Starting solids is one of those milestones so many parents look forward to, but I know from chatting to lots of you at events like The Baby Show that it can bring up plenty of worries too. Is my baby ready, what do I need to buy, what if they gag and where on earth do I even start when it comes to weaning? A little bit of preparation in the weeks before that first mouthful of food can make a huge difference to how confident parents feel. I’m all about boosting parents confidence, so I wanted to share a few of the things I always suggest parents think about before weaning begins.
 

1. Look for the signs of readiness

In the UK the advice is to start introducing solid foods at “around six months” of age, because this is when most babies are developmentally ready for food. Rather than just counting down the days however, I encourage parents to watch for the signs that their baby is actually ready. These include:

• Being able to sit up and hold their head and neck steady
• Being able to see food pick it up and bring it to the mouths by themselves
• Swallowing food rather than pushing it all back out with their tongue

Seeing these three signs all together at around about six months of age is likely to indicate that your baby is ready to start their journey onto solid foods.
 

2. The equipment that you actually need

There is a huge amount of weaning gadgets out there, but it's important you know that you don't really need a huge amount to get started with weaning. The one thing I prioritise is a good highchair that keeps your baby sitting upright, ideally with a footrest so their feet are supported and a removable tray, so you can bring them to the table early on. This makes a really big difference to how your baby can manage food and be a part of your meal times too. Alongside that your baby needs a few soft spoons an open or free flow cup for sips of water with meals, some long sleeve bibs, and a soft bowl that won't break if it's thrown on the floor (it probably will be). The Baby Show is full of some incredible weaning brands - you can get steamer blenders, baby foods and fancy plates – you name it. These can be handy for families but they're not all essential...a lot of what you actually need is likely to already be in your kitchen.
 

3. Get to understand gagging

Gagging is one of the biggest worries I hear about from parents during weaning, and it's very common in the early weeks as babies learn to move food around in their mouths. It's important to know that gagging is normal and, actually a protective reflex, but it can look quite dramatic and feel scary for parents. Knowing what to expect and how gagging differs from choking will help you to stay calm at the table. I cover this in my talk at The Baby Show and I also always recommend that parents or carers do a baby first aid course before they start their weaning journey, as it can give parents so much more confidence.
 

4. Plan your first couple of weeks

You don't need a rigid plan, but it can help to think about which foods you'll start with and what time of day works best for you and your family. I'm a big fan of starting weaning with vegetables, especially the more savoury, bitter green ones and in my talk I share exactly why and how I go about doing this. I also have a step-by-step guide in my weaning book How to Wean your Baby, which talks you through exactly how to approach the first 30 days of your weaning journey.

Try to go into weaning with realistic expectations in the early days, a lot of the food baby eats will end up on the floor, milk is still providing most of your baby's nutrition and this first stage is just about exploring and getting your baby used to new tastes and textures. Try not to overthink it or panic if it is not going exactly to plan.

If you'd like to hear more including how to move through textures, what a balance plate looks like for baby and some of the most common weaning myths do come along to my Weaning Mini Master Class at The Baby Show, where I'll be answering your questions live.