At a glance
- Start around 6 months when developmentally ready; do not introduce solids before 4 months. Ask for an individual plan if your baby was premature or has feeding or developmental concerns.
- Continue breast milk or infant formula as the main milk drink throughout the first 12 months. Solids add nutrients and skills; they do not replace milk feeds all at once.
- Offer soft iron-rich foods, such as smooth meat purée, mashed beans or iron-fortified infant cereal, alongside varied vegetables and fruits. There is no required order. Offer a little, follow hunger and fullness cues, and do not force feeding.
- For severe eczema, egg allergy or a previous food reaction, speak with the clinician before peanut introduction. High-risk infants may need a supervised plan as early as 4 to 6 months. Do not try a suspected or known trigger again at home to test whether the allergy has gone away.
- Match texture, shape and size to your baby’s skills. Cook hard foods until easily mashed; remove bones, pits and tough skins. Start with smooth or mashed textures and advance as skills develop. Keep the baby upright in a secure feeding seat, awake and watched throughout eating.
- No honey before 12 months, including honey added to food. Do not use cow’s milk or plant drinks as the main milk before 12 months; pasteurized plain yogurt can be a food before then. Avoid unpasteurized foods and drinks, and cook eggs, meat and fish thoroughly.
When is my baby ready?
Start around 6 months when developmentally ready; do not introduce solids before 4 months. Ask for an individual plan if your baby was premature or has feeding or developmental concerns.
Look for steady head and neck control, sitting upright with support, interest in offered food and swallowing rather than consistently pushing food out. These observations are for discussion, not a readiness score or medical clearance.
Milk feeds and first foods
Continue breast milk or infant formula as the main milk drink throughout the first 12 months. Solids add nutrients and skills; they do not replace milk feeds all at once.
Offer soft iron-rich foods, such as smooth meat purée, mashed beans or iron-fortified infant cereal, alongside varied vegetables and fruits. There is no required order. Offer a little, follow hunger and fullness cues, and do not force feeding.
At first, offer one new ingredient at a time so it is easier to notice a possible reaction. Keep a record of what was offered and follow any individualized advice about introducing foods or allergens.
Offer solids by spoon or as suitably prepared finger foods when skills allow. Do not add cereal to a bottle to help sleep. Any prescribed feed-thickening plan is a separate medical instruction.
Introducing foods that can cause allergy
Common allergens, including cooked egg and peanut in an infant-safe form, can be introduced with other solids rather than routinely delayed. Never give whole nuts or thick spoonfuls of nut butter; smooth nut butter must be thinned or mixed into an appropriate soft food.
For severe eczema, egg allergy or a previous food reaction, speak with the clinician before peanut introduction. High-risk infants may need a supervised plan as early as 4 to 6 months. Do not try a suspected or known trigger again at home to test whether the allergy has gone away.
Preparation and foods to avoid
Match texture, shape and size to your baby’s skills. Cook hard foods until easily mashed; remove bones, pits and tough skins. Start with smooth or mashed textures and advance as skills develop. Keep the baby upright in a secure feeding seat, awake and watched throughout eating.
Avoid whole grapes, nuts, popcorn, hard raw apple or carrot, sausage rounds, hard sweets and sticky chunks of nut butter. Cutting alone does not make a hard or sticky food safe. Do not feed while the baby is lying down or travelling in a car or stroller.
No honey before 12 months, including honey added to food. Do not use cow’s milk or plant drinks as the main milk before 12 months; pasteurized plain yogurt can be a food before then. Avoid unpasteurized foods and drinks, and cook eggs, meat and fish thoroughly.
Gagging, choking and reactions
Gagging often makes noise, with retching or coughing while air still moves. Stay close and pause feeding; do not put fingers into the mouth. Noise alone cannot rule out choking. A weak or absent cough, inability to breathe or cry, or blue or grey colour needs emergency action.
If choking prevents effective breathing, crying or coughing, or the baby turns blue or grey, call the local emergency number immediately and start age-appropriate choking first aid. If unresponsive, begin CPR according to your training or emergency-dispatcher guidance. Never sweep a finger blindly inside the mouth.
After food, trouble breathing, tongue or throat swelling, collapse, or hives together with repeated vomiting may mean anaphylaxis. Give prescribed epinephrine immediately and call emergency services. Antihistamines do not replace epinephrine.
Stop the suspected food and seek prompt medical advice for a possible reaction, including new hives or repeated vomiting. Seek urgent care if vomiting comes with pallor or unusual sleepiness. Repeated coughing during meals, swallowing difficulty, poor intake or growth concerns need assessment. Do not retry a suspected trigger at home.
Learn infant and child choking first aid and CPR before an emergency. The Red Cross resource below explains current techniques; this guide and food log do not replace practical training.
Common questions
Can I start solids before 6 months?
Start around 6 months when developmentally ready; do not introduce solids before 4 months. Ask for an individual plan if your baby was premature or has feeding or developmental concerns.
Which food should come first?
Offer soft iron-rich foods, such as smooth meat purée, mashed beans or iron-fortified infant cereal, alongside varied vegetables and fruits. There is no required order. Offer a little, follow hunger and fullness cues, and do not force feeding.
Should I delay peanut if my baby has eczema?
For severe eczema, egg allergy or a previous food reaction, speak with the clinician before peanut introduction. High-risk infants may need a supervised plan as early as 4 to 6 months. Do not try a suspected or known trigger again at home to test whether the allergy has gone away.
Is gagging the same as choking?
Gagging often makes noise, with retching or coughing while air still moves. Stay close and pause feeding; do not put fingers into the mouth. Noise alone cannot rule out choking. A weak or absent cough, inability to breathe or cry, or blue or grey colour needs emergency action.
Can I give honey or cow’s milk?
No honey before 12 months, including honey added to food. Do not use cow’s milk or plant drinks as the main milk before 12 months; pasteurized plain yogurt can be a food before then. Avoid unpasteurized foods and drinks, and cook eggs, meat and fish thoroughly.
Can cereal in a bottle help my baby sleep?
Offer solids by spoon or as suitably prepared finger foods when skills allow. Do not add cereal to a bottle to help sleep. Any prescribed feed-thickening plan is a separate medical instruction.
Sources
- CDC: Introducing solid foods
- CDC: Foods and drinks to avoid or limit
- AAP: Starting solid foods
- American Red Cross: Infant choking first aid
- AAP: Recognizing and responding to anaphylaxis
Written for Pedemy in our own words from the sources above; checked October 2026. For education only, not medical advice. Pedemy is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by the organizations cited.