Hi!
I'm a bit of a freak over all those details and harass the health professionals to get their best input on things. So far, we've followed the guidlines and all is super. Here's what they recommend (here in Quebec, Canada):
Introduce solids (purées and cereal) when:
baby can hold head and turn away (eg. to refuse food)
baby can sit in high-chair and hold body properly
baby manifests interest when you are eating/drinking
baby can move tongue as to swallow food
baby is around 6 months
Guidlines also mention solids should be added after usual feeding of milk and not replace milk. When baby is ready for them, they will be added to diet and milk intake with not go down. Most of my mom friends and I give solids about 1 hour after bottlle and all goes well. For those who throw up, moms have been feeding solids a little prior to milk. (simon usually had about 28-30 ounces of milk and now has 26-28. That's fine since it's not recommended to go over 30 ounces anyway.)
Also, rice is usually the first cereal. However, it is recommended to start with veggies (sweet potato, squash, zucchini) if baby is less than 6 months old. Cereal would simply come later. This is all due to the maturity of the digestive system. It is safer to try each new food 3-4 days before trying a new one in order to recognize which food causes an allergic reaction if one comes up.
We are also provided with a complete list of what foods to give at what age including eggs, meats, nuts, etc. I'll try to find the english version on the web. If some of you want the french version, I could scan and e-mail it to you.
I'll look into that english copy and keep you posted!
I found a great guide here:
https://www.healthyliving.gov.uk/services/pubs/pdf/FunFirstFoods.pdf
here's the equivalent of what I got from the nurse (it's french... but excellent if you understand the language. You'd also be able to understand alot of the chart lower even without being bilingual!)
https://www.santemontreal.qc.ca/csss/dahuntsicetmontrealnord/docs//Guide aliments solides enfant.pdf