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Most babies are ready to start solid foods at about 6 months of age. Until then, breast milk (or infant formula, if advised) gives all the food and water a baby needs. After 6 months, soft home-cooked foods are added while breastfeeding continues.
This guide covers readiness signs, first foods that fit Indian kitchens, how often to feed, how to introduce allergy-prone foods, and what to avoid in the first year.
When should you start solid foods?
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months, then starting complementary foods around 6 months while continuing to breastfeed up to 2 years or beyond. Starting much later, or much earlier, can affect growth. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) adds that introducing foods before 4 months is not recommended.
WHO also explains that breast milk still supplies half or more of a baby’s energy needs between 6 and 12 months, so solids add to milk rather than replace it. Babies born early may be ready on a different timetable; see our guide to premature baby care.
Signs your baby is ready
Age is a guide, but the baby’s body should be ready too. The NHS lists three signs to look for together from around 6 months:
- Sitting up with steady head and neck control
- Coordinating eyes, hands and mouth to pick up food and bring it to the mouth
- Swallowing food instead of pushing it back out
The CDC adds that a ready baby opens the mouth for food and shows interest in what others eat. Chewing fists, waking more at night or wanting extra milk are normal baby behaviours and do not on their own mean a baby needs solids.
First foods that suit Indian homes
Start with soft, single-ingredient foods and offer a new food only once the previous one is accepted. The NHS suggests starting with mashed or soft-cooked fruits and vegetables, then adding others. In Indian homes this can include:
- Well-cooked, mashed rice with dal water, then thicker mashed dal
- Vegetable khichdi or rice-lentil porridge without added salt
- Mashed boiled potato, pumpkin, carrot or spinach
- Mashed banana or stewed, mashed apple or pear
- Plain, unsweetened curd, which the CDC says can be introduced earlier than cow’s milk as a drink
- Mashed boiled egg, introduced as advised below
The CDC recommends offering a variety of foods and grains, not only rice, partly because rice-only cereals can raise arsenic exposure. Your doctor or dietitian can suggest local grains and pulses that suit your family’s diet and any vegetarian preferences.
How to introduce foods safely
- Choose a time when your baby is alert and not too hungry or tired, and offer a few spoonfuls before a milk feed.
- Begin small: a few teaspoons, building up gradually as your baby shows interest.
- One new food at a time, and wait 3 to 5 days before the next new food, as advised by the CDC, so you can spot a reaction.
- Let your baby set the pace. Stop when the baby closes the mouth or turns away; never force food.
- Repeat. The NHS says it may take 10 or more tries before a baby accepts a new taste or texture.
- Move on to lumpier textures and finger foods as your baby is able, rather than keeping everything smooth.
Tip: eat with your baby. Babies learn by watching, and a family meal makes feeding calm and enjoyable.
How much and how often
WHO suggests 2 to 3 meals a day at 6 to 8 months, and 3 to 4 meals a day from 9 to 23 months, with 1 to 2 snacks if needed, alongside breastfeeding. Increase the amount, thickness and variety gradually as the child grows. Watch for hunger and fullness signs and respond to them. During illness, offer more fluids, breastfeed more often and give soft favourite foods.
Allergy-prone foods
Foods such as eggs, peanuts, wheat, fish and shellfish can cause allergies in some children. The NHS says peanuts, eggs, gluten and fish can be introduced from around 6 months, one at a time in small amounts. The CDC says these foods can be offered along with other foods, and advises parents of a child with severe eczema or an egg allergy to ask the doctor when and how to introduce peanut-containing foods. Because advice differs between countries, ask your doctor what is best if allergies run in your family.
What to avoid in the first year
- Honey: avoid until 12 months, including honey on a pacifier or in cooked food, because of the risk of infant botulism (NHS, CDC)
- Added salt: salt is harmful to developing kidneys, and baby food does not need it; check stock cubes and ready mixes
- Added sugar and sweet drinks: not needed and linked to tooth decay
- Cow’s milk as a main drink: wait until 12 months; small amounts in cooking are fine
- Fruit juice: not recommended before 12 months
- Whole nuts, hard raw pieces and round foods: choking risk; crush nuts, cook hard fruit and vegetables until soft, and cut grapes into quarters
- Unpasteurised milk or milk products: they can carry harmful bacteria
When to be cautious: never leave a baby alone while eating. Gagging is common and is how babies learn to cope with new textures, but choking is silent and needs immediate help. Learn first aid for choking before you start solids.
Hygiene and safe cooking
Wash your hands, the baby’s hands and utensils before feeding. Cook foods well, cool them before serving, and offer freshly prepared food. WHO stresses good hygiene and proper food handling.
When to see a doctor
- Hives, swelling of the lips or face, repeated vomiting or breathing difficulty soon after a food, which are possible allergy signs (go to the emergency department at once for breathing trouble)
- Choking that does not clear, or a baby who turns blue
- Refusing all foods for several days or losing weight
- Persistent diarrhoea, blood in stool or severe constipation
- Not showing readiness signs by around 6 months, or no interest in food at all
- Any worry about your baby’s growth; see baby weight gain and growth milestones
For urgent problems, see our emergency page. Our postnatal and newborn care speciality supports feeding questions in the early months.
Talk to a doctor
If you are unsure when to start solids or how to handle allergies, we can guide you at your baby’s check-up. You can book an appointment or call +91 944 103 0587. This article is for general awareness and is not a substitute for a doctor's advice.
References
This article was written in our own words from the following public health sources.
Educational content
Please note. This article is for general awareness and is not a substitute for a doctor’s advice, diagnosis or treatment. If you are worried about your health, or in an emergency, call +91 944 103 0587 or visit the hospital.
