Introducing Solids to Baby: The Paediatric Dietitian’s guide to the first 12 months of solid food

Your baby’s reached the 4 month mark. Should you be introducing solid foods now? As a dietitian I get asked this question a lot. Read on to learn the practical advice I give my parents when their baby has reached this exciting stage of their life.

What’s the main goal during the first 12 months of feeding solids?

In the first year of your baby’s life, solid food is not their main source of nutrition. This stage can include laying the foundation for healthy eating in the future, but it’s more about learning eating and swallowing techniques, establishing routines and building curiosity through exposure.

Exposing your baby to a spectrum of foods at this stage, increases the likelihood they will consume a wide variety of foods when they are older.

I've created this guide to help you through the main stages in the first year. And click on Introducing Solids to Baby Guide for the download and print version, also available on my resources page.

When should I start solids?

Most babies will show signs of readiness between the 4-6 month mark. Here are some of the common cues to look out for when determining if your baby is ready for solid foods.

Sits up alone or with support
Can control head and neck
Opens the mouth when food is offered
Swallows food rather than pushes it back out onto the chin
Brings objects to the mouth
Tries to grasp small objects, such as toys or food
Transfers food from the front to the back of the tongue to swallow

If your baby isn’t doing some or all of these things, wait for a while longer. Let them tell you when they are ready and the introduction of solids will be easier on them and you…This could be at 4 months, or even not until around 6 months of age.

How does solid feeding align with breast and/or bottle feeding?

In the first year of life your baby is receiving their nutrition predominantly from milk (or liquid) - either breastfed, bottle-fed or a combination. So consider from 4 months of age as a discovery and learning time.

Let them explore and expose them to a variety of foods to expand their palette. And alongside discovery, introducing textures teaches them eating techniques like tongue lateralisation.

The 4 - 6mth stage - Choosing the right first foods

When you bub starts solids they only know how to suck. Eating solids requires new skills to be mastered. It’s best to start with thin purees of single ingredients because they are similar to breast milk or formula, easy for baby to transition from sucking to swallowing.

There is no food when you start on solids that you cannot include. All fruits, all vegetables, all grains, dairy and meats. Start with a pureed consistency as this is easiest for bub to manage initially due to their suck pattern they have mastered from breast and/ or bottle feeding.

You can include sweet potato, peas, avocado, carrots, pumpkin, pears, peaches, applesauce, cooked chicken, infant rice cereal or cooked turkey.

Baby cereal, such as rice cereal, is also popular. Start with a thin consistency, using more liquid to cereal. You can progressively thicken this consistency every few weeks. This is also a good source of iron and great to build up their stores or iron which would have dropped off by 6 months.

And this is the right time to introduce allergens. The earlier, the more often, the more likely your baby is to build up a tolerance and not experience an allergic reaction. Keep reading below for advice on introducing allergens effectively.

What about allergens (foods that may cause an allergic reaction)?

It’s important to introduce allergen foods early and often. This ensures your baby builds a tolerance at an early stage which has been proven to reduce the likelihood of an allergy later on.

IgE Allergens

For your IgE allergens (peanuts, tree nuts, sesame and fish) I suggest including ¼ tsp of the allergen on three separate occasions. Once you have included these three times you can feel rest assured that your child is unlikely to have an allergic reaction. So on the first three times it is best to keep a close eye on your baby in the first two hours.

Non IgE Allergens

For your non IgE allergens (milk, egg, wheat, soy) I suggest ¼ tsp of the allergen over three consecutive days. Note the difference here. With IgE allergens it is simply three separate occasions. Whereas with non IgE allergens it is three consecutive days. The reason for this is that non IgE allergic reactions can take anywhere between 24 - 72 hours to even appear!

It is also worth mentioning that you can actually have an IgE reaction to anything. Especially milk and eggs. So that is a little confusing right? But basically I like to introduce milk and egg over three consecutive days as they are also very typically non IgE reactions too.

The foods on this allergen list I wait to introduce include:

Wheat
Dairy
Eggs
Peanuts
Tree nuts
Sesame
Fish & shellfish
Soy

For a more in depth look at the two main categories of allergens (Ige and non-Ige), read my article on IgE food allergies and non-IgE food allergies in children.

How many times a day should I offer food?

At the 4-6 months stage, food is explorative versus nutritional. Foods at this stage are tasters rather than meals. The amount your baby will want to eat will be small and should not interfere with their bottle or breast feed.

My general rule is try 1-2 different tasters per day.

How do I know when baby is done eating?

Your baby will let you know when they are done. A head turn, closed mouth or throwing usually is the sign it's time to stop. Also parents ask me frequently - how much do I feed my baby.

There is no answer to this. Just prepare some food and keep going until they turn their heads away. Then you will have a good sense of volume over time.

This is what commonly happens the first time you introduce solid foods:

Baby is able to hold their head up independently
They show an interest in your food by staring or grabbing
You present the food on a spoon
Now you wait
Mouth opens
Offer the food
Or instead of on a spoon, you present in a bowl and let them use their fingers to self feed
Now you smile at your baby as they experience food for the first time!!

The 7 - 8 mth stage - Progressing to mashed foods, thicker textures and munchables

At this next stage you’ll be making foods of a thicker consistency, with more chunks and small pieces. You’ll also be combining flavours to make meals, mashing rather than pureering and eventually adding hard foods that can be held and bitten, known as hard munchables.

The volume increases too. Food is now becoming a part of the daily consumption and needs to be considered as a meal like we consider breast or bottle as a meal.

And for a tip on making your cooking load easier…puree or finely mash your own meals. Your baby will enjoy combination meals like you are eating, especially things like casseroles, slow cooked meals and stews.

Why is my child not interested in solids?

I often find this is because breast or bottle feeds are very close to when we offer foods. If you are full from a breast or bottle, you are not going to want to eat your foods.

Aim for a 2-3 hour gap between a breast/bottle feed and solid food. You’re now establishing a food and feed routine, separating one from the other.

And you’ll find your baby is more receptive to either when they have built up a hunger.

When should I introduce hard foods like carrot sticks and teething rusks?

Hard foods are known as hard munchables - foods that can’t easily be broken or mashed in your baby's mouth. I like to introduce hard munchables from 8 months of age.

The goal with hard munchables is oral exploration not consumption yet. We don’t want your child eat this food just to explore by having it in their mouth while you watch! In fact much of it will drop out of their mouth, onto the table or floor…

Great examples of hard munchables are carrot sticks, celery sticks, capsicum pieces and teething rusks.

Why is it important to introduce munchables at this age?

Including hard munchables helps your baby develop the new skills needed to be able to progress from purees to textured foods. The new skill is tongue lateralisation - the technique of moving the tongue from side to side.

It’s an important step towards the development of chewing skills. Prior to these foods, when a baby eats purees they are primarily using their sucking skills. Now with these hard foods, they learn how to move food around in their mouth, with their tongue.

A note on this stage. Your baby might/ will gag. It’s scary when this happens as you think they might be choking. Of course you want to ensure they aren’t, but it’s also very likely to be a gag reflex and it’s normal.

My advice is to not panic, keep offering hard munchables and chunkier foods, and within a month the gagging reflex will stop. Gagging is normal and typically passes after a few weeks on chunkier foods with the help of hard munchables.

Continue to feed your child these foods even if they gag. It is normal and it does pass.

What is an example routine for a 7 - 8 month old baby?

Remember what we discussed - create a 2-3 hour gap between food and feeds

5am: breastfeed/ bottle

8 am: breakfast (infant rice cereal/ weetbix/ yoghurt + pureed fruits/ soft scrambled eggs)

10am: breastfeed/ bottle

1pm: lunch (pureed meat + mash potato + mashed vegetables)

3pm: breastfeed/ bottle

5pm: dinner (pureed meat + mashed grains (rice/ pasta) + mashed vegetables)

Overnight feeds

The 9 - 12 mth stage - Even chunkier, meltable hard foods, soft cubes and soft mechanicals

Your baby’s chewing skills are coming along. They’re able to move food around with their tongue and have started applying a downward pressure with their gums. Now is the time to continue with textures, just chunkier, adding naturally soft foods like small pasta and cooked rice and include meltable hard solids - foods that dissolve with spit only.

Good examples of meltable hard solids are arrowroot biscuits and teething rusks or biscuits. Baby Mum-Mum has a range of items I like.

Following meltables, I suggest adding soft cubes - foods that turn into a puree with up and down munching pressure. Think small chunks of avocado, cooked pumpkin, boiled potatoes, bananas and vegetable soup ingredients without the liquid.

Now your baby has learnt to munch their food. They’re ready for soft mechanicals - foods that break apart in the mouth easily. Examples of soft mechanicals are scrambled eggs, hard boiled eggs, bread (no crust), cooked small piece pastas and cheese sticks.

What comes after soft mechanicals?

Your baby is likely to be around 12 months of age and have mastered the skill of munching and breaking down foods into a pureed format they can swallow. From the next 6 months, continue introducing mixed texture foods, slightly larger chunks and harder pieces of food.

By the time they reach 24 months, they will have refined these skills and are ready to eat a majority of foods the rest of the family is eating.

Mixed texture ideas are macaroni and cheese, soft chicken nuggets, meatballs, spaghetti and for single food ideas, try peas and blueberries.

Hard foods include apple pieces cut into sticks, carrot sticks (now they will be able to actually ingest these), grilled chicken strips, pretzel sticks.

What is an example routine for a 9 - 12 month old baby?

Remember what we discussed - create a 2-3 hour gap between food and feeds

5am: breastfeed/ bottle

8 am: breakfast (infant rice cereal/ weetbix/ yoghurt + pureed fruits/ soft scrambled eggs)

10am: yoghurt + soft fruit OR cheese/ nut butters and rice puffs

1pm: lunch (pureed meat + mash potato + mashed vegetables)

3pm: breastfeed/ bottle → replace with a snack around 11 months (as above)

5pm: dinner (pureed meat + mashed grains (rice/ pasta) + mashed vegetables)

Overnight feeds - should start reducing with increased food intake during the day

By 12 months your child may only be doing morning and night feeds with 5-6 meals and snacks during the day

How can a certified paediatric dietitian help?

I’ve helped many children through the introduction of solid foods. It's an exciting time for you and them, but it also has it's challenges. Don’t feel like you have to do it alone.

I established Cubs because it’s my passion to bring support and help to the many families dealing with daily mealtime challenges. As the leading paediatric dietitian at Cubs, I've been involved in a variety of cases, from babies to older children, relatively simple cases to very complicated ones.

If you're needing help, we can meet in person or have a telehealth meeting online. Follow the steps below to book an appointment and together we can get your little one the support they need.

Book an appointment: in-person or online video call

I’ll meet with you and your child via telehealth or face to face. We’ll discuss your child’s full history from birth until today and answer all your questions.

Get a customised nutrition plan

You’ll receive a nutrition plan that meets your child’s specific needs.

See your child thrive and their confidence grow

As your child’s digestion improves happiness will return to your mealtimes.

Book an appointment

FAQ’s: Your questions answered.

Why isn’t my baby interested in solids?

Every baby is different. Some jump into foods right away and others take their time transitioning to solid foods. Don’t worry, this is normal. There are several potential reasons why your baby may not be interested when you think they should be:

Developmental stage: Babies follow their own developmental timeline and eating is no different. Some are ready for solids at 4 months of age, while others are not ready until around 6 months of age. At this point their main source of nutrition is breastmilk or formula so there is no need to worry they aren’t receiving adequate nutrition.

Some just aren’t interested until they are interested…Continue offering a variety of foods in a positive manner and eventually they’ll show interest. Sit together during your usual mealtimes and they will show you when they are ready.

Not hungry: Did you try and give them solid food straight after a breast or bottle feed? Your baby may not be interested because they are simply too full! I always recommend 2-3 hours between a breast or bottle feed and solid food.

Creating space will create appetite! And when infants and children are hungry they will be interested in trying new foods and consuming a greater volume of food.

Texture and flavour preferences: Your baby develops preferences at an early stage, some more than others. This is an experimental stage anyway, so try out different textures and flavours to develop an understanding of what they like and dislike.

Illness or discomfort: If your baby isn’t feeling well this will affect their appetite. Nobody likes to eat when they are not feeling the best…Or they are teething. Anything other than breast or formula may just be too much for their sore gums. Give it time and then try again in a couple of days.

Forcing or pressuring: Don’t force your baby to eat solids. This will create a negative association with food, making it less likely for them to want to explore. Keep the environment calm and let your baby explore at their own pace without pressure.

If you're concerned about your baby's lack of interest in solids, or they're not gaining weight appropriately, talk to me and together we’ll create a plan that meets your baby's specific needs and development.

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