Baby · Planner
Starting solids planner
Start solids calmly, with foods your family already cooks. Know the signs that your baby is ready, what to start with, what to leave out, and how to try one new food at a time.
Download the PDF (A4, 2 pages)Open to print
Use it with: Starting solids planner tool · When can my baby start solids, and what comes first?
Not yet reviewed by a clinician. We're arranging a clinical review; until then, check anything about your child's health with your doctor or the Child Health Booklet. This planner gives general guidance from HealthHub; it does not diagnose. Talk to your doctor if you have any concerns.
1When to start
- HealthHub (Health Promotion Board): “You should start introducing baby weaning foods after your baby is 6 months of age.” Your baby's readiness signs matter more than an exact date.
- Milk stays your baby's main food at first. Solids add to milk feeds; they do not replace them.
- Some babies, for example those with slow growth, are started at a different time on a doctor's or dietitian's advice.
2Signs your baby may be ready
- Sits up well with some support and holds the head steady
- Watches you eat and shows interest in your food
- Wants to chew, or puts toys and hands in the mouth
- Opens the mouth for a spoon and closes the lips around it
- Still seems hungry after a full milk feed
Baby keeps pushing food out with the tongue? Many babies just need more time. Wait about a week, then try again.
Local first foods
- Iron-fortified plain rice cereal or smooth rice porridge, mixed with baby's usual milk
- Porridge blended with pumpkin, sweet potato or carrot
- Soft, smooth fruit and vegetable purees
- From about 6 to 7 months, protein foods such as steamed fish (every bone removed), minced chicken or soft tofu
Leave out for now
- Honey
- Added salt, sugar and seasonings such as soy sauce; no salt before 12 months
- Sugary drinks, and cow's milk as a drink before 12 months
- Choking risks: whole nuts, raisins, whole grapes, hard raw carrot or apple, sticky rice, fish with bones
3How to start
- Begin with a teaspoon or two, once a day, smooth and slightly thicker than milk.
- Try one new food every 3 to 4 days, so you can tell which food caused any reaction.
- Move to thicker, lumpier textures from about 7 to 9 months, and mashed or chopped food by 10 to 12 months.
- Always sit baby upright and stay with them while they eat.
Baby · Planner
Our first two weeks of solids
One new food every 3 to 4 days, the same food in between. The ideas column is a starting point; swap in what your family cooks. Grandparents and helpers can fill in the rest.
| Day | Food idea | Date | How it went | Anything unusual |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | New: rice cereal or smooth rice porridge | LikedUnsure | ||
| Day 2 | Same as day 1 | LikedUnsure | ||
| Day 3 | Same as day 1 | LikedUnsure | ||
| Day 4 | New: porridge with pumpkin | LikedUnsure | ||
| Day 5 | Same as day 4 | LikedUnsure | ||
| Day 6 | Same as day 4 | LikedUnsure | ||
| Day 7 | Same as day 4 | LikedUnsure | ||
| Day 8 | New: porridge with sweet potato | LikedUnsure | ||
| Day 9 | Same as day 8 | LikedUnsure | ||
| Day 10 | Same as day 8 | LikedUnsure | ||
| Day 11 | New: porridge with carrot | LikedUnsure | ||
| Day 12 | Same as day 11 | LikedUnsure | ||
| Day 13 | Same as day 11 | LikedUnsure | ||
| Day 14 | A favourite so far | LikedUnsure |
1Watch for these after a new food
HealthHub lists hives, worse eczema, swelling of the face or mouth, vomiting and watery stools. Stop that food and see your doctor promptly. If your baby has trouble breathing or faints, call 995.
A guide, not a rule. Every baby goes at their own pace; there is no need to finish a whole portion or follow the order above. This sheet is not medical advice and does not diagnose. Keep it on the fridge and share it with everyone who feeds your baby.
Sources: HealthHub (Health Promotion Board, with KK Women's and Children's Hospital), Getting Your Baby Started on Solids, healthhub.sg/well-being-and-lifestyle/food-diet-and-nutrition/getting-baby-started-on-solids; HealthHub (Health Promotion Board), Getting ready for solids, healthhub.sg/well-being-and-lifestyle/pregnancy-and-infant-health/baby-getting-ready-for-solids; HealthHub (Health Promotion Board), Ready, Steady, Wean! Why, When and How to Move Your Baby onto Solids, healthhub.sg/well-being-and-lifestyle/food-diet-and-nutrition/ready-steady-wean-how-to-move-baby-onto-solids. All checked 10 October 2026.
Updated 12 October 2026. Print on A4, portrait, black and white is fine. Stick page 2 on the fridge so every carer fills in the same tracker.