Starting solids: a whole-foods guide

Around six months, your baby is ready for their first real food. Here's how to start the modern, whole-foods way — with the readiness signs, best first foods, textures by age, and the safety basics that matter most.

When to start

Most babies are ready to start solids at around 6 months — and shouldn't begin before 4 months. Age is a guide, not a green light on its own; look for these readiness signs:

• Can sit up with little or no support
• Good head and neck control
• Shows interest in food and reaches for it
• Has lost the tongue-thrust reflex (no longer automatically pushes food out)

Until 12 months, breast milk or formula stays the main source of nutrition — solids are for learning and for a few key nutrients, not for replacing milk.

Skip the rice cereal — start with whole foods

You don't have to start with single-grain rice cereal. Current thinking favors iron-rich whole foods and a wide variety of flavors and textures from the start. Great early foods include:

• Iron-rich: well-cooked shredded meat, mashed beans and lentils, tofu, iron-fortified oats.
• Vegetables: soft-cooked sweet potato, carrot, broccoli, peas, squash, spinach.
• Fruits: ripe avocado, banana, pear, mango, soft peach — mashed or in soft strips.
• Allergens, early: smooth peanut butter thinned out, well-cooked egg, dairy (yogurt), and the rest — see our allergen guide.

Textures by age

Move through textures so your baby doesn't get stuck on smooth purées:

• ~6 months: thick purées, soft mashes, and soft finger foods (steamed veg strips, avocado spears).
• ~7–8 months: mashed with soft lumps; more finger foods to gum; iron-rich proteins.
• ~9–11 months: small, soft chopped pieces for the pincer grasp; family-style textures and combos.
• 12 months+: most family foods, chopped safe and low-salt; whole cow's milk can become a drink.

How much, how often

Start with once a day and build toward 2–3 times a day by 8–9 months, following your baby's cues. Acceptance can take 8 to 15 tries — a food refused today isn't a food disliked forever, so keep gently re-offering. This is exactly why tracking exposure counts (not just "tried once") is so useful.

Choking safety

Serve foods that are soft and easy to gum, keep your baby seated upright and supervised, and know the difference between gagging (loud, red-faced, self-resolving — a normal part of learning) and choking (silent, unable to cough or breathe). Cut round foods like grapes and cherry tomatoes lengthwise into quarters, spread nut butter thin, and avoid whole nuts, popcorn, and hard or sticky foods. Consider taking an infant CPR and choking first-aid class.

How First Bites helps

First Bites turns all of this into a simple loop: log what your baby tries, watch exposure counts climb toward acceptance, keep the nine allergens going, and see which nutrients and colors the week is missing — with age-based texture tips and a weekly plan. Open the free app →