Starting Solids: A Month-by-Month Guide

The AAP recommends exclusive breastfeeding (or formula) for about 6 months. After that, solids are a supplement, not a replacement. Milk or formula is still the main source of nutrition through the first year.

Your baby is ready when they can: - Sit up with minimal support and hold their head steady - Show interest in food (watching you eat, reaching for your plate) - Open their mouth when food is offered - Move food from a spoon to the back of their mouth instead of pushing it out with their tongue

Some babies hit these milestones at 5 months. Some at 7. The readiness signs matter more than the date on the calendar. If your baby is pushing food out with their tongue, they're not ready yet. Wait a week and try again.

Talk to your pediatrician before starting, especially if your baby was premature.

This is the part most parents don't know. For decades, the advice was to delay common allergens. That advice was wrong.

The LEAP trial found that introducing peanut between 4-11 months reduced peanut allergy risk by 81% in high-risk infants (Du Toit et al., 2015). That's not a small effect. That's a reversal of decades of allergy guidance.

Real-world follow-up data from 2025 shows the guidelines are working: peanut allergy rates dropped 27% in populations following early introduction recommendations.

What this means for you: - Introduce peanut, egg, and other common allergens early (around 6 months, or when your baby starts solids) - Use age-appropriate forms: thin peanut butter mixed into puree, well-cooked scrambled egg - Regularity matters. The LEAP study had infants eating peanut at least 3 times per week - Talk to your pediatrician first if your baby has severe eczema or a known egg allergy

Every baby moves at their own pace. This is a framework, not a recipe.

Month 6: Start with single-ingredient purees. Iron-rich foods first: pureed meat, iron-fortified infant cereal, mashed beans. Then add pureed vegetables and fruits. One new food every 2-3 days so you can spot reactions.

Months 7-8: Thicker textures. Mashed (not pureed) foods. Soft-cooked vegetables, mashed avocado, yogurt. Introduce common allergens if you haven't already.

Months 9-10: Soft finger foods. Small pieces of banana, soft-cooked pasta, shredded cheese, well-cooked diced vegetables. This is when self-feeding starts. It's messy. That's fine.

Months 11-12: Modified table food. Your baby can eat most of what you're eating, cut small and soft. Three meals plus 1-2 snacks. Milk is still important but solids are becoming a bigger part of the diet.

By 12 months, your baby should be eating a variety of foods from all food groups. The goal isn't perfection. It's exposure.

This is the section to read twice.

Gagging is loud, common, and protective. Your baby coughs, sputters, maybe makes a face. Their eyes water. This is the gag reflex doing its job, pushing food forward that went too far back. It looks scary. It's normal. Don't panic and don't pull food out of their mouth (you can push it further in).

Choking is silent. No coughing, no sound, no air moving. The skin may turn blue. This is an emergency.

Before you offer your baby's first bite of solid food: - Take an infant CPR class (many hospitals offer them free) - Know how to do back blows and chest thrusts on an infant - Always supervise meals. Always.

Foods to avoid until at least age 1: honey (botulism risk). Foods to avoid until age 4: whole grapes, whole nuts, hot dogs cut in rounds, raw carrots, popcorn, hard candy.

New parents overthink solids. Here's what the research says you can relax about:

The order of foods doesn't really matter. There's no evidence that starting with vegetables before fruit prevents a sweet tooth. Serve what's available and nutritious.

Baby-led weaning vs spoon feeding? Both are fine. Research shows no significant difference in choking risk between the two approaches when appropriate foods are offered. Do what works for your family.

Your baby won't eat much at first. That's normal. The first few weeks of solids are about exposure and practice, not calories. Milk is still doing the heavy lifting.

Mess is part of the process. Babies learn about food by touching, squishing, and throwing it. A plastic mat under the high chair saves your sanity.

It sometimes takes 10-15 tries before a baby accepts a new food (AAP). Don't give up after the first rejection. Offer it again next week.