# Weaning Guide UK — When to Start, First Foods & BLW | Clever Mum > A practical UK weaning guide — the signs of readiness at around 6 months, first foods, baby-led weaning vs purées, allergens and the gear you actually need. * [ Home ](/) * › [ Baby ](/baby/) * › Weaning: When and How to Start Solid Foods Baby # Weaning: When and How to Start Solid Foods [ EW ](/authors/emma-whitfield/) By [ Emma Whitfield ](/authors/emma-whitfield/) · Pregnancy & Baby Writer Published 10 July 2026 · Updated 12 August 2026 Quick answer — When should I start weaning my baby? NHS guidance is to start weaning at around 6 months, when baby can sit upright with head control, coordinate hand-eye-mouth, and swallow food rather than push it back out. Start once a day with soft vegetables or fruit, move at baby’s pace, and introduce allergens one at a time from 6 months. Who should skip this Skip this if your baby is under 17 weeks — milk is enough. Skip it if a speech and language therapist, dietitian or neonatal team has already given you a feeding plan. This is NHS-general advice for well babies around 6 months. Start weaning at around 6 months, when three signs appear together: sitting upright with steady head control, coordinating hand-eye-mouth, and swallowing rather than tongue-thrusting food back out. Never start before 17 weeks. Milk stays the main nutrition source for months; first foods are practice plus iron. Baby-led, spoon-led or a mix are all fine if baby is upright, supervised, and the food is soft enough to squash between your finger and thumb. ## Who should skip this weaning guide? Skip this if your baby is under 17 weeks — milk is enough, and starting solids that early is not recommended. Skip it if your baby has a feeding plan from a speech and language therapist, dietitian or neonatal team: follow that plan. This page is NHS-general advice for well babies around 6 months, not a replacement for allergy-clinic instructions if you have already been given them. ## When should you start weaning in the UK? Around 6 months, and the age matters less than three signs of readiness appearing *together*. The NHS Start for Life weaning page is the source ([NHS — your baby's first solid foods](https://www.nhs.uk/weaning-and-feeding/babys-first-solid-foods/), checked 12 August 2026). * Baby can **stay sitting upright** with steady head control. * Baby can **coordinate eyes, hands and mouth** — look at food, grab it, bring it to their mouth. * Baby **swallows food** rather than reflexively pushing it back out with their tongue. Chewing fists, waking at night and wanting extra milk are *not* signs of readiness — they are normal baby behaviour. Starting before these signs (and never before 17 weeks) is not recommended; milk provides everything needed until around 6 months. If your baby was premature, ask your health visitor about corrected age. Many families wait until around 6 months corrected, with the same three signs. ## Is baby-led weaning better than purées? Neither is proven better. The evidence supports either method, or the mix most UK families actually do. What matters is progressing textures, offering iron-rich foods, and always supervising an upright, seated baby. See our [baby-led vs purées comparison](/baby/baby-led-weaning-vs-purees/) if you want the longer version. * **Traditional (spoon-led):** smooth purées progressing to mashed and lumpy textures. Do not linger on smooth purées; texture progression matters for chewing. * **Baby-led weaning (BLW):** baby self-feeds soft finger foods from the start — batons of steamed veg, banana, toast fingers. Expect mess and very little actually eaten at first. * **Combination:** spoon-fed breakfast, finger-food lunch. Completely fine. Whatever the method: **baby sits upright in a highchair, always supervised**, and food is soft enough to squash between your finger and thumb. A footrest on the highchair is not a luxury — stability helps chewing. Our [highchair guide](/best/best-highchairs-uk/) is the buying page if you do not have one yet. ## What first foods actually work? Start once a day, at a relaxed time, with single soft foods: broccoli florets, carrot batons, avocado, banana, pear, sweet potato. Vegetable-first (especially bitter veg) may improve acceptance later. "First foods" do not need to be bought pouches; mashed bits of your dinner without added salt are ideal. Offer from ~6 monthsHow to serveSkip untilSoft veg and fruitBatons or mash, no added salt—Eggs, meat, beans, fortified cerealFor iron — food before one is not *only* for fun—Smooth peanut butter, egg, dairy, wheat, fish, sesameOne allergen at a time, small amountWhole nuts: 5 yearsHoneyNever12 monthsAdded salt or sugarNever in the first year— **Skip:** honey before 12 months (botulism risk), added salt and sugar, whole nuts (choking — ground or as butter is fine), high-mercury fish (shark, swordfish, marlin), raw shellfish, rice drinks, and watch shapes: halve grapes lengthways, flatten blueberries ([NHS — foods to avoid](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/baby/weaning-and-feeding/foods-to-avoid-giving-babies-and-young-children/), checked 12 August 2026). ## When should you introduce allergens? Current NHS guidance is to introduce the major allergens — peanut (as smooth butter or puffs), egg, dairy, wheat, fish, sesame — **one at a time, from around 6 months**, in small amounts, so you can spot any reaction. Delaying allergens does not prevent allergy. For higher-risk babies (existing eczema or egg allergy), talk to your health visitor or GP first ([NHS — food allergies in babies](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/baby/weaning-and-feeding/food-allergies-in-babies-and-young-children/), checked 12 August 2026). Introduce at home, not at nursery, in the morning so you can watch. A bit of redness around the mouth from tomato or citrus is often irritation, not allergy. Hives, swelling, vomiting or breathing changes need urgent medical advice — call 999 if breathing is affected. ## What kit do you actually need? A wipeable highchair with a footrest, long-sleeved bibs, a floor mat (or a dog), soft-tipped spoons, and an open or free-flow cup from day one. Babies can sip from an open cup at 6 months, and it is better for teeth than valved sippy cups. Batch-freezing trays if you are making purées. Everything else — food processors "for baby", branded weaning systems, powdered baby rice — is optional at best. ## What should you do when baby eats almost nothing? Keep offering. Milk remains the main nutrition source for months. Some days baby will eat three florets and throw the rest. That is weaning going *well*, not failing. Iron matters from 6 months — hence eggs, meat, beans, fortified cereals — but volume does not. Offer, do not pressure, and eat with them so they see food as a family activity rather than a performance. If you want a single next action: pick one vegetable, one iron food and one allergen for this week, sit baby upright, and ignore the rest of the aisle. ## Which gear is worth getting right? Shortlists we actually research — rankings can't be bought, and every pick links to retailers we've verified. [ Best-of guide ### Best Highchairs UK — For Weaning & Beyond The best highchairs in the UK for weaning and beyond — adjustable wooden chairs, reclining all-rounders and budget picks compared, with NHS weaning-readiness guidance. 6 picks compared ](/best/best-highchairs-uk/)[ Best-of guide ### Best Baby Bottles & Teethers UK The best baby bottles and teething toys in the UK — anti-colic bottles that actually reduce wind, and the teethers parents reorder for every baby after the first. 6 picks compared ](/best/best-baby-bottles-teethers-uk/) ## What questions come up most? When should I start weaning my baby? At around 6 months, when three signs appear together: sitting upright with head control, coordinating hand-eye-mouth to bring food to their mouth, and swallowing rather than tongue-thrusting food back out. Never before 17 weeks. Is baby-led weaning better than purées? Neither is proven better. Baby-led weaning builds self-feeding early; spoon-fed purées let you track intake. Most UK families combine both. What matters is progressing textures, offering variety and always supervising an upright, seated baby. When can babies have peanut butter? From around 6 months, as smooth peanut butter (never whole nuts), introduced on its own in a small amount so a reaction is easy to spot. If your baby has eczema or an existing food allergy, speak to your GP or health visitor before introducing peanut. What foods should babies avoid? Honey before 12 months; added salt and sugar; whole nuts; high-mercury fish (shark, swordfish, marlin); raw shellfish; rice drinks; and choking-shaped foods — halve grapes lengthways and squash blueberries. ## Sources & further reading * [ Your baby's first solid foods ](https://www.nhs.uk/weaning-and-feeding/babys-first-solid-foods/) — NHS Start for Life * [ Food allergies in babies and young children ](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/baby/weaning-and-feeding/food-allergies-in-babies-and-young-children/) — NHS * [ Foods to avoid giving babies and young children ](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/baby/weaning-and-feeding/foods-to-avoid-giving-babies-and-young-children/) — NHS ## On this page * [ 1 Who should skip this weaning guide? ](#who-should-skip-this-weaning-guide) * [ 2 When should you start weaning in the UK? ](#when-should-you-start-weaning-in-the-uk) * [ 3 Is baby-led weaning better than purées? ](#is-baby-led-weaning-better-than-pures) * [ 4 What first foods actually work? ](#what-first-foods-actually-work) * [ 5 When should you introduce allergens? ](#when-should-you-introduce-allergens) * [ 6 What kit do you actually need? ](#what-kit-do-you-actually-need) * [ 7 What should you do when baby eats almost nothing? ](#what-should-you-do-when-baby-eats-almost-nothing) ## At a glance Start Around 6 months, 3 signs together Never before 17 weeks Allergens One at a time, from 6 months No honey Before 12 months Cups Open/free-flow from 6 months Our promise Health-adjacent points cite NHS or equivalent guidance. This article is general information, not medical advice — see our [editorial policy](/editorial-policy/). ## Keep reading [ Baby ### Baby-Led Weaning vs Purées: Which Is Right for Your Baby? An honest comparison of baby-led weaning and traditional spoon-fed purées, including the NHS choking-vs-gagging distinction and how most UK families combine both. ](/baby/baby-led-weaning-vs-purees/)[ Baby ### Breastfeeding vs Formula Feeding: A Balanced UK Comparison A balanced, judgement-free UK comparison of breastfeeding and formula feeding — what the NHS says, real trade-offs, and combination feeding. ](/baby/breastfeeding-vs-formula-feeding-comparison/)