Is my baby ready for solids?

Weaning or complementary feeding is the process of introducing your baby to solid foods. This usually starts when the baby is around 6 months old.

The baby shows some signs that indicate that they’re ready for their first solid foods in addition to breast milk or formula.

Some clear signs are:

— They can stay in a sitting position and hold their head steady

— They can co-ordinate their eyes, hands and mouth to look at the food, pick it up and put it in their mouth by themselves

— They can swallow the food instead of spitting it out

Sometimes parents may misinterpret some signs as their baby’s readiness for solid foods. These misleading signs include:

— Baby chewing their fists

— Baby waking up in the night (more than usual)

— Baby might want extra milk feeds

These are all normal behaviours for babies and not necessarily a sign that they’re hungry or ready to start solid food.

Starting solid foods will not make your baby any more likely to sleep through the night. Sometimes a little extra milk will help until they’re ready for solid foods.

Source: NHS, Zyla Medical Team