🍼 Feeding · Around 6 months onwards
🥕 Starting solids: a practical beginner's guide
Start complementary foods around 6 months when baby can hold their head steady, sit upright with support and swallow food rather than consistently pushing it out. Breast milk or infant formula remains the main drink through the first year. Ask your local primary health centre or a paediatric clinician for individual advice if baby was premature or has feeding difficulties.
What to prepare
- A stable high chair with an appropriate harness.
- A small soft spoon, bib and open cup for small sips of water with meals.
- Soft foods such as mashed pumpkin, banana or thick rice porridge enriched with well-cooked meat, fish without bones, tofu or lentils.
Build skills gradually
1. Check readiness and seating
Seat baby upright with good head support, awake and alert. Stay close and watch throughout the meal; do not feed a reclined or moving baby.
2. Start small and follow cues
Offer a little food when baby is calm, alongside their usual milk feeds. Let baby set the pace and stop when they turn away or close their mouth.
3. Offer variety and iron
Include iron-rich foods regularly alongside vegetables and fruit. There is no need to wait weeks before offering fruit. Progress from mashed foods towards thicker, lumpy textures and soft finger foods as skills develop.
4. Introduce allergens carefully
Introduce common allergens one at a time in small, safe forms, such as well-cooked egg or smooth peanut paste thinned into food. Continue tolerated foods regularly. Seek advice first for severe eczema or a known food allergy.
5. Keep food safe
Wash hands, cook food thoroughly and refrigerate perishables promptly, especially in hot weather in Nigeria. Avoid added salt, salty sauces and added sugar. Give no honey before 1 year, including in cooked foods.
6. Prepare for choking
Avoid whole nuts, popcorn, hard raw pieces and round chunks of food. Learn infant choking response and CPR through professional training. Call 112 if baby cannot breathe, turns blue or becomes floppy; severe allergic breathing symptoms also require emergency help. Emergency routing and arrival vary in Nigeria: keep your maternity or nearest emergency facility's number and a transport backup ready.
Classic mistakes
- ❌ Using age alone Readiness matters as well as age. If baby cannot manage food around 6 months, discuss it with a qualified health professional rather than forcing feeds.
- ❌ Replacing milk too quickly Solids complement milk at first. Keep breastfeeding or offering infant formula responsively and monitor growth with your healthcare team.
A local detail, or your own experience with this guide? Write to the team
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When in doubt, contact your doctor or midwife. For a life-threatening emergency, call 112.