The first week of solids

Before the first meal

Start at about 6 months, when your baby shows the readiness signs together: sitting up with support and holding their head steady, picking food up and bringing it to their mouth, and swallowing food instead of pushing it back out (CDC, NHS).

A few things to have ready:

• A safe seat. The NHS says your baby needs to sit upright so they can swallow properly, with a securely fitted harness. See high chairs and seating.
• A soft spoon, a small bowl and a bib. Expect mess: the AAP says most early meals end up on your baby’s face, hands and bib.
• An open cup or free-flow cup for sips of water with meals (NHS).
• Ten minutes with gagging vs. choking. Knowing the difference before day one makes the noisy moments much less scary.

Day one

Pick a time that suits you both, when you don’t feel rushed and your baby isn’t tired (NHS). Late morning often works, because you have the rest of the day to see how they get on.

• Offer a tiny amount. The AAP suggests starting with half a spoonful or less, and building up to a teaspoon or two. If you’re offering finger food, a few soft pieces is plenty (NHS).
• Make it soft. Every food should be smooth, mashed, or soft enough to squash between your thumb and finger. Finger foods should be pieces big enough to hold in their fist with a bit sticking out, about the size of your own finger (NHS). See safe food sizes and shapes.
• Let them explore. Your baby may look confused, wrinkle their nose, roll the food around or push it out (AAP). The NHS says funny faces don’t mean they dislike it: they’re getting used to new tastes and textures.
• Follow their lead. If you’re using a spoon, wait for your baby to open their mouth. Stop when they firmly close their mouth or turn their head away (NHS). If they cry or turn away, the AAP says not to make them eat, and to try again another day.

How often and how much

In the first week, one small meal a day is enough. The NHS says babies don’t need 3 meals a day when they start, and that at first they need only a small amount of food once a day. How much your baby eats matters much less than getting used to the idea of eating.

Some days your baby will eat a few spoonfuls, some days almost nothing. The NHS says this is normal, and suggests thinking about what they eat over a week, not a meal. See the baby feeding schedule for how meals build up over the next months.

Milk stays the main food

Your baby will still get most of their energy and nutrients from breast milk or formula (NHS, AAP). Keep milk feeds going as usual. The NHS says to keep offering milk on demand.

Food fits around milk:

• The NHS suggests offering food before a usual milk feed, but not when your baby is too hungry.
• The AAP suggests a little breast milk or formula first, then small half-spoonfuls of food, then more milk, so a very hungry baby doesn’t get frustrated.

Either works. See milk and solids together.

Offer a few sips of water from a cup with the meal (NHS). Don’t put cereal in a bottle: the AAP says your baby could choke.

A sample first week

This is one example, not a rule. It follows the CDC suggestion of one new single-ingredient food at a time, with 3 to 5 days before the next new food, so you can spot any problem. The AAP says foods don’t need to come in a particular order, and asks you to include iron-rich foods such as meat or iron-fortified cereal.

• Days 1 to 3: one new food, once a day. For example, iron-fortified infant cereal mixed with breast milk or formula, or soft-cooked broccoli mashed or as a floret with a stalk to hold. The NHS suggests starting with vegetables that aren’t sweet.
• Days 4 to 7: a second new food, such as mashed lentils or finely minced, well-cooked beef stirred into a food your baby has already had. Keep offering the first food alongside.

If your baby turns a food down, offer it again on another day. The NHS says it can take 10 tries or more before a baby accepts a new food.

Common allergens like egg and peanut can come in the first weeks too. The AAP suggests starting with a few low-allergy foods, such as infant cereal or puréed banana, then adding the more allergenic foods once your baby manages those; the NHS says allergens can be introduced from around 6 months, one at a time. See how to introduce allergens.

For a mild rash, diarrhea or a single vomit after a new food, stop that food and talk to your pediatrician or health visitor before offering it again (AAP). If your baby has trouble breathing or wheezing, swelling of the face, lips, tongue or throat, or turns pale, floppy or very sleepy after any food, it’s an emergency (NHS). So is vomiting again and again, even a few hours after eating (see FPIES). If your baby has an epinephrine (adrenaline) auto-injector, use it first, then call. Call 911.Call 999.Call your local emergency number (such as 112 in Europe or 000 in Australia). Keep your baby lying down, never standing or walking (on their side if they’re vomiting, head and shoulders a little raised if breathing is hard). See signs of anaphylaxis.

Gagging is normal, choking is not

Gagging is common at first. Your baby is learning how much food they can manage. The NHS describes watery eyes, the tongue pushing forward or out, and retching to bring food forward, sometimes with vomiting. Stay calm and let them work it out. The CDC says your baby might cough, gag or spit up while adjusting to new textures.

Choking is quiet: a weak or silent cough, no crying, struggling to breathe. Always stay with your baby while they eat (NHS). If your baby can’t cough, cry or breathe: shout for help, and have someone call 911. If you’re alone and your phone is with you, call on speaker and start back blows straight away.shout for help. Start back blows and chest thrusts straight away. If the blockage hasn’t cleared after one round of each, call 999 (on speaker if you’re alone) and keep going.shout for help, and have someone call your local emergency number (such as 112 in Europe or 000 in Australia). If you’re alone and your phone is with you, call on speaker and start back blows straight away. See gagging vs. choking for each step.

What to leave out

• Honey: none before 12 months (NHS). See honey and botulism.
• Salt and sugar: don’t add them to food or cooking water, and skip stock cubes and gravy (NHS). See salt and sugar for babies.
• Cow’s milk as a drink: not before 12 months (NHS, AAP).
• Juice: none before 12 months (AAP). The NHS says to avoid fruit juice and smoothies, like other sugar, up to age 4. See juice for babies.
• Hard, round and chunky foods: whole nuts, raw carrot or apple, whole grapes, chunks of meat or cheese and hot dogs are choking hazards (CDC, AAP). See the choking hazards list.

What else to expect

• Mess. Let your baby touch and hold the food. The NHS says this helps them learn to eat.
• Poop changes. The AAP says stools get firmer, smellier and more varied in color once solids start. See baby poop after starting solids.
• Slow days. There’s no target amount in week one. Keep it short and calm.

Talk to your pediatrician or health visitor if your baby seems to have trouble swallowing or often coughs or chokes on food. Talk to them too if stools are very loose, watery or full of mucus and stay that way after you slow down (AAP).

Where US and UK advice differs

• Milk first or food first. The NHS suggests food before a usual milk feed; the AAP suggests a little milk first, then food, then more milk.
• First foods. The NHS suggests vegetables that aren’t sweet; the AAP says there’s no evidence that offering fruit first causes a dislike of vegetables, and stresses iron-rich foods.
• Days between new foods. The CDC and AAP suggest 3 to 5 days. The NHS says one allergen at a time but doesn’t set a number of days.
• Finger foods. The NHS suggests finger foods from the first meals. The AAP says finger foods can start once your baby can sit up and bring things to their mouth, cut into small, soft pieces.