My baby is 3 months old right now. The pediatrician told me to start solids after the 4th month. One of my friends said that she is waiting until around 6 months to start.
I know the baby should show signs of readiness, and I have read about this.
How was it for you? When did you begin and how did you decide on the timing?
I planned on starting at 6 months, but by 5 months my baby was showing signs of being ready and was eying my food, so I started a bit earlier than planned.
We saw our doctor at both 4 and 6 months. She told us to wait until 6 months for better neck control. After our appointment at 6 months, we started solids right away when we got home. We began with avocado since we didn’t have bananas or oatmeal on hand.
We waited until 6 months and knew it was time when:
We thought it would be easier to stick to just breast milk or formula, especially since 4-5 months can be a fussy time. We waited until that settled down before starting at 6 months.
@Joss
We also waited until around 6 months because my son couldn’t sit and control his head well. I got a lot of criticism for starting ‘late’ on another thread.
I was also told that starting solids at 4 months seemed too early for me, and my baby wasn’t ready then. I feel like the advice should focus on readiness instead of age. It’s interesting to see how much pressure there is to start solids early. Is there really a big difference between starting at 4 versus 6 months? I don’t think so.
@Joss
That sounds responsible.
We will do the same. Also, before 6 months, the gut is not really ready to handle various allergens.
It’s a concern given the allergies in the US, I wonder why that is.
We started at 4.5 months when our baby showed interest. He was staring at us while eating, copying our mouth movements, and trying to grab our food. 4-5 months is the standard time to begin solids in my country.
I had a long talk with a nursery nurse this week about weaning! She said that babies used to start on pureed diets at 4 months, but now that we go directly to mashed food, we start at 6 months. My little one turns 5 months on February 4, and last night, I thought why not. I made a roast dinner with root vegetable mash, which was really well mashed, with just a few lumps. I gave a tiny bit on a spoon, and my baby grabbed it and started licking and sucking the food off. I knew it was mostly liquid when swallowing. She seemed to enjoy it! I plan to wait until 6 months to start weaning fully, but I think giving small tastes is okay. My health visitor said I could let her try things like mash. Hope this helps?
@Daryn
Hey, my baby is also 5 months on February 4 and we started yesterday with avocado (tiny bits, of course) to see if he likes it and if he is ready. He was interested and liked it. 
Zara said:
@Daryn
Hey, my baby is also 5 months on February 4 and we started yesterday with avocado (tiny bits, of course) to see if he likes it and if he is ready. He was interested and liked it.
No way! We both introduced food on the same day. It’s so exciting, isn’t it!
Following the AAP recommendation, we decided to start at 6 months. I wasn’t confident in my baby’s head and core strength at 4 months.
Lake said:
Following the AAP recommendation, we decided to start at 6 months. I wasn’t confident in my baby’s head and core strength at 4 months.
True. The internet can be overwhelming. There’s no rush! Your baby doesn’t need to be self-feeding by 9 months. Starting at 6 months with purees or oatmeal and going at your baby’s pace is the best way. Formula or breast milk should still be their main nutrition until a year old.
Lake said:
Following the AAP recommendation, we decided to start at 6 months. I wasn’t confident in my baby’s head and core strength at 4 months.
Exactly.
And about the argument of a baby being interested in food. A baby might be curious about anything, but that doesn’t mean it’s safe.
We started at 4 months with some small tastes and progressed to 6 months with more solid foods. Your doctor knows your baby better than anyone else.
Case said:
My baby is 6 months and I haven’t started yet because she shows no interest in food and I am anxious about her choking.
We began puree around 6 months, but my baby didn’t show interest until about 8 months. She started actively reaching for our food and mimicking chewing.
When we first began, she coughed and gagged a bit, pushing food out of her mouth with her tongue. It can be scary, but it’s just a new sensation for them. Now at 10 months, she handles food like a champ with one little tooth and looks forward to mealtimes.
We are starting with solids at 6 months, but have been giving taste sensations since 4 months. Our baby has shown interest.
Eli said:
We are starting with solids at 6 months, but have been giving taste sensations since 4 months. Our baby has shown interest.
What do you mean by taste sensations?
Eli said:
We are starting with solids at 6 months, but have been giving taste sensations since 4 months. Our baby has shown interest.
What do you mean by taste sensations?
Oh, it’s just small tastes of the food we eat. Like a tiny bit of carrot or a finger of mashed blueberry. It’s not meant to replace milk but to add taste and texture. This also helps introduce mealtime as a social activity.
Take this as you will, but we started around 6 months because we were a bit paranoid. (My baby is now 9 months). It took some time, but we are getting there. He still wakes up at night to feed.
My sister started her baby at 3 months. He has always been a great eater. By 9 months, he was eating 3 meals plus dessert and sleeping through the night.
If I had another baby, I might start a little earlier than 6 months. You can gradually introduce different textures without jumping into solids from the start.
My baby is 6 months and I haven’t started yet because she shows no interest in food and I am anxious about her choking.