Starting solids brings up a strange mix of feelings. There's the excitement of watching your baby taste something new, and right alongside it, a low hum of worry about doing it "right." Will they eat enough? Are you starting too early, too late, offering the wrong things? Most of that worry comes from one place: treating feeding as something to get right, instead of a relationship to build over time.
That's exactly what Akriti Gupta dug into with child nutritionist Divisha Jadhwani on a recent podcast episode of The Parent Code, Is Your Baby Ready for Solids? Child Nutritionist Divisha Jadhwani on Baby-Led Weaning. You'll learn how to start solids, choose between baby-led weaning and traditional weaning, introduce allergens and non-veg safely, handle toddler mealtime battles, and fix picky eating.
What to Keep in Mind Before You Start Feeding
Divisha opens with three rules she gives every parent she works with: don't force-feed, don't offer alternatives when a meal is refused, and don't distract your child (with toys, screens, or games) just to get a certain quantity into them. As she put it on the podcast, "your child has to complete a specific quantity of food" is the wrong goal to chase in the first place.
The reason is simple: a baby's stomach is roughly the size of their fist. Expecting them to finish an adult-sized portion was never realistic. Divisha's advice to parents who ask if their child will "eat one bowl" is simple: no. And that's fine.
What she's describing is close to what nutritionists call responsive feeding: you decide what, when, and where your baby eats, and your baby decides whether and how much. WHO's guidance on infant and young child feeding backs this same principle.
Watch for hunger cues like leaning forward or reaching for food, and fullness cues like turning away or losing interest, and let those guide the meal instead of the clock or the bowl.
Baby-Led Weaning vs Traditional Weaning: What Actually Matters
A lot of the confusion around baby-led weaning comes from social media making it sound like an all-or-nothing method. Divisha clears this up directly: "baby-led weaning doesn't say don't do purées."
It's not about skipping purées and jumping straight to finger foods. It's about texture, exposure, and letting your baby feed themselves, whether that's a preloaded spoon of thick purée or a piece of soft food they pick up on their own.
Traditional spoon-feeding works too, as long as textures progress and the child isn't just being fed passively for years. What research on baby-led weaning does suggest is that it may support dietary variety and a healthier relationship with food, though the evidence is still developing and no single method is proven "better."
Akriti's own experience reflects this: her daughter started eating family meals at 7 months, sitting at the table and choosing what to try. Kids, she noted, also have an instinct against choking hazards. They tend to avoid textures they can't handle.
A practical middle path many Indian households land on: soft khichdi by spoon, alongside safe finger foods like steamed vegetables, soft idli, or banana.
For a week-by-week breakdown of what to actually put on the plate, our Baby Food Guide 6–9 Months covers meal plans and food charts in more detail.
When to Introduce Allergens, Spices and Non-Veg
Most Indian parents grow up hearing that allergenic foods and non-veg should wait. Divisha's advice and current medical guidance say otherwise.
Allergens
Introducing foods like peanuts, eggs, and sesame early, once solids have started, actually helps rather than hurts. The Indian Academy of Pediatrics' 2026 consensus statement on food allergy recommends introducing common allergens between 6 and 9 months, a shift from older advice that told parents to delay.
Divisha's practical tip:
Introduce one allergen at a time, in the morning, when your baby is well, so you can watch for any reaction.
Spices
Turmeric, cumin, coriander, cardamom, cinnamon, and black pepper are all fine from around 6 months, and Divisha actively encourages using them, not just haldi and hing. Hold off on salt, sugar, and chilli before the first birthday.
Non-veg
This can start early too. Divisha's suggestion is refreshingly simple: give your baby a chicken leg piece to gnaw on. It doubles as a natural teether, much like a mango seed. Iron and zinc from these foods matter for a growing baby, and there's no medical reason to push meat, fish, or egg to later than plant-based solids.
A Healthier Take on Annaprashan
Divisha doesn't ask families to give up tradition, just to adapt it. For rituals like Annaprashan, her go-to fix is a kheer made without cow's milk or added sugar: rice cooked in water with a little saffron and cardamom, cooled down, and mixed with expressed breast milk or formula instead of cow's milk. A mashed seasonal fruit like banana works as a natural sweetener.
One rule that holds regardless of the ceremony: no honey before 12 months, due to the risk of infant botulism. It's a small swap that keeps the tradition intact without the parts that don't serve the baby.
Building the Plate: What Goes Where
Divisha's approach to a baby's plate isn't about hitting exact numbers. It's about not letting any one nutrient disappear from the day.
Start with fat, not milk
Mornings should begin with something fat-first, like a spoon of nut butter or nut powder, followed by water. This avoids the sugar spike that comes from starting the day with milk or fruit alone.
Spread protein and fibre across every meal
Not just one big serving. Dal, egg, curd, paneer, fish, and chicken all count, alongside vegetables, fruit, and whole grains or millets.
Skip the bedtime spoon of ghee
It's a common trend, but Divisha points out that fat at night slows digestion rather than helping sleep. Better to focus on a balanced dinner and a calm bedtime routine instead.
Kids don't need adult-level protein obsession either. Their actual requirement is far lower than what most parents assume, so building it into meals matters more than measuring it.
Curious how specific foods support development? Our guide to the 12 Best Foods for Baby Brain Development breaks down what to prioritise on the plate.
When Toddlers Won't Sit Still at Mealtime
Somewhere between 18 and 24 months, many toddlers who used to sit happily through a meal suddenly don't. Akriti experienced this firsthand with her own daughter, who went from sitting at the table to climbing onto it.
Divisha's fixes are practical, not punitive:
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Get a toddler table and chair sized for them, rather than relying on a high chair they've outgrown.
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Let them burn off energy before the meal instead of expecting stillness on demand.
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Use a timer for younger toddlers to signal how long mealtime lasts.
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If they keep wandering off, end the meal calmly. There's no benefit to dragging it out.
The "eat a bite, run around, come back" pattern many parents see in toddler groups should be curbed rather than encouraged, since it teaches that food is part of a game rather than something to sit with and enjoy.
Fixing Picky Eating Without the Power Struggle
Picky eating tends to peak around age five or six, and Divisha's advice here centres on patience over pressure. It can take 10 to 20 exposures to a new food before a child accepts it, according to pediatric guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics. One refusal, or even the tenth, isn't the final answer.
What actually builds curiosity, according to Divisha:
Eating from the family pot
If a child sees everyone eating the same food, it stops feeling foreign
Cooking together
Even simple tasks like peeling a banana or stirring a bowl get kids curious about what's on the plate.
Sensory exploration
Letting a child touch, smell, and play with food before eating it removes pressure.
One thing to avoid:
Packing separate food for outings as a default. It reinforces narrow preferences instead of building exposure. Divisha's own experience backs this up. Mahima, her daughter, who rarely drinks milk and has plenty of food preferences, still surprised her by trying everything at a Japanese restaurant, simply because she was hungry and curious.
FAQs: Most Asked Questions About Baby Feeding
How much should my baby eat at each meal?
Start small, around 2–3 tablespoons per feed at 6–8 months, increasing gradually as appetite grows. Focus on the pattern across the week rather than one meal's intake.
Is baby-led weaning better than spoon-feeding purées?
Neither is inherently better. What matters is texture progression, nutrient density, and following your baby's cues, regardless of method.
When can I introduce allergens and non-veg to my baby?
Both can start from around 6 months, once complementary feeding is underway. Introduce one allergen at a time and keep it in the diet regularly if tolerated.
What if my toddler refuses to sit still for meals?
Use a toddler-sized table and chair, let them burn energy beforehand, and end the meal calmly if they keep wandering off. This phase is common and temporary.
How do I fix picky eating in an older child?
Keep offering the food without pressure, involve them in cooking, and be patient. It can take many tries before a new food is accepted.
Let’s Celebrate Healthy Eating!
Feeding a baby well isn't about hitting a quantity or following one rigid method. It's about trust, built one meal at a time. Offer the food, let your child decide how much, and keep showing up at the table together. As Divisha put it, children don't go hungry. It's usually the adults who get fixated on the numbers.
Here’s to building healthy eating habits with your little one.
