24 Week Old Baby: Almost 6 Months and Getting Ready for Solids

Your Baby at 24 Weeks Old

A 24 week old baby is almost 6 months old — sitting steadier, reaching and grabbing with control, babbling, and often showing solids readiness signs: sitting with support, good head control, bringing objects to the mouth, holding food in the mouth rather than pushing it straight back out with the tongue, and interest when others eat. The Canadian Paediatric Society recommends starting solids around 6 months with iron-rich foods.

Your 24 week old baby is on the cusp of a big milestone — the first taste of solid food. Many babies this age are watching every bite you take, reaching for your plate, and sitting steady enough to give it a go soon.

This guide covers what’s normal this week: the readiness signs to watch for, how to get set up for solids, and feeding and sleep as you reach the halfway mark of the first year.

Your Life This Week: The Parent Experience

The run-up to solids is exciting — and can feel like a lot. There’s gear, guidance and a fair bit of mess ahead. The good news: you don’t have to get it perfect. Start simple, go at your baby’s pace, and let it be fun.

A calm, unhurried first-foods approach works best. The Canadian Paediatric Society advises following your baby’s cues and never coaxing them to eat more — babies who follow their own hunger cues are less likely to overeat later.

If low mood or anxiety has been lingering, please tell your doctor or public health nurse — postpartum depression can develop across the first year and is treatable, the Canadian Paediatric Society notes.

Feeding Your 24 Week Old Baby

A 24 week old baby feeds on cue. The Canadian Paediatric Society advises feeding on demand — whenever your baby is hungry. Amounts vary widely; for formula, follow the feeding chart on your formula’s packaging. Plenty of wet diapers, a content baby and steady weight gain show your baby is getting enough.

Solids are almost here. The Canadian Paediatric Society says most babies are ready around 6 months, and lists the readiness signs to watch for: sitting up with support and good neck control, picking up food and bringing it to the mouth, holding food in the mouth without pushing it out, and showing interest when others eat. Some babies are ready a few weeks before or just after 6 months — but waiting past 6 months raises the risk of iron deficiency, so aim for around the mark.

When you start, begin with iron-rich foods. Until then, breast milk or infant formula is all your baby needs. If breastfeeding isn’t an option, the CPS advises a store-bought, iron-fortified, cow-milk-based infant formula.

A note on formula this week. As solids approach, iron leads: the Canadian Paediatric Society advises starting solids with iron-rich foods, and using an iron-fortified formula if you formula feed. MOF’s organic Stage 1 formulas, such as HiPP Dutch Stage 1, are iron-fortified and suitable from birth to 6 months, providing the iron, DHA and vitamin D your baby needs alongside first foods. Formula is a good choice whenever it’s the right one for your family.

Sleep at 24 Weeks: What’s Normal & How to Help

A 24 week old baby’s sleep is usually in a pattern. By 4 months, the Canadian Paediatric Society notes, most babies need three naps a day — morning, afternoon and early evening — with total sleep around 14–16 hours across naps and nights. Night waking still happens and is normal.

A baby who rolls and moves in the crib may stir more; sleep settles with a steady routine. The Canadian Paediatric Society suggests keeping a regular sleep schedule as much as possible, and putting your baby down drowsy but awake when you can.

Safe sleep reminder: always place your baby on their back for every sleep, on a firm flat mattress with a tightly fitted sheet and no loose, soft items, in a crib, cradle or bassinet in your room for the first 6 months. Keep starting your baby on their back even once they can roll — but if your baby rolls onto their front on their own, you don’t need to turn them back. That’s safe once they can get there under their own strength. If you’re still swaddling, stop now. A swaddled baby who rolls onto their front can’t push up or free their arms — a sleep sack or fitted sleepwear gives the same contained feeling without restricting movement. Car seats, strollers, carriers, bouncers and swings aren’t safe sleep surfaces; if your baby falls asleep in one, move them to their crib, cradle or bassinet as soon as you can. Keep the sleep space bare — no bumpers, positioners, pillows, or infant nests and loungers. Lower the crib mattress before your baby can push up onto their hands and knees, and check the weight and rolling limits on a bassinet — most say to stop once a baby can roll. The Canadian Paediatric Society advises this lowers the risk of SIDS.