Somewhere between the baby-cereal aisle and the tenth article about iron, "doing solids right" can start to feel like an exam. It isn't. You don't need a perfect plan — mostly a little iron, most days, alongside the milk your baby already loves.
Why iron matters from around 6 months
Babies are born with a store of iron that, together with the iron in breastmilk and formula, carries them through roughly the first 6 months. After that, those stores naturally start to run down — and a growing baby's body, especially their fast-developing brain, needs more iron than milk alone now provides.
That's a big part of why solids start around the middle of the first year. The WHO, the AAP and Australia's Raising Children Network all point to around 6 months as the window to begin, once your baby shows they're ready: good head control, sitting with support, and showing interest in food.
Iron isn't about cramming in huge amounts. It's about offering iron-containing foods every day as part of normal meals.
Iron-rich first foods
You have lots of options, and both purees and soft finger foods count. Good sources of iron include:
- Iron-fortified baby cereal — often suggested as an easy daily starting point
- Meat and poultry — beef, lamb, chicken, well cooked and soft or pureed
- Fish — soft, boneless, well cooked
- Eggs — cooked through
- Legumes — lentils, chickpeas, beans, well cooked and mashed
- Tofu — soft and well mashed or in finger-sized pieces
| Food type | Easy ways to serve | Texture tip |
|---|---|---|
| Iron-fortified cereal | Mixed with breastmilk or formula | Start runny, thicken over time |
| Meat / chicken | Pureed, finely minced, soft strips | Moist, never stringy |
| Legumes | Mashed lentils, smooth hummus | Soft enough to squash on the gum |
| Egg | Scrambled soft, mashed hard-boiled | Cooked all the way through |
Pair iron with vitamin C
A simple trick that genuinely helps: serve iron-rich foods alongside vitamin C foods, which help the body absorb the iron — particularly the iron from plant foods like legumes and fortified cereal.
Vitamin C foods that suit babies include soft cooked or mashed broccoli, capsicum, tomato, kiwi, strawberry and citrus (offered safely as soft pieces or puree). So lentils with a little mashed tomato, or fortified cereal with mashed kiwi, are quietly doing more than they look.
| Stage | Amount |
|---|---|
| ~6 monthsOnce a day, building up | 1-2 tsp |
| 7-9 monthsAround 2-3 meals a day | 2-3 tbsp |
| 9-12 months3 meals plus snacks | Approx 1/4-1/2 cup |
These amounts are a starting picture, not a target to hit. Some days they'll eat heartily; some days barely a taste. Both are normal.
Milk keeps going
Starting solids does not mean winding milk down. Across the entire first year, breastmilk or formula stays your baby's main source of nutrition — solids are added around it, not instead of it. Offer milk feeds as usual and let food be the extra, exploratory part of the day.
A few safety notes worth keeping
A note on vitamin D and supplements: guidance varies by region and by whether your baby is breastfed, formula-fed, and how much sun exposure they get. The AAP recommends a daily vitamin D supplement for breastfed babies, while Australian advice depends on individual risk factors. Iron supplements are sometimes recommended too — but only on advice. Don't start any supplement on your own.
If you're worried about iron, a fussy eater, growth, or your baby seems pale or unusually tired, that's a conversation for your GP or child-health nurse — they can check in properly.
You're doing the right thing just by thinking about this. Offer iron most days, keep the milk flowing, and let the rest unfold gently.