# When Can Baby Start Solids? Around 6 Months (AAP)

> Starting solids around 6 months: readiness signs, baby-led weaning, gagging versus choking, allergens and iron-rich first foods.

Stage: baby - Topic: Feeding - Page: https://www.askcladle.com/guides/baby/ferraro-starting-solids

Grounded in: the work of **Katie Ferraro**, a registered dietitian known for baby-led weaning resources and her "100 first foods" approach ([her channel](https://www.youtube.com/babyledweaning)), together with mainstream pediatric feeding guidance. Summarised in Cradle's own words, not quoted.

## TLDR

- Start around 6 months when the baby sits with little support, has good head control and shows interest. Milk stays the main food.
- Spoon-feeding, baby-led weaning or a mix all work. Offer soft, finger-shaped pieces and lots of variety.
- Gagging is normal; choking is silent. Learn infant choking first aid, always seat the baby upright, and skip whole grapes, nuts and popcorn.

## When to start

- Around 6 months, when the baby shows readiness: sits with little support and has good head control, has lost
  the tongue-thrust reflex, and shows interest in food. Check timing with the pediatrician, especially for
  babies born early.
- Breast milk or formula stays the main nutrition through the first year; early solids are about practice
  and exposure.

## Baby-led weaning in brief

- The baby feeds themselves soft, appropriately shaped whole foods from the start, rather than (or alongside)
  spoon-fed purées. Both approaches are valid; many families mix them.
- Early on, offer long finger-shaped pieces the baby can grip, soft enough to squash between your thumb and
  finger. Smaller pieces come once the pincer grasp develops.
- Offering a wide variety of foods, flavours and textures in the first year is a central idea of the
  "100 first foods" approach.

## Safety

- Gagging is common and is a protective reflex; choking is silent or ineffective coughing and needs action.
  Learn infant choking first aid before starting.
- Always seated upright and supervised; no eating in the car seat or while crawling around.
- Avoid choking hazards: whole grapes, whole nuts, popcorn, hard raw vegetables, round slices of hot dogs.
- No honey before 12 months. Limit added salt and sugar.
- Early introduction of common allergens (such as peanut in a safe form, like thinned peanut butter, and egg)
  is recommended by current guidance for most babies; babies with severe eczema or a known allergy should see
  the pediatrician first.
- Iron-rich foods matter from about 6 months (meat, beans, lentils, iron-fortified cereal).