Starting solid foods: when to start weaning and how to do it safely

Weaning is when your baby starts eating solid foods alongside their usual milk. Here’s what the NHS says about starting at around 6 months and keeping your baby safe.

When to start

The NHS says weaning should start when your baby is around 6 months old. Breast milk is the only food or drink babies need in the first 6 months, and first infant formula is the only suitable alternative to breast milk in the first 12 months.

If your baby was born early, the NHS says to ask your health visitor or GP for advice on when to start weaning. See premature birth.

The 3 signs your baby is ready

The NHS says these 3 signs appear together from around 6 months. Your baby can:

stay in a sitting position and hold their head steady
coordinate their eyes, hands and mouth, so they can look at food, pick it up and put it in their mouth by themselves
swallow food, rather than spit it back out

The NHS says chewing fists, wanting extra milk feeds and waking more at night are normal baby behaviours. They are not necessarily a sign of hunger or of being ready for solid food.

Getting started

The NHS says that to start with, your baby only needs a small amount of solid food, once a day, at a time that suits you both. Breast milk or first infant formula is still their main drink during the first year.

Sit them upright. Your baby needs to be sitting safely in an upright position, strapped into a highchair, so they can swallow properly.
Stay with them. Always stay with your baby when they’re eating, in case they start to choke.
Go at their pace. Allow plenty of time and let your baby guide you on how much they need. Never force them to eat. They’ll let you know they’ve had enough by firmly closing their mouth or turning their head away.
Keep it simple. Soft weaning spoons are easier on your baby’s gums. The NHS says babies under 12 months don’t need snacks.

First foods

The NHS suggests starting with vegetables that aren’t so sweet, such as broccoli, cauliflower and spinach. This helps your baby get used to a range of tastes, rather than just sweeter ones like carrots and sweet potato. Offer a variety, including vegetables with bitter flavours.

Cook vegetables to soften them, then mash them with a fork or blend them to a texture that suits your baby. Soft ripe fruit, like banana, mango or pear, can be mashed, blended or given as finger food.

Move on to mashed and finger foods as soon as your baby is ready. The NHS says to keep offering lumpy textures from around 6 to 7 months. Babies take different amounts of time to get used to lumps, but it’s an important skill for them to learn.

If you use food pouches, the NHS says not to let your baby suck food straight from the pouch, as this can increase the risk of tooth decay.

Finger foods

Finger foods help your baby get used to different textures, and babies love picking food up and feeding themselves. The NHS says pieces about the size of your own finger work well. Ideas from the NHS include:

soft cooked vegetables, such as carrot, broccoli, cauliflower, parsnip or butternut squash
slices of soft fruit, such as peach, melon or banana
cooked starchy foods, such as potato, sweet potato, pasta or rice

Cut small, round foods like grapes and cherry tomatoes into quarters. Make sure any cooked food has cooled right down before you offer it.

Gagging or choking?

The NHS says gagging is a normal reflex as your baby learns to chew and swallow solid foods. It’s expected when you start weaning. Choking is different, and dangerous.

Gagging is loud. Your baby’s eyes may water and their skin may look red. They may push their tongue forward or out of their mouth, retch to bring food forward, or be sick.
Choking is quiet. On white skin, your baby may start to look blue. On brown or black skin, their gums, the inside of their lips or their fingernails may look blue.

If you think your baby is choking and can’t breathe properly, shout for help and get them out of the highchair. The NHS says for a baby under 1:

If you can see the object, try to remove it. Don’t poke blindly or repeatedly with your fingers.
Sit down and lay your baby face down along your thigh or forearm, supporting their head and neck with your hand. Give up to 5 sharp back blows with the heel of your hand in the middle of their back, between their shoulder blades. Check if the object has come out between each blow.
If that doesn’t work, lay your baby face up along the length of your thighs. Place 2 fingers in the middle of their chest, just below the nipple line, and give up to 5 sharp chest thrusts (pushes). Check if the object has come out between each thrust.
Call 999 if the blockage doesn’t come out. Keep repeating the back blows and chest thrusts until help arrives.

Even if the object has come out, the NHS says to get medical help.

Foods to avoid

The NHS says not to give your baby:

Honey until they’re 12 months old. It contains bacteria that can lead to infant botulism, which can make your baby seriously unwell.
Whole nuts and peanuts until they’re 5. Whole nuts can get stuck in the throat and cause choking, so crush or flake them.
Salt. Don’t add salt to your baby’s food or cooking water, and avoid salty foods like bacon, sausages, crisps, and gravy or meals made with stock cubes. Salty foods are not good for your baby’s kidneys.
Sugar. You don’t need to add sugar to your baby’s food. Sugary snacks can cause tooth decay.
Some soft cheeses, which can contain listeria: mould-ripened soft cheese like brie or camembert, ripened goats’ milk cheese, soft blue-veined cheese like roquefort, and unpasteurised cheese.
Raw or lightly cooked shellfish. Only give shellfish that has been thoroughly cooked.
Shark, swordfish and marlin, which contain high levels of mercury.
Raw or lightly cooked eggs that don’t have a red lion stamp.
Fresh pâté, which can cause food poisoning.
Rice drinks until they’re at least 5, as they can contain too much arsenic.
Choking hazards, such as popcorn, jelly cubes, marshmallows, hard or sticky sweets, peanut butter on its own, chewing gum and ice cubes.

Foods that can cause allergies

The NHS says foods that can trigger allergic reactions can be introduced from around 6 months, just like any other food. These include cows’ milk, eggs, foods containing gluten, nuts and peanuts (crushed or ground), seeds (crushed or ground), soya, fish and shellfish.

Introduce them one at a time and in very small amounts, so you can spot any reaction. Once a food has been introduced and your baby is fine with it, keep offering it as part of their usual diet. The NHS says delaying peanut and hens’ eggs beyond 6 to 12 months may increase the risk of an allergy to these foods.

If your baby already has a diagnosed food allergy or eczema, the NHS says to talk to your GP or health visitor first.

Allergic reactions usually happen quickly, within a few minutes of trying a new food. Signs can include diarrhoea or vomiting, a red itchy rash, swollen lips or face, an itchy throat and tongue, coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath.

Call 999 straight away if you think your baby is having a severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis). The NHS says it can cause breathing problems, a swollen throat or tongue, or a raised, itchy rash. It is a medical emergency.

For milk allergy, see cows’ milk protein allergy.

Drinks

Milk. Keep giving breast milk or first infant formula until your baby is at least 1 year old. It should be their main drink during the first year.
Water. From around 6 months, offer sips of water from a cup with meals. An open cup, or a free-flow cup without a valve, helps your baby learn to sip and is better for their teeth. Drinking water for babies over 6 months doesn’t need to be boiled first.
Cows’ milk can be used in cooking or mixed with food from around 6 months, but shouldn’t be given as a main drink until 12 months.
Follow-on formula isn’t suitable for babies under 6 months, and you don’t need to introduce it after 6 months.
Other drinks. Babies under 12 months don’t need fruit juice or smoothies. Squash, flavoured milk, fizzy drinks, tea and coffee aren’t suitable for babies.

Vitamin drops

The NHS recommends that all children aged 6 months to 5 years have a vitamin supplement containing vitamins A, C and D every day. Babies having more than 500ml (about a pint) of infant formula a day shouldn’t be given vitamin supplements, because formula already has vitamins added.

Breastfed babies should also have a daily vitamin D supplement from birth. You may be able to get free vitamin drops through Healthy Start. Be careful not to give your baby 2 supplements at the same time. See money help for new parents.

Questions people ask

Can I start weaning before 6 months?

The NHS advises waiting until your baby is around 6 months old and showing all 3 signs of readiness. If your baby was born early, ask your health visitor or GP when to start.

My baby is waking more at night. Are they ready for food?

Not necessarily. The NHS says waking more at night, chewing fists and wanting extra milk feeds are normal baby behaviours, and not necessarily a sign of being ready for solid food.

How much should my baby eat?

At first, only a small amount, once a day. The NHS says to let your baby guide you on how much they need, and never force them to eat.

Is gagging normal?

Yes. The NHS says gagging is a normal reflex as your baby learns to chew and swallow. Gagging is loud. Choking is quiet, and needs action straight away.

Can my baby have peanuts?

The NHS says nuts and peanuts can be introduced from around 6 months, crushed or ground, one new allergen at a time. Never give whole nuts to children under 5, and don’t give peanut butter on its own, as it’s a choking hazard. If your baby has eczema or a food allergy, talk to your GP or health visitor first.