Signs your baby is ready for solids
Three signs actually matter: your baby can sit upright with minimal support, they've lost the reflex that pushes food back out of their mouth, and they show real interest in food, reaching or leaning toward it. Age alone (the "6 months" number) is a guideline, not a readiness test on its own.
The three real signs
- Sitting with minimal support. Full independent sitting isn't required, but they should be stable enough in a high chair that swallowing is safe.
- Tongue-thrust reflex is gone. Earlier than this, food gets pushed straight back out. It's not rejection, it's reflex.
- Interest in food. Watching you eat, reaching for your plate, opening their mouth as the spoon approaches.
Signs that get mentioned but don't actually mean much
- Waking more at night. Sleep regressions happen for a dozen reasons unrelated to hunger.
- Chewing on fists. Usually teething, not a solids cue.
- Hitting exactly 6 months. A useful average, not an individual readiness marker. Some babies are ready at 5.5 months, others closer to 7.
If you're not sure
When in doubt, wait a week or two and try again. There's no downside to starting a little later, and pushing before the tongue-thrust reflex clears just means more spat-out purees and more frustration for both of you.
Once you've started
Solid Starts With Less Panic picks up exactly here, with the first two weeks mapped out meal by meal so you're not guessing what "starting" actually looks like on day one.