When your baby is around the age of 6 months, it is important to introduce suitable solids to satisfy their nutritional needs. It is at this age that breastmilk and/or formula don’t provide all the calories and nutrients your little one needs. Here are 5 signs that will tell you whether your baby is ready for solids:
- Being able to sit up without any support and hold up the head
- Being increasingly curious about food
- Being able to bite and swallow solid food and losing the tongue thrust reflex that pushes food out of the mouth
- Having an increased appetite even after getting a full day’s portion of milk
- Showing significant weight gain (double birth weight) and weighing at least 6kg
Exploring Options
The Department of Health recommends the following foods for babies from around 6 months:
- Iron-fortified infant cereal with breastmilk, formula, or sterilised water
- Pureed meat, chicken, live, or fish (all well-cooked and without bones)
- Pureed cooked legumes – baked beans (no added salt)
- Smooth cooked vegetables – potato, pumpkin, carrot, zucchini, or broccoli
- Smoothly cooked fruits – apple or pear
- Finely mashed soft fruit – banana, mango, or avocado
- Full-fat yoghurt, smooth cheese, or custard
Note: To prevent botulism, do not give infants under 12 months honey
You can use blenders and add liquid (for texture) to pureed foods.
Once your baby can eat smooth foods easily, you may increase the texture by mashing and chopping. Your little one can try:
- Mashed or chopped cooked vegetables
- Mashed fish, soft meat, or minced meat (all well-cooked and without bones)
- Cereals – porridge or wheat biscuits with breastmilk or formula
Importance of Breastmilk and Formula
Even after introducing solids into your baby’s diet, it is important that breastmilk or formula also remains in the diet. Breastmilk and formula will continue to provide the majority of your little one’s calories and nutrition in that first year, and both provide essential vitamins, iron, and protein in a form that is easy to digest.
Solid food can also not replace the nutrients that breastmilk or formula provides in the first year. So, although your little one has started eating solids, breastmilk and/or formula must stay in their diet until your baby is at least a year old.
For more information about breastfeeding, please visit this link.
This guide is for informational purposes only and should not be used to diagnose health conditions or make changes to medical treatments. Always consult with your healthcare professional for advice.
