Starting your baby on solid foods

When to start

You should start giving your baby solid foods when he or she is around six months old. In recent years, this advice has been changed radically because we now know more about when babies are ready for starting solid foods and the possible effects of giving solid foods to your baby too early.

It is now generally accepted that it is best to wait until your baby is six months old, but all babies differ somewhat, so you might want to ask your health visitor or GP for advice about your baby if you have any concerns at all. If you are considering introducing solid foods before your baby is six months old then make sure you check with your health visitor or GP first. However, DO NOT give any solid foods to your baby before he or she is four months old (17 weeks).

Why wait until six months?

Giving solid foods to a baby before he or she can cope with them has shown to increase the risk of infection and allergies. By six months old, babies are physically ready to begin eating solid foods. Normally at this age, babies can sit up with support, control their head movements and move food around their mouths. Their digestive and immune systems are also more mature and they are often interested in food and tend to show signs of wanting to chew objects.

At this age, babies will need more than milk alone. If your baby still seems to be hungry after their usual milk feeds before six months, try giving them more milk at each bottle feed if they are finishing the bottle and seem to be looking for more. If you are breastfeeding, try feeding more regularly.

Also remember, cows’ milk isn’t suitable as a drink for babies under a year old.

There are many foods that are not suitable for babies under six months, including foods that contain wheat, gluten, eggs, fish, shellfish, liver, soft and unpasteurised cheeses. This is because a baby’s immune system is too young to handle foods that can cause allergies or foods that may contain harmful bacteria.

Some mothers have been advised that starting solid foods before six months will help a baby sleep, but there is no evidence to support this. I think that this is just one of those rumours that gets passed around when someone hears that a baby is not sleeping well. If your baby was premature, talk to your health visitor or GP about the right age to start your baby on solid foods as this may be later than six months depending upon the baby’s weight at that time.

Tips on starting solid foods

Go at your baby’s pace. Allow plenty of time for feeding, particularly at first. Your baby needs to learn to move solid food from the front of the tongue to the back, to swallow it. The food is going to taste and feel different – so it’s bound to take time.
Before preparing the portion, take out the amount you think your baby will eat and heat this up, rather than heating a large amount that then goes to waste. This is because you’ll need to throw away any of the heated food that your baby doesn’t eat, as it’s not safe to reheat previously warmed food. It’s important to heat food thoroughly and allow it to cool, stir well and test, before offering it to your baby. Also, don’t refreeze any food that’s been warmed or previously frozen. And remember that everything you use for feeding your baby needs to be sterilised initially.
Food Portioners by Brother Max are great for storing your homemade food.
Always stay nearby when your baby is eating to make sure that he or she doesn’t choke.
Don’t try to rush or force your baby to eat. Most babies know when they’ve had enough to eat. Don’t spend a lot of time persuading your baby to take food – they soon learn that refusing food is a good way of getting attention.
Ideally, choose a time of day when both you and your baby are relaxed.
Encourage your baby to help with the feeding. When your baby shows an interest in feeding him or herself, this is a good sign. So encourage this by giving your baby the spoon, while you try to spoon in most of the meal with another spoon. It will be messy at first, but try not to worry about it.
Offer a wide variety of foods that you and your family usually eat, as this might help avoid problems later on. Avoid giving your baby any eggs or salty, sugary or processed foods that haven’t been specifically designed for babies. Aim to encourage your baby to eat a variety of family foods and adapt to your pattern of eating.
Use mashed-up family food when you can. This way, you’ll know what the ingredients are and you’ll be getting your baby used to eating what you eat. Commercial baby foods are OK at times but don’t let them replace family foods altogether.