Your baby is five months old and stares at your fork like it owes them money. A relative says it’s time for cereal. Another says to wait. You’re not sure who to believe.

The short version: most health organizations say around 6 months, and the signs your baby shows matter more than the date on the calendar. This guide covers when to start, how to tell if your baby is ready, what to hold off on until the first birthday, and how to introduce foods that commonly cause allergies.

It’s written for healthy babies born at term. If your baby was born early, has a medical condition or has severe eczema, talk to your pediatrician before you start.

The short answer: around 6 months

Source	When to start solids
WHO	From 6 months, alongside breast milk
CDC	At about 6 months. Not before 4 months
AAP	Around 6 months for most babies, though some are ready around 4 months
NHS	Around 6 months

The World Health Organization’s feeding fact sheet recommends breast milk alone for the first 6 months, then safe solid foods from 6 months while breastfeeding continues up to 2 years or beyond.

The CDC’s page on introducing solid foods says your child can begin eating solids at about 6 months, and that starting before 4 months is not recommended.

The AAP’s guide to starting solid foods is a little more flexible. It recommends breast milk alone for about the first 6 months, but says readiness depends on each baby’s development. Some babies may be ready around 4 months, once they’ve doubled their birth weight and weigh about 13 pounds or more.

The NHS page on your baby’s first solid foods says to start when your baby is around 6 months old.

So the four don’t line up exactly. They all agree on “around 6 months” as the usual time, and the CDC and AAP draw the earliest line at about 4 months. If you’re thinking about starting before 6 months, that’s a question for your pediatrician.

Signs your baby is ready

The date is only part of it. Your baby also needs to be able to sit, hold food in their mouth and swallow it.

The NHS lists three signs that usually appear together around 6 months:

They can sit up and hold their head steady.
They can look at food, pick it up and put it in their mouth by themselves.
They swallow food instead of pushing it back out.

The CDC’s list is a bit longer. It includes sitting up alone or with support, good head and neck control, opening the mouth when food comes near, bringing objects to the mouth and trying to grab small things.

The AAP adds a practical note. Pushing food out of the mouth at first is normal. If your baby keeps doing it, they may not be ready yet, and you can try again in a week or two.

Signs that don’t mean ready

The NHS points out three things that parents often read as hunger for solids:

Chewing their fists
Waking more often at night
Wanting extra milk feeds

The NHS calls these normal baby behaviors, and says they aren’t necessarily a sign that your baby is ready for solid food. A growth spurt or a rough week of sleep can look a lot like “they need real food now.” It usually doesn’t mean that.

If you’ve been keeping a sleep log, our guide on how much sleep a baby needs by age explains why night waking at this age is still normal.

How to start

Our feeding schedule by age shows how meals and milk feeds fit together up to 12 months.

There’s no single right first food. The CDC suggests starting with one single-ingredient food at a time and waiting 3 to 5 days between new foods. The AAP gives the same 3 to 5 days, and says to watch for reactions after each new food. That spacing makes it easier to tell which food caused a rash or an upset tummy.

A few other points from the same pages:

Milk is still the main food. The NHS says that when solids start, babies still get most of their energy and nutrients from breast milk or first infant formula. The WHO advises that breastfeeding continues alongside solids.
Vary the cereals. The CDC says feeding only infant rice cereal can raise a child’s exposure to arsenic, and suggests mixing in other fortified cereals such as oat, barley or multigrain.
No cereal in the bottle. The AAP says not to put baby cereal in a bottle unless your pediatrician recommends it, because of choking risk and extra intake. The NHS also says nothing but breast milk or formula should go in a bottle.
Start soft. The AAP says not to give food that needs chewing at this age. The CDC suggests foods that dissolve easily with saliva.

Expect small amounts at first. A few spoonfuls, or a few pieces your baby mostly squishes, is a normal start.

Foods that commonly cause allergies

Here’s what the official pages say today.

The AAP says there’s no evidence that waiting past 4 to 6 months to give soft allergenic foods, such as eggs, dairy, soy, peanut or fish, prevents food allergy.
The NHS says foods like peanuts, hens’ eggs, gluten and fish can be given from around 6 months. It suggests introducing them one at a time and in small amounts, so you can spot any reaction.
The CDC lists eggs, shellfish, nut butters and wheat among the foods that can cause allergies, and says to introduce them alongside other foods.

Some babies need a plan first. The CDC and AAP both say to talk with your doctor about how and when to introduce peanut if your baby has severe eczema or an egg allergy. The AAP says testing is recommended for those babies.

Never give whole nuts. That’s a choking risk, covered below. If you’re not sure how to offer peanut safely, ask your pediatrician.

What to wait on until 12 months

These are the main ones the CDC, AAP and NHS agree on:

Food or drink	Why to wait	Source
Honey	Can cause infant botulism, a serious food poisoning	CDC, NHS
Cow’s milk as a drink	Risk of intestinal bleeding, and too much protein and minerals for a baby’s kidneys	CDC, NHS
Fruit or vegetable juice	Not recommended under 12 months	CDC, AAP
Added salt and sugar	Salt is hard on a baby’s kidneys	NHS, CDC

The CDC’s page on foods and drinks to avoid or limit says honey given before 12 months may cause botulism, and that this includes honey added to food, water, formula or a pacifier. The NHS page on foods to avoid giving babies says not to give honey until your child is over 1 year old.

Cow’s milk in food is a different question. The NHS says cows’ milk can be used in cooking or mixed with food from around 6 months, and that full-fat dairy such as pasteurized cheese and plain yogurt (no added sugar) can be given from around 6 months too. It’s only as a main drink that it waits until age 1. The AAP also lists dairy among the soft foods that can be given from 4 to 6 months.

Choking and gagging

Gagging is very common in the first weeks of solids, and it’s not the same as choking. The NHS describes gagging as watery eyes, the tongue pushing forward and retching. Choking is different: the airway is blocked.

To lower the choking risk:

Always stay with your baby while they eat. The CDC and NHS both say this.
Skip hard and round foods. The AAP’s list of foods to avoid under age 1 includes hot dogs and meat sticks, nuts and seeds, chunks of meat or cheese, whole grapes, popcorn, chunks of peanut butter, raw vegetables and apple chunks.
Cut small round foods. The CDC says to cut grapes, cherries, berries and tomatoes into small pieces. The NHS says whole nuts shouldn’t be given to children under 5.
Prepare food well. The CDC says to remove skin, bones, seeds and pits.

It’s worth learning infant choking first aid before you start. The NHS has a page on how to stop a child from choking. Read it once now, not in the moment.

Keeping a simple food log

You don’t need to track every bite. A few notes help with one thing in particular: if your baby gets a rash or an upset tummy, you’ll know which new food came before it. That’s why the CDC and AAP suggest 3 to 5 days between new foods.

What’s worth writing down:

The date and the new food
Roughly how much your baby ate
Any reaction: rash, swelling, vomiting, diarrhea, or simply a strong dislike

Bring those notes to the next visit. Our guide on preparing for your baby’s checkup has a list of what else to bring. If a partner or grandparent does some of the meals, a shared log saves a “did they have egg yet?” text. The baby tracker for couples page shows how sharing works in Vivi Baby.

Most reactions are mild, but some are not. The NHS page on food allergies in babies says a serious reaction (anaphylaxis) starts quickly and can cause breathing problems, a swollen throat or tongue, or a raised, itchy rash. It’s an emergency: call 911 (or your local emergency number) right away.

In Vivi Baby, solids get their own entry on iPhone, and logging them is free. You add each food by name, then set the amount (a little, some or a lot) and the reaction (liked, neutral, disliked or allergic). You can pick a meal, add a note and attach a photo of the first messy avocado face. Search finds every time a food came up. If you’re still pumping for the milk feeds in between, our guide to storing breast milk has the fridge and freezer times. Get Vivi Baby.

Whatever you use, go slowly and watch your baby more than the calendar.

Sources

Infant and young child feeding - World Health Organization
When, What, and How to Introduce Solid Foods - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Foods and Drinks to Avoid or Limit - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Starting Solid Foods - HealthyChildren.org (American Academy of Pediatrics)
Your baby’s first solid foods - NHS
Foods to avoid giving babies and young children - NHS
Food allergies in babies and young children - NHS
How to stop a child from choking - NHS

When to Start Solids: Signs Your Baby Is Ready