Introducing solid food is an exciting time for both parents and babies, and it is important to make sure your baby is ready for all the fun and challenges solid food brings.
Most babies born full term are developmentally ready to start weaning around 6 months of age. Babies born premature usually need to wait until 6 months adjusted age (i.e., 6 months after their due date) to transition to solid food.
Signs of Readiness
- Motor – Baby is able to sit with minimal support and hold their head upright and steady in sitting (for about 15 minutes). Keep in mind, that all babies, even those with advanced motor skills, need postural stability when eating.
- Coordination – Baby can coordinate eyes, hands and mouth and is able to look at an object or food, pick it up, and bring it to their mouth.
- Swallowing – Baby’s tongue thrust reflex has integrated and they are able to move food to the back of their mouth to swallow instead of reflexively pushing food out of their mouth with their tongue.
- Interest – Baby shows interest in your food and watching you eat. If your baby is 6 months chronological age and shows all the other signs of weaning readiness but is not showing an interest in food, try introducing food in a playful way (as if it were a new toy) and focus on having fun together while playing with food. (Eating the food can come later.)
For information about what you can do to help your baby develop the skills needed to transition to solid food, see South Lakes Speech & Language Therapy’s post about how to prepare your baby for weaning.
If you have any questions or concerns about feeding your baby, please get in touch, and sign up for the South Lakes Speech & Language Therapy newsletter if you would like weekly information about children’s feeding and communication sent to your inbox.
Please note that this article is for information purposes only and was written with typically developing babies in mind. If your baby has a medical or developmental condition that impacts their readiness for weaning and/or puts them at increased risk for feeding issues, please speak with your baby’s healthcare provider before progressing with weaning or making any changes to their feeding routine.