Infant (2–12 months) · Nutrition, Newborns & feeding
Starting solids: when, what, and how to introduce allergens
Start solids around 6 months, when your baby sits with support, controls their head and reaches for food. Offer iron-rich foods first and introduce peanut, egg and other common allergens early, in safe forms, to lower allergy risk.
Key takeaways
- Readiness matters more than the calendar: around 6 months, not before 4
- Iron-rich first foods: iron-fortified cereal, pureed meats, beans, lentils
- Introduce peanut and egg early and keep offering them
- One new food every couple of days; watch for reactions
- No honey before 1 year; no cow’s milk as a drink before 1 year
How do I know my baby is ready?
Around 6 months most babies can sit with support, hold their head steady, open their mouth for a spoon and have lost the tongue-thrust reflex. Breast milk or formula remains the main nutrition until 12 months.
What should the first foods be?
Iron stores drop around 6 months, so start with iron-rich foods: iron-fortified oat or multigrain cereal, pureed or soft meats, beans and lentils. Then add vegetables, fruits and grains in any order. Texture can move from smooth to mashed to soft finger foods over a few weeks.
How do I introduce allergens?
Research now shows early, regular exposure lowers allergy risk. Once your baby has tolerated a few first foods, offer peanut (as a thinned peanut butter or peanut puff, never whole nuts), egg, dairy, wheat, soy, fish and sesame. Offer at home in the morning, one new allergen at a time, and keep them in the diet a few times a week. If your baby has severe eczema or a known egg allergy, talk with us first.
What about choking?
- Sit upright, always supervised
- Avoid whole grapes, nuts, popcorn, hot dogs and hard raw vegetables until age 4
- Cut round foods lengthwise; soften hard foods
When to call us
- Hives, vomiting or swelling within two hours of a new food
- Refusing all solids by 8 months, or gagging that seems extreme
- Constipation after starting solids that does not improve with prunes, pears and water
Go to the emergency room or call 911 if…
- Trouble breathing, wheezing, or swelling of the lips, tongue or face after a food
- Widespread hives with vomiting or floppiness
Questions parents ask
Should I start with cereal or purees or baby-led weaning?
Any approach works if the food is iron-rich, textures are safe and your baby leads the pace. Many families mix spoon-feeding and soft finger foods.
Not sure? Ask us
Call or text the office during hours, or send a portal message. For emergencies call 911.
(770) 615-7000Trusted further reading
- HealthyChildren.org (opens in new tab)American Academy of Pediatrics