Best Foods for Babies Aged 6 to 12 Months: What to Feed and When

Quick answer: Start solids at around 6 months, never before 4 months (17 weeks). Begin with soft cooked vegetables, ripe fruit, soft grains and mashed lentils, moving from purees to mashed food at 7–8 months and chopped family foods by 9–12 months. Include iron-rich foods, and avoid honey, salt, added sugar, whole nuts and cow's milk as a main drink under 12 months.

What parents need to know

Starting solid foods is one of the most exciting, and daunting, milestones of the first year. When should you start? What should you give first? What do you need to avoid? This guide gives you the answers, in line with current NHS guidance.

When to start: around 6 months

The NHS recommends starting solid foods at around 6 months — not before 4 months (17 weeks). Most babies show signs of readiness at around 6 months, including:

• Being able to sit up with minimal support and hold their head steady
• Swallowing food (rather than spitting it back out)
• Coordinating eyes, hands, and mouth (picking up food and putting it in their mouth)

Waking in the night more, chewing fists, or seeming unsatisfied after milk feeds are not reliable signs of readiness and don't mean your baby is ready for solids early.

First foods: simple and nutritious

The best first foods are soft, easy to manage, and nutritious. Good starting options include:

• Soft cooked vegetables: sweet potato, carrot, parsnip, butternut squash, broccoli, peas
• Soft ripe fruit: banana, avocado, mango, pear, cooked apple
• Soft cooked grains: baby rice (mixed with your baby's usual milk), porridge
• Well-cooked, mashed legumes: lentils, chickpeas

There's no set order you need to follow. Start with vegetables, fruit, or both, whatever feels right to you.

Texture progression

As your baby gets more confident, you can gradually increase texture:

• 6 months: Smooth purees, or soft finger foods if doing baby-led weaning
• 7–8 months: Mashed or minced food with soft lumps
• 9–12 months: Chopped family foods, soft finger foods, progressing towards a wider variety

Important foods to include

From 6 months, some nutrients become especially important:

• Iron: Babies' iron stores from birth deplete around 6 months. Include iron-rich foods like red meat, lentils, fortified cereals, and dark leafy greens. Vitamin C alongside helps absorption.
• Protein: Meat, fish, eggs, pulses, and dairy all count.
• Omega-3 fats: Oily fish (salmon, mackerel, sardines). Aim for 1–2 portions a week.

Foods to avoid under 12 months

• Honey – Risk of botulism
• Whole cow's milk as a main drink – Fine in cooking and with food, but breast or formula milk should remain the main drink until 12 months
• Salt – Babies' kidneys cannot process it; avoid adding any salt to baby food and check labels on any adult foods
• Added sugar – Avoid sugary foods and drinks, including fruit juice under 12 months
• Whole nuts – Choking hazard; crushed or ground nuts are fine, and nut butter is fine spread onto food such as toast, but never on its own
• Raw shellfish – Risk of food poisoning
• Certain fish – Avoid shark, swordfish, and marlin due to high mercury content
• Low-fat products – Babies need healthy fats; always use full-fat versions
• Whole grapes and other small, round foods – Choking hazard; cut grapes and cherry tomatoes into quarters
• Eggs without the red lion mark, unless cooked solid. Hens' eggs without the red lion (British Lion Quality) mark, and duck, goose or quail eggs, should be cooked until both the white and yolk are solid.
• Mould-ripened and unpasteurised cheeses – Risk of listeria; avoid brie, camembert, ripened goats' milk cheese, soft blue-veined cheese and cheese made from unpasteurised milk, unless cooked in a recipe
• Rice drinks. Not as a substitute for breast milk or formula, as they may contain too much arsenic.

Drinks alongside food

Continue breast milk or formula as your baby's main drink throughout the first year. Water can be offered alongside meals from 6 months. Avoid fruit juices, squash, and sugary drinks.

Allergens: introduce early

Current NHS and NICE guidance recommends introducing common allergens early (from around 6 months, not after 12 months). This includes peanuts, eggs, dairy, wheat, fish, and sesame. Introduce one at a time, in very small amounts, and watch for reactions. If your baby already has a diagnosed food allergy or eczema, or you have a family history of food allergies, eczema, asthma or hay fever, talk to your GP or health visitor first. Call 999 if you think your baby is having a severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis), for example if their lips, mouth, throat or tongue suddenly swell, they are breathing very fast or struggling to breathe, or they are limp, floppy or not responding like they normally do. See our separate guide on allergen introduction for more detail.

Milk feeds during weaning

Solids complement milk feeds, not replace them. Your baby still needs breast milk or formula as their main source of nutrition through the first year. As solids increase, milk intake will naturally decrease.

Frequently asked questions

When can babies start solid foods in the UK?

The NHS recommends starting at around 6 months, and never before 4 months (17 weeks). Look for readiness signs: sitting up with minimal support, holding the head steady, coordinating eyes, hands and mouth, and swallowing food rather than spitting it back out.

Which foods should babies avoid under 12 months?

Avoid honey, whole cow's milk as a main drink, salt, added sugar including fruit juice, whole nuts, raw shellfish, shark, swordfish and marlin, low-fat products, eggs without the red lion mark unless the white and yolk are cooked solid, mould-ripened or unpasteurised cheese, and rice drinks. Cut grapes and other small, round foods into quarters. Nut butter spread onto food such as toast is fine (never on its own), and cow's milk can be used in cooking.

When should allergens be introduced to babies?

NHS and NICE guidance recommends introducing common allergens early, from around 6 months and not after 12 months. This includes peanuts, eggs, dairy, wheat, fish and sesame. Introduce one at a time, in very small amounts, and watch for reactions. If your baby already has a diagnosed food allergy or eczema, or you have a family history of food allergies, eczema, asthma or hay fever, talk to your GP or health visitor first. If you think your baby is having a severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis), call 999.

Should milk feeds continue once weaning starts?

Yes. Solids complement milk feeds rather than replacing them. Breast milk or formula remains your baby's main source of nutrition through the first year, and milk intake naturally decreases as solids increase.