Starting solids: what the NHS says
The NHS says to start solids at around 6 months, when three signs show up together. Chewing fists and waking at night aren't among them.
By Pavel Ryzhikh, 3 November 2026. Prices checked 3 November 2026.
This is general information from public sources, not medical advice. For anything about your child's health or development, speak to your doctor or health visitor.
The NHS says to start solids when your baby is around 6 months old. Until then, breast milk or first infant formula gives them the energy and nutrients they need, with vitamin D the exception in some cases. If your baby was born prematurely, the NHS says to ask your health visitor or GP when to start.
This page sums up NHS advice read on 3 November 2026 (the main page was last reviewed on 19 February 2026). It's general information. Speak to your doctor or health visitor about your own baby.
The three signs
All three show up together, says the NHS, from around 6 months. Your baby can:
- stay in a sitting position and hold their head steady
- co-ordinate eyes, hands and mouth, so they look at food, pick it up and put it in their mouth
- swallow food, instead of spitting it back out
Some things get mistaken for readiness. The NHS names chewing fists, waking in the night more than usual and wanting extra milk feeds, and calls these normal baby behaviour.
Solids won't help a baby sleep through either. The NHS is plain about that, and it says babies don't need baby rice to sleep better. The sleep advice doesn't change at this age: on their back, on a firm, flat mattress, in a clear cot, in the same room as you for at least the first 6 months.
How the first weeks go
A small amount before the usual milk feed is enough. How much your baby eats matters less than getting used to new tastes and textures, says the NHS. Go at their pace.
They'll tell you when they've had enough. A firmly closed mouth or a turned head is the signal, and the NHS says never to force it. New foods can take 10 tries or more, so a rejected carrot on Tuesday tells you very little.
From about 7 months, the NHS says babies gradually move towards 3 meals a day, alongside their usual milk feeds. By about 10 months, they should be having all 3. Breast milk or infant formula stays the main drink for the first year, and cows' milk can be used in cooking from around 6 months.
What to offer
The NHS suggests starting with single vegetables and fruits, such as mashed or soft-cooked parsnip, broccoli, potato, sweet potato, carrot, apple or pear. Include the less sweet ones, like broccoli, cauliflower and spinach.
Purée isn't compulsory. Some babies like mashed, lumpy or finger foods from the start, and others take longer. Finger food should be big enough to hold in a fist with a bit sticking out, and pieces about the size of your own finger work well, according to the NHS.
Baby-led weaning means finger foods only, with your baby feeding themselves. The NHS says there's no right or wrong way, and no more risk of choking when a baby feeds themselves than when they're fed with a spoon. Some parents mix the two.
Foods containing allergens, such as peanuts, hens' eggs, gluten and fish, can come in from around 6 months, one at a time and in small amounts so you can spot any reaction. With a family history of allergies, the NHS says to talk to your GP or health visitor before introducing any type of nut.
Foods to hold back
Food | What the NHS says |
|---|---|
Salt | None added, and no stock cubes or gravy |
Sugar and sweeteners | Avoid food and drink with them at age 4 or younger |
Honey | Not until over 1 year old |
Whole nuts | Not under 5. From weaning, crushed or ground in food, or nut butter spread on food |
Soft mould-ripened and blue cheeses | Avoid, unless cooked in a recipe |
Raw or lightly cooked shellfish | Best not given to babies |
Shark, swordfish, marlin | Avoid under 16 |
Rice drinks | Not as a milk substitute under 5 |
Eggs have their own rule. Hens' eggs with the red lion stamp are fine lightly cooked. Others should be cooked until white and yolk are solid.
Gagging, choking and staying close
Always stay with your baby while they eat. The NHS says to avoid hard foods like whole nuts, raw carrot and raw apple, remove pips, stones and bones, and cut small round foods like grapes and cherry tomatoes into quarters.
Your baby may gag at this stage, and gagging is loud. Choking is quiet. Our guide to gagging and choking sets out the difference, and it points to the NHS page on what to do.
The kit is short
The NHS list runs to a highchair, a bib, soft spoons, a small plastic bowl, a first cup, a messy mat or newspaper, and containers if you batch cook. That's all.
The highchair matters most. Your baby needs to sit upright to swallow properly, and the NHS says to always use a securely fitted safety harness. RoSPA says table-mounted highchairs are not recommended. See our highchairs by budget if you're still choosing.
Spoons are a small spend. Nutmeg's weaning spoons were £2.50 for 5 at Morrisons, checked 3 November 2026. Morrisons lists them from 4 months, and we'd go with the NHS's 6.
BabyBjörn's Baby Bowl is a bigger spend: £19.90 for 2, checked 3 November 2026. The maker says its base and weight keep it stable on the table. The NHS only says a suction bowl may be useful, so any small plastic bowl is a perfectly fine start. There's more in the weaning kit list.
For cups, the NHS suggests an open or free-flow cup without a valve, from around 6 months, with sips of water at meals. It also has vitamin advice that varies with how your baby is fed and how old they are. A health visitor can go through that with you.