When should you start solids, and what is a good first food in an Indian home?

Around six months is the standard recommendation, with breastfeeding continuing alongside. Readiness signs matter more than the exact date: sitting with support, good head control, interest in food and loss of the tongue-thrust reflex. Indian kitchens have excellent first foods — well-mashed dal water moving to dal, ragi porridge, mashed banana, steamed and mashed apple or sweet potato, and soft khichdi. Introduce one new food at a time over a few days so reactions are identifiable. Skip salt and sugar in the first year, and skip honey entirely before twelve months.