Starting your baby on solid foods is both exciting and daunting. Food provides your baby with essential fuel for growth and is vital for the development of chewing, eating and feeding skills. It is a time when your baby begins to develop the skills to eat with others and ultimately to enjoy the social connection of sharing a meal together. As parents and carers, the advice we get about introducing solids may not always be consistent. To add to the confusion, science continues to uncover new things about what’s best for our babies. The factsheets below are based on up-to-date research and current recommendations for introducing solids.