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Starting solid foods: when and how

Around 6 months, with three signs of readiness: how to start your baby on solid foods, what to avoid until one year and what to make of the family’s advice.

5 min read

In this article

Solid foods start at around 6 months. Until then, breast milk or formula gives your baby everything they need, with no water, tea or juice. Even once they start eating, milk stays their main food through the first year, and the World Health Organization recommends continuing breastfeeding to 2 years or beyond, if you and your baby want to.

The three signs your baby is ready

Look for all three together, not just one:

  1. Sitting up with a steady head, even if you support them a little.
  2. Reaching for food with eyes and hands, and bringing it to their mouth.
  3. Swallowing it, instead of pushing it back out with their tongue.

Waking more at night, chewing fists or watching you eat are not signs your baby needs solid food. They are normal at this age.

The first weeks, step by step

  1. 1

    Start small

    One or two spoonfuls, once a day, at a time when your baby is neither very hungry nor tired. Keep giving the breast or bottle as usual.

  2. 2

    Vegetables first

    Squash, carrot, sweet potato, broccoli, spinach: boiled and mashed. Slightly bitter vegetables teach your baby flavours they might later refuse.

  3. 3

    Add variety

    Soft fruit, grains, finely minced meat and fish, pulses, well-cooked eggs and plain yoghurt with no sugar.

  4. 4

    From purée to pieces

    As soon as you can, move from smooth purée to food mashed with a fork, and to soft pieces your baby can hold.

  5. 5

    Build up gradually

    From 6 to 8 months, 2 to 3 meals a day. From 9 months, 3 to 4 meals, plus one or two small snacks if your baby is hungry.

Do not give up after the first refusal

A baby may need to try a food 10 times or more before accepting it. A funny face does not mean “I do not like this”; it means “this is new”. Offer it again, without forcing. When your baby turns away, closes their mouth or pushes the spoon away, they have had enough.

Until one year, none of these

  • Honey. Not even a small spoonful, not even for a cough. It can cause botulism, a rare but dangerous illness in babies under 12 months.
  • Salt. Not in soup, not in purée. A baby’s kidneys cannot cope with it. Watch out for salty cheese, stock cubes and processed meats too.
  • Sugar. Not in yoghurt, tea or milk. It sets a taste for sweet food and harms new teeth.
  • Cows’ milk as the main drink. It can be used in cooking from 6 months, but only replaces breast milk or formula as a drink after 12 months.
  • Whole nuts and peanuts. A choking risk until age 5. Give them finely ground or as a smooth butter.
  • Undercooked eggs and cheese made from unpasteurised milk.

Avoiding choking

  • Your baby should always eat sitting upright, with you beside them.
  • Cut grapes, cherry tomatoes and olives lengthways into quarters.
  • Do not give hard pieces, such as raw carrot or unpeeled apple.

Gagging and a little sick are normal while your baby learns to chew: it is noisy and their face goes red. Choking is silent: your baby cannot cry and their lips may turn blue. If that happens, shout for help and call emergency services (127 in Albania). A baby first aid course is worth doing before you start.

The advice you will hear

“Give them some chamomile tea, they are thirsty.” Before 6 months your baby needs no drink other than milk. After 6 months, offer water in a cup with meals.

“Put some bread in the bottle so they sleep longer.” Cereal in a bottle raises the risk of choking and does not make babies sleep longer.

“A bit of honey for the throat.” Not before one year, as above.

“They are thin, you need to give them more.” If your baby is growing well at check-ups, they know how much they need.

Common questions

At what age do babies start solid food?
At around 6 months, when your baby can sit with a steady head, pick up food and swallow it.
Can I give my baby honey?
Not before 12 months, not even small amounts, because it can cause botulism.
When can my baby drink cows’ milk?
As their main drink, after 12 months. Before that it can only be used in cooking, from 6 months.
Does my baby need water?
Not before 6 months. After 6 months, offer a little water in a cup with meals.

Sources we consulted

Written by the mam.al editors as general information. It does not replace advice from your doctor or paediatrician. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

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