Babies should have only breastmilk or infant formula until they’re ready for solids. This is around 6 months but not before 4 months.

Before starting solids, babies must be able to sit up with support and hold up their heads by themselves.

Offer first foods when babies start to look at your food, reach for it, or open their mouths when you offer it.

Try offering solids after a feed of breastmilk or formula, when you and your baby are happy and relaxed.

Offer 1-2 teaspoons of food to start with. Increase according to your baby’s appetite. It’s OK to mix different foods together.

First foods should be smooth or finely mashed to start, then roughly mashed, then chopped. All foods should be very soft. Keep feeding with breastmilk or formula until at least 12 months.

First foods should be rich in iron. Try iron-fortified cereal and cooked, minced meat, chicken, fish, tofu and legumes. From around 6 months, include foods that can trigger allergies, like cooked egg, peanut butter and wheat-based breads.

Along with iron-rich foods, include other healthy foods like vegetables, fruit, grains and dairy. For example, try pumpkin, broccoli, banana, apple, oats, rice, full-fat yoghurt and full-fat cheese. Cook vegies until soft.

Avoid honey, raw or runny eggs, foods containing raw eggs like home-made mayonnaise, reduced-fat dairy, whole nuts and similar hard foods. Avoid foods with a lot of fat, sugar or salt.