Is my baby ready for solids?
Free tool · Checked against official guidance on October 19, 2026 · How we review
Most babies are ready at about 6 months, when several signs show up together. Answer for your baby as they are today. The result updates as you go.
Your result
Answer the questions above to see your result.
Not yet: solids aren't recommended before 4 months
The CDC says introducing foods before 4 months is not recommended. Until your baby is ready, breast milk or formula gives them the energy and nutrients they need. The CDC and AAP recommend starting at about 6 months, and the NHS and WHO say around 6 months. If you're thinking about starting early, talk to your pediatrician or health visitor first.
The signs of readiness are there
Your answers match the signs the CDC, AAP and NHS look for. You can start offering solid food alongside breast milk or formula, which stays your baby's main source of nutrition for now.
You'll see the swallowing sign in the first tastes. If your baby pushes food straight back out onto their chin, the AAP says that's normal: wait a week or two and try again.
Interest in food often grows after a few tastes. Go at your baby's pace, and stop when they close their mouth or turn away.
Because your baby is 7 months or older, you can move on from first tastes to mashed, lumpy and finger foods as soon as they can manage them, working toward 3 meals a day (NHS). See feeding at 7 months, and mention to your pediatrician or health visitor that you're starting a little later than most. From 12 months, formula is no longer needed (NHS).
- Start with a teaspoon or two, once a day, at a time your baby isn't tired. See feeding at 6 months.
- Include iron-rich foods from the start, like meat, beans or lentils, or iron-fortified infant cereal.
- Common allergens like egg and peanut can be offered from around 6 months. Plan them with the allergen planner. If your baby has severe eczema, an egg allergy, or has had an allergic reaction to a food, ask your doctor before offering peanut.
- Learn the difference between gagging and choking before the first meal.
Not yet, and that's normal
Still to come: .
Watch for this on the first tries: .
At 4–5 months, most babies aren't ready yet. The CDC, AAP, NHS and WHO all aim for about 6 months.
Babies get there at their own pace, and most show the signs together at around 6 months. Check again in a week or two. Until then, breast milk or formula gives your baby what they need (some babies also need vitamin D drops: ask your pediatrician or health visitor).
Talk to your doctor before you start
- Your baby was born early. Go by their corrected age and readiness signs, not their birth date, and agree the timing with your baby's doctor, neonatal team or health visitor. See starting solids with a premature baby.
- A health condition or feeding difficulty can change when and how to start. Ask your baby's doctor or care team first, and follow any feeding plan they've given you.
- Your baby is showing the signs so far, but at 4–5 months most guidance says to wait until about 6 months. Starting between 4 and 6 months is only for a baby who shows all the signs, after talking to your pediatrician or health visitor. See starting solids at 4 months.
- At 4–5 months, most babies aren't ready yet. The CDC, AAP, NHS and WHO all aim for about 6 months.
- Most babies hold their head steady by about 4 months (CDC). If your baby is 6 months or older and can't yet, ask your pediatrician or health visitor to check, whether or not you're ready to start solids.
- Your baby is 7 months or older and isn't showing every sign yet. From around 6 months, babies need more iron than milk alone gives, so it's worth checking in with your pediatrician or health visitor, who can help with feeding or development questions.
Signs not seen yet: .
Watch for this on the first tries: .
Signs that are often mistaken for readiness
The NHS says these are normal baby behaviors, and not by themselves a sign your baby is hungry or ready for solids:
- Chewing their fists
- Waking up in the night more than usual
- Wanting extra milk feeds
Starting solids won't make your baby more likely to sleep through the night.
Where guidance differs
United States(AAP and CDC)Your setting
Start at about 6 months, and not before 4 months (CDC, AAP). The AAP also asks whether your baby has doubled their birth weight and weighs about 13 pounds or more, but size alone isn't enough: the developmental signs matter most.
United Kingdom(NHS)Your setting
Start around 6 months, when 3 signs appear together: sitting and holding their head steady, picking food up and putting it in their mouth, and swallowing it. Unless your health visitor or GP tells you to, avoid solids before 6 months. If your baby was born early, ask them when to start (NHS).
Elsewhere(WHO)Your setting
The WHO recommends starting solid foods at around 6 months, alongside continued breastfeeding.
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Sources
- CDC: When, what, and how to introduce solid foods
- AAP: Starting Solid Foods
- NHS: Your baby's first solid foods
- NHS: Help your baby enjoy new foods
- AAP: When to introduce egg, peanut butter and other common food allergens to a baby
- WHO: Guideline for complementary feeding of infants and young children 6–23 months (2023)
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements: Iron
- CDC: Milestones by 4 months
- AAP: Corrected age for preemies