In the UK, the Department of Health advises parents to start giving solids to babies at six months. These are the main reasons behind this:
- Most babies are not ready to swallow properly before six months
- They cannot make the right enzymes to digest foods
- Their kidneys might not be mature enough
- There is a risk of developing allergies and respiratory illnesses and
- The early introduction of solids is associated with an increase of body fat and the risk of a child becoming overweight.
Jarred Foods or Homemade for Baby?
Weaning a baby can be confusing for parents as stores display a variety of products, from the early stages of weaning to toddlerhood. Some parents favour the convenience of jarred foods, others opt for homemade meals.
Homemade meals needn’t be a chore As it is hard to be a domestic goddess while holding a baby, the easiest way is to make purees in batches and freeze portions, using ice cube trays. When cubes are frozen, they can be easily stored into freezerproof bags or boxes. Read more about weaning equipment by clicking here.
What Foods When?
Health professionals recommend starting with vegetables so a baby doesn’t develop a sweet tooth. Popular purees include mashed carrot, sweet potato and butternut squash. Good starter fruits are apples and pears. Tasty combos can be a hit with fussy babies, such as mixing carrot and apple or mashing a banana with an avocado (no cooking involved in the latter).
The best way to boil fruit or vegetables is by steaming or using little water in a lidded pan. To mash, a blender can be used or boiled food can be pushed through a sieve with a spoon. Purees for very young babies should be smooth, with no lumps.
If a microwave is used to defrost and heat frozen cubes of purees, it’s safer to stir well and test the puree on the parent’s tongue before feeding it to the baby.
How to Wean a Baby?
Solids should be introduced gradually. Health professionals recommend starting with tasters, for instance using one or two cubes per meal. To rule out allergies, it’s best to serve the same puree for two days in a row, before introducing something new.
If a child is fussy, parents can offer him a food 17 times before giving up. Another tip is to try feeding a baby at different times of the day.
If the blandness of a puree is a turnoff, dried fruit such as raisins can be whizzed with the puree, while tomato puree is great for savories as it contains virtually no salt (do check the label). Herbs and mild spices can be used to make a puree tastier.
How Much Solids for an Infant?
However well a baby is doing with solids, he/she is still getting most of his nutrition from breastmilk or formula. Cow or soya milk can be used to cook meals but are suitable as breastmilk/formula replacements only when the baby is one year old as they don’t contain sufficient nutrients.
From six months onwards, a baby will also need iron, so it’s important to add iron-rich foods to his/her diet, like spinach (from six months) and red meat (from seven months). By seven months pureed beans, pasta, rice and citrus fruits can be included.
Finger Foods
As a baby is getting confident, he/she can be given finger foods such as pieces of toast, cucumber sticks or a hard-boiled egg, crumbled. If a parent doesn’t want to give their child meat, mashed lentils, beans and tofu can be good sources of protein.
Baby Food According to Age
Parents are advised to proceed with caution and talk to a health visitor in case of doubt.
- Six months: baby rice; smooth purees (no lumps, nor pips): apple, pear, banana, papaya, apricot, plum, peach, melon, kiwi, avocado, citrus fruits, carrot, potato, sweet potato, swede, parsnip, squash, courgette.
- Six to seven months: smooth purees: cauliflower, broccoli (mixed with other veg), peas, green beans, sweet pepper (mixed with other veg); chicken, fish (plaice, cod, salmon and haddock), liver. Cow’s milk in cooking and with a cereal; whole milk natural yogurt, fromage frais, cottage cheese. Porridge, wheat biscuits, wholemeal bread, rusks and rice cakes.
- Seven to eight months: berry fruits (no pips or seeds), mango, grapes (peeled, no pips). Onion, leek, cabbage, spinach, sweetcorn, mushrooms. Eggs (hardboiled, scrambled or in an omelette).
- Eight to nine months: coarser puree and finger foods (sticks of raw or steamed veg). Lentils, split peas, butter beans, tofu. Mackerel and tuna. Cornflakes, granola and muesli.
- Ten to 12 months: a baby should eat most foods (no peanuts, lightly cooked eggs, shellfish and soft cheeses and no foods that can cause chocking like nuts). No honey before one year old.
Quick and Easy Weaning Meals
If a parent is pushed for time, there are plenty of delicious meals that can be prepared in minutes. These include Spanish omelette made with vegetables (courgettes, peppers, tomatoes, cooked potatoes and/or mushrooms); scrambled eggs, celery, carrot and cucumber sticks served with houmous; soup with a piece of bread; meatballs and baked beans.
Snacks for Toddlers on the Move
No fuss snacks for toddlers that can be easily carried are dried fruit (apricots, raisins, prunes, etc), bananas, cereal bars, bread rolls and biscuits.
Books and Information on Weaning
The UK National Health Service (NHS) publishes a booklet called Weaning, available from Health Visitors and GP surgeries. There is also a good section on weaning in the Birth To Five handbook (health visitors usually give free copies to parents).
For reliable information online, parents can log on to the Food Standards Agency's consumer advice and information eatwell website. If you'd like to find out about baby-led weaning, click here.
