Introducing your baby to solid foods, often called weaning onto foods, should start when your baby is around six months old. To begin with, how much your baby takes is less important than getting them used to the idea of eating. They will still be getting most of their nutrition from milk. Babies don’t need three meals a day to start with, so you can start by offering foods at a time that suits you both.
Gradually, you’ll be able to increase the amount and variety of food your baby eats until they can eventually eat the same as the rest of the family, in smaller portions.
Once you start introducing solid food, carry on offering your baby first milk as well as other foods until your baby is a year old. Babies can be encouraged to use cups when they start on solid food at around six months.
The Baby Friendly Initiative and the Department of Health have produced a leaflet called Introducing solid foods, which contains all the information you need to safely introduce your baby to solid food as well as ideas for first foods and tips on how to encourage your baby to enjoy this new experience.
Click here to see a video clip of mothers talking about introducing their babies to solid foods.
You can see more information on the NHS Choices website.
FAQs
Do I have to wait until six months?
Health experts agree that around six months is the best age for introducing solids. Before this, your baby’s digestive system is still developing and weaning too soon may increase the risk of infections and allergies. Weaning is also easier at six months. If your baby seems hungrier at any time before six months, they may be having a growth spurt, and extra formula milk feeds will meet their needs. You can tell that your baby is ready for solid foods when he can:
- Stay in a sitting position and hold his head steady
- Co-ordinate his eyes, hand and mouth so that he can look at the food, pick it up and put it in his mouth all by himself.
- Swallow food. Babies who are not ready will push their food back out, so they get more round their face than they do in their mouths.
