Meaningful gifts
When should a baby start solid foods?
Starting solid foods: signs of readiness around 6 months, first foods to try, introducing allergens like peanut and egg, textures by age, and gagging versus
The short answer
The AAP recommends starting solids at about 6 months, when your baby can sit with support, hold their head steady, bring objects to the mouth and no longer pushes food out with the tongue. Start with iron-rich foods, add one new food every few days, and introduce common allergens early.
Most babies are ready for solid foods at about 6 months. Look for the signs rather than the date: steady head control, sitting with support, interest in what you eat, opening the mouth when a spoon approaches, and swallowing instead of pushing food back out with the tongue. Breast milk or formula stays the main nutrition until the first birthday; early meals are for practice, taste and iron.
Key takeaways
- Iron-rich foods (meat, fortified cereal, beans) matter most first.
- Early peanut and egg introduction can lower allergy risk; ask your pediatrician first if eczema is severe.
- Gagging is a normal reflex; choking is silent and needs action.
- No honey before 12 months and no cow's milk as a drink until then.
Signs of readiness
- Holds head up steadily.
- Sits upright in a highchair with support.
- Opens mouth when food comes near.
- Moves food to the back of the mouth and swallows.
- Has roughly doubled birth weight.
First foods
There's no required order. Good options:
- Iron-fortified infant cereal mixed with milk.
- Pureed or finely shredded meat, chicken or fish.
- Mashed beans and lentils.
- Mashed avocado, banana, sweet potato, squash, peas.
- Plain whole-milk yogurt.
Allergens
Current guidance supports introducing common allergens, including peanut (as thinned peanut butter or powder, never whole nuts), egg, dairy, wheat, soy, sesame and fish, around 6 months once other foods are going well. Babies with severe eczema or an existing egg allergy may need testing first. Keep offering allergens regularly once introduced.
How to offer
- Choose a time your baby is alert but not starving.
- Seat them upright, strapped in.
- Offer a spoonful or two, or let them grab soft pieces.
- Follow their cues; turning away means done.
- Increase gradually to two or three meals a day by 9 months.
Spoon-feeding or baby-led weaning
Purees and spoon-feeding work. So does offering soft, finger-length pieces babies hold themselves. Many families mix both. With either, food must be soft enough to mash between your fingers.
Textures by age
- 6 months: smooth or thin purees, soft strips.
- 7 to 8 months: mashed and lumpy foods.
- 9 to 12 months: small soft pieces, finger foods, using the pincer grasp.
- 12 months: most family foods, cut small.
Gagging vs choking
Gagging is loud: coughing, sputtering, a red face. It's a protective reflex and usually resolves on its own. Choking is quiet; the baby can't cry or breathe and may turn blue. Learn infant CPR and first aid for choking.
Foods to avoid before 12 months
- Honey (risk of botulism).
- Cow's milk as a drink.
- Whole nuts, popcorn, whole grapes, hot dog rounds, hard raw vegetables.
- Added salt and sugar.
- Juice.
Water
Offer small sips of water in an open or straw cup with meals once solids start, about 4 to 8 ounces a day total.
Messes and mealtime habits
Expect food on the floor. Eat together when you can; babies learn by watching. Let them touch and squish food.
A sample first week
Day 1 to 3: one or two spoonfuls of iron-fortified cereal or pureed meat once a day. Day 4 to 6: add a vegetable such as mashed sweet potato or peas. Day 7: add a fruit, and offer a little thinned peanut butter if your pediatrician agrees.
Keep a simple log of new foods and any reactions, such as hives, vomiting or swelling. Mild redness around the mouth from acidic foods like tomato is common and usually not an allergy.
Making your own purees
Steam or roast vegetables until very soft, then blend with water, breast milk or formula. Freeze portions in ice-cube trays for up to three months. Skip added salt and sugar. Homemade and store-bought foods are both fine; check jars for added sugar.
Signs of an allergic reaction
Call 911 for trouble breathing, swelling of the lips or face, repeated vomiting or sudden sleepiness after a new food. Call your pediatrician for a rash or hives without other symptoms.
Common questions
Can I start at 4 months? Ask your pediatrician; most babies do best waiting until about 6.
My baby refuses vegetables. It can take 10 to 15 tries. Keep offering.
Further down the road, when the binky goes, the pacifier book tells an illustrated goodbye story made from one photo.
Books for babies: a board-book shelf for this age
Look through a sample pacifier book, then start from a photo.
Sources
- Starting Solid Foods, HealthyChildren.org (American Academy of Pediatrics), accessed November 4, 2026
