• Question: why cant babies eat solid food for a while

    Asked by ava and hibba!! on 24 Jan 2025.
    • Photo: Amanda Avery

      Amanda Avery answered on 24 Jan 2025:

      Yes the guidance is that solid foods should be given to babies when they are around 6 months old. this is because at around this age they have better ‘oral’ skills to cope with different textures, can sit up (with support) and so are less likely to choke and their digestive systems are more able to cope with different proteins. so lots of really important reasons.

Comments

  • Photo: Dr Iain Brownlee

    Dr Iain Brownlee commented on :

    As Amanda suggests, infants will become more able to chew and swallow food at around 6 months of age. They need to have working teeth to do this and have learned to avoid choking on food. Before then, breast milk provides all nutrients that the baby needs and provides further benefits to mental and physical development.
    Soft, then increasingly solid foods are introduced to the diet up until the point that the child is able to consume the same foods as the rest of the family (at about 2 years of age). This phase is referred to as “weaning” or “complementary feeding”. During this time, the wider range of foods included in the diet are complementary to breast milk or breast milk alternatives.