Starting Solids: When to Begin and How to Know Your Baby Is Ready

Few topics divide a family like starting solids. Grandma says you ate biscuits at 3 months, the internet says six months and not a day sooner, and your baby — your baby watches you eat with a face that clearly says she'd like a word with whoever's in charge of that plate. Let's take it step by step, without panic.

When is the right time?

The WHO and most pediatric societies recommend starting solids around 6 months, alongside continued breastmilk or formula. Some pediatricians, depending on the baby, approve a start between 4 and 6 months — but never before 4 completed months.

More important than the calendar date are the signs of readiness — all of them, not just one:

• baby sits stably with support and has solid head control,
• the tongue-thrust reflex is gone (if the spoon keeps getting pushed back out, it's too early),
• baby shows active interest in your food — tracking bites, opening their mouth, reaching for it.

Interest alone isn't enough — 3-month-olds are interested in everything.

Purées or baby-led weaning? A false dilemma

Classic spoon-fed purées and baby-led weaning (baby self-feeds soft pieces) are both legitimate, and most families end up doing a mix. What matters more than the method:

• The first months are practice, not a meal. Milk remains the main source of calories until age one. Solids are for learning: textures, chewing, handling food, flavors.
• Variety of flavors — including vegetables that aren't sweet (broccoli, zucchini). Babies can need 10+ exposures to accept a flavor; "doesn't like it" usually means "hasn't tried it enough times yet."
• No salt and no added sugar in the first year. And no honey — honey before 12 months carries a botulism risk.

Allergens: today's advice is the opposite of the old advice

Parents used to be told to delay eggs, peanuts, and fish. Today's recommendation is reversed: introduce common allergens early and regularly (once baby tolerates first foods well), because early exposure reduces allergy risk.

• Introduce one new allergen at a time, in the morning or early in the day, then watch for 2–3 days.
• Peanuts never whole (choking hazard) — use smooth peanut butter thinned into a purée.
• If your baby has severe eczema or a confirmed allergy, agree on an allergen plan with your pediatrician before starting.

Choking vs. gagging

The sound that will scare you: gagging — baby goes red, coughs, is loud. That's a protective mechanism and part of learning. Choking is the opposite — silent. So: baby always eats sitting upright, supervised, with no round or hard foods (whole grapes, nuts, sausage rounds, hard apple). We recommend every parent take an infant first-aid course — two hours worth their weight in gold.

When to call the pediatrician

Rash or hives after eating, vomiting, bloody diarrhea, swelling of lips or face — call right away. Trouble breathing or floppiness after eating — emergency services, don't wait. Less dramatically: if your baby persistently refuses all solids past 8 months, mention it at a checkup.

Keep a record of first foods

When you're introducing a new food every 2–3 days, a month in nobody remembers whether yogurt came before or after egg — and that's exactly the first question your pediatrician asks when a rash appears. A quick note after every new food (what, when, any reaction) saves a lot of detective work later.