Signs that your baby is ready for solid food

There are a variety of different physical signs your baby will display that indicate she’s ready to move onto solid foods.

Physical changes

Before your baby’s ready to eat solid foods, she needs to be able to maintain a steady upright position and hold her head upright so she can easily take solid foods from a spoon. It’s fine if your baby still needs support for a while to sit-up.

She can still move on to solid foods, but you’ll need to make sure her head is well supported while she’s eating. She also needs to have gained a healthy weight for her age and size, which will be around double her birthweight.

Changes in her mouth

You may notice that your baby starts to make chewing motions and that as she learns to swallow efficiently she stops drooling so much. At six months of age she may even have a tooth or two. She may also start frequently putting her hands and fingers in or near her mouth.

Your baby develops an interest in your food

Your baby may now also be beginning to display a new curiosity about what you’re eating. She looks at your plate and reaches out to try and grab food as it travels between your plate and mouth.

Changes in his feeding habits

You may start to notice that your baby is not satisfied after a milk feed, and that she’s started waking up in the middle of the night for extra feeds.