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Dr Helen Crawley, Public Health Nutritionist
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Dr Helen Crawley is a Director who manages and co-ordinates First Steps Nutrition. She is a dietitian and public health nutritionist with over 30 years experience in public health nutrition across the lifespan.
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Introducing solids

Is my baby ready for solids?

The current World Health Organisation and Department of Health guidelines across all four countries in the UK are that the recommended age for introducing solid foods is six months. This is because at around six months your baby will be more developmentally ready as they are able to sit up unsupported and have a good hand to mouth co-ordination. They are also better able to chew and swallow food without having to have it pureed. In addition, they are likely to be better able to absorb nutrients from a wider range of foods as their gut is developed to a stage where it is ready for solid food alongside milk.
Video Tutorial
In Short
Introducing solids earlier usually involves providing your baby with pureed fruit and vegetables which have very little nutritional value and will only serve to reduce their intake of milk which is such an important source of nutrition for them throughout the first year of their life.

Waiting until your baby is developmentally ready will save you time and effort pureeing foods and will make for a much more pleasant and interactive experience for you and your baby. It also means that you can introduce a much wider range of foods other than fruit and vegetables.

Our video is presented by Melissa Little, Paediatric Dietitian

When should I start?

You want to be introducing your baby to solids at around 6 months alongside their milk.

How do I know my baby is ready?

Being ready for solids depends on:

The maturity of your baby’s gut. Research shows that the best way to reduce the risk of allergies and other health risks is to wait until around 6 months.

The physical development of your baby.

Physical signs of readiness can be seen and include that your baby:
  • Can sit up well without support in her high chair.
  • Can support and turn her head.
  • Is ready and able to chew.
  • Is beginning to develop the physical dexterity required to pick up food in her hands and put them in her mouth, including the beginnings of the pincer grip where she can pick up food between her fingers and thumb.
  • Is interested in food and trying to put it in her mouth.
Signs your baby is not ready yet
  • She can’t sit up in the highchair – slumps and can’t hold their head up.
  • She pushes the food you give them on a spoon straight back out.
  • She might close her mouth and not be interested.

The most important thing to remember is all babies develop at different rates and so you really have to look at your baby and assess whether she is ready.

If the signs are there, go ahead, and if they’re not, just wait a few days and try again.

If your baby was born prematurely or she has a diagnosed developmental delay, speak to her doctor or child development team about the best time and way to introduce solids.

Good first foods for babies

If your baby is six months old you will be able to offer her a range of foods: vegetables, eggs, meat, fish, pulses, dairy foods, starchy foods such as potato, rice, pasta and foods made from other grains and seeds and fruits.

Some traditional good first foods for babies include:

  • Plain yoghurt, fork mashed eggs, beans and lentils, potato, carrot and squash, avocado, fish (check for no bones)
  • Soft cooked vegetables such as carrot sticks and broccoli spears to hold.
How much food will my baby eat?

When your baby is first introduced to solid foods, she may take very little food, and that’s OK. Give her whatever she wants, and offer a breastfeed or a bottle of infant formula after and allow her to take the amount she needs (milk will be her main source of calories when you first introduce solids).

Don’t worry if at first, your baby takes only a little bit at first, but don’t be put off if a food is rejected, just try it again another day. She is just learning how to take food in a completely new way and it may take a while for her to get the hang of it! As her food intake increases, she will decrease her milk intake.

Your baby’s first solid meal

Once you’ve decided to start, take it slowly, make it fun and remember not to rely on the solid food for your baby’s nutrition, to begin with. Keep offering breastmilk or infant formula after meals and see trying new foods as a time for fun and exploring textures and tastes.

Choose a time when you are not in a hurry…. and your baby’s alert and relaxed.

When you’ve chosen the right time to start and it about the time your baby would take a milk feed, offer some solid foods, and when she has had enough offer the milk feed. You can then slowly build up the number of solid food meals you give throughout the day until you reach 3 meals a day at 7-9 months.

Summary
  • Start around 6 months old.
  • Look for physical signs that your baby is ready such as good head and neck control, being able to sit up and not pushing food out with her tongue.
  • Your baby may not eat a lot at the beginning. That’s fine, take it slowly and try to make it fun.
  • Offer food before a normal milk feed at one meal to start with and as baby gets used to eating solid foods aim to offer food at 3 meals a day at 7-9 months
  • It is recommended that you continue breastfeeding for as long as you and your baby wish. If you are giving your baby infant formula, you can switch to giving them full fat cow’s milk after 12 months as infant formula is no longer necessary.
DISCLAIMER
This article is for information only and should not be used for the diagnosis or treatment of medical conditions. Essential Parent has used all reasonable care in compiling the information from leading experts and institutions but makes no warranty as to its accuracy. Consult a doctor or other health care professional for diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions. For details click here.