Starting solids: NHMRC guidance
Starting solid foods is one of the biggest milestones in your baby's first year. In Australia, the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) provides the authoritative evidence-based guidance on when and how to begin. This article summarises what the NHMRC Infant Feeding Guidelines recommend, how ASCIA's allergen guidance applies to Australian families, and where to find support. Your Maternal and Child Health nurse or GP can apply this guidance to your individual baby.
When to start: NHMRC guidance on timing
The NHMRC recommends introducing solid foods at around 6 months of age, alongside continued breast milk or infant formula. Introducing solids before 4 months of age is not recommended because a baby's digestive system and kidneys are not yet mature enough to handle foods other than milk, and there are concerns about increased risk of infections, obesity, and coeliac disease if solids are started too early.
At the same time, there is no benefit to delaying beyond 6 months once your baby shows signs of developmental readiness. The NHMRC notes that waiting significantly beyond 6 months may make it harder to meet your baby's growing iron needs from milk alone.
Signs that your baby is developmentally ready for solids usually appear together around 6 months:
- Sitting upright with good head and neck control. Your baby needs to be able to hold their head steady while sitting, either supported or independently.
- Reaching and grasping food. They can coordinate looking at something, reaching for it, and bringing it to their mouth.
- Swallowing rather than pushing food back out. Young babies have a tongue-thrust reflex that naturally pushes objects out of the mouth. When this fades, swallowing soft food becomes possible.
Behaviours sometimes mistaken for readiness include chewing fists, watching you eat with interest, or waking more in the night. The NHMRC notes these are not reliable signs on their own. All three readiness signs should be present before you start. If you are unsure, your Maternal and Child Health nurse is the best first port of call.
If your baby was born prematurely, speak with your GP or paediatrician before introducing solids. The right timing may differ based on your baby's corrected age and individual development.
First foods: what NHMRC and Healthdirect recommend
The NHMRC places particular emphasis on iron-rich foods as first foods. This is especially important for breastfed babies, whose stores of iron built up during pregnancy begin to deplete from around 6 months. Without adequate iron from food, there is a risk of iron deficiency, which can affect development.
Good iron-rich first foods recommended by the NHMRC and Healthdirect Australia include:
- Pureed or minced meat such as beef, chicken, and lamb. Meat contains haem iron, which the body absorbs efficiently.
- Cooked and pureed legumes such as lentils, chickpeas, and kidney beans. These are excellent for vegetarian and vegan families and are widely available in Australia.
- Iron-fortified infant cereals mixed with breast milk or formula. Look for rice, oat, or mixed-grain cereals fortified with iron.
- Pureed or mashed tofu. A good plant-based source of iron that also provides protein.
Alongside iron-rich foods, you can broaden your baby's diet to include pureed or mashed vegetables and fruit. Australian families often start with soft vegetables like sweet potato, pumpkin, peas, and zucchini, as well as fruit such as avocado, banana, pear, and cooked apple. Avocado is particularly popular as an early food: it is rich in healthy fats, has a naturally smooth texture, and requires no cooking.
It is fine to offer a variety of vegetables, fruits, and protein sources from the start rather than working through them one at a time. Introducing a wide variety of flavours early is associated with less fussy eating later. You do not need to restrict foods to a single new food per week unless your baby has a known allergy risk that a health professional has asked you to manage carefully.
When you start, offer tiny amounts (one to two teaspoons) once a day. Gradually increase the amount and frequency over the weeks following your baby's lead. At first, food is about exploration and learning rather than nutrition. Breast milk or formula remains your baby's main source of nutrition through to 12 months.
Allergen introduction: ASCIA guidelines
One of the most important things to know as an Australian parent is that guidance on allergenic foods has changed significantly over the past decade, and Australian guidelines are among the most evidence-based in the world on this topic.
The Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA) recommends introducing all common allergenic foods early, at around 6 months, and continuing to offer them regularly. This guidance applies to all babies, including those with mild to moderate eczema. Avoiding or delaying allergenic foods does not reduce the risk of allergy and may actually increase it.
The common food allergens to introduce include:
- Peanut (as smooth peanut butter thinned with water or breast milk; never whole peanuts)
- Cooked egg (well-cooked scrambled egg, hard-boiled egg mashed, or egg mixed into another food)
- Cow's milk (in foods such as yoghurt, cheese, or in cooking; not as a main drink before 12 months)
- Tree nuts (as smooth nut butters or finely ground; never whole or in pieces)
- Wheat (bread, pasta, or cooked wheat-based cereals)
- Soy (tofu, soy-based foods)
- Fish (flaked, boneless, well-cooked fish)
- Sesame (tahini thinned with water, sesame-containing foods)
The evidence behind ASCIA's guidance comes from landmark clinical research, including the LEAP (Learning Early About Peanut allergy) and EAT (Enquiring About Tolerance) studies. These studies showed that early, regular exposure to peanut and other allergens in babies at risk of allergy significantly reduced the chance of developing a food allergy.
ASCIA recommends introducing one new allergenic food at a time so you can identify any reaction. Wait two to three days before introducing the next new allergen. If a food is tolerated, keep offering it regularly, ideally two to three times a week. Stopping and restarting allergenic foods after a gap increases the risk of sensitisation.
Signs of a mild allergic reaction can include skin redness, hives, swelling around the mouth, or a runny nose. Mild reactions can be managed by speaking with your GP. Call 000 immediately if your baby shows any sign of anaphylaxis: difficulty breathing, swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, becoming pale and floppy, or losing consciousness. If your baby has been prescribed an adrenaline auto-injector, use it as directed.
If your baby already has a diagnosed food allergy, has severe eczema, or has previously had an allergic reaction, speak with your GP or a paediatric allergist before introducing allergenic foods at home. They may recommend a supervised introduction in a clinical setting.
Foods to avoid in the first year
The NHMRC and Healthdirect Australia are clear about foods that should not be given to babies under 12 months:
- Honey. Honey can contain spores of Clostridium botulinum, which causes infant botulism in babies under 12 months. This includes cooked honey in baked goods. Avoid completely until after the first birthday.
- Added salt. Babies' kidneys cannot process salt the way adult kidneys can. Do not add salt to food, and avoid salty processed foods, stock cubes, and soy sauce. Healthdirect advises cooking family food separately before adding salt for adults.
- Added sugar. Sugar provides no nutritional benefit to babies and encourages a preference for sweet foods. Avoid adding sugar to food and offering sweetened drinks.
- Cow's milk as a main drink. Cow's milk is not suitable as a baby's primary drink before 12 months because it does not provide the right nutrition for a baby's needs. It can be used in cooking and in foods such as yoghurt and cheese from around 6 months.
- Vegemite. Vegemite is an Australian staple, but it is very high in sodium and is not suitable for babies under 12 months. Even after 12 months, only a very thin scraping should be offered occasionally rather than as a regular part of the diet.
- Whole nuts and hard raw pieces. Whole or roughly chopped nuts, raw carrot sticks, raw apple pieces, and whole grapes are choking hazards. Always offer nuts as smooth nut butters and cut grapes lengthways into quarters.
- Low-fat or reduced-fat foods. Babies need fat for brain development and energy. Offer full-fat dairy products and do not give reduced-fat versions unless specifically recommended by a health professional.
- Tea, coffee, and sugary drinks. These have no place in a baby's diet. Water and breast milk or formula are the only appropriate drinks before 12 months.
Breastfeeding alongside solids
The NHMRC recommends exclusive breastfeeding to around 6 months and continuing to breastfeed alongside solid foods until at least 12 months and beyond if mother and baby wish. When you start introducing solids, breast milk or formula remains the most important source of nutrition in your baby's diet. Food at this stage is in addition to milk, not a replacement for it.
A practical approach is to offer a breastfeed or formula feed first, then offer solids 30 minutes to an hour later once your baby's hunger edge has been taken off. As your baby gets older and more experienced with solids, they will naturally increase the amount of food they eat and the balance will gradually shift. By 12 months, most babies are having three meals per day alongside family snacks, with breast milk or formula as a complementary drink rather than a primary food source.
If you are formula feeding or combination feeding, continue with formula as your baby's main milk drink until 12 months. Do not switch to cow's milk as a main drink before this point. Toddler milks and growing-up milks are not recommended by the NHMRC and are not necessary for healthy development in the second year of life.
If you are not breastfeeding, standard infant formula remains appropriate until 12 months. There is no evidence that switching to follow-on formula provides additional benefit.
Textures and progression
Texture progression is important for your baby's development. Moving through different textures helps develop the oral motor skills your baby will need for speech and chewing, and it reduces the risk of fussy eating later in childhood. The NHMRC and Healthdirect outline a typical progression:
- Around 6 months: smooth purees, mashes, and soft lumps, or soft finger foods appropriate to your baby's ability. Both the traditional puree approach and baby-led weaning (finger foods from the start) are compatible with NHMRC guidance when started at 6 months.
- Around 7 to 8 months: lumpier mashes, minced food, and soft finger foods that your baby can pick up and manage. Introduce more texture deliberately rather than keeping everything smooth. Babies who are exposed to lumps before 9 months tend to accept a wider range of foods and textures later.
- Around 9 to 12 months: chopped soft foods, more varied finger foods, and foods from the family meal with modifications such as leaving out salt and cutting into appropriate sizes.
- By 12 months: your baby can eat most family foods with modifications for safety. They can join in family mealtimes and eat a wide variety of soft-cooked and appropriately cut foods.
Baby-led weaning is popular among Australian families and is compatible with NHMRC guidance when introduced at around 6 months. With BLW, you offer soft finger foods from the very first meal and let your baby self-feed. If you choose this approach, ensure foods are the right shape (roughly the size and length of your index finger), always soft enough to squash between your fingers, and never pose a choking risk. Gagging is normal and different from choking: always supervise your baby at every meal regardless of approach.
Many families combine spoon-feeding and finger foods, offering a mix at each meal. There is no single right approach. What matters is moving toward lumpier textures and a wide variety of flavours over the months following your baby's lead.
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Start freeWhere to find Australian support
Australia has excellent free support services for parents navigating the start of solids:
- Healthdirect Australia: 1800 022 222. Free 24-hour, 7-day telephone health advice from a registered nurse. Available from anywhere in Australia.
- Maternal and Child Health (MCH) nurses. MCH nurses provide scheduled home and clinic visits in the first two years of your baby's life and are an excellent resource for feeding questions. Contact your local council to find your nearest MCH service.
- State health departments. NSW Health, VIC Health, Queensland Health, SA Health, WA Health, and equivalents in other states all publish free resources for parents aligned with NHMRC guidance.
- ASCIA patient resources. The Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy publishes free guides for parents on introducing allergenic foods, available at allergy.org.au.
- GP or paediatric dietitian referral. If your baby has complex feeding needs, a known allergy, prematurity, or developmental concerns, ask your GP for a referral to a paediatric dietitian or your local child health service.
- Raising Children Network (raisingchildren.net.au). An Australian Government-funded resource with evidence-based information on feeding, development, and child health.
Frequently asked questions
When should Australian babies start solid foods?
The NHMRC recommends introducing solid foods at around 6 months of age, alongside breast milk or infant formula. Solids should not be introduced before 4 months. There is no need to rush: starting at around 6 months is the evidence-based recommendation for most babies. If your baby was born prematurely, speak with your Maternal and Child Health nurse or GP before introducing solids.
What are the best first foods for Australian babies?
The NHMRC and Healthdirect Australia recommend starting with iron-rich foods: pureed or mashed meat (such as chicken, beef, or lamb), cooked and pureed legumes (such as lentils and chickpeas), and iron-fortified infant cereals. You can then broaden out to pureed or mashed vegetables and fruit. Avocado is a nutritious and easy first food popular with Australian families due to its naturally smooth texture and healthy fat content.
Do I need to avoid allergens when starting solids?
No. The ASCIA guidelines recommend introducing common allergenic foods early, around 6 months, and continuing to offer them regularly. Avoiding allergenic foods does not reduce allergy risk and may actually increase it. The eight common allergens (peanut, egg, cow's milk, tree nuts, wheat, soy, fish, and sesame) should all be introduced at around 6 months as part of a varied diet. If your baby already has severe eczema or a known food allergy, speak with your GP or allergy specialist before introducing allergenic foods.
Can I give my baby Vegemite?
Vegemite is very high in salt and is not suitable for babies under 12 months. The NHMRC recommends no added salt in food for babies in the first year of life. Once your baby turns 12 months, a very thin scraping may be offered occasionally, but it should not become a regular part of their diet given its high sodium content.
Where can I get help with starting solids in Australia?
Contact Healthdirect Australia on 1800 022 222 (24 hours, 7 days) for free health advice from a registered nurse. Your Maternal and Child Health (MCH) nurse is another excellent first point of contact. State health departments including NSW Health, VIC Health, and Queensland Health all publish free resources aligned with NHMRC guidance. Your GP can provide a referral to a paediatric dietitian if your baby has complex feeding needs.