hhhmmm... thing is, if it were me and i could see that my child's hand to mouth co-ordination weren't up to snuff then i'd take that as a sign that they also weren't ready for solids, iykwim? there is some debate about the Dept of Health guideline set at 6 months, but i think it's a good blanket guideline to protect everyone. however, i have known babies who have swiped and eaten food at 5 months, so you'd have to assume that if they could do it, they can do it. do you know what i mean? in the same way that they can't walk until their leg muscles are strong enough to support them? i'd go along with giving him some chilled chew toys to play with at dinner time, giving him a spoon to chew on and maybe even a bowl to bang on, which will help keep things friendly and fun. the time will come soon enough when he'll swipe something successfully and gets it into his mouth. if it happens to be before 6 months, though, just remember to try to be cautious about gluten so don't go leaving any sarnies lying around. good luck. and maybe make sure that he's had a good milk feed before dinner so at least you'll know that it's nosiness rather than hunger that's spurring him on.