When to Introduce solid food to your baby

When to Introduce solid food to your baby_ Introducing Solid Foods to Your Baby: When starting solid foods for your baby, begin with iron-rich options such as:

Iron-fortified cereal mixed with breast milk, formula, or water

Pureed meat, chicken, fish, egg, plain cooked tofu, or legumes

Pureed fruits and vegetables like carrots, pumpkins, and sweet potatoes

Tips for Introducing Solid Foods

Start with single foods to identify any allergies. Ensure the food is smooth and easy to swallow.

Cook hard fruits and vegetables so they can be mashed or pureed.

Avoid foods that are too sugary or salty.

Offer small amounts of food at each meal.

Allow your baby time to get accustomed to new foods and flavors.

Watch for signs that your baby is full.

Encourage drinking water from a cup.

Doctors recommend introducing solid foods around six months of age. Signs that a baby is ready include good head and neck control, sitting up in a high chair, showing interest in food, and weighing twice their birth weight.

Start with finger foods that break up easily in the mouth and are long enough to grip. Avoid hard foods like whole nuts, raw carrots, and apples to reduce the risk of choking. Examples of suitable finger foods include soft-cooked vegetables like carrot, broccoli, cauliflower, parsnip, and butternut squash.

How to Start Solid Foods

According to the NHS, initially, your baby will only need a small amount of food before their usual milk feed.

Do not worry about the quantity they eat. The focus should be on getting them used to new tastes and textures and learning how to handle and swallow solid foods.

Most of their energy and nutrients will still come from breast milk or formula.

Avoid adding sugar or salt (including stock cubes and gravy) to your baby’s food or cooking water. Salty foods are not good for their kidneys, and sugar can cause tooth decay.

Safety and Hygiene

When introducing solid foods, take care to minimize risks:

Always wash your hands before preparing food and keep surfaces clean.

Cool hot food and test it before giving it to your baby.

Wash and peel fruits and raw vegetables.

Avoid hard foods like whole nuts, raw carrot, or apple.

Remove hard pips and stones from fruits and bones from meat or fish.

Cut small, round foods like grapes and cherry tomatoes into small pieces.

Eggs produced under the British Lion Code of Practice (stamped with the red lion) are considered very low risk for salmonella and safe for babies to eat partially cooked.

Always stay with your baby while they’re eating to prevent choking.

Choking is different from gagging. Babies may gag when introduced to solid foods as they learn to manage the amount they can chew and swallow. If your baby is gagging, they may:

Have watery eyes

Push their tongue forward or out of their mouth

Retch to bring the food forward in their mouth or vomit