The beginning of weaning is mainly about learning. Your baby is exploring taste, texture, chewing, hand control and the experience of sitting with other people at a meal. Breast milk or first infant formula remains their main source of nutrition at first, so there is no need to replace a milk feed with a full bowl on day one.
From around six months, when your baby shows the developmental signs of readiness, offer small amounts of soft food once a day and build gradually. Porridge, soft-cooked vegetables, mashed beans, avocado, egg and tender strips of meat or fish can all work. Include iron-rich foods regularly as intake grows.
A few tastes and a very messy bib can still be a successful meal. Follow current NHS guidance on allergens and choking, stay with your baby while they eat and avoid measuring success by how much disappears from the plate.
This article offers general information and does not replace advice from someone who knows your medical history. If you are pregnant, take regular medicine or live with a long-term condition, speak to your GP, nurse, pharmacist or a registered dietitian before making a major change to the way you eat.
Offer a small amount once a day when your baby is alert and sitting upright, usually after some milk so they are not frantic with hunger. A soft vegetable finger or spoonful of mashed food is enough for a first experience.
Let your baby touch, squash and reject food while you remain close. Offer sips of water from an open or free-flow cup with meals; breast milk or first infant formula remains the main drink.
Begin with a small amount once a day and build gradually around your baby's cues.
Offer soft finger-sized pieces that your baby can grip, using current NHS choking guidance.
Stop when your baby turns away or closes their mouth rather than pressuring another bite.
Why iron shows up so early in advice
Iron stores begin to reduce at around six months, so include iron-rich foods as solids develop. Meat, fish, egg, beans, lentils and fortified cereal are all options.
Pair plant iron with fruit or vegetables containing vitamin C. Babies born prematurely or following a restricted family diet may need individual advice from a health visitor, GP or dietitian.
Try lentils or well-cooked mince in a soft tomato sauce.
British Lion hen egg may be served runny; cook other eggs thoroughly.
Iron-fortified cereal is an option, so check the label if you use it.
Twenty gentle first foods (UK kitchen)
These are gentle starting points rather than a checklist. Offer food in a texture and shape appropriate to your baby's development, sit them upright and supervise every meal.
Ripe avocado or banana, mashed or offered as a soft finger-sized piece.
Steamed carrot, broccoli, cauliflower or soft roasted sweet potato.
Pear or apple cooked until soft, rather than a hard raw chunk.
Porridge made with the baby's usual milk and no added sugar.
Full-fat plain yoghurt where dairy is suitable.
Soft pasta with a simple low-salt tomato sauce.
Mashed chickpeas, butter beans or lentils loosened to a safe texture.
Carefully checked flaked salmon or well-cooked minced chicken.
Smooth peanut butter spread thinly on soft toast as part of planned allergen introduction.
Grated cheese, omelette strips, couscous with soft vegetables or mashed potato.
Soft ripe peach, melon, papaya or mango cut into a safe shape.
Iron-fortified baby cereal if your family chooses to use it.
Batching a few small portions can help, but there is no need to fill a freezer with purée before knowing what your baby accepts. Defrost safely and do not refreeze previously thawed food.
Adapt family food by removing a portion before adding excess salt. Mess, tiny tastes and food on the floor are part of learning, not evidence that the meal failed.
Do not give honey before 12 months, add salt to baby food or offer whole nuts.
From around six months, introduce common allergens one at a time in small amounts and continue tolerated foods regularly.
Ask a health professional before allergen introduction if your baby has severe eczema, an existing food allergy or another clinical concern.