Reviewed by The Mom Store editorial team, October 2026. See our editorial policy.
Start solid food when your baby is around six months old. The NHS guide to your baby's first solid foods gives this as the starting point, and until then breast milk or formula is all your baby needs. If your baby was born early, ask your paediatrician when to start, because the timing is worked out individually.
Signs your baby is ready
Age is only part of it. The NHS describes three signs that usually appear together around six months. Your baby can:
- stay in a sitting position and hold their head steady
- coordinate eyes, hands and mouth, so they can look at food, pick it up and put it in their mouth
- swallow food rather than push it back out
Some things are often taken as signs of readiness but are not. Chewing fists, waking more at night or wanting extra milk feeds are normal baby behaviour, the NHS says, and not a reason to start early. A four month old who watches every bite you take is curious, not necessarily hungry.
First foods
The NHS suggests starting with mashed or soft cooked vegetables and fruit such as potato, sweet potato, carrot, apple or pear, offered as a smooth mash or as soft sticks your baby can hold. In an Indian kitchen this can be as simple as setting aside a little of the family's cooked vegetables before salt and spices go in, or mashing well cooked dal, rice or khichdi with no added salt.
Start with a few teaspoons or a few pieces once a day. Babies do not need three meals a day at first, and the NHS says not to worry about how much they eat. Early meals are about getting used to new tastes and textures. Milk stays the main drink for the whole first year.
From around six months your baby's iron needs also start to be met by food. The American Academy of Pediatrics advice on vitamin D and iron names meats, iron fortified cereals and green vegetables as iron sources once solids begin. For vegetarian families, mashed green leafy vegetables, dal and fortified cereal all help.
Common allergy foods
Foods that commonly cause allergies, such as peanuts, hen's eggs, foods containing gluten and fish, can be introduced from around six months. Introduce them one at a time and in small amounts so you can spot a reaction. The NHS page on food allergies in babies adds that delaying peanut or hen's egg beyond six to twelve months may increase the risk of allergy to them, and that once a food is tolerated it should stay in your baby's usual diet. If your baby already has eczema or a food allergy, or there is a family history of allergies, eczema, asthma or hay fever, talk to your paediatrician before you introduce these foods.
What to avoid
From the NHS list of foods to avoid giving babies:
- Salt. Do not add salt, stock cubes or salty masalas to your baby's food. Too much salt is not good for babies' kidneys.
- Sugar. Avoid added sugar and sweetened food and drinks. This includes jaggery, which is still sugar. Fruit is fine.
- Honey. Not before the first birthday, because of the risk of infant botulism.
- Whole nuts. Not before age five because of choking. Finely ground nuts or smooth nut butter spread on food are fine from six months unless your doctor advises otherwise.
- Unpasteurised and soft mould ripened cheese, because of listeria.
- Undercooked eggs. Cook eggs until both the white and yolk are solid.
- Cow's milk as a main drink before one year.
Keeping meals safe
Always stay with your baby while they eat. The NHS says they need to sit safely upright so they can swallow properly, and if you use a high chair, always fasten the safety harness. Gagging is a normal part of learning to eat: your baby's eyes may water, they may push their tongue forward or retch to bring food forward. Choking is different and needs action straight away. Learning baby first aid before you start is worth the time it takes.
Let your baby decide when they have had enough. Turning the head away or closing the mouth usually means they are done. Do not force or bribe a baby to finish, and keep phones and TV off at mealtimes so they can pay attention to the food and to you.
When to get help
Mild allergy signs include a red itchy rash, swollen lips or face, sickness, diarrhoea and worsening eczema. Reactions usually start within minutes of a new food, but can take up to two hours. Stop the food and call your paediatrician. Anaphylaxis, the NHS explains, comes on quickly and can cause breathing problems, a swollen throat or tongue or a raised itchy rash. It is a medical emergency: call 112 or go to the nearest emergency department straight away.
If your baby is choking and cannot cough, cry or breathe, start baby first aid and call for emergency help at once.
This article updates an earlier post by Avni Katakkar, a dairy technologist and mother of twins.
This article is general information and does not replace advice from your doctor.
