First Foods Planner

Written by Cynthia Obinatu, community and editorial lead. Checked against published guidance from the National Health Service and the World Health Organization. Not yet reviewed by a clinician. Educational, not medical advice.

How this first foods planner works

The list has nine lines. The first checks that your baby shows the signs of being ready, and the rest are first foods to try and rules to follow, from soft cooked vegetables to what to leave out. Tick a line after your baby has tried the food or when you have done the step. The bar fills as you go. Your ticks save on this device and nothing is sent to us. Reset clears the list.

What your ticks mean

A full bar does not mean your baby has finished starting solids. It is a record of what your baby has tried, and it is not a timetable. The National Health Service (NHS) says to start solids when your baby is around 6 months old, and that your baby should show all three signs together: sitting up and holding their head steady, coordinating their eyes, hands and mouth so they can pick up food and put it in their mouth, and swallowing food rather than spitting it back out. It says to begin with a few pieces or teaspoons before a usual milk feed and not to worry about quantity at first, because the aim is to get used to new tastes and textures. Breast milk or infant formula should stay the main drink during the first year. The World Health Organization (WHO) also recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months, with solid foods added after that while breastfeeding continues.

What should I start feeding my baby at 6 months?

The NHS lists soft cooked vegetable sticks such as parsnip, broccoli, potato, yam, sweet potato and carrot, along with non-sweet choices like cauliflower and spinach, and fruit such as apple, pear, peach, melon and banana, with apple and pear cooked and with no sugar added. It lists meat, fish, fortified breakfast cereals, dark green vegetables, beans and lentils as iron-rich foods. This planner swaps in foods that are common on a Nigerian table: ugu, pawpaw, pap and moi moi. The NHS page does not discuss them, so keep to its rules: soft texture, no salt and no sugar.

When should you start baby-led weaning?

The NHS gives the same answer for baby-led weaning as for spoon feeding: around 6 months, once your baby shows all three signs. In baby-led weaning your baby feeds themselves from soft finger foods. The NHS says choking is different from gagging. Gagging is common while babies learn to manage solids, and the signs include watery eyes, the tongue pushed forward and retching. Seat your baby upright in a high chair with a harness, stay with your baby the whole time they eat, and avoid hard foods such as whole nuts or raw carrot and apple. Read the NHS page on choking so you know what to do. An infant first-aid course is worth taking, as the doctor box on this page also says.

Starting solids in Nigeria: pap, moi moi and what to leave out

Pap and moi moi are on this list. Make them plain and soft. The NHS says not to add sugar or salt to your baby's food or cooking water, so leave the sugar out of the pap and the salt and stock cube out of the moi moi. Offer them soft and mashed. Eggs are fine from about 6 months when cooked firm, and the NHS says foods that can cause allergies, such as peanuts, hens' eggs, gluten and fish, can be introduced from about 6 months, one at a time in small amounts, so that you can spot any reaction. The planner also says to avoid honey. The NHS says not to give a child honey until they are over 1 year old, because it can occasionally carry bacteria that cause infant botulism, a very serious illness. It also says to avoid stock cubes and gravy, and not to give whole nuts to children under 5. For a full guide to the first weeks of solids, read starting solids: first foods, made simple. To log what your baby eats and sleeps, use the feeding and sleep tracker.

Common questions

Where this comes from

• Your baby's first solid foods. National Health Service.
• Foods to avoid giving babies and young children. National Health Service.
• Infant and young child feeding. World Health Organization.

This page has not yet been reviewed by a clinician. It stands on the published guidance above, and we say so plainly rather than implying a review that has not happened. Read it alongside our medical policy.