🍼 Feeding · Around 6 months, when developmentally ready
🥕 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 push it out. Breast milk or infant formula remains the main milk drink through the first year. Ask your pediatric team about individual readiness, especially after premature birth.
What you'll need
- A stable upright feeding seat and a soft spoon.
- A clean bowl, bib and safe water for food preparation.
- Soft foods such as mashed kalabasa, kamote or banana, plus iron-rich foods such as well-cooked minced meat, beans or iron-fortified infant cereal.
Build meals gradually
1. Choose a calm time
Seat baby upright and stay within reach throughout. Offer food when baby is alert, not exhausted or extremely hungry. Either parent can lead the meal.
2. Start small and follow cues
Offer a little mashed or soft food and allow baby time to explore. Stop when they turn away or close their mouth. Continue usual responsive milk feeds.
3. Include variety and iron
Offer iron-rich foods regularly alongside vegetables and fruit; there is no need to delay fruit. Plain lugaw can be enriched with thoroughly cooked egg, meat or mashed beans rather than served as the only food.
4. Introduce allergens safely
Introduce common allergens one at a time in small, age-safe amounts, such as well-cooked egg or smooth peanut butter thinned into food. Once tolerated, keep offering them regularly. Seek advice first for severe eczema or an existing food allergy.
5. Progress textures
Gradually offer thicker mashed foods, soft lumps and suitable soft finger foods as skills develop. Remove fish bones carefully. Avoid whole nuts, whole grapes, hard raw pieces and other choking hazards.
6. Prepare for problems
Take professional infant choking and first-aid training. Stop the food and seek advice for a suspected allergy; breathing difficulty, tongue swelling or collapse requires 911.
Classic mistakes
- ❌ Adding honey, salt or sugar No honey before 1 year, including in cooked foods, because of infant botulism risk. Avoid added salt, salty seasonings and added sugar.
- ❌ Feeding reclined or forcing bites Feed upright and supervised. Do not put solids in a bottle or pressure baby to finish.
A local detail, or your own experience with this guide? Write to the team
Same topic
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- Maternity leave allocation
- Birth registration
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- Emergency services
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- Infant feeding
When in doubt, contact your doctor or midwife. For a life-threatening emergency, call 911.