The guidance talks about six months, but six months is an average, not a switch. Watching your child is more reliable. Here are seven signs you can spot at home, with no special equipment and no guesswork.
1. They sit without support
This is the most important sign and the least negotiable one. Your child needs to hold their head and trunk steady, because that is the only way they swallow safely. If they are still slumping to one side, wait.
2. They reach for the food on your plate
It isn’t about hunger — it is about interest. A child who follows your hand from plate to mouth is getting ready to do the same thing themselves.
3. They open their mouth when the spoon comes near
They lean forward and open up. If instead they turn their head away or push the food out with their tongue, the tongue-thrust reflex hasn’t faded yet — and their body is right.
4. They grip an object and bring it to their mouth
A block, a toy, your finger — it doesn’t matter. If the route from hand to mouth works, it will work with food too.
5. They can make a chewing movement
Even without teeth. Your child moves their jaw up and down and shifts things around inside their mouth. You can spot this while they play with a dummy or a toy.
6. They sit with you at the table and enjoy it
A child who is happy sitting at the table while others eat is already halfway there. That habit is worth more than any piece of equipment — and you can set it up weeks before the first meal.
7. They copy what you do
They clap when you clap. They put a cup to their lips when you drink. Imitation is the engine that drives learning to eat.
You don’t need all seven. The first four are essential; the other three mean it will probably go more smoothly.
What if the signs aren’t there at seven months?
With some children this happens, and in the great majority of cases it is no cause for concern. But if at seven or eight months your child still doesn’t sit steadily or shows no interest in food at all, it is worth mentioning to your paediatrician — not because something is wrong, but so you can check it together.
Once the signs are there — what to do in the first week
- Put your child in the high chair at your mealtimes, even without food. A few days of just sitting.
- Time the first meal for when your child is neither hungry nor tired — mid-morning works best.
- One food, two spoonfuls, no expectations.
- Repeat the same food over the following days. Repetition beats variety.
What to prepare and where to seat your child, we described in detail in the piece about the first meal at the table.
