6 Month Baby Food: First Foods, Chart and Recipes

The best 6 month baby food is simple, soft and home-cooked: mashed vegetables, soft fruits, well-cooked dal and rice, and smooth millet porridge, offered in small amounts once or twice a day. Breast milk or formula stays your baby’s main food at this age. Solids are for learning tastes, textures and getting extra iron and energy.

This guide covers when to start, the best first foods for baby (Indian and global), how much to give, a 7-day starter chart, five easy recipes, and the foods to keep away until your child’s first birthday. Want a ready plan? Our free baby food chart builds one for your baby’s age.

When is my baby ready for solid food?

The WHO recommends feeding babies only breast milk for the first 6 months. Around 6 months, a baby’s need for energy and nutrients starts to be more than breast milk alone can give, so other foods are added while breastfeeding continues, ideally up to 2 years or beyond.

Age alone is not the only sign. The NHS lists three signs that usually appear together around 6 months. Your baby can:

• Sit up and hold their head steady (with a little support is fine).
• Coordinate eyes, hands and mouth, so they can look at food, pick it up and put it in their mouth.
• Swallow food rather than pushing it back out with their tongue.

Some things are often mistaken for readiness: waking at night, chewing fists or wanting extra milk feeds. These are normal baby behaviours and do not mean your baby needs solids early. If your baby was born early or has a health condition, ask your paediatrician when to start.

Best first foods for a 6 month baby

Start with one new food at a time and keep it plain: no salt, sugar, masala cubes or honey. Here are good first foods for baby, starting with Indian kitchen staples:

Vegetables

Carrot, pumpkin (kaddu), bottle gourd (lauki), sweet potato (shakarkandi), potato, beans and peas, steamed or boiled until very soft and mashed. The NHS suggests including less-sweet vegetables such as broccoli early on, so your baby gets used to different flavours, not only sweet ones.

Fruits

Ripe banana, stewed apple or pear, ripe papaya, chikoo and mango (in season). Mash or cook until soft. Avocado is a good global option.

Grains and millets

Well-cooked rice, ragi (nachni) porridge, suji, broken wheat (daliya) and oats. Cook with water or your baby’s usual milk until smooth.

Protein and iron-rich foods

Iron is important from 6 months. The NHS advises including iron-rich foods such as meat, fish, fortified cereals, dark green vegetables, beans and lentils. Indian options:

• Yellow moong dal or masoor dal, well cooked and mashed
• Mashed palak mixed into dal or khichdi
• Well-cooked egg, mashed (if your family eats eggs)
• Soft, finely minced chicken or boneless fish (if non-vegetarian)

Serve iron-rich foods with a vitamin C food such as mashed tomato, papaya or orange-coloured vegetables, which helps the body absorb iron from plant foods.

Allergy foods

Egg and peanut can be introduced from around 6 months. The NHS advice is to offer them one at a time and in small amounts, so you can spot any reaction. Give peanut only as smooth peanut butter or powder mixed into porridge, never whole or chopped nuts. If your baby has severe eczema or a known food allergy, talk to your doctor first.

For more ideas grouped by age, see our 30 homemade baby food recipes.

How much and how often to feed at 6 months

At the start, the goal is practice, not quantity. The NHS notes babies do not need 3 meals a day when they begin; start with small amounts at one mealtime. The WHO recommends building up to 2–3 meals a day between 6 and 8 months.

• Week 1: one meal a day, a few teaspoons. Let your baby taste and explore.
• Weeks 2–3: one to two meals a day, around 2–3 tablespoons per meal as your baby shows interest.
• Weeks 4 and after: two meals a day, slowly increasing towards ½ cup (125 ml) per meal by 8 months.

Follow your baby’s signals. Leaning forward and opening the mouth mean “more”. Turning away, closing the mouth or pushing the spoon means “enough”. Never force the last spoonful. The WHO calls this responsive feeding, and it helps children learn to eat to their hunger.

Keep offering breast milk or formula as before. Solids are added on top of milk feeds, not in place of them, at this stage.

7-day 6 month baby food chart

This sample chart is for a baby who has already tried a few single foods. Each meal is a few spoonfuls to 3 tablespoons at first. Introduce any new food on its own for a day or two before mixing it with others.

Keep this chart flexible. If your baby has a cold, is teething or simply not interested one day, go back to milk and try again tomorrow.

Purees, mashed food or baby led weaning at 6 months?

There are two common ways to start, and many Indian families mix both:

• Spoon-feeding: start with smooth or finely mashed food, then move to thicker, lumpier textures over the next few weeks. Do not stay on thin purees for too long; babies need to practise chewing.
• Baby led weaning 6 months: your baby feeds themselves soft finger foods from the start. The NHS says finger foods should be big enough for your baby to hold in their fist with a bit sticking out, such as a soft-cooked carrot or beans stick, or a strip of ripe banana.

Whatever method you choose, follow these safety basics:

• Always sit your baby upright in a high chair or on your lap, facing forward.
• Never leave your baby alone while eating.
• Gagging (coughing, a red face, pushing food forward) is normal as babies learn. Choking is silent and needs immediate help, so it is worth learning baby first aid.
• Avoid hard foods like whole nuts, raw carrot or raw apple pieces.

5 easy 6 month baby food recipes

1. Ragi porridge

Mix 1 tablespoon ragi flour in ½ cup water with no lumps. Cook on low heat, stirring, for 5–7 minutes until thick and smooth. Cool and add a little breast milk or formula if you like. Do not add sugar or jaggery; sweeten with mashed banana instead.

2. Moong dal and rice khichdi

Wash 1 tablespoon rice and 1 tablespoon yellow moong dal. Pressure cook with 1 cup water and a small piece of lauki or carrot for 3–4 whistles. Mash well. A tiny pinch of turmeric and a few drops of ghee are fine. No salt.

3. Carrot and pumpkin mash

Peel and chop a small carrot and a slice of pumpkin. Steam or boil until very soft and mash with a fork. Add a little of the cooking water to thin it out if needed.

4. Stewed apple or pear

Peel, core and chop one apple or pear. Cook with 2–3 tablespoons of water on low heat for 8–10 minutes until soft, then mash. Cooking is important, as raw apple is a choking risk.

5. Masoor dal with palak

Cook 2 tablespoons washed masoor dal with a handful of chopped spinach and water until mushy. Blend or mash well. Serve with a spoon of mashed rice for an iron-rich meal.

Foods to avoid before your baby turns 1

• Honey: the CDC warns that honey before 12 months can cause infant botulism, a serious type of food poisoning. This includes honey in ghutti or home remedies.
• Cow’s milk as a main drink: the CDC advises against cow’s milk before 12 months. A little milk used in cooking porridge is fine, but not as a drink in place of breast milk or formula.
• Fruit juice: the CDC says children under 12 months should not have any fruit or vegetable juice. Give the whole mashed fruit instead.
• Salt and sugar: the NHS advises not adding salt or sugar, including stock cubes and gravy. Take out your baby’s portion before adding salt and masala to family food. Avoid biscuits, namkeen and sweets.
• Choking hazards: whole nuts, whole grapes, raw hard vegetables and fruit pieces. Use nut powders and smooth pastes instead.
• Tea, coffee and fizzy drinks: not suitable for babies at any point.

Make it personal: get a free week-by-week meal plan for your baby’s exact age and your family’s food habits with our baby food chart generator. When your little one is ready for more textures, read our 8 month baby food chart.

Frequently asked questions

Can I give dal water or rice water as a first food?

Thin dal water or rice water mostly fills the tummy with water and carries little energy or iron. It is better to give the dal itself, cooked soft and mashed to a thick, smooth texture that sticks to the spoon. As your baby gets used to eating, make it gradually thicker and lumpier.

Can a 6 month baby drink water?

Yes, once solids start. The NHS suggests introducing a cup from around 6 months and offering sips of water with meals, using an open or free-flow cup. Water should be safe for babies; boil and cool tap water if you are unsure. Breast milk or formula still provides most of your baby’s fluids.

How much 6 month baby food should I give?

Start with a few teaspoons once a day and build up slowly. By 6–8 months most babies move to 2–3 meals a day, starting at 2–3 tablespoons and increasing towards ½ cup (125 ml) per meal. Let your baby’s hunger and fullness signs guide the amount rather than finishing the bowl.

Should I stop breastfeeding when my baby starts solids?

No. The WHO recommends continuing breastfeeding up to 2 years of age or beyond while safe, nutritious solid foods are added. At 6 months, milk is still the main source of nutrition, and solids are extra. Formula-fed babies should continue their usual formula feeds.

What if my baby refuses a new food?

This is very common. Babies often need to try a food many times before they accept it. Stay calm, offer a small amount again on another day, and eat the same food in front of them. Do not add sugar to make food more acceptable, as it trains a sweet preference.

Sources

• WHO – Infant and young child feeding
• NHS – Baby’s first solid foods
• CDC – Foods and drinks to avoid or limit for infants and toddlers

This article is for general information and is not a substitute for medical advice. Please talk to your doctor or a registered dietitian about your own health, especially if you are pregnant, breastfeeding or have a medical condition.