Weaning, the essentials to know

Allergenic foods are introduced after your baby starts solids at around 6 months, once they've grown somewhat used to weaning. Guidance once said to delay them, but recent research confirmed that frequent early exposure actually reduces allergies — and introduction guidelines were fully revised. A landmark example is the L.E.A.P. Study (2015), which sharply lowered peanut-allergy rates through early peanut introduction.

The most common allergenic foods number nine: wheat, dairy, soy, egg, peanut, tree nuts, sesame, fish, and shellfish. Any food can potentially trigger a reaction, but these carry the highest likelihood.

At around 6 months, when solids begin, allergy testing becomes more important — because it works as both an allergy check and immune training. Training the immune system before an allergy develops can lower how often allergies occur. Most allergies appear between ages 1 and 2; introducing allergenic foods gradually before then helps the body accept them as “part of food.”

SpoonTime provides an early-weaning allergy-test schedule, typically adding one new ingredient every three days.

Setting a regular daily eating routine matters — babies feel secure within predictable patterns. That said, every baby grows and paces differently, so treat any schedule as just an example.

When solids begin at 6 months, weaning is “added on” to the feeding schedule. Don't cut milk sharply; let it adjust naturally as solid portions grow.

A healthy baby doesn't need extra water — breast milk or formula provides all the hydration they need. Once weaning starts, though, a small amount of water can help.

Before 6 months, there's no need to give water separately. From 6–12 months, we recommend starting slowly with about 30–60 ml a day — less for hydration than as a way to learn to drink from a cup.

Around the start of weaning, pediatric visits tend to increase — how to begin, when a reaction seems suspicious, when the order of introducing foods gets confusing.

SpoonTime's clinic map lists pediatric clinics where you can get weaning advice at infant check-ups and see the SpoonTime Start Kit sample in person. (Sample stock varies by clinic, so please check before visiting.)