5 Tips on How to Start Your Baby’s Solid Food Journey

Discover 5 tips on how to start solids with your baby. This article contains simple recipes, and guidance on choosing the right foods to ensure a smooth and nourishing start to your baby’s solid food journey once they reach the age of 6 months.

If you are worried about starting solids, don’t be! It can feel overwhelming to parents, but starting solids can be peaceful when you have the right knowledge.

So, your baby is now 6 months old and showing all the signs of readiness to start solids. But where do you begin? In this article, we’ll guide you through the key steps to start this exciting stage of your baby’s life with confidence and care.

5 Signs Your Baby is Ready for Solid Foods

✅ 6 months old: Breast milk or formula should remain the exclusive source of nutrition until this age.
✅ Bringing objects to their mouth: Shows the coordination needed for chewing.
✅ Sitting up with little support: Crucial for reducing choking risks during feeding.
✅ Interest in food: Watching and mimicking family mealtime behaviors are great signs.
✅ Reduced tongue-thrust reflex: Indicates readiness to accept food without pushing it out with their tongue. While this sign is not as much of a requirement anymore by many institutions, it is important for this reflex to be integrating and not inhibiting the child from eating. 

Now that we’ve covered readiness signs, let’s dive into 5 tips on how to start solids!

5 Tips on How to Start Solids with Your Baby

1. Choose the Right Time

Pick a time of day when your child is calm, well-rested, and not overly hungry or tired. Offering breast milk or formula first, followed by solids, can help ensure a smoother transition to new foods.

2. Use the Right High Chair

A proper high chair is essential for safe and comfortable feeding, especially if you’re following a Baby-Led Weaning (BLW) approach. Avoid feeding in car seats, baby loungers, or strollers where your baby cannot sit upright, as this increases the risk of choking.

Want to learn more? Check out our guide on choosing the best high chair for starting solids.

Tip: try to eat with your baby so that they can model eating using you as their example. Babies are social! They want to learn from you.

3. First Foods: Fruits or Vegetables?

You can start with fruits or vegetables—there’s no strict rule about which comes first. The choice is yours! Both options provide great nutrients and textures for them to explore.

👉 Learn more about the best first foods for your baby here.

4. Simple First Recipes

Start with easy-to-handle recipes like:

• Simple beef patties
• Rice and bean bites
• Mashed sweet potato patties

These options are not only nutritious but also help your baby experience different textures and flavors.

As they get used to individual foods, you can gradually introduce simple recipes with just a few mixed allergens or ingredients, such as:

• Pancakes
• Mini vegetable quiches
• Creamy purees

5. Space out the top 9 allergens

• Spacing out the top 9 allergens—such as peanuts, eggs, and dairy—allows you to identify which food might cause a reaction if one occurs, making it easier to address potential allergies.

• Introducing allergens one at a time, a few days apart, gives your baby’s immune system time to respond, reducing the risk of confusion over which food caused a reaction.

• This approach helps parents and caregivers feel more confident and in control during the introduction process, creating a safer and more manageable experience for both baby and family.

For recipes with multiple allergens, we recommend you wait until you have introduced them individually before combining them. Or wait until closer to 8-9 months old, when you may have likely exposed them to the allergen. By this stage, your child will also have better chewing and digestion skills, making it easier to enjoy more elaborate meals.

Enjoy the Journey of Starting Solids!

Introducing solids is an exciting milestone, filled with exploration and learning for both you and your baby.

With patience, a variety of nutritious foods, and a positive mealtime atmosphere, you’ll be setting the foundation for healthy eating habits that last a lifetime.

👉 Want more support on starting solids? Download the BLW Meals App for personalized guides, age-appropriate recipes, and practical tips to navigate this special phase with confidence.

You’ve got this! Enjoy every step of this beautiful journey with your little one.

Have more questions about starting solids? Drop them in the comments below! 😊✨