Newman's Approach to Introduction of Solids:

It is one of the amazing things about babies that it does not matter
how long they sleep between feedings, they *always* wake up when the
mother sits down to eat.

Therefore the baby will be often sitting on mother or at the breast
when the mother is eating.  About four months of age, the baby will
start becoming interested in what the parents are eating.  At about 5
to 5 and a half months the baby will try to grab the food and put it
into his mouth.  This, it seems to me, is the time to start.

Also, it is not respecting the child as a human being to give him
cereal if he wants the potato.  No rules for order or quantities.

Jack Newman, MD, FRCPC