9. Your Baby Is Ready for Solid Food. Are You Ready to Introduce It?

The timing, the order, and the signs that your baby is actually ready, not just old enough.

Six months is the number most parents hear. After six months, start solids. What most parents are not told is that age is only one of three criteria, and it is not the most important one.

Readiness for solid food is developmental, not calendar-based. A baby who cannot sit with minimal support and hold their head steady is not ready for solids, regardless of age. A baby who still has a strong tongue-thrust reflex will push food out of their mouth consistently, which is the body’s way of saying not yet.

Starting too early is associated with increased risk of food allergies, digestive problems, and overfeeding. Starting too late, past seven months, is associated with feeding difficulties and increased picky eating later on.

Getting the timing right matters. Getting the introduction order right also matters, particularly for common allergens, where the current evidence has shifted significantly from what parents were told ten years ago.

This guide covers the readiness signs, the introduction sequence, textures by age, and how to navigate the first weeks without making it more complicated than it needs to be.

Read the full guide: Starting Solid Foods for Babies