Starting Solids

Starting solids can feel like a big change after months of milk feeds. Suddenly there are questions about timing, textures, allergens, finger foods, choking and how much your baby should actually eat.

NHS guidance recommends starting solid foods, also called weaning or complementary feeding, from around six months old, when your baby shows the developmental signs that they are ready. At first, the aim is not to replace milk feeds or persuade your baby to eat a certain amount. It is to let them gradually become familiar with food, tastes and textures alongside their usual breast milk or first infant formula.

You can begin simply. Offer small amounts, let your baby explore, and expect some food to end up everywhere except their mouth.

How do you know when your baby is ready for solids?

Age is only part of the picture.

The NHS advises looking for three signs of readiness that appear together from around six months. Your baby should be able to:

stay in a sitting position and hold their head steady
coordinate their eyes, hands and mouth so they can look at food, pick it up and bring it to their mouth
swallow food rather than pushing it back out

Some normal baby behaviours can easily be mistaken for readiness.

Chewing fists, wanting more milk or waking more frequently at night do not necessarily mean your baby is ready for solids. Starting solid food is also not a reliable way to make a baby sleep through the night.

If your baby was born prematurely, ask your health visitor or GP when it is appropriate to start solids, as they may need individual advice.

What should your baby’s first foods be?

There is no single food that every baby has to start with.

The NHS suggests offering a variety of vegetables and fruit, including less sweet vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower and spinach. Soft cooked vegetables can be mashed or offered in appropriately prepared pieces your baby can hold.

As your baby becomes used to eating, their diet can gradually include foods from different food groups, including:

vegetables and fruit
potatoes, bread, rice, pasta and other starchy foods
beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat and other protein foods
pasteurised full-fat yoghurt and cheese

Your baby does not need special baby rice before they can try other foods.

You also do not have to produce a different elaborate meal every day. Simple foods prepared safely and without added salt or sugar are a perfectly reasonable place to begin.

How much food should you offer at first?

Very little food may actually be eaten during the first few attempts, and that is normal.

The NHS says babies do not need three meals a day when they first start solids. Begin with small amounts of food at a time that suits both of you.

Your baby is learning several things at once. Food has a different texture from milk. It needs to be moved around the mouth and swallowed. A spoon feels unfamiliar. Finger foods need to be picked up and coordinated with the mouth.

Give your baby time to explore rather than focusing on an empty bowl.

As they become more comfortable with eating, you can gradually increase the amount and variety of food you offer.

Milk is still important after starting solids

Starting solids does not mean milk suddenly becomes unimportant.

During the early stages of weaning, babies still get much of their energy and nutrients from breast milk or first infant formula. The NHS recommends continuing breast milk or first infant formula alongside an increasingly varied diet.

Breast milk or first infant formula should remain your baby’s main drink throughout their first year.

As your baby gradually eats more solid food, their milk intake may naturally change. You do not need to rush that transition.

From around six months, the NHS recommends offering sips of water with meals from an open cup or a free-flow cup without a valve.

Cows’ milk can be used in cooking or mixed with food from around six months, but it should not be given as your baby’s main drink before 12 months.

Purées, mashed food or baby-led weaning?

You do not have to choose one strict method.

Some parents begin with spoon-fed purées or mashed food. Others prefer finger foods and an approach often described as baby-led weaning. Many families naturally use a mixture.

The NHS encourages babies to experience different textures and to have opportunities to feed themselves with their fingers when they want to.

Waiting until around six months means many babies are developmentally ready to begin exploring mashed, lumpy and finger foods and may not need a long period of completely smooth purées.

Whichever approach you use, food needs to be prepared in a texture and shape your baby can manage safely.

There is no reason to turn feeding style into a competition. The useful question is whether your baby is being offered appropriate food safely and getting opportunities to experience different tastes and textures.

Introduce different textures

Learning to eat involves more than learning new flavours.

Babies also need experience with textures.

As your baby becomes able to manage them, gradually offer mashed, lumpy and finger foods rather than keeping everything completely smooth for longer than necessary.

Finger foods allow babies to practise picking food up, bringing it to their mouth and feeding themselves. They also give babies direct experience of different textures.

Choose foods that are prepared appropriately for your baby’s ability and are soft enough for them to manage.

Always stay with your baby while they eat and make sure they are sitting safely upright.

Gagging and choking are not the same thing

Watching a baby gag can be frightening, particularly during the first few meals.

The NHS explains that gagging is a normal reflex as babies learn how to chew and swallow food. It can be noisy, and your baby may push their tongue forward, retch or even vomit.

Choking is different and is dangerous. A choking baby may be quiet because their airway is blocked.

It is worth learning the difference before you start solids rather than trying to work it out during a frightening moment.

Always supervise your baby while they eat, make sure they are sitting upright and prepare food appropriately to reduce choking risk.

Parents and carers may also find it useful to learn baby and child first aid from a recognised provider.

If your baby is choking and cannot breathe properly, this is an emergency. Follow current NHS choking first-aid guidance and call for emergency help as appropriate.

Introducing foods that can cause allergies

Foods that can trigger allergic reactions can be introduced from around six months as part of your baby’s diet.

NHS guidance recommends introducing these foods one at a time and in very small amounts so that you can identify a reaction more easily.

Foods that may cause allergic reactions include:

eggs
peanuts and nuts
cows’ milk
foods containing gluten
seeds
soya
fish
shellfish

Nuts and peanuts need to be offered in a safe form, such as finely ground or as smooth nut butter rather than whole nuts.

Once an allergenic food has been introduced and your baby tolerates it, NHS guidance recommends continuing to offer it as part of their usual diet.

If your baby already has a diagnosed food allergy or eczema, or there is a family history of food allergies, eczema, asthma or hay fever, speak to your GP or health visitor before introducing foods that commonly cause allergic reactions.

What does a food allergy look like?

Allergic reactions can cause different symptoms.

NHS guidance lists possible signs including vomiting or diarrhoea, coughing, wheezing or shortness of breath, an itchy throat or tongue, itchy skin or a rash, swollen lips or throat, a blocked or runny nose and red, itchy eyes.

If you think your baby has reacted to a food, seek medical advice.

In some cases, a food allergy can cause a severe reaction called anaphylaxis. This can be life-threatening and requires immediate emergency help.

Do not deliberately give your baby more of a food you think caused a reaction simply to check whether it happens again. Get professional advice instead.

Foods and drinks to avoid

Babies do not need added salt or sugar in their food.

The NHS also advises avoiding some foods and drinks because they may be unsafe or unsuitable for babies.

Whole nuts should not be given because they are a choking risk. Honey should not be given before 12 months because it can contain bacteria that may cause infant botulism.

Unpasteurised milk and certain unpasteurised cheeses should be avoided because of the risk of harmful bacteria.

Cows’ milk should not be used as a main drink before 12 months, although it can be used in cooking from around six months.

Rice drinks should not be given to children under five because they may contain too much arsenic.

Fruit juice, smoothies, squash and fizzy drinks are not needed for babies. Water and their usual milk are the main drinks to focus on.

Food safety recommendations can be specific, so check current NHS safe-weaning guidance before introducing foods you are unsure about.

Let your baby set the pace

Some babies seem delighted by food immediately. Others look deeply suspicious of the first spoonful.

Both reactions can be part of learning.

Do not force your baby to eat or finish a portion. Give them time to touch, smell and taste food and allow them to stop when they have had enough.

A rejected food does not necessarily need to disappear from the menu forever. The NHS notes that babies may need repeated opportunities to become familiar with a new food or texture.

Try to keep mealtimes relaxed.

There will be mess. There may be days when very little gets eaten. There may also be foods your baby loved last week and refuses this week.

Starting solids is a gradual process, not a test your baby needs to pass.

Do you need special weaning equipment?

Not much.

A safe highchair that allows your baby to sit upright, a few suitable spoons, an open or free-flow cup and some easy-to-clean bibs are enough for many families.

You may also find bowls, food storage containers or a mat for the floor useful, but they are conveniences rather than requirements.

If you use shop-bought pouches, the NHS advises squeezing the contents onto a spoon rather than letting your baby suck directly from the pouch.

Pouches and jars can be convenient when you are busy or away from home, but they do not need to form the basis of every meal.

You also do not need a cupboard full of specialist baby snacks. Ordinary suitable family foods can gradually become part of your baby’s meals when they are prepared safely and appropriately.

Keep family meals realistic

Starting solids can easily become another job that feels as though it needs careful planning every day.

It does not.

As your baby progresses, you may be able to adapt parts of your own meals rather than cooking everything separately. Set aside your baby’s portion before adding salt or ingredients that are not suitable for them.

Batch-cooking small portions can also make busy days easier.

Try to offer variety across time rather than expecting every individual meal to be perfectly balanced.

Your baby is learning about food over months and years. One lunch consisting mostly of broccoli on the floor is not a verdict on how weaning is going.

When to get professional advice

Speak to your health visitor or GP if you are unsure whether your baby is ready to start solids, particularly if your baby was born prematurely or has health or developmental needs that may affect feeding.

Ask for professional advice if your baby is having persistent difficulty managing food, frequently coughs or chokes during meals, is not feeding normally, or you are worried about their growth, nutrition or general wellbeing.

If your baby has eczema, a diagnosed food allergy or a strong family history of allergic conditions, talk to your GP or health visitor before introducing foods that commonly cause allergic reactions.

Seek medical advice if you think your baby has had an allergic reaction to food. Call 999 immediately if your baby develops a severe reaction with symptoms such as significant breathing difficulty or swelling affecting their breathing.

For choking, follow current NHS first-aid guidance. A baby who cannot breathe properly because their airway is blocked needs immediate help.

You do not need to solve feeding concerns by trial and error. Your health visitor, GP or an appropriately qualified dietitian can give advice based on your baby’s individual needs.