When can babies add complementary foods? Around 6 months of age is currently recognized as the appropriate time to add complementary foods. Authorities such as the World Health Organization (2001), UNICEF (2003), the American Academy of Pediatrics (2005), and the Chinese Ministry of Health (2012) all recommend that infants begin adding complementary foods at 6 months of age for the following reasons: 1. For most infants, breast milk or formula can meet all of their nutritional needs for 6 months. In the first few months of life, infants’ digestive enzymes are not yet able to process foods other than milk, and the main component, pancreatic amylase, is not secreted until 3 months of age and is still significantly deficient at 6 months. Adding complementary foods too early is easy to indigestion. 3, need to wait for the tongue-pushing reflex to disappear. Newborns have an innate conditioned reflex – push tongue reflex, that is, the tongue will be pushed out of the solid food into the mouth, including the spoon, thus preventing the entry of foreign bodies choking. The tongue push reflex disappears around 6 months of age. 4 Adding complementary foods too early can lead to food allergies and increase the incidence of digestive disorders such as diarrhea. 5. Wait for the baby to be able to sit independently. Being able to sit independently means that the baby is in a better position to handle food and prevent food spillage. 6.Wait for your baby’s interest to form. Most babies begin to develop a willingness to accept new food structures and flavors at 6 months of age, and also begin to imitate adult behavior.