Starting solids can feel exciting and frightening at the same time. Most babies are ready at around six months when they can stay sitting with good head control, coordinate food towards their mouth and swallow rather than automatically pushing it out. Breast milk or first infant formula remains important while eating skills develop.
Gagging is noisy and is a normal protective response as babies learn; choking may be silent and needs immediate action. Learn infant first aid, prepare food in developmentally safe shapes and always stay with your baby while they eat. Spoon-feeding, finger foods or a mixture can all be safe when textures and supervision are appropriate.
Introduce common allergens in small amounts, one at a time, following current NHS advice, and continue offering tolerated foods. Babies with severe eczema or an existing allergy may need individual guidance. Never give honey before one year, whole nuts or foods with an unsafe choking shape.
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.
Signs of readiness - and myths about sleeping through
Most babies are ready to begin solid food at around six months. Useful signs include being able to stay in a sitting position with steady head control, coordinating their eyes, hands and mouth to bring food towards themselves, and swallowing food rather than repeatedly pushing it back out.
Night waking, chewing fists or wanting more milk do not reliably mean a baby is ready for solids. Starting before four months is not recommended. If your baby was born prematurely, ask your health visitor or paediatric team about using corrected age rather than comparing them with babies born at term.
Around six months for most term babies.
Not before 17 weeks (four months).
Milk stays the main drink for the first year.
Gagging, choking, and safe shapes
Gagging is noisy and can involve coughing, spluttering or a red face. It is a normal protective reflex while a baby learns to manage food. Choking may be quiet, with ineffective breathing, and needs immediate first aid.
Sit your baby upright and stay with them throughout every meal. Cut grapes and cherry tomatoes lengthways into quarters, grate or soften hard fruit and vegetables, and spread smooth nut butter thinly rather than offering a spoonful. Avoid whole nuts, coin-shaped sausage pieces and other hard, round foods.
Learn infant first aid before you need it
NHS, British Red Cross and St John Ambulance resources can teach you how to respond to choking. Knowing what to do can make a frightening moment more manageable.
Foods and drinks to avoid in infancy
Do not give honey before 12 months because of the risk of infant botulism. Avoid whole nuts and other hard choking hazards in young children, although smooth nut butter can usually be introduced in a suitable form from around six months.
Babies do not need added salt, sugar, juice or sweet drinks. Cow's milk can be used in cooking from around six months but should not replace breast milk or first infant formula as the main drink before 12 months. Rice drinks are not recommended for children under five because of their arsenic content.
No honey under 12 months.
No whole nuts under five.
No rice milk as main drink under five.
Introducing allergens - updated UK thinking
Foods that commonly cause allergy, including egg, peanut, milk, wheat, sesame and fish, can usually be introduced one at a time from around six months in a texture that is safe for your baby. Once tolerated, keep offering them as part of the usual diet.
If your baby has severe eczema, an existing food allergy or has already reacted to a food, speak to your GP or health visitor before introducing allergens. Mild redness only where food touched the skin can be irritation, but widespread hives, swelling, repeated vomiting or breathing difficulty needs urgent medical help.
Offer smooth peanut butter thinly spread or mixed into food, never whole peanuts.
British Lion hen egg can be offered cooked, runny or raw; cook other eggs thoroughly.
Seek urgent help for breathing difficulty, collapse or swelling affecting the mouth or throat.
Eggs, meat, fish, and plant milks in cooking
Egg, well-cooked meat, fish, beans and lentils are useful sources of iron and protein as milk alone becomes less able to meet a growing baby's iron needs. Offer iron-rich food regularly and pair plant sources with fruit or vegetables containing vitamin C.
British Lion eggs can be served lightly cooked under current UK guidance; other eggs should be cooked until the white and yolk are firm. Fortified plant drinks may be used in cooking from around six months, but they are not a substitute for breast milk or first infant formula before 12 months. Vegan weaning needs careful planning, so ask a paediatric dietitian or health professional for support with vitamin B12, iodine, calcium, iron and omega-3 fats.
Offer iron-rich foods regularly as solid food develops.
Use small, carefully checked portions of fish and vary the foods offered.
Seek dietetic support for vegan weaning so key nutrients and supplements are planned.
Rumours that cause unnecessary fear
Babies do not need completely bland food, and gentle herbs and spices can be introduced without added salt. Purees and finger foods can sit alongside one another; there is no single correct method if textures are safe and gradually progress.
Refusing a food once is common and does not by itself suggest allergy. Keep the atmosphere relaxed, offer variety repeatedly and mention any concerns about growth, swallowing or development at health visitor reviews.
BLW and purées can coexist in one week.
Mess on the floor is learning, not waste of your parenting.
Health visitor reviews at 6-9 and 9-12 months catch growth issues early.