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Baby & toddler

Starting solids: a stress-free UK weaning timeline

A clear, NHS-aligned weaning plan from first tastes to family meals. Covers timing, baby-led vs spoon-fed, allergens, and the difference between gagging and choking.

Reviewed by the Nursery Advice editorial teamLast updated 31 May 2026Next review 30 November 2026Editorial standards
General guidance, not medical advice
Follows NHS Start for Life and British Dietetic Association guidance. If your baby was premature, has reflux or feeding difficulties, ask your health visitor for a tailored plan.

The NHS recommends starting solids at around 6 months — not before 17 weeks, and not much later than 6 months. By 6 months most babies show three clear signs of readiness: sitting with little support, good head control, and bringing things to their mouth and chewing.

You can take a purely baby-led approach (finger foods from the start), a spoon-fed approach (purees moving to lumps), or any mix. The evidence shows both routes are safe and lead to similar long-term outcomes — pick what works for your baby and your kitchen.

When to start — the readiness signs

Ignore the calendar. Look for all three of these:

  • Stays sitting up and holds their head steady.
  • Coordinates eyes, hands and mouth — can look at food, grab it and bring it to their mouth.
  • Can swallow food rather than push it back out with their tongue (the "tongue thrust" reflex fades around 6 months).

First foods and the first month

In the first 1–2 weeks, offer single-ingredient foods once or twice a day, just after a milk feed. Good first foods:

  • Soft-cooked vegetable sticks: carrot, sweet potato, broccoli, courgette, parsnip.
  • Soft fruit: ripe banana, ripe pear, ripe avocado, soft cooked apple.
  • Iron-rich foods early: red meat purees, lentils, beans — iron stores from birth start running low at 6 months.

Build to 3 meals a day by around 9 months, plus continued breast or formula feeds. Cow’s milk stays as drink-only-with-meals until 1; in cooking from 6 months is fine.

Introducing allergens — sooner is better

Current NHS and British Society for Allergy & Clinical Immunology guidance is to introduce the common allergens from around 6 months, one at a time, a few days apart, and then keep offering them regularly. Late or rare exposure increases risk:

  • Egg (well-cooked first; runny only after 1).
  • Smooth peanut butter (thinned with water or yoghurt — never whole nuts under 5).
  • Cow’s milk products (yoghurt, cheese, white sauce — not as a main drink until 1).
  • Wheat (toast fingers, pasta).
  • Fish (well-cooked, deboned).
  • Sesame, soya, mustard, celery.

Speak to your GP before introducing allergens if your baby has eczema, an egg allergy, or a close family history of allergy — they may want allergy testing first.

Choking vs gagging — know the difference

Gagging Choking
Sound Loud retching, coughing, may bring food back up Silent or weak cough
Colour Red or normal Pale or blue, especially round the mouth
What to do Stay close, stay calm, let them work it out Back blows and chest thrusts — call 999

Always avoid: whole grapes/cherry tomatoes (quarter them lengthways), whole nuts, hard raw apple/carrot, sausage skins, popcorn.

A simple month-by-month

Age What it looks like
6 months 1–2 spoons/finger foods a day after a milk feed.
7 months 2 mealtimes; introducing more textures and allergens.
8–9 months 3 meals + 2 snacks; finger foods at every meal.
10–11 months Mostly family food, chopped small; milk feeds reducing.
12 months Cow’s milk as a drink; eating broadly what the family eats.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to puree everything?
No. Baby-led weaning skips purees entirely and the evidence shows it’s safe when readiness signs are met. Many families do a mix — purees on weekday mornings, finger foods at weekends.
How much milk should they still have?
At 6–9 months, breast milk or formula remains the main source of nutrition. Between 9 and 12 months, solid food becomes the main source and milk feeds reduce naturally to around 500–600ml a day.
My baby doesn’t seem interested in food. Should I worry?
In the first month, this is very common — it’s exploration, not nutrition. Keep offering without pressure. Speak to your health visitor if they’re still refusing all food by around 8 months.
Can I give honey?
No — not under 12 months. Honey can contain botulism spores that infants can’t cope with. Avoid even baked into food until after their first birthday.

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About this guide & sources

Every numerical claim in this guide is sourced from UK government, NHS or recognised charity publications. We re-check each source on the article’s review date.

  1. NHS Start for Life — Introducing solid foods (retrieved 2026-05-02)
  2. British Dietetic Association — Complementary feeding (weaning) (retrieved 2026-05-02)

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