Starting Solids: A Week-by-Week Plan for the First Month (And How to Stop Losing Track of It All)

The week before you start solids, you read everything. The forums, the books, the Instagram carousels, your mum's old notes. By the time the first spoonful goes in, your head is full of foods, food groups, allergen rules, signs of readiness, gag-versus-choke charts, and a vague guilt that you should be tracking something.

By week two, you've already forgotten what your baby tried on Tuesday.

This is the most common pain point in starting solids, and almost nobody warns you about it: the cognitive load. The foods themselves are not the hard part. The mental load of remembering what's been introduced, when you offered the allergen, whether you've waited the right gap, and what to try next is what wears parents out. Most families either over-plan in the first week and burn out, or under-plan and drift into "we just keep doing avocado".

This post is a calm, week-by-week plan for the first four weeks of solids, designed for Australian parents who want to introduce a wide range of foods (including the priority allergens) without keeping it all in their head.

Heads up: this is general information for Australian parents starting solids, not medical or allergy advice. Every baby is different, so talk to your GP, child health nurse, or paediatrician if you have any concerns, particularly around allergens or family allergy history.

What you actually need before you start

The official guidance from Raising Children Network and Healthdirect Australia is consistent: around 6 months is when most babies are ready, with signs of readiness (sitting with support, head control, interest in food, loss of the tongue-thrust reflex) taking priority over the date on the calendar.

You don't need much gear. A safe seated position (high chair or supported lap), a soft-tipped spoon, a bib that catches everything (a silicone coverall bib is honestly the easiest way to keep clothes alive for the year), and a bowl your baby can't fling across the kitchen.

What you do need is a system for tracking what they've tried.

The reason this matters: Australian allergy guidance from Allergy & Anaphylaxis Australia is that the priority allergens (egg, peanut, dairy, wheat, soy, tree nuts, sesame, fish, shellfish) should be introduced before age 1 and offered regularly afterwards to maintain tolerance. If you can't remember whether your baby has had egg yet, you can't follow that guidance.

You can do this on paper or in a notes app. But honestly, that fails after week two for almost every family we've worked with. The Baby First 100 Foods Magnetic Meal Planner lives on the fridge. It lists 100 first foods organised by category (fruits, vegetables, grains, proteins, dairy and more), with the common allergens clearly marked and seasonal indicators next to each food. You tick a food off as you offer it, with multiple tick boxes per food so you can mark repeat exposures too (which matters for the allergens). It's wipeable, so it lives on the fridge for the full first year.

The mental load drops to zero. Whoever's feeding can glance at it and see what's been tried, what hasn't, which allergens need another exposure this week, and what's in season.

Week 1: One new food a day, no pressure

The first week is the gentlest. You're testing readiness, getting your baby used to the seat, and easing into the rhythm.

Offer one new single-ingredient food per day, at the same time each day, for the first 3 to 4 days of that food before moving on. Most families do this around lunch, after a milk feed when baby is calm but not hungry.

Good starter foods for week 1:

• Day 1 to 4: iron-fortified baby cereal mixed with breast milk or formula
• Day 5 to 7: smooth avocado or pumpkin puree

Iron is the reason cereal goes first for many Australian families: between 6 and 12 months, baby's iron stores start to deplete and food needs to fill the gap.

What to track this week: which food, what reaction, did they swallow or just play with it. Tick it off on the planner as you go.

Week 2: Add the first priority allergen and start a vegetable rotation

By week 2, you can start moving faster. Continue offering each new food 2 to 3 times so your baby gets used to the taste, and tick a second box on the planner each time you offer it again.

This is the week to introduce the first allergen. Most families start with smooth peanut butter thinned with breast milk or formula, or well-cooked egg yolk. Offer it in the morning or early lunch so you can observe for 2 to 3 hours afterwards. If your family has a strong allergy history, talk to your GP or paediatrician first.

Foods to introduce in week 2:

• Smooth peanut butter (thinned to a runny texture and offered on a spoon, or mixed into a small amount of cereal)
• Sweet potato
• Banana
• Carrot

You're now juggling 6 to 8 foods. This is the week the "I forgot what we did yesterday" feeling kicks in. The planner on the fridge is what stops this from spiralling. The allergens have their own callout on the chart, so once you've ticked peanut, you can see at a glance how many days have passed before the next exposure.

Week 3: Build texture and add the second wave of allergens

Around week 3, you can move from runny purees to thicker, lumpier textures. This is also the right window to bring in more allergens, one new one every couple of days.

Foods and allergens to introduce in week 3:

• Well-cooked egg (start with yolk, work up to white)
• Plain full-fat yoghurt (dairy)
• Cooked white fish (boneless, mild flavour like flathead or snapper)
• Pear
• Zucchini
• Apple (cooked and mashed)

Continue offering the foods from weeks 1 and 2 alongside the new ones. The goal is variety, not novelty. A baby who has tried 12 foods and is regularly offered all 12 is in a better position than one who has tried 25 and seen each one once. The multi-tick boxes on the planner are designed for exactly this: you can see which foods you've offered only once and which have moved into the rotation.

Week 4: Family meals, finger foods, and the remaining allergens

By week 4, your baby has tried somewhere between 15 and 25 foods. They've handled at least two or three priority allergens. They've felt a few different textures.

Now the goal shifts. Instead of introducing one new ingredient at a time, you start offering modified versions of what the rest of the family is eating. A finger of soft toast with avocado. A piece of well-cooked pasta. A small spoon of mashed legumes from your dinner.

Remaining allergens to work through across week 4 and into month 2:

• Soft, well-cooked wheat (small pasta, soft bread)
• Soy (silken tofu, soy yoghurt)
• Tree nuts (smooth nut butters, thinned)
• Sesame (tahini, thinned)
• Shellfish (well-cooked, finely chopped)

Why the planner matters more than the food list

Reading any version of this post, including this one, you might think the work is in the food list. It is not. The food list is in this post and on the planner and on every government health page.

The work is in the tracking. The work is in keeping a clear, real-time picture in your head of "what has my baby tried, what have they not, what allergen am I behind on, and what's next". For one baby, over four weeks, with seven new foods a week, that's around 30 to 40 mental items, plus reactions, plus textures, plus how many times each was offered.

Almost no parent manages that in their head past week two. It is not a failure of memory. It is a function of how much else is happening in those weeks. New sleep patterns, new mess to clean, new appointments, new family advice you didn't ask for.

The First 100 Foods Magnetic Meal Planner is the simplest way to externalise that load. 100 foods organised by category. Allergens flagged. Seasonal hints next to each food. Multiple tick boxes per food for repeat exposures. Wipeable, so you can reset between siblings or just keep going for months. The fridge does the remembering. Whoever is feeding (you, your partner, your mum on a Wednesday visit) can see at a glance what the next one should be.

That, more than any specific recipe, is what makes the first month of solids easier.

A quick summary you can stick on the fridge

• Week 1: iron-fortified cereal, then avocado or pumpkin. One food at a time. Track everything.
• Week 2: introduce the first allergen (peanut or egg yolk). Add sweet potato, banana, carrot.
• Week 3: thicker textures. Add cooked egg, yoghurt, white fish, pear, zucchini, apple. Keep rotating earlier foods.
• Week 4: family-modified meals and finger foods. Work through remaining allergens (wheat, soy, tree nuts, sesame, shellfish).

Through all of it, the answer to "what should we try next" should not have to come from your tired memory. It should come from the chart on the fridge.

FAQ

How often should I offer an allergen once my baby has tried it?

Australian guidance is to keep offering each allergen 2 or more times a week to maintain tolerance. Once a food is introduced, it's not "done". The planner is helpful here too, because the multi-tick boxes let you see which allergens are getting regular exposure and which have quietly dropped out of rotation.

What if my baby refuses a food?

Refusing is normal. Most babies need to be offered a new food 8 to 15 times before they accept it. Don't drop a food after one bad reaction. Re-offer in a different form (cooked instead of raw, mixed with a known food, on a different spoon) over the following days, ticking another box each time.

Is the planner only for the first month or for longer?

It's designed to take you to 100 foods, which for most families is around the 9 to 12 month mark. After that the value is less about tracking new foods and more about keeping the allergen exposure regular. It's wipeable, so you can reset and reuse it for a second child too.

When should I talk to a GP or paediatrician?

If there's a strong family history of food allergies, talk to a GP before you start. If a food causes hives, swelling, vomiting, or any breathing change, get medical advice immediately. For everyday questions about variety, texture, and pace, the Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne feeding fact sheets are a solid Australian reference.

Do I need any specific gear to start solids?

Not really. A safe seated position, a soft spoon, a bib that catches everything, and a bowl that doesn't slide off the tray. The MAXI Coverall Bib and a spill-proof gyro bowl cover the messy-stage essentials. The planner covers the mental side.