Short answer: Start solid foods at around six months, when your baby can sit and hold their head steady, pick up food and bring it to their mouth, and swallow rather than push food back out. At first, milk is still their main food and solids are practice, so amounts don't matter. Offer a wide variety, including vegetables and common allergens such as egg and peanut, one at a time. Avoid salt, sugar, honey (under one) and whole nuts, and always stay with your baby while they eat. If your baby was premature, ask your health visitor or GP when to start.
Your baby is in the high chair, you're holding a spoonful of parsnip, and you've no idea whether this is the right time. One friend started at four months, another says wait. Here's what the guidance actually says.
When to start
The NHS, the World Health Organization and the American Academy of Pediatrics all recommend starting solid foods at around six months. Until then, breast milk or first infant formula provides the energy and nutrients your baby needs, and waiting gives your baby time to develop the skills to cope with food.
Three signs your baby is ready
When these appear together, from around six months, your baby is ready:
- They can stay sitting up and hold their head steady.
- They can look at food, pick it up and put it in their mouth by themselves.
- They swallow food rather than pushing it back out.
Chewing fists, waking more at night or wanting extra milk are often mistaken for readiness, but they're normal baby behaviour. Starting solids won't make your baby sleep through the night.
The first months are practice
At first, how much your baby eats matters far less than getting used to new tastes and textures and learning to move food around their mouth. Milk remains the main source of nutrition for now. If your baby is done after three spoonfuls, that's fine.
You decide what's offered and when. Your baby decides whether to eat and how much. Pressure tends to make mealtimes harder, not easier.
Go at your baby's pace. Wait for them to open their mouth before offering a spoon, and stop when they close their mouth or turn away.
What to start with
There's no single right first food. Many parents start with vegetables — including less sweet ones like broccoli, cauliflower or spinach — alongside fruit, then add starchy foods, protein foods and dairy. Variety from the start helps set up healthy eating habits.
Keep offering foods your baby doesn't seem to like. It can take 10 tries or more for a baby to get used to a new flavour or texture. Some days they'll eat more, some days less, and some days nothing at all — that's normal.
Textures: purées, lumps and finger foods
Both spoon-feeding and baby-led weaning (letting your baby feed themselves with finger foods) can work, and many families do a mixture. Whatever you choose, move from smooth purées to mashed, lumpy and finger foods as soon as your baby can manage, so they learn to chew. Finger foods should be soft enough to squash between your finger and thumb, and about the size of your finger.
Allergens: don't delay
Foods that can cause allergies — including egg, peanut, cows' milk, wheat and other gluten-containing foods, fish, shellfish, soya and sesame — can be introduced from around six months, just like other foods. Introduce them one at a time, in small amounts, so you can spot any reaction. Once introduced and tolerated, keep them in your baby's diet regularly.
The NHS notes that delaying peanut and egg beyond 6 to 12 months may increase the risk of developing an allergy to them. Offer peanut as smooth peanut butter spread thinly or ground nuts mixed into food — never whole nuts. If your baby has eczema or a known food allergy, or there's a family history of allergies, talk to your GP or health visitor before starting. See allergy or intolerance? for signs of a reaction.
Foods and drinks to avoid
- Salt: don't add salt, stock cubes or gravy to your baby's food or cooking water.
- Sugar: babies don't need sugar or sweeteners.
- Honey: not before 12 months, because of the risk of infant botulism.
- Whole nuts: not for children under five, because of choking.
- Choking risks: avoid hard foods like raw carrot or apple pieces; quarter grapes and cherry tomatoes; remove stones, pips and bones.
- Cows' milk as a main drink: not until 12 months. Offer sips of water from an open cup with meals from around six months.
Gagging vs choking
Gagging is a normal reflex while babies learn to eat. It's loud: their eyes may water, they may push their tongue forward or retch. Choking is quiet, and a choking baby can't breathe properly; their lips or skin may start to look blue. Always stay with your baby while they eat, and consider a baby first-aid course so you know what to do.
Emergency: if your baby is choking and back blows and chest thrusts don't clear it, call 999 (UK), 911 (US) or 112 (EU).
When to ask for advice
- Your baby was born prematurely, or has a medical condition.
- Your baby seems to have a reaction to a food (rash, swelling, vomiting).
- Your baby has real difficulty swallowing, or struggles a lot with moving on from smooth foods.
- You're worried about your baby's weight or growth.
Related reading
The complete weaning guide: First Bites (PDF, English) covers everything from the first spoon to self-feeding, for babies aged 4 to 24 months.
Sources
- NHS — Your baby's first solid foods.
- NHS — Food allergies in babies and young children.
- NHS — Foods to avoid giving babies and young children.
- NHS Best Start in Life — Choking and gagging on food.
- American Academy of Pediatrics, HealthyChildren.org — Starting solid foods.
Written by the Bloom Guides editorial team. Last updated: 19 October 2026. General information only — not a substitute for advice from your health visitor or doctor.