Starting solids can be an exciting (or nerve-wracking) time for your family! For your little one, there are so many new things to learn - how to use their tongue to move food around, how to coordinate chewing with swallowing, what flavours they like and dislike, and the many types of textures that come with new foods. For you, there's the opportunity to share food you love (or food that is culturally important to you) with your baby, see them learning every day, and plenty of mess! Food is a whole-body sensory experience, and introducing solids is one of the first steps in setting up your baby's lifelong relationship with food.

When to introduce solids

Current guidelines recommend introducing solids at around 6 months of age. If you're hoping to start solids before your little one is 6 months old, it's a great idea to get guidance from your healthcare provider first. There are many elements that contribute to these guidelines, including physical and cognitive milestones that babies need to achieve before being able to safely consume solid food, as well as gut development considerations and allergen introduction advice.

Some things to look out for when gauging your baby's readiness for solids include:

  • Sitting: baby can sit for more than a few minutes with minimal support (important to reduce potential risks of choking).
  • Head control: head is steady for longer periods of time while seated.
  • Reaching and grabbing: baby can reach for and grab objects of interest, and bring them to the mouth.
  • Interest: your little one watches you eat with interest, leans forward to food, or mouths as you eat.

In the past, people have been told to wait for the disappearance of the tongue-thrust reflex - this is not currently supported by evidence, and the presence of the reflex may help babies explore food as they bring it to their mouth.

Why introducing solids is important

Babies need to learn how to eat food, and research suggests there is an important window of time between 6-9 months where babies are primed to learn to chew. Babies who are fed exclusively on milk or purees until after this window may be at increased risk of picky eating and poor chewing patterns throughout childhood.

Additionally, babies are born with iron stores to last them for the approximate duration of exclusive milk feeding (for around 6 months). Over time, these stores are used up and your little one will need to be taking in more iron through food.

How you start solids with your baby sets the tone for their long-term relationship with food - is eating a stressful experience with pressure to eat every bite, or are meal-times relaxing and full of family connection? This is why, if you're feeling anxious about beginning solids, it's a great idea to seek hands-on support and address your nerves before you begin.

Foods to start solids with your baby

With so many food options out there, how do you know what food to offer first? The good news is, you don't have to overthink it. No matter how you choose to feed your little one (baby-led weaning or purees), you can adapt the food you eat as a family to start solids with your baby. Focus on nutrient-dense foods which are flavourful and interesting - there's no need to offer bland food!

Some great nutrient-dense foods to offer early in your journey include:

  • Slow-cooked meats like chicken, lamb or beef
  • Liver or pate
  • Broccoli
  • Root vegetables
  • Coconut cream
  • Avocado.

If you're doing baby-led weaning and starting with finger food, remember that bigger is better - you want food to be cut large enough to allow baby to grasp it easily and hold it while they mouth and chew.


How to start solids

You don't have to start with big volumes of food - in fact, starting small is often better. When you're introducing solids to your little one, the idea isn't to fill up their tummy; milk should still be their primary source of nutrition until they are 12 months old. So you only need small amounts, generally 1-2 teaspoons worth of food in a single serving to begin with. Try to do food earlier in the day to allow them to digest it before laying still for long periods of time, which can lead to discomfort, especially as their gut is adjusting to the big change. It also enables you to monitor your little one for potential allergic reactions. For more info on introducing allergens, check out our article on food allergies in babies.

Make sure your baby is sitting up tall and secured safely in a high-chair, and that they are calm and alert. Avoid having them starving and ready for a feed, as this can lead to fussiness and stress because they aren't having their hunger satisfied quickly.

Try to stay calm and relaxed yourself, prepare for mess, and have fun! Don't forget to take a few snaps of the first mealtime. Bonus points if you eat alongside baby - nothing beats modelling exactly how to put food in your mouth, chewing carefully, and swallowing. Babies learn through watching us, and eating is no different.

We hope you're feeling ready to get started! And if you're needing to stock up on plates, cups, or forks for this new phase, jump over to our feeding products.