Weaning
Starting your baby on solid foods
When to start
From six months old, you can gradually increase the amount of solid foods you give your baby so that by twelve months, solid foods become the main part of your baby's diet and they will be eating a varied diet, with breast or formula milk making up the balance. Cows' milk isn't suitable as a drink for babies under a year old.
All babies are different. Some start solid foods earlier, some later. Some take to it quickly some don’t:
- Go at your baby's pace. Allow plenty of time for feeding, particularly at first.
- Spoon out the amount you think your baby will eat and heat this, rather than heating a large amount that then goes to waste. This is because you'll need to throw away any of the heated food that your baby doesn't eat, as it's not safe to reheat previously warmed food.
- Always stay nearby when your baby is eating to make sure that he or she doesn't choke.
- Don't rush or 'force feed'. Most babies know when they've had enough to eat. Give them alot of attention when they are eating well.
- Ideally, choose a time of day when both you and your baby are relaxed.
- Encourage your baby to help with feeding. When your baby shows an interest in feeding him or herself, this is a good sign. So encourage this by giving your baby the spoon, while you try to spoon in most of the meal with another spoon. It will be messy at first, but try not to worry about it.
- Offer a wide variety of foods that you and your family usually eat, as this might help avoid choosiness later on.
- Use mashed-up family food when you can. This way, you'll know what the ingredients are and you'll be getting your baby used to eating what you eat
How to start
Stage 1
When you start giving your baby solid foods, mix a teaspoon of one of the following with your baby's usual milk (breast or formula):
- smooth vegetable purée such as carrot, parsnip, potato or yam, or
- fruit purée such as banana, cooked apple, pear or mango, or
- cereal (not wheat-based) such as baby rice, sago, maize, cornmeal or millet.
Offer this to your baby before or after one of your usual milk feeds, or in the middle of a feed, if that works better. If the food is hot, make sure you stir and cool it and test it before giving it to your baby.
The main aim at this stage is to get your baby used to the idea of taking food from a spoon. He or she will still be getting most of their nourishment from breast or formula milk (around 500-600ml a day).
Stage 2
Feeds will still be mainly breast or formula milk (around 500-600ml a day). But when you're both ready, you can start very gradually increasing the amount of solid food you give, either before, during, or after the milk feed. Try to react to your baby's appetite, so if he or she is still hungry, you can give a little more.
At the same time, you can move gradually from solid food at one feed in the day to solid food at two, and then three feeds.
Try to give cereals to your baby just once a day. Begin to add different foods and different tastes. You'll be able to use lots of the foods you already cook for yourself. Just mash, sieve, or purée a small amount, but remember, don't add salt, honey or sugar.
Using your own food is cheaper than buying baby foods, you'll know what the ingredients are, and your baby will get used to eating like the rest of the family. Preparing larger quantities than you need and freezing small portions for later, for example in an ice cube tray, can save you time and effort.
Stage 3
As solid food becomes a large part of your baby's diet, offer a range of different foods. This provides your baby with all the vitamins and minerals he or she needs. Your baby should still be having a minimum of 500-600ml of breast or formula milk a day.
Try to give two to three servings a day of starchy foods such as potatoes, yams, rice or bread. Fruit and vegetables make good finger foods and should be included at two or more meals each day. Your baby should have one serving of soft cooked meat, fish, egg, tofu or pulses such as beans or lentils (dahl) a day. Red meat such as beef, lamb and pork is an excellent source of iron. Eggs (well cooked) are a quick, nutritious and cheap source of protein.
Give finger foods such as toast, bread, breadsticks, pitta bread or chapatti, peeled apple, banana, carrot sticks, or cubes of cheese. Avoid sweet biscuits and rusks, so that your baby doesn't get into the habit of expecting sweet snacks.
Always stay near your baby during feeding to give encouragement and to prevent her from choking.
Stage 4
As your baby becomes used to eating solid foods, he or she should be learning to fit in with the family by eating three minced or chopped meals a day, plus breast or formula milk as the main drink (around 500 - 600ml a day). Give your baby fruit or other healthy snacks between meals.If your baby is on the move, (he or she may have started crawling), you may need to increase the amount of food you give. Babies have small stomachs and they need energy to grow, so make sure you give them full-fat dairy products.
Give three to four servings a day of starchy foods and of fruit and vegetables. Don't encourage a sweet tooth by giving biscuits and cakes to your baby, because these foods will fill your baby up without providing the right nutrients.
If you have decided not to give your baby meat or fish
Make sure you give two servings a day of pulses (such as red lentils, beans or chickpeas), or tofu to make sure they get all the energy and nutrients they need. The vitamin C in fruit and vegetables helps our bodies absorb iron, so remember to give your baby fruit and vegetables at mealtimes.
What foods to avoid when feeding your baby
Salt
Babies up to 6 months old should have less than 1g salt a day. From 7 months to a year old they should have a maximum of 1g salt a day.
If you're breastfeeding, your baby will be getting the right amount of salt. And infant formula contains a similar amount of salt to breast milk.When you start introducing solid foods:
- Don't add salt to any foods you give to babies because their kidneys can't cope with it. The baby foods you'll find on sale aren't allowed to contain salt.
- Limit processed foods that are high in salt, such as cheese, bacon and sausages.
- Avoid any processed foods that aren't specifically for babies such as pasta sauces and breakfast cereals, because these can be high in salt.
Sugar or foods containing sugar
Avoid adding sugar to the food or drinks you give your baby. Sugar could encourage a sweet tooth and lead to tooth decay when your baby's first teeth start to come through.
Honey
Don't give honey to your baby until he or she is a year old. Very occasionally, this can cause serious illness (infant botulism).
Other foods to avoid up to six months
There are also certain foods that can cause an allergic reaction in some babies. So it's a good idea not to give your baby any of these foods before he or she is six months old:
- Wheat-based foods and other foods containing gluten - including bread, wheat flour, breakfast cereals and rusks.
- Nuts and seeds - including peanuts, peanut butter and other nut spreads. Peanuts can be given from six months old, if you always crush or flake them. Don't give whole peanuts or any type of whole nuts to children under five years old because they could cause choking.
- Eggs
- Fish and shellfish
Nut allergy
Some people are allergic to nuts or seeds. Peanut allergy appears to be increasing among children, although it's still uncommon. The children who face the highest risk of nut allergy are those with parents, brothers or sisters who suffer from certain allergic conditions, such as asthma, eczema, or hayfever.
If your baby is in this higher-risk group, it would be sensible to:
- avoid eating peanuts or peanut products when you're breastfeeding
- avoid giving peanuts, foods containing peanuts (such as peanut butter) or unrefined cold-pressed groundnut (peanut) oil, until the child is at least three years old
- always read ingredients lists carefully and, if you're in doubt, avoid the product
Drinks
Breast milk
This is the best drink for babies in the first few months and, ideally, up to a year old and beyond. The only alternative to breast milk in the first six months is infant formula. Choose an infant formula based on cows' milk unless you have been advised otherwise by your health professional. You should continue to give your baby breast milk or formula milk until he or she is at least a year old. A change to follow-on milk isn't necessary at any stage.Doorstep (cows') milk
- Full-fat milk isn't suitable as a drink until your baby is a year old. This is because it doesn't contain the right balance of nutrients to meet your baby's needs.
- Semi-skimmed milk isn't suitable as a drink for children under two. But you can introduce it from two years old, if your child is a good eater and has a varied diet.
- Skimmed milk isn't suitable for children under five years old.
Infant formula
- Cows' milk infant formulas are the alternative to breast milk unless you have been advised otherwise by your health professional. You should continue to give your baby formula milk until he or she is at least a year old.
- Only use soya-based infant formulas and hydrolysed protein infant formulas on the advice of your GP or health visitor. Babies who are allergic to cows' milk may also be allergic to soya.
Water
This is the best alternative drink to milk, but fully breastfed babies don't need any water until they start eating solid food. For babies under six months old, take water from the mains tap in the kitchen and boil it. Remember to allow the water to cool before giving it to your baby. For babies over 6 months, plain tap water is suitable.
Fruit juice
Fruit juices, such as orange juice, are a good source of vitamin C. But giving your baby juices and other drinks will reduce his or her appetite for milk. Fruit juice also contains sugars, which are present naturally, and these can cause tooth decay. Fruit juice is also acidic. For these reasons, it's important not to give your baby fruit juice before he or she is six months old.
If you give your baby any juice, give very dilute juice (one part juice with ten parts cooled, boiled water) in a feeding cup (not a bottle) and at mealtimes only.
Squashes, fizzy drinks, flavoured milk and juice drinks
These are not suitable for babies or toddlers. They contain sugars and even if you dilute them they can cause tooth decay, especially when given in a bottle. Baby and herbal drinks, diet drinks and 'no added sugar' drinks
These are not suitable for babies or toddlers.
This provides a very simple guide to what makes up a balanced diet, particularly for children:
1. Large quantities of starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, wholemeal bread and potatoes to give long lasting energy. Whole grains are broken down more slowly and so provide a steady release of energy, rather than the energy “rush” your child may get after eating refined flours eg. White bread, followed by the grumpy “comedown period”.
2. Large quantities of fruit and vegetables which provide many of the vitamins and minerals our bodies need to develop properly and function as well as possible.
3. Some calcium rich foods such as dairy products. If your child is intolerant to dairy products, it is essential that he/she gets adequate calcium from other foods. Consult your doctor.
4. Some protein such as meat, fish, eggs, nuts, beans and pulses.
5. Very little fats, oils, cakes, and sweets.
Introducing New Foods
- Try to make mealtimes fun. If possible sit down with your child so she doesn’t associate meal times with being strapped into a high chair and left. Playing music during mealtimes can create a calm atmosphere and so make things less stressful (for mums as well as children).
- All toddlers and young children can be very difficult about eating what you want them to eat, when you want them to eat it.
- Experiencing food problems is a normal and common stage of development in pre-school children. One-third of under-5s practise food refusal or selective eating.
- This is partly because children are experimenting with, or being asked to try new textures and tastes, and partly because they are testing their parents' reactions and seeing what effect their behaviour has. A child may refuse food to get your attention, so try to give attention and praise when your child is eating, to encourage them to repeat that behaviour.
Keep trying
- The best way to offer children a new food is in very tiny amounts, possibly offering it numerous times. Many parents give up on a new food after offering it once or twice, but it often takes 8-10 times for a child to accept a new taste.
- Fresh, seasonal, fruit and vegetables tend to be much sweeter and less tough. You should find it much easier introducing food you have grown, or bought from a small local producer than industrially farmed food which has travelled halfway around the world/or country before it has got to you. Compare the taste of a large supermarket tomato and a cherry tomato from your garden, and experience it yourself.
At a glance: first foods and beyond
First foods
Carrot and potato
Squash and potato
Parsnip and swede
Broccoli and carrot
Beetroot and potato
Marrow + potato
Puddings/breakfast
Stewed pear/apple+ baby rice/semolina
Mashed banana + greek/natural yoghurt/fromage frais
Porridge and prunes
Beyond
Fish + pasta + cauliflower + parsley sauce
Chicken + mashed potato + broccoli
Pork + apple + potato + broad beans
Lamb + dried apricots + pasta + peas
Minced beef/lamb + tomato + carrot + rice
IF VEGETARIAN, substitute meat/fish for red lentils, tofu or black eyed/kidney beans
SNACKS
Avocado
Hard boiled eggs
Dried Fruit
Rice Cakes
Bread sticks (low salt)
Sugar free rusks
Toasted wholemeal bread
Eggy bread
Banana
Carrot / Cucumber sticks