Starting solids
when, what, how
French guidelines have changed: no more strict order for introducing foods, and no more delaying the ones that can cause allergies. Here is what they say, with sources.
When to start?
From birth to 4 months: milk, and only milk, breast or bottle. Solids then start between 4 and 6 months, whenever suits you, at any meal, including in the evening. For a premature baby, ask for medical advice. After 6 full months, milk alone is no longer enough to meet their needs.
All food groups, in no set order
Santé publique France considers there is no particular order to follow between 4 and 6 months: vegetables, fruit, poultry, fish, meat, eggs, pulses, starchy foods, dairy. That does not mean giving everything at once:
- offer each new food on its own, unmixed, so your baby discovers its taste;
- once accepted, it can be mixed with others;
- vary foods across the week rather than on the same plate.
Pulses (lentils, chickpeas, dried beans) can be offered as a smooth purée from 4 to 6 months, as long as your child digests them well. And contrary to popular belief, fats should be added: a little raw oil (rapeseed, walnut, olive) or, now and then, some butter.
Allergenic foods, without waiting
This is the main change. Foods that can cause allergies (eggs, peanut, ground almonds or hazelnuts, gluten) can be offered between 4 and 6 months, like the others. Santé publique France puts it simply: the earlier children taste them, the more tolerance they develop.
Nuts are given only as powder: half a teaspoon of unsalted ground nuts (almond, walnut, hazelnut), mixed into a purée now and then.
What to avoid
- Honey before age 1: France's food safety agency (ANSES) advises against it to prevent infant botulism.
- Small, hard, round foods before age 5 (like a whole peanut): risk of choking. Cut soft round or oval foods in half and remove grape seeds.
- Salt: until age 3, don't salt home-made food or jars.
- Added sugar and fruit juice, even with no added sugar: the only essential drink is water.
- Plant-based drinks ("almond milk" and the like): they do not meet a baby's needs before age 1. Soy "milk" and soy-based products are not recommended before age 3.
Textures, step by step
| Age | Textures to offer |
|---|---|
| At first | Very smooth purées and compotes, on a spoon |
| From 6 to 8 months | Roughly mashed with a fork, purées with tiny pasta, semolina, small well-cooked pieces |
| From 8 months | Very soft pieces that crush between tongue and palate (banana) |
| From 10 months | Pieces to bite and chew |
Baby-led weaning, where pieces are offered straight away for your baby to pick up, is possible from around 6 months, once your child sits up well and brings food to their mouth. It is a supervised discovery: an adult stays close by and makes sure they swallow properly.
If they refuse
Don't insist, and never force: try again a few days later. A food often has to be offered several times, sometimes up to 10, before a child accepts it. There is no amount to reach: trust their appetite.
After a new food
Redness, spots, vomiting or diarrhoea after a food: write it down and talk to your doctor. Difficulty breathing, swelling of the face or lips, or collapse: call emergency services immediately (112 in Europe).
Sources
- Santé publique France, "Pas à pas, votre enfant mange comme un grand" (in French), a guide to starting solids based on the opinions of ANSES and the French High Council for Public Health.
- ANSES, botulism (in French): honey not recommended before age one.