That first tiny bite is a big milestone. Most babies are ready for their first solid foods around the middle of their first year, but your baby’s cues matter most. Look for steady head control, interest in food and the ability to sit with support. Your job is to create a safe setup, offer nourishing choices and keep the vibe calm while your baby leads the pace. Use the ideas below as a flexible menu, not a rigid plan. If anything feels off, check in with your pediatrician.
1. Start when your baby shows readiness cues for solid foods
You are not late or early if you wait for cues. Look for steady head and neck control, sitting with support, opening their mouth for a spoon and moving food from the front to the back of the tongue. National guidance notes that many babies start solids around 6 months and that starting before 4 months is not recommended. Tonight, watch at a family meal. If your baby leans in, tracks the fork and opens their mouth when you offer an empty spoon, you are close.
2. Keep milk as the main meal at first
Breast milk or formula remains the primary source of nutrition for infants in the early stages. Solids begin as practice with flavors and textures, not a replacement right away. Offer a milk feed, then a few teaspoons of food. Try a simple script: “This is new. You can taste it if you want. We will stop when you are done.” Keeping feeds steady helps your baby learn without pressure.
3. Solid foods should lead with iron-rich options
Around this age, babies need iron from food in addition to milk. Think soft strips of beef, turkey or chicken, flakes of salmon, mashed beans or lentils, tofu and iron-fortified infant oatmeal thinned with breast milk or formula. Offer iron foods most days, says “Solid Starts. If your baby refuses one texture, remix it. Try mashed lentils one day and lentil patties the next.
4. Set up a safe, supported seat
Maintaining an upright posture helps with swallowing and reduces the risk of choking. Aim for a high chair with good trunk support so your baby won’t choke on solid foods. Hips, knees and ankles near 90 degrees with feet resting on a footplate is ideal. Buckle in, bring the tray close to the body and sit with your baby so you can watch their cues—quick pre-meal check: upright, buckled, feet supported, bib on, you within reach.
5. Offer textures your baby can mash
Start with foods that you can easily squish between your thumb and forefinger. Think ripe avocado, soft-cooked sweet potato, banana, very tender vegetables, or flakes of well-cooked fish. Purees are fine, as are soft finger foods. With practice, your baby will progress from smoother to thicker textures to denser solid foods. Place two small options on the tray and narrate: “You can try this soft carrot or this avocado. You choose.”
6. Try preloaded spoons and hand-held sticks
Babies love to participate. Preload a baby spoon with yogurt, oatmeal or mashed beans and hand it to them. Offer soft “grabbable” sticks about the size of two adult fingers so they can hold one end and gnaw the other. You might alternate one bite you offer with one they self-feed. Keep portions tiny. Refill the spoon as needed and pause when they look away or close their mouth.
7. Make common allergens routine early and safely
Many families include peanuts, eggs, dairy, wheat, and fish during the first months of solids. Introduce one new food at a time during the day and repeat regularly if tolerated. If your baby has severe eczema, a known food allergy, or other concerns, talk with your pediatrician first about when and how to begin.
8. Follow your baby’s cues to pace the meal
Responsive feeding builds trust. Offer food, then watch. Leaning forward and opening the mouth means “more.” Turning away, sealing lips or getting squirmy means “pause.” Narrate what you see: “You are reaching. You want another bite,” or “You are all done. We will save the rest.” This approach supports self-regulation and helps prevent power struggles related to food in the future.
9. Expect gagging and learn the signs of choking
Gagging is loud and protective when the baby first starts with solid foods. It often includes coughing or sputtering and means your baby’s body is moving food forward again. Choking is quiet and dangerous and needs immediate action. Stay present, serve safe textures and avoid high-risk shapes like whole grapes, nuts and coin-shaped hot dog slices. Keep a quick refresher on infant CPR handy and cut foods into safe, tiny pieces when needed.
10. Skip honey and added sugar in year one
For infants under 1 year old, avoid honey due to the risk of infant botulism. Public health guidance advises against giving honey before 12 months and recommends skipping added sugars in infancy. If your pediatrician agrees, offer water in an open cup with meals after about 6 months. Whole cow’s milk is not a main drink until after the first birthday, though small amounts of yogurt or cheese can be offered earlier if tolerated.
11. Rotate flavors and repeat exposures without pressure
It can take many tries to become familiar with a food. Keep offering a variety of vegetables, fruits, grains and proteins without pushing. Serve a tiny taste alongside a favorite, then repeat in different forms. “You can touch it or taste it” lowers the stakes. Adding herbs, mild spices and cultural flavors early helps widen your baby’s palate and makes family meals easier down the road.
12. Eat together so they can copy you
Babies learn by watching. Sitting together for even 10 minutes helps your baby see how you bite, chew and enjoy food. Offer similar ingredients in baby-safe textures so they feel included. Keep the vibe unrushed. Put your phone away, make eye contact, and describe the food with simple words like “soft,” “sweet,” and “warm.” Mealtime connection now lays the groundwork for years of positive family eating.
Closing
You do not need a perfect schedule. You need a safe setup, a short list of simple foods and a responsive lens that says, “You lead. I support.” Trust yourself and your baby. Skills build quickly with practice and presence, one tiny bite at a time.