products for Starting Solids
Sources
- NHS (2023). Your baby’s first solid foods. nhs.uk
- World Health Organization (2023). Complementary feeding. who.int
- American Academy of Pediatrics (2022). Starting Solid Foods. healthychildren.org
- NHS (2023). Foods to avoid giving babies and young children. nhs.uk
