Weaning babies

When to start weaning

At six months, a baby's digestive system has matured enough to cope with solid food, and other developmental changes (such as the ability to bite and chew) mean your baby is ready to experience new tastes and textures.

The Department of Health recommends that weaning shouldn't be introduced until the age of six months, but your baby may show signs of wanting to try solids earlier than this. If this is the case, discuss your baby's readiness to try weaning foods with your health visitor.

The aim of weaning is gradually to introduce a variety of tastes and textures so that, by the age of one, your baby's enjoying a varied and healthy diet.

Every baby's different. Some enjoy trying new tastes and textures, moving through weaning quickly and easily, while others need a little more time to get used to new foods. Proceed at your baby's pace, moving on to each new food and weaning stage when it's right for them.

How to start

Before you begin, here are some general tips for successful weaning:

• Choose a good time of day for your baby to start on solids. This should be when they're not too tired or hungry (in the early stages, offering a breastfeed or a little formula beforehand will mean your baby is not too hungry and so is less frustrated with learning to take solids from a spoon).
• Allow plenty of time.
• Don't force food on your baby. If they don't want to try a food, stay calm, take the food away and offer it again later or in a few days' time.
• Prepare for some inevitable mess by keeping plenty of bibs and cloths to hand.
• Only heat up a small amount of food each time so you don't waste food your baby doesn't eat. You can always heat up more if your baby is keen.
• Don't reheat previously uneaten food.
• Always stay with your baby when they're eating.
• Always test the temperature of food before you give it to your baby - it shouldn't be too hot.
• Encourage self feeding. As your baby develops and shows signs of wanting to feed independently, give them a spoon or finger foods to try.

Stages of weaning

There are three main stages:

1. In the first stage, you start to introduce the feeling of a spoon in your baby's mouth, along with first tastes and textures.

Mix some of the following foods with a teaspoon of either breastmilk or formula (whatever your baby's usual milk is):

• Pureed vegetables such as carrot, swede or potato.
• Pureed fruit such as banana, or cooked pear or apple.
• A non-wheat-based cereal such as baby rice, sago or cornmeal.

Don't force food on your baby, especially at this stage. Remember they're getting most of their nutrients and energy from breast or formula milk. If your baby refuses to eat, it might be too early for them, so try offering the food again in a few days.

2. Once your baby's used to taking food from a spoon, start to slowly increase the amount and number of times a day you offer it. Initially, you'll probably just offer food once a day, but you can now start to introduce it twice and then three times. Remember to go at your baby’s pace.

At this stage, start to introduce the following:

• Full-fat cow's milk products such as full-fat yoghurt or a cheese sauce (you can use full-fat milk in cooking, but avoid giving it as a drink until your baby is over a year old).
• Purees of meat, or pulses.
• Gradually cut down the amount of cereals you offer, but continue introducing new fruit and vegetables.

You can also now begin to use some of the foods you cook for yourself. Homemade pureed foods are cheaper than shop-bought products, and have the added benefit of introducing your baby to the kinds of foods your family eats. Freeze small amounts of home-made food (try using ice cube trays for handy portion sizes). Remember you don't need to add salt, honey or sugar to your baby’s food.

3. Start to offer thicker purees and then introduce soft lumps. By the end of this stage, your baby will also be moving on to mashed and chopped foods. Remember to offer a variety of foods to ensure your baby receives all the necessary vitamins and minerals.

Things to remember at this stage are:

• Your baby should still be having 500ml to 600ml of breastmilk or formula every day.
• Aim for a starchy food, a fruit and a vegetable at each meal.
• Every day your baby should have one serving of protein-rich food such as soft cooked meat, fish, tofu or pulses such as lentils. Eggs should be thoroughly cooked so the yolk is hard.

Around this stage, your baby might start to enjoy finger foods, such as chopped fruit and vegetables (initially vegetable sticks should be lightly steamed to make them a little easier to chew), bread sticks or toast.

Chewing helps with oral muscle development, which is important for speech development. Try to avoid biscuits and snacks that are high in sugar.

Always stay with your baby to make sure they don't choke on any finger foods.

You're now moving towards including all the foods your family usually eats in your baby's diet. You'll probably still need to modify the texture by mashing or chopping as appropriate for your baby.

Foods to be careful with

Salt - avoid adding salt during cooking, and limit foods with high salt levels, such as bacon.

Sugar - avoid adding sugar to foods and drinks.

Honey - don't give honey to your baby until he or she is a year old. There's a very small risk of a certain type of food poisoning called infant botulism. By one, your baby's digestive system has developed enough to stop the bacteria growing.

Nuts - whole nuts, including peanuts, should not be given to children under five years old as they can choke on them. If there is no history of food or other allergies in your family, you can give your baby peanuts as long as they're crushed or ground into peanut butter.

Low-fat foods - fat is an important source of calories and some vitamins for babies and young children. It’s better for babies and young children under two to have full-fat milk, yoghurt and cheese rather than low-fat varieties.

Shark, swordfish and marlin - Don't give your baby shark, swordfish or marlin. The amount of mercury in these fish can affect a baby’s growing nervous system.

Raw shellfish can increase the risk of food poisoning so it’s best avoided.

Eggs can be given to babies over six months old, but make sure they're cooked until both the white and yolk are solid.

Foods to avoid for babies under six months old

If you do decide to introduce solid food before the age of six months there are certain foods which you mustn't include:

• Nuts and seeds, including peanut butter. Peanuts can be given from six months of age if they're crushed, but whole peanuts should be avoided in children under five because of the risk of choking. If you, or a family member, has a history of food allergy or other allergic conditions, avoid peanuts and peanut products altogether until your baby is three.
• Wheat-based foods.
• Eggs.
• Fish and shellfish.
• Liver.
• Soft and unpasteurised cheese.

Drinks

From six months, water and diluted, unsweetened fruit juices can be offered at mealtimes. Drinks between meals should be tap water or breastmilk/formula. Full-fat milk can be used as a drink after the age of one. Semi-skimmed and skimmed milk are not suitable for this age group.

Don't give your baby fizzy drinks, fruit squashes, tea, coffee or drinks with artificial sweeteners.

From the age of one, encourage your baby to drink out of a cup, as this is better for their teeth than a bottle.

Nutritional issues

Iron

By six months, your baby's iron stores are reduced significantly and they'll need extra iron from their diet. Rich sources of iron include red meat. Iron present in vegetable sources is not as efficiently absorbed, but including vitamin C-rich foods with these sources helps to increase iron absorption.

Vitamin D

There's a risk of vitamin D deficiency in babies under a year old. Certain groups in the UK, such as babies born to mothers who have low vitamin D status, babies of Asian or African origin, or whose mothers cover most of their skin up when outside, are most at risk.

The Department of Health recommends a supplement of vitamins A and D for breastfed infants from six months, or from one month if the mother's nutritional status was poor during pregnancy. Formula-fed infants over six months who are receiving less than 500ml of formula each day should also receive this supplement.