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'Remember how we said that it’s Mama’s job to provide access and Baby’s job to feed? Well, the same applies to all mammal babies when they start solid foods. A mama horse doesn’t clip the grass and lay it at her foal’s feet. He gets it himself once he’s old enough to have a strong set of teeth and the ability to select, chew, and swallow. Mama just finds her own good-tasting grass, which means her baby has good tasting-grass nearby, too. She’s providing access, he’s feeding. But he didn’t until he had the interest, the teeth, the chewing, and the swallowing all figured out. And all of that was his job to develop, not hers.

The same is true for your baby. His insides are designed to be ready for solid foods once his outside has developed enough for him to eat it on his own. If he can’t pick up food, get it in his mouth, and chew it without choking, then he’s just not ready for solids, and his tummy probably isn’t ready, either. He’ll acquire all those on-the-outside skills by about six months. And that’s when his digestive tract is ready, too.'

La Leche League International