Starting solids: the Australian guidelines

Starting solids is one of the first decisions that feels bigger than it is. There are a few things that genuinely matter and a great deal that does not. Here is the Australian version, cleared of the noise.

When to start

The NHMRC Infant Feeding Guidelines recommend starting solids at around six months — not before four months and not long after six months. The six-month point is a developmental window, not a calendar date. What you are looking for are signs the baby is ready to learn, not the expiry of a timer.

Readiness signs

• Sits with support and holds their head steady.
• Reaches for food and brings it toward their mouth.
• Looks at what you are eating with interest.
• The tongue-thrust reflex, which pushes food out, has faded.

What to start with

Iron. This is the one thing that matters more than the order, the brand, or the method.

Breastmilk and formula drop off in iron concentration from around six months, and the baby's own iron stores begin to run down. Iron-rich first foods — iron-fortified baby cereal, pureed or soft-cooked meat, well-cooked legumes, iron-fortified rusks — should feature from day one of solids, not at some later stage.

Allergens — introduce early, not late

This is one of the biggest Australian changes of the last fifteen years. The Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA) now recommends introducing common allergenic foods in the first year, not delaying them.

The nine high-allergen foods to introduce before the first birthday are: egg, peanut, tree nuts (in safe form — never whole), cow's milk dairy (yoghurt, cheese — not cow's milk as a drink), wheat, soy, sesame, fish, and shellfish.

Early introduction, done calmly and in a small amount first, reduces the likelihood of food allergy — particularly for peanut and egg. The old 'wait until 12 months' advice is no longer current.

Purees, baby-led weaning, or both

The Australian paediatric position is that both approaches are safe and appropriate if certain safety fundamentals are met. A blended approach — some spoon-feeding of iron-rich purees, some self-feeding of soft finger foods — is what most Australian families actually do.

Safety non-negotiables, whichever approach

1. 1Baby sits upright, supported, for every meal.
2. 2You are present and watching, not multitasking.
3. 3Foods that are round, hard, and the size of an airway (whole grapes, whole nuts, raw carrot sticks) are not offered. Grapes are quartered lengthways. Nuts are offered as smooth paste thinned with milk or yoghurt.
4. 4Learn the difference between gagging and choking. Gagging is loud and protective. Choking is silent and needs immediate action.
5. 5Take a baby first-aid course if you have not already. It is the best investment in this whole chapter.

What to skip

• Honey before 12 months — infant botulism risk.
• Cow's milk as the main drink before 12 months — breastmilk or formula remain primary.
• Added salt or sugar — their kidneys do not handle salt well, and added sugar is just a missed opportunity.
• Low-fat dairy — full-fat is appropriate for under-twos.
• Whole nuts, popcorn, chunks of raw apple, whole sausages — choking risks.

How much, how often

At six months, one meal a day is plenty. By eight months, around three meals a day plus breast/formula feeds. The calories still come largely from milk in the first few months of solids — the solids are teaching the system to eat, not replacing milk as the fuel.

Your baby may eat three teaspoons and call it done. That is fine. Your baby may eat a small meal's worth. Also fine. Their appetite regulation is the most reliable signal in the room.