The age a baby starts eating solid food depends on multiple factors. Not only is motor development important, but the culture the child comes from also plays a role. A newborn’s tongue movement is limited to back and forth so they are ‘set up’ to suck from a nipple. They have a short neck and no head control. The larynx (voice box) sits high in the throat to protect the child from choking. The tongue is large compared to the size of the mouth so the baby can create a vacuum inside the mouth to suck. Their gag reflex is very sensitive and far front on the tongue, again to protect them from choking. (NOTE: unless an infant has significant reflux or some medical reason, cereal should not be added to a bottle to make a baby sleep longer. If solids are introduced too early it can trigger food allergies and can be a choking hazard). As the baby develops gross motor skills and begins to be able to raise their head up against gravity while on their belly (tummy time is important!) their necks are getting stronger. By the time a baby is sitting up with some help to not fall over, they have steady control over their head. The neck is longer, the larynx has dropped down and the tongue is not as large inside the mouth so it can move in more directions. In those first 6 months they are also ‘working’ on the fine motor skills to get their hands and toys to their mouths. This is important because it decreases the sensitivity in their mouths and allows the gag reflex to move farther back in their tongue and encourages tongue movement. If this doesn’t happen then they will gag whenever solid food is put in their mouths. All this occurs by around 6 months of age. The first ‘solids’ have to be puree because their tongue and jaw can’t handle solids. By 9 months of age most babies are sitting in high chairs. They have begun to develop the ability to move the tongue side to side which has to happen for them to be able to move food to their teeth. Usually by this age they have front teeth and are getting their molars in. By 12 months most babies can chew chopped table food and are able to feed themselves finger foods such as Cheerios that dissolve pretty quickly in the mouth. (NOTE: throughout all this process and up to at least 2 years the baby needs to be closely supervised when eating) An additional factor to when a baby begins to eat solids depends on the family’s culture. Some cultures introduce solid foods as different ages. So it is important to be sensitive to these differences.