Are you feeling unsure about when to start your baby on solids?

In Australia our infant feeding guidelines recommend that solids are introduced from around 6 months of age to meet your baby’s increasing nutritional and developmental needs. Solids should not be introduced before 4 months of age.

Before starting solids it is important to ensure that your baby is showing signs of readiness.

Here are 5 signs that your baby is ready for solids:

1. They have good head and neck control and can sit up right when supported (for example in their high chair). This is essential to reduce the risk of choking.
2. They show an interest in food eaten by others
3. They reach out to grab food and bring it to their mouth
4. They open their mouth when offered food
5. Their tongue extrusion reflex (also known as the tongue thrust reflex) has reduced. This allows them to swallow the food without their tongue pushing the food back out of their mouth.

These signs will appear at different times depending on the baby. If your baby is not showing these signs by seven months of age it is important to discuss this with your baby’s healthcare professional.

If your baby is at higher risk of food allergies for example has eczema (especially severe eczema) or already has a food allergy then your baby’s healthcare professional may recommend introducing solids between 4-6 months of age as your baby may benefit from early introduction of common food allergens, in particular egg and peanut. However, it is important that your baby is still showing signs of readiness before you start solids.

If you would like to feel more confident starting your baby on solids including what foods to start with and how to introduce common food allergens please get in touch or book an appointment online HERE.