Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Stages

When does a baby start eating solid food?

By

Solid foods are a milestone for babies and new parents alike. Watching your baby enjoy their first taste of solids is the first step in a lifetime of healthy eating habits. To help guide you, we’ve put together some pointers to determine if your little one is ready for this important first. Let’s take a look at the age recommendations, signs, and tips to make sure you’re also ready for this moment. Don’t forget to discuss with your pediatrician and keep the camera handy!

Smiling baby in high chair holding a carrot
FamVeld / Shutterstock

At what age is your baby ready?

It feels like yesterday when this little bundle of joy arrived in your life. Now, you’re already wondering if they’re ready to take their first spoonful of solids. If your baby is between 4 and 6 months old, chances are they’re as ready as you are.
This doesn’t mean you’re done with breast- or formula-feeding. It means that your little one’s tummy is ready for solids that’ll fill them up a bit more. It also means that baby’s developed the coordination to move solids from the front of their mouth to the back before swallowing.

Recommended Videos

Signs to look for

In baby time, two months can make a significant difference. If you feel that 4 to 6 months old is somewhat ambiguous, look for these other signs to let you know if your child is ready for solids:

  • They show interest in your food. If your baby looks at your food, watches you chew, and moves their mouth when you’re eating, it’s a clear sign that they need more than just milk.
  • They are able to hold their head steady in an upright position and sit up with support.
  • They’ve doubled their birth weight and weigh 13 pounds or more.
  • Milk is no longer enough to fill them up and they still seem hungry after a full portion of milk.

How to introduce solids

If your baby’s the right age and is showing signs of readiness, double-check with your pediatrician. Once you have the doctor’s OK, it’s time to introduce your little one to the deliciousness of solids. But not all at once!
Starting solids is a gradual process. Here are some good guidelines to follow:

  • Offer single-ingredient foods.
  • Don’t feed your baby anything with added sugar or salt.
  • Wait three to five days before introducing a new type of food.
  • If you don’t notice any rashes, diarrhea, or other signs of allergies you’re OK to add another ingredient to the mix.
  • Start with a half spoonful and talk to your baby about what’s happening. Your calm voice will ease your baby through the process.
  • Don’t worry if your little one rejects the food. Never force them, just feed them their milk and try again later or wait until the next day.
  • Don’t serve solids from a bottle. This creates a choking hazard for your child.

Best first solids

Iron and zinc are essential nutrients to your baby’s diet. This is why many parents choose to start with fortified cereals that contain these two. After introducing these single-ingredient cereals, you can mix them with breast milk or formula and add other ingredients one at a time.
When you’re ready to add vegetables or fruit, be sure to puree and boil them as needed. Here are some tried and tested baby favorites:

  • Apples
  • Pears
  • Bananas
  • Sweet potatoes
  • Avocado
  • Carrots

Additional info

Baby eating a banana
Smolina Marianna/Shutterstock.com

Feeding solids to your growing baby is not a straightforward process. Here are some additional tips to help you in this exciting stage of your little one’s life:

  • It’s OK to add meat to your baby’s purees. Just remember to stick to one new ingredient every three to five days.
  • Wait until 6 to 8 months of age to start on single-ingredient finger foods.
  • By 9 to 12 months, your baby may be ready for chopped or ground foods.
  • Avoid honey before your baby is 12 months old. It can cause botulism if introduced too early.
  • Don’t switch to cow’s milk until your baby is 1 year old. They need breast milk or formula during the first 12 months of their life.
  • Stay away from nuts, seeds, grapes, or other common choking hazards.

Just when you were getting the hang of breast or bottle feeding, your baby’s now ready for solids. Welcome to parenthood. The good thing is that, when babies are ready, they love trying new foods and dinner turns into your family’s favorite time of day. Take this as your opportunity to make unforgettable memories and establish healthy eating habits that will last your little one a lifetime.

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
NewFolks
NewFolks
Is your baby done with breastfeeding? Watch for these 6 signs
Clues to look out for that your baby is ready to move on from breastfeeding
Mother holding her baby in bed

When you make the decision to breastfeed, it is a whole journey you and your baby go on together. But as with all stages, breastfeeding, too, will come to an end at some point. It's better to know the clues and tells your baby will give to be prepared for the newest adventure. If you're doing baby-led weaning, these are the signs your baby does not want to breastfeed anymore, so you know when it's time to transition to the next stage of feeding.
Signs to watch for during feedings

The feedings themselves will sprinkle clues your baby is ready to ditch breastfeeding for good. If something feels off about the feeds, start paying attention each time you go to sit down for a session.
Feeding sessions become shorter
You know how long your baby eats at each session. When you notice your baby not wanting to feed for the usual time, you might start to worry they're not getting enough to eat. But your baby cutting down on the duration of each meal is a clue they might want to stop breastfeeding.
Baby skips feeding sessions
This is more than your baby finally sleeping longer and missing a feeding in the middle of the night. If you notice your baby refusing those additional snack time feedings, they may be telling you they don't want to breastfeed anymore. Offer a bottle or sippy cup or solid food and see how they react to taking those options. Once the feedings become shorter and then get skipped, your baby has sent strong signals they are over breastfeeding.
Baby gets more distracted during feedings
Babies love to look at everything and check out every sound, but when it comes time to eat, they usually mean business. If your little one is looking around the room, playing with their hands, or generally more interested in what's going on around them than eating, that is a sign they are done breastfeeding.
Other feeding signs to watch for

Read more
Is the cry it out method right for your baby?
Find out the CIO method is right for your family
Baby sleeping in their crib with a stuffed bear

As parents of an infant, getting the whole house to sleep is one of the most important milestones of the day. An established bedtime routine and a sleep training method are key to getting your baby down for the night. No matter if you need to sleep train your first or third baby, you want to know about all the options before you start. One you may have heard about is the cry it out method. See if this sleep training method is right for your family and your baby before you commit.
What is the cry it out method?

Also known as the Extinction method, the cry it out method is when you let your child self-soothe themselves at night to fall asleep through a mix of letting them cry and predetermined external comfort. When you hear about the cry it out (CIO) method, your mind goes to the baby being alone to cry all night in a dark room, left there until morning when the parents can check on them. While it is a controversial sleep method, in reality, it is a little more complex than that.
Cry it out method

Read more
Myths about breastfeeding — debunked
The truth about these common misnomers
Woman breastfeeding older infant outside

Mothers and expectant mothers hear a lot of information when it comes to breastfeeding. Sometimes that information can be overwhelming and confusing and it can be hard to decipher fact from fiction.
In an updated policy statement in 2022, the APP cited that breastfeeding could reduce the risk for diseases and conditions like obesity for the baby, lower breast cancer rates in lactating parents, and promote a bond between the caregiver and baby. Despite the benefits and centuries of parents who have breastfed, there are many myths around the topic.
Misinformation about breastfeeding can cause parents to stop before they would like. A 2021 study suggested that interruption of exclusive breastfeeding and increased stress levels put mothers more at risk for postpartum depression. Separating breastfeeding facts from fiction is essential in helping parents meet their goals. Let’s debunk some common ones.

Breastfeeding is easy

Read more