Between five and six months of age your baby will likely be ready to be introduced to solid foods along with continuing to nurse or drink formula. Whether your baby is ready to start solids depends on her and not on age or weight.

Babies have a tongue-thrusting reflex that make them automatically push food back out of their mouths if they are not ready to begin solids. Some signs of food readiness are: being able to accept a spoon and to swallow without choking. Your baby may also have an increase in demand to nurse or drink formula that is not related to being sick, and to changes in his daily routine or teething problems.

Other signs of readiness include being able to sit up on her own with some support, and being able to hold her head steady. Mouth and lip skills include being able to chew food, and having the ability to draw her lower lip in to keep food inside her mouth as you pull the spoon out, rather than pushing it back out onto her chin.

Your baby will probably give you clear signs that food is becoming interesting. He will try to grab foods from you and mouth them, will pick up food pieces and try to put them in his mouth, or lean forward toward food like a baby bird and open his mouth.

Don't Start Too Soon!

Sometimes parents make the mistake of forcing solid foods on their babies when they are still too immature because they think it will help to fatten the baby up (a dubious sign of cuteness), or that it will encourage a night-waking baby to sleep through.

Giving a baby solid food before four months of age can be risky. First, your baby's intestinal tract is still maturing and his body may react to foreign proteins by establishing allergies that can cause problems later. Second, your baby's kidneys are still primitive and may not be able to adequately remove excess waste products from foods such as meats. But most importantly, you may be trading off the valuable nutrients found in breastmilk or formula for less adequate foods at the very time when your baby's body needs maximum nourishment.