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Starting your baby on solid foods, and why

• As your baby grows he’ll start to need more nutrients, in particular iron. So after six months you’ll need to start combining the breastmillk you give him with solid foods.
• However, if you’ve been bottle feeding you may begin to introduce solid foods slightly earlier, at between four and six months.
• The Department of Health and Children state that solid foods should not be introduced before six months for exclusively breastfed babies and before 17 weeks for bottle fed babies.
• The early introduction of spoon-feeds before four months is not advisable. It’s important to wait until your baby has reached this age to reduce his risk of developing adverse reactions to foods and allergies.
• It’s been found that allergies are far more likely to start in children when they are fed solid foods at a young age. Their stomachs are still immature, and can easily become sensitive to foods that cause commonly allergies, such as milk and nuts.