Starting solids is one of those milestones where the advice is loudest and most frequently contradictory. Here's what the evidence actually shows.
The NHS recommends starting solids at around 6 months — not at 4 months, and not necessarily on your baby's 6-month birthday. The guidance is to watch for three signs appearing together:
1. Can sit with minimal support and hold their head steady.
2. Has lost the tongue thrust reflex (doesn't automatically push food out).
3. Shows genuine interest in food — reaching for it, watching you eat.
All three should be present. Some babies are ready at 5.5 months; some aren't ready until closer to 7 months. Starting before all three signs appear means the gut and motor system aren't quite ready.
The previous advice to avoid peanuts, eggs, and dairy in early weaning has been reversed. Current NHS guidance is that these allergens should be introduced early and regularly — because early introduction reduces the risk of allergy development.
This applies to all babies, including those with a family history of allergies — though if your baby has severe eczema or a known egg allergy, discuss peanut introduction with your GP first.
Baby-led weaning has strong advocates and reasonable evidence. So does traditional purée weaning. So does a combination approach — which is what most families end up doing anyway.
The research doesn't show a meaningful difference in outcomes between approaches. What matters more is texture progression — moving to lumpier textures by around 7–8 months regardless of approach, to support oral motor development. Babies who stay on smooth purées too long can develop aversions to lumpy food.
Many babies refuse most of what they're offered in the first 2–4 weeks. This is developmentally normal — eating is an entirely new skill. They are learning to move food around their mouths and manage new textures.
Milk remains the primary nutrition source until around 12 months. Weaning at 6 months is about introducing food and building variety. The pressure to 'get them eating well' in the first few weeks is not nutritionally necessary.
Gagging is a normal, protective reflex that is more active in babies than adults. A gagging baby is red-faced, making retching sounds, and actively working to move food forward. It looks frightening. It is not dangerous.
Choking is different. A choking baby is silent (because the airway is blocked), blue-faced, and unable to cough. This requires immediate intervention. A basic baby first aid course — covering choking specifically — is genuinely worth doing before you start weaning.