Feeding

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Introducing Solids: why, when, what and how?

Key Points

Start to introduce solid foods when your baby shows signs of being ready – around 6 months of age.
First foods might be smooth or finely mashed. Then food can be roughly mashed or chopped.
First foods should include iron-rich foods and foods that might trigger allergies.
Introduce allergenic foods one at a time. For other foods, introduce as many as you like in any order.
Keep breastfeeding or using infant formula until your baby is at least 12 months.

Why does my baby need solid food?

As babies grow, they need solid food to get enough nutrients for healthy growth and development. These nutrients include iron and zinc.

For the first 6 months, babies use iron stored in their bodies from when they were in the womb. They also get some iron from breastmilk and/or infant formula. But as babies grow, their iron stores start to go down. By about 6 months, babies need to start eating iron-rich solid foods.

Introducing solid foods is also important because it helps babies learn how to eat. It gives them new tastes and textures to try. Eating solids helps them develop their teeth and jaws, and it also builds skills they’ll need for language later on.

Signs your baby is ready for solids:

Your baby has good head and neck control and can sit up with support.
Your baby shows interest in food, like looking at what’s on your plate.
Your baby reaches out for your food.
Your baby opens their mouth when you offer food on a spoon.
Most babies start showing these signs around 6 months, but it can be different for each baby.

The best time of day to introduce solids:

When you first start giving your baby solid foods, it’s best to offer them when both you and your baby are calm and relaxed.

This is usually after a feed of breastmilk or formula. Babies will still have room in their tummy to try new foods after having breastmilk or formula. But if they are really hungry before a feed, they might just want the milk they are used to.

As time goes on, you’ll get to know when your baby is hungry, full, tired, or just not interested.

Signs of hunger include:

Getting excited when they see their food being prepared.
Leaning toward you while sitting in their highchair.
Opening their mouth when the food is near.

Signs your baby is no longer interested include:

Turning their head away.
Getting distracted or losing interest.
Pushing the spoon away.
Clamping their mouth shut.

Remember, your baby’s appetite may change from day to day.

How much food do I offer my baby when introducing solids?

When you first start giving solids, try offering 1-2 teaspoons of food once a day. At the beginning, your baby will probably just have a small taste and won’t swallow much.

As your baby gets older, you can give them more food based on how hungry they seem and their signs. By 12 months, your baby should be eating around 3 small meals and 2 snacks a day, along with breastmilk or infant formula.

The right textures for first foods:

When your baby is ready for solids, start with smooth or finely mashed foods, depending on what your baby likes. Over the next few weeks and months, you can move on to roughly mashed, minced, and eventually chopped foods. All foods should be very soft.

Your baby needs to try different food textures. This helps them learn how to chew, which is important for speech development and learning to feed themselves. It also helps prevent feeding problems as they grow. Babies can chew even before they get their first teeth.

By 12 months, your baby should be eating the same foods as the rest of the family. But you may still need to chop some foods into smaller pieces and cook vegetables until they’re soft.

Types of food to offer when introducing solids:

All new foods are exciting for your baby!

The key is to give your baby iron-rich foods with the right texture. Some iron-rich foods include:

Iron-fortified infant cereal
Minced meat, poultry, and fish
Cooked tofu and legumes (like beans)
Mashed, cooked egg (but avoid raw or runny eggs)

Along with these iron-rich foods, you can also offer other healthy foods with the right texture, such as:

Vegetables – like cooked potato, pumpkin, sweet potato, carrot, broccoli, or spinach
Fruit – like banana, apple, pear, melon, or avocado
Grains – like oats, bread, roti, naan, rice, noodles, and pasta
Dairy foods – like full-fat yogurt and full-fat cheese

You can introduce any number of new foods at once and in any order. Offering a variety of foods helps your baby try different tastes and get a range of important nutrients.

Breastmilk and infant formula while introducing solids:

You should continue breastfeeding or using infant formula until your baby is at least 12 months old.

When you start giving your baby solids, breastmilk or infant formula should still be the main source of their nutrition. Over the next few months, your baby will start eating more solids and drinking less milk or formula. This change happens at different times for each baby.

By around 9 months, most babies are ready to have milk after eating solids instead of before.

Here are some signs that your baby is getting enough nutrition from both solids and breastmilk or formula:

Your baby has plenty of wet nappies (at least 6-8 wet cloth nappies or 5 very wet disposables in 24 hours).
Your baby is alert and mostly happy after and between feeds.
Your baby is gaining weight at a healthy rate. Your nurse will check your baby’s weight at regular check-ups.
After 12 months, solids should be the main source of your baby’s nutrition. Your baby doesn’t need infant formula anymore, but you can keep breastfeeding for as long as you and your baby want.

Introducing water:

Once your baby is 6 months old, you can start offering them cooled, boiled water in a cup at mealtimes and at other times during the day. This helps your baby practice drinking from a cup. But at this age, your baby still mainly needs breastmilk or formula for fluids.

When your baby turns 12 months old, you can start offering fresh tap water without boiling it.

Foods and drinks to avoid while introducing solids:

There are some foods to avoid until your baby reaches a certain age:

Honey – Don't give honey to your baby until they are 12 months old to prevent the risk of infant botulism.
Raw or runny eggs – Avoid raw eggs and foods with raw eggs (like homemade mayonnaise) until your baby is 12 months old. Raw eggs can have harmful bacteria.
Reduced-fat dairy – Don’t give low-fat dairy to your baby until they are 2 years old. Babies need full-fat dairy for growth.
Whole nuts and hard foods – Don’t give whole nuts or hard foods to your baby until they are 4 years old because they can be a choking hazard.

There are also drinks to avoid until your baby reaches a certain age:

Full-fat cow’s milk – Your baby can start drinking full-fat cow’s milk after 12 months, but it should not be their main drink before then.
Dairy alternatives – Avoid drinks like soy, goat, sheep, rice, oat, almond, and coconut milk until your baby is 2 years old, unless a doctor or nurse says otherwise.
Unpasteurized milk – Never give your baby unpasteurized milk because it can have harmful bacteria.
Tea, coffee, or sugary drinks – These should be avoided at all ages because they have caffeine and sugar.
Fruit juice – Limit fruit juice at all ages. Whole fruits are better because they have fibre and help your baby develop chewing skills.

Food allergy and introducing solids:

Introducing foods that can cause allergies early on may help reduce the chance of your baby getting a food allergy. Allergenic foods are foods that can make some people’s bodies react. The reactions can be mild or very serious.

Babies, even those at higher risk of allergies, should try foods that can cause allergies starting at around 6 months. These foods include:

Well-cooked egg
Peanut butter and other nut butters
Wheat foods like bread, roti, naan, cereals, noodles, and pasta
Cow’s milk (but not as the main drink)
Soy products like tofu, soymilk, and soy sauce
Fish and shellfish

It’s best to give these foods one at a time. This way, if your baby has an allergic reaction, it will be easier to figure out what caused it and get medical help.

Once your baby has eaten an allergenic food and is okay, try to give it to them regularly.

Talk to your doctor, nurse, or health expert if:

Your baby has a food allergy.
Your baby has bad eczema.
Your family has food allergies and you’re worried about starting solids.
You’re worried your baby might have a bad reaction to certain foods.

Important things to Remember:

Always supervise babies and young children while they are eating solid food.
Make sure your baby or child is sitting while eating, this can be encouraged by sitting with them.
Your baby does not need added salt or sugar, so best to avoid processed or packaged foods like cakes, biscuits, chips and fried foods.
Have fun together with food. Let them make a mess and explore!