Step-by-step process
Choose a time when you and your baby are relaxed and happy. Around lunchtime
or early afternoon are good times.
Start with milk
Give them a breast or formula feed before solids, until your baby is 8–9 months
old. This milk is still the most important part of their diet, so you want to make
sure they get plenty.
After 8 or 9 months, you can give them solids before milk.
Avoid small hard foods because your baby could choke on them.
Keep your baby safe
Sit your baby in a highchair or on your lap. Stay with your baby while they’re
eating, so you can help them if they choke.
Give your baby time
Eating solids is complicated and baby may spit out their first solid foods as they
learn to get the food to the back of their mouth to swallow it.
Offer first tastes
At first, offer 1–2 teaspoons of smooth, runny, slightly warm solids, once a day.
Let your baby taste the food and suck it off the spoon. Your baby will get better
at taking food off the spoon during the first week of feeding.
If your baby continues to spit out a food, wait for a few days and offer the food
again or try another food.
Let your baby develop their own tastes
Babies like some tastes more than others. If your baby refuses a food, mix a little
of the refused food with a food they like. Gradually increase the amount of the
refused food until your baby gets used to the taste.
If your baby continues refusing, take a break and try it again in a week or two. It
may take up to 10 times before they develop a taste for it.
Gradually offer new foods
To help your baby get used to a variety of tastes, gradually offer different foods.
Even if a food tastes bland to you, it won’t taste bland to your baby.
Let your baby make a mess
Your baby will have a great time handling their own food as they get bigger, and
will learn how things work.
Mealtimes can get messy. Babies often enjoy dropping food over the side of the
highchair and watching it fall. Put some newspaper or plastic under their
highchair to contain the mess.
How much and how often
Your baby will let you know how much food they need. Start with one food at a
time, and add a new food every 2–4 days.
Start with 1–2 teaspoons once a day, and slowly build up to to ¼ of a cup.
Slowly increase the amount of solid food, following your baby’s appetite.
Once your baby is taking 2 tablespoons to ½ a cup per feed, increase the number
of meals a day.
Some babies are ready for 2 meals a day the second week after starting solid
foods, and then 3 meals by the third week.
Each baby is different, and some eat more than others.
How to tell when your baby has had enough
When your baby wants to stop eating, they’ll turn their head away, push the food
or your hand away, close their mouth or start crying.
Important information
Before introducing solids to your baby’s diet, there are several important things
you should know.
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