Ready for solids? Three signs, four myths and first sips

Somebody will tell you to start early. A neighbour, an aunt, a well-meaning friend at church: "That baby is hungry, give him some pap." The advice comes from love, and it is worth knowing what the current guidance actually says so you can answer kindly and confidently. Health bodies including the World Health Organization and the NHS recommend starting solid foods at around six months, with breast milk or first infant formula as the only food and drink before then.

The three signs, all together

At around six months most babies show three signs at the same time:

1. Sitting and steady: they can stay in a sitting position (with some support) and hold their head steady.
2. Eyes, hands and mouth working together: they can look at food, pick it up and bring it to their mouth by themselves.
3. Swallowing, not pushing out: they swallow food rather than pushing most of it back out with their tongue.

If your baby was born early, has a medical condition, or you feel they need food before six months, speak to your health visitor or doctor first. Solid food should never be given before 17 weeks.

Myth: "Waking at night means they need food"

Fact: Night waking is normal throughout the first year, for many reasons. Starting solids early does not reliably make babies sleep longer.

Myth: "Chewing fists means they are ready"

Fact: Babies explore everything with their mouths, and fist-chewing is part of normal development (and sometimes teething). On its own it is not a sign of readiness.

Myth: "A big baby needs to start sooner"

Fact: Size does not change when a baby's gut, swallowing and coordination are ready. Bigger babies follow the same signs.

Myth: "Pap or cereal in the bottle helps them settle"

Fact: Adding pap, cereal or anything else to a bottle is not recommended. It can cause choking and can lead to overfeeding. When the time comes, food goes on a spoon or in your baby's hand, not in the bottle.

How to begin

• Choose a time when your baby is not too tired or too hungry, perhaps after a milk feed, and sit them upright in a high chair or on your lap.
• Start with small amounts once a day: soft cooked vegetables, mashed or as soft finger foods, then fruit, then other foods. Include some less sweet vegetables, such as broccoli or green leaves, so your baby gets used to different tastes.
• Offer iron-rich foods early, such as beans, lentils, eggs, meat, fish and fortified cereals. Babies' iron needs rise from around six months.
• Let your baby explore, touch and make a mess. Early meals are about learning, not quantity.
• Over the following months, build up gradually towards three meals a day, with more textures and lumps.
• Always stay with your baby while they eat, and never leave them alone with food.

Breast milk or first infant formula remains your baby's main source of nutrition through the first year. Food is added alongside milk, not instead of it.

First sips: what can my baby drink?

• Water: from around six months, offer sips of water with meals in an open or free-flow cup. In the UK, tap water is fine without boiling from this age; where water safety varies, use water that has been boiled and cooled, or follow your clinic's advice.
• Milk: breast milk or first infant formula is the main drink. Full-fat cow's milk can be used in cooking from six months, but not as the main drink until 12 months.
• Not recommended: fruit juice and smoothies (not needed and hard on new teeth), fizzy drinks, squash, malt or chocolate drinks, tea and coffee, rice drinks, and herbal mixtures not advised by your doctor.

A season for everything

"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven" (Ecclesiastes 3:1). Waiting until around six months can feel slow when you are surrounded by advice, but it is not a delay. It is the right season. Psalm 131:2 pictures a weaned child resting quietly with its mother, calm and content. That is where all of this is heading: not a race to the next milestone, but a child at rest in your love, and you at rest in God's.

A prayer for the next season

Lord of every season, give me wisdom to know when my baby is ready and grace to answer advice with kindness. Make our table a place of peace and discovery. Quiet my heart like a child resting with its mother. Amen.