How do I know when my baby’s ready to start feeding?

Is your child ready?

As your child becomes more active, they start to use lots more energy. Pushing their chest away from the floor, rolling over or practising sitting up all give them a bigger appetite. Which means it’ll soon be time to move onto more than milk.

Tell-tale complementary feeding signs

• After a full milk feed your child cries or demands more

• Your child finds it harder to wait until the next feed, and becomes irritable or chews their hands

• Where they've previously slept through the night, they now wake up for a feed.

• Daytime sleep becomes more erratic too - not settling down or waking up early from naps

• Your child looks fascinated when you eat, and perhaps tries to reach for food you're holding

Could it be a growth spurt?

At 4 months, lots of children go through a growth spurt which can make them seem a lot hungrier than usual. It’s important not to confuse this with the real signs of complementary feeding though because their digestive system needs time to develop before you introduce solids, however pureed they are!  Be patient and if it is a growth spurt, your child’s appetite should go back to normal relatively quickly.