Is your baby ready for solids?

Are you starting to think about introducing your baby to solid foods? Unsure where to start? Or wondering if your baby is ready?  

I bet you’ve heard family and friends say ‘You were eating foods from 4 months and you were fine’. Well, research carried out over the past few years has demonstrated that the recommended age to start moving on to solid foods is around 6 months.   

There are a few reasons for this: 

• Your baby will be able to sit up better and be able to feed themselves 
• They will be better able to move food around their mouth with their tongue rather than pushing it out 

• Their digestive system will be more developed so they will be better able to cope with solid foods 
• Breast milk and first infant formula provide all the nutrients your baby needs up until around 6 months  

There are a few misleading signs that might make you think your baby is ready for solid foods before they actually are. It’s important to know what the true signs of being ready are and what are normal ages and stages of development.  

‘My baby looks at me when I eat and opens her mouth’ – This is a good sign! It does not mean they’re ready to start solid food but a sign that they are developing an interest in foods. They’re watching and learning from you, and this will help them know what to do when they are ready.   

‘My baby is always hungry so they must be ready for solid foods’ – Your baby is constantly growing and developing and will often show signs of wanting more food which is a normal developmental stage. If your baby is not yet ready for solid foods then a little extra milk can be enough to satisfy them until they are.  

‘My baby is always chewing his fists’ – This is a normal developmental stage and not necessarily a sign of hunger. It can sometimes be due to teething; they may chew their fists more than before as a way of comforting their sore gums. It could also be that they’ve found their fists and just enjoy chewing on them! 

‘Give your baby solid foods, it will help them sleep through the night’ – We all know someone whose baby slept through the night after starting solid foods. This is not necessarily the case; it will not make them any more likely to sleep through the night. 

‘All my friends are starting their baby on solid foods’ – Every baby is different and some may be ready for solid foods before others. Always go with your baby’s development rather than what other people are doing.  

There is so much conflicting advice accessible on the internet. The Start4life and NHS choices websites have all the information you'll need to start introducing solid foods.  You may also find our film on Progressing through Textures helpful.

Make sure you enjoy this time watching your baby experience different tastes and textures for the first time.