When to introduce your baby to solids
You’ve made it through the fourth trimester and are on your way to your baby’s 4-month checkup. During this appointment, you may be planning to ask a big question: When will my baby be ready for solid foods? This is an exciting but often confusing transition point for parents. Here’s what our experts recommend.
When to start feeding your baby solids
Although the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breast milk (or formula, or a combination thereof) as the sole source of nutrition for your baby for approximately the first 6 months of life, your pediatrician might give you the go-ahead to start solids at the 4-month checkup.
Around the 6-month mark, the iron stores your baby had at birth will start to deplete. Babies can get iron from food, so you don’t want to delay the introduction to solids much later than that.
However, at 4 months of age, infants who are breastfed for more than half of their feedings should also receive iron supplementation, such as a liquid multivitamin with iron for infants, says Dr. Manisha Panchal, a pediatrician.
“This takes the pressure off introducing solids to meet nutritional needs, since that transition can take some time,” she says.
The advice you receive will be based on certain developmental signs indicating readiness for solids—and will be unique to your baby. If anyone in your family has dealt with a food allergy or eczema, you can still start your baby on potentially allergenic foods.
“Your baby might be tested, if eczema is present, but pediatricians don’t typically restrict diets anymore because the most recent research shows that early exposure to common allergy-causing foods improves immunity,” says Dr. Panchal. (We know this may sound confusing; for more, check out the scoop on food allergies.)
“All babies should be given common allergy-causing foods by 12 months of age, including eggs and peanuts, in an age-appropriate form such as well-cooked eggs and smooth peanut butter (not whole nuts or pieces),” she says. “This includes babies who have eczema, another food allergy, or a family member with a food allergy–even though they may have a [genetically] higher chance of developing food allergies.”
Your family’s pediatrician can help you determine if it’s time to start solid foods based on whether your baby has reached certain physical milestones.
4 signs your baby is ready for solids
Dr. Panchal
Pediatrician
Although they may seem mystifying or confusing, there are important developmental indications that it’s time for your baby to start eating solid foods. Here are a few physical milestones that can help you (and potentially your child’s pediatrician) determine whether your little one is ready to begin this important transition.
To eat solids, babies need to be able to sit up, with obvious head, neck, and trunk control. This is because we use neck, arm, and abdominal muscles when eating. Body control provides a sturdy base and facilitates a happy eating experience. Babies should be able to sit upright in a high chair or other appropriate baby seat, and bring their hands to their mouth without slouching over. Infants who cannot hold themselves upright on their own (or with minimal support) are not likely ready for solids, Dr. Panchal says.
If you are letting your baby lead the transition to solids by self-feeding finger foods (and skipping over spoon-fed purees), it is extra important to ensure that your baby is able to sit upright without assistance.
Swallowing solids requires a different tongue motion than sucking and swallowing milk or formula from a nipple. When babies push early spoonsful of puree out of their mouth with their tongue, such that it ends up on their chin or chest rather than down their throat, this is often an indication that they are not quite ready for solids, regardless of how much they appear to love the flavor.
Babies usually outgrow this natural food-pushing response, called the tongue thrust reflex, between 4 and 6 months of age. At this point, they are capable of using their tongue to push solids into the back of their mouth to swallow.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that a baby weighs twice as much as at birth, or at least 13 pounds, before beginning to consume solid foods.
Babies often show interest in solids by staring at something their parent or caretaker is eating, then opening their mouth and leaning toward it. Some babies cry when they see and smell food they want to try, and they haven’t been served any. Some also reach for solid foods or attempt to grab the entire plate.
Although you may notice these interest cues first, the developmental milestones indicating physical readiness are more important, so make sure that your baby has reached those milestones before introducing them to solids.
Risks of starting solids too early, before 4 months
You might be really excited to introduce solids, but waiting until your baby is developmentally ready will reduce the following health risks:
- choking: Your baby has a higher chance of choking on solid foods, if not physically ready to eat them.
- indigestion/malabsorption: Your baby’s intestines may not be ready to properly digest solids.
- obesity: Your baby’s risk of becoming obese might rise. At least one study has linked feeding solids too early to childhood obesity, though broader research on the link is inconclusive1. One theory regarding the link is that premature introduction to solids might teach children to ignore their hunger cues2.
- chronic disease: Some studies show that feeding solids too early increases the risk of developing chronic conditions such as adult-onset celiac disease and diabetes3,4 .
Risks of starting solids late, after age 6 months
As babies grow, they need more iron in their diets, and after about 6 months, your breast milk and most formulas don’t meet all of your baby’s iron needs. First foods need to be rich in iron and provide a variety of other nutrients to support your baby’s growth; a late introduction to solids has been tied to anemia and iron deficiencies.
Early exposure to different kinds of foods and textures is also important, as there’s evidence that it can prevent picky eating later on in childhood5,6.
If your baby hasn’t hit the milestones mentioned above, but you want to help your baby make progress in that direction, try some of these tips.
How to help your baby get ready for solids
Dr. Panchal
Pediatrician
If you are thinking of starting your baby on solid foods before 6 months, there are certain physical milestones that let you know if your baby is ready, such as having sufficient body control. These are some steps you can safely follow starting at 4 months old, says Dr. Manisha Panchal, a pediatrician.
References
1 https://www.nature.com/articles/ijo201399
2 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16137105/
3 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3195680/
4 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14519705/
5 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12778039/
6 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21872699/
Additional resources
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