Starting solids: when to begin, what to offer and how much
Updated
Solids are not a replacement for milk but an introduction to new food alongside it. In the first year, breast milk or formula remains your baby's main nutrition; solid food at first only adds to it and teaches the baby to chew, swallow and try new tastes.
Below: when to begin, how to tell your baby is ready, which foods and how much to start with, what not to give in the first year, and how to feed safely.
When to introduce solids
The guide is around 6 months and never before 4. By then digestion has matured, the tongue-thrust reflex that pushes solids back out has faded, and milk alone stops meeting iron and energy needs. Starting too early is harmful: it raises the risk of allergy and loads an immature gut. But delaying well past 6–7 months without reason is not ideal either — it misses a convenient window for learning to chew.
Age is only a guide. The exact timing and foods for a particular baby — especially one born preterm or with a family history of allergy — are set by the paediatrician.
Signs of readiness
Watch the baby, not the calendar. Readiness shows in several signs together:
- Holds their head steady and sits with a little support.
- The tongue-thrust reflex is gone — food from a spoon is no longer pushed straight back out.
- Shows interest in food: reaches for it, watches adults eat, opens their mouth.
- Can pick up an object and bring it to their mouth.
How to start
- One new food at a time. Introduce foods singly and watch for 3–5 days before adding the next — so you can see what any reaction was to.
- Single-ingredient purées. Most start with a vegetable purée (courgette, cauliflower, broccoli), a gluten-free dairy-free cereal, or a fruit purée. It is best to agree the very first food with your paediatrician.
- From smooth to lumpier. Start with a smooth, runny purée, then thicker; by 8–10 months mashed with a fork and soft lumps; by a year, pieces from the family table.
- Small amounts. Begin with half to one teaspoon and build up to an age-appropriate portion over 1–2 weeks. Offer solids before a milk feed, while the baby is hungry and willing to try.
- By spoon, sitting up. The baby eats sitting (in a high chair), from a spoon, with an adult watching. Do not give solids through a bottle.
| Age | Texture | What they learn |
|---|---|---|
| 6 mo | smooth runny purée | first vegetables, dairy-free cereals |
| 7–8 mo | thick purée, fork-mashed | meat, egg yolk, fruit, more vegetables |
| 9–11 mo | soft lumps, finger food | learning to chew and eat with hands |
| 12 mo | pieces from the family table | a varied diet alongside milk |
What not to give in the first year
- Honey — not before 12 months, because of the risk of infant botulism, even in trace amounts.
- Salt and sugar — do not add them: the kidneys are still immature, and a taste for sweet and salty forms early.
- Cow's or goat's milk as a main drink — before a year it does not replace breast milk or formula (a small amount cooked into food is fine after about 8–9 months, with your doctor's agreement).
- Whole nuts, hard chunks, whole grapes, round hard sweets — a choking hazard. Give nuts only as a smooth paste or ground.
- Unpasteurised milk, cheese and juice, raw eggs — a risk of infection.
Safety: keeping your baby from choking
Feed only when the baby is sitting upright, and never leave them alone with food — not for a second, not in the car, not lying down. Make pieces soft and a size the baby can mash with their gums; keep hard, round foods (raw carrot, nuts, whole grapes, sausage in rounds) away until they are older, or cut them lengthways into small strips. It helps to know in advance what choking looks like and what to do if your baby chokes.
Allergenic foods and warning signs
Current advice is not to delay allergenic foods (egg, peanut and other nuts as a paste, fish, dairy, wheat) but to introduce them among the rest — one at a time, at home, earlier in the day, so you can spot a reaction. Early exposure tends to lower the risk of allergy rather than raise it. If there is severe allergy in the family or your baby has marked eczema, introduce these foods only together with a doctor.
Call emergency help at once if, after eating, there is swelling of the lips, tongue or face, a spreading rash and redness, vomiting, difficult or wheezy breathing, or marked drowsiness. These are signs of an allergic reaction, not a food that "did not suit".
How to track what you have introduced
Once there are several foods, it is easy to lose track of what you gave when and whether there was a reaction. Logging each new food with the date and noting how the baby tolerated it makes the picture clear at a glance: what is already accepted, what caused a rash or upset, what to come back to later. It is a safeguard where allergy is a concern, and it lets you talk to the paediatrician from a record rather than from memory.
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Open in TelegramFrequently asked questions
At what age should I start solids?
The guide is around 6 months and not before 4. By then a baby is usually ready physiologically. The exact timing for a particular baby is set by the paediatrician, especially if the baby was born preterm or there is allergy in the family.
Which food is best to start with?
Usually a single-ingredient vegetable purée (courgette, cauliflower, broccoli) or a gluten-free dairy-free cereal. Begin with half a teaspoon and introduce one food at a time, watching for 3–5 days. It is worth agreeing the first food with your doctor.
Can solids replace a milk feed?
Not in the first year. Breast milk or formula stays the main nutrition, and solids only add to it at first. Offer solid food before a milk feed, while the baby is hungry — not instead of it.
Why is honey not allowed before a year?
Honey can contain spores that cause infant botulism, a serious illness. A baby's gut cannot handle them in the first year, so honey is not given in any form, even baked into food.
How do I know a food did not agree with my baby?
Watch for a rash, redness, itching, looser stools, vomiting or distress after a new food. Swelling of the face, a whole-body rash or difficult breathing are a reason to call emergency help at once. Introduce foods one at a time so you know what any reaction is to.
Sources
This article is for general information and does not replace medical advice. The timing, foods and amount of solids depend on a baby's age, health and individual needs. Agree your weaning plan — especially with prematurity, allergy or chronic illness — with your own paediatrician.