BY HEJIRA CONVERY, KINDICARE

JULY 19, 2024

Food is one of life’s great joys (not to mention essentials), and although your baby only requires breastmilk or formula in their early months, there comes a time when every milk-slurper and formula-feeder needs something more substantial!  

Around the age of six months, your baby will probably be ready to start on solid foods, and to help you whet their appetite and build their eating skills, we’ve been given some great advice to share. 

Thanks to the Grow & Go Toolbox, developed by University of Queensland researchers, this article will guide you through the first six months of solids, but for starters, it’s important to know when your baby is ready to try textured food.  

Though there’s no exact age for this, you’re looking for signs that your bubba is interested in what you’re eating, and what they could be eating! 

Usually, your baby is ready for solids if they’re around six-months-old, can hold their head up unsupported, and are:   

• Reaching for food 

• Showing excitement about food 

• Watching you eat 

• Opening their mouth to accept a spoon, and  

• Not pushing their tongue out of their mouth so much. 

Once your baby is showing these signs, you might like to invest in a catch-everything bib and aeroplane-shaped spoon, but before you get too carried away, here’s what your baby can actually eat at each age!   

Baby food at around six months 

Dr Clare Dix, an Accredited Practising Dietitian from UQ’s School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences explains that you need to start with a smooth, runny puree that’s not *too* different from what your bubba’s used to.  

Baby Rice Cereal is a classic first food made with breastmilk or formula. However, purees made of pumpkin, sweet potato, apple or another simple, soft ingredient will also work. 

When it comes to the feed schedule, the experts recommend that you start with one to two teaspoons of puree once a day and offer this unfamiliar food after or in between your baby’s regular feed of breastmilk or formula. 

Baby food at six to seven months 

Over the weeks, your baby will get a taste for that yummy puree, and you can slowly add different foods to the menu. 

Lumpy puree, soft mash and soft finger foods can all be introduced to your baby between six and seven months. 

At this stage, they’re learning how to chew with their jaw, move food with their tongue, and hold stuff in their hands. So, this means foods like mashed potato or pumpkin, slow-cooked meats or minced meats, and sliced soft fruits are perfect. 

You can slowly increase your baby to three solid meals a day, letting them guide you, so they recognise that ‘hungry’ feeling. 

You should still offer solid food after or in between your baby’s breastmilk/formula feeds. 

And although their meals might not coincide with yours, the experts recommend that you include your littlest family member in mealtimes, so they get a feel for the social side of eating, and not just the ‘smearing it all over my face’ part!   

Baby food at seven to eight months 

Things start to get interesting at this age, because you can introduce a wider range of finger foods to your tactile tot.  

For example, mini-sandwiches filled with tuna and mayo, or smooth nut butters, are nutritious and delicious.

Other finger foods like meatballs and slices of omelette are great too, because your baby is learning how to use their tongue and jaw more expertly.  

When it comes to timing, you can offer solids at breakfast, lunch and dinner, plus morning and afternoon tea – sticking with the technique of offering solid food after or in between your baby’s breastmilk or formula feeds.  

However, no-one likes that ‘too-full’ feeling, so the experts say it’s important keep an eye on how your mini-muncher is going, and let them tell you when they’ve had enough. For example, by clamping their mouth shut or pushing that sandwich away!  

Baby food at eight to 10 months 

With children under three, you must be careful about foods that might get stuck in little throats, but as long as ingredients are prepared safely, this is the age when you can introduce chewier and harder foods, like slices of meat and flaked fish, and also smaller finger foods, like dried fruit and quartered cherry tomatoes or grapes.  

You can also take the big step of offering solid foods before your baby’s breastmilk or formula feed, and if you haven’t introduced the wonders of a cup yet, now’s a great time to put that drinking vessel on the table!  

The experts recommend that babies stop using bottles by the age of 12 months, so it makes sense to give your increasingly dextrous child plenty of cup practice before then.  

Baby food at 10 to 12 months 

This age is exciting, because you can introduce your baby to child-sized forks and spoons! 

There are lots of cute designs to choose from, and although you’ll still need to cut your baby’s food into bite-sized pieces, they can definitely practise spooning mashed potato and yoghurt into their mouth, or forking pieces of veggies or salad off the plate. 

Athough your bubba will have some favourite foods by now, it’s important to keep offering different tastes and textures from all five food groups. 

Baby food at 12 months and up 

Your baby’s first birthday is a cue for cake, and when the party’s over, it’s good to know that you can now add cow’s milk to their regular menu, if you wish.  

Your one-year-old can have up to 250ml of cow’s milk per day (from that cup they’ve practising with), and when they’re 12 months or older, they can also try honey for the first time. 

If you and your baby are still loving those breastfeeds, there’s no reason to stop, as long as your little one is getting plenty of solid food.  

And all in all, the first six months of solids bring sustenance, growth and some impressive new skills!  

You can learn more about introducing solids with the Grow & Go Toolbox’s Lumpy Road to Solids interactive resource, and their online library will be a great go-to in the years to come.  

The Grow & Go Toolbox contains loads of government-backed, evidence-based info about food and nutrition for under-fives, and you can check out all their parent-friendly resources here.  

Enjoy!