Most babies are ready to start solid foods at around six months old. By this age, they can sit up and are better able to swallow food instead of pushing it out of their mouth.

For more information, you can visit:

• Weaning made easy – Public Health Agency
• Birth to five -Public Health Agency (PDF)

Breastfeeding and introducing solid foods

You can continue breastfeeding while introducing solid foods.

As your baby gets used to eating, they may breastfeed less often. They might only want to breastfeed in the morning and at bedtime.

Introducing solid foods to a baby at six months old

Waiting until around six months to introduce solid foods helps your baby because:

• Their digestive system is more developed
• They have a lower risk of infections
• It may reduce the risk of allergies such as asthma and eczema

Signs your baby is ready for solid foods

Your baby may be ready for solid foods when they can:

• Sit up
• Swallow food rather than push it out
• Chew and move food around their mouth
• Pick up food and bring it to their mouth

Preparing to introduce solid foods to your baby

When you begin introducing solids:

• Make sure all feeding equipment is clean
• Start with small amounts (1–2 teaspoons) once a day
• Mash or blend food and mix with expressed breast milk, or cooled boiled water
• Feed your baby when they are calm and relaxed
• Let food cool before feeding and always test it before giving it to them
• Go at your baby’s pace and try different tastes and textures
• Throw away any uneaten food
• Do not put solid food into a bottle (this can cause choking and harm teeth)

First foods

Good first foods include:

• Baby rice
• Mashed vegetables (such as carrots, potatoes or broccoli)
• Mashed fruit (such as banana, stewed apple or pear)
• Soft, well-cooked meat (such as chicken, beef or lamb)

Do not add salt or sugar to your baby’s food.

From six months, you can also introduce:

• Foods containing gluten (such as bread, pasta and cereals)
• Well-cooked eggs
• Pasteurised cheese and yoghurt

Finger foods (from 9 months)

From around nine months, your baby can start feeding themselves small pieces of food

Encourage your baby to chew and feed themselves, even if they have no teeth.

Try foods like:

• Toast or bread
• Pitta bread or rice cakes
• Soft fruit (banana, pear, peach, melon)
• Cooked vegetables (carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, courgette)
• Cheese cubes
• Cooked pasta

Feed your baby during family meals so they can enjoy eating with others and you can learn their likes and dislikes. Always stay with your baby while they are eating.

Moving on to more solids

You can give your baby most home-cooked food as long as it is mashed or pureed and doesn’t have any added salt or sugar.

It is important to offer different solid foods so your baby gets the vitamins and minerals they need.

Aim to include:

• Starchy foods at each meal (potatoes, rice, bread, cereals)
• Fruit and vegetables at least twice a day
• Protein foods once or twice a day (meat, fish, well-cooked egg, beans, lentils or tofu)

Foods to avoid giving to your baby

It is a good idea to introduce your baby to various tastes at an early age. However, there are certain foods you shouldn’t give them:

• salty foods, because your baby’s kidneys cannot cope with salt
• honey, because it is sugar and shouldn’t be given to babies under one year old
• peanuts
• unpasteurised cheese
• raw eggs
• sugary foods

Introducing solid foods before your baby is six months old is not recommended.  You should never give your baby solid foods before they are four months old. If you do introduce solid foods to your baby before six months, don’t give them food that could cause an allergic reaction or contain harmful bacteria.

When under 6 months of age avoid giving them:

• wheat-based foods containing gluten, such as pasta, bread, breakfast cereals and rusks
• nuts and seeds, including ground nuts
• eggs
• fish and shellfish
• soft and unpasteurised cheeses

Weaning Your Baby – Video Series

The Public Health Agency Dietitians have created a series of short videos to help you introduce solid foods to your baby with confidence.

Spoon feeds, finger foods and textures for weaning

Getting the texture right for weaning

Batch cooking, storing, defrosting & reheating for weaning

Weaning – How to feed your baby

How much should my baby eat?