Starting solids is an exciting milestone, but for many parents it can also feel confusing, messy and overwhelming.

What foods should come first? Is baby-led weaning better than purees? Is gagging normal? How should you introduce allergens?

In this episode of Kids’ Health Explained, Sophie Delezio is joined by Annabel Davies, a dietitian at the Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick, to help make starting solids a little less overwhelming.

Annabel explains:

• the signs a baby may be ready for solids
• why iron-rich foods are important
• how parents can safely introduce different textures and allergens
• what baby-led weaning is, and how it's different from spoon feeding
• why gagging is normal.

They also talk about changes to babies’ digestion, introducing water, and one of Annabel’s most reassuring pieces of advice: embrace the mess.

Your child wakes up sick at 9 pm. Do you head straight to emergency, wait to see your GP, visit an urgent care centre or seek help virtually?

In this episode of Kids’ Health Explained, Dr Jagdev Singh, Medical Lead of virtualKIDS, explains how to navigate healthcare when your child falls ill.

He and host Sophie Delezio discuss where families can turn to and what warning signs to look out for when their child is unwell with:

• fever
• breathing difficulties
• vomiting and diarrhoea
• head bumps
• cuts and grazes
• rashes
• febrile seizures.

They also discuss how services such as healthdirect and virtualKIDS can help take some of the guesswork out of caring for a sick child.

Why do babies need so many vaccines? Are the ingredients in vaccines safe? Do vaccines cause autism? How do you know what's true when there's so much conflicting information online?

In this episode, Director of the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance (NCIRS) Professor Kristine Macartney separates myths from facts and explains why the immunisation schedule looks the way it does.

She and host Sophie Delezio discuss:

• vaccine ingredients and concerns about autism
• why Australia's vaccination schedule starts early
• how to manage common vaccination side effects, and
• why delaying vaccines isn't recommended.