Weaning

What Does Weaning Involve?

Weaning is an old fashioned word which refers to the process of introducing solid foods into your baby’s diet.

The department of health recommends that babies can start to have solid foods from between four and six months. The ideal way to introduce your baby to solid foods is alongside their normal milk. You don’t necessarily need to buy any special foods to start your baby on solid, items that you already have in the house will be fine. Foods such as:

• cooked sweet potato
• cooked swede or turnip
• cooked carrot
• baby rice
• banana

Ideally the above will need to be mashed, pureed or sieve to get rid of any lumps.

When Should I Start Weaning My Baby?

As all babies are different they tend to develop at different rates, from four to six months old your baby may not get all the calories, iron and nutrients he or she needs from milk alone and this is the ideal time to start weaning.

How Will I know When My Baby Is Ready For Weaning?

You will know when your baby is ready for weaning as they might:

• not be satisfied after their usual milk feed
• demand more and more milk feeds
• you are concerned that your babies weight has slowed and is not gaining weight adequately
• your baby starts to wake more frequently in the night due to being hungry

What Equipment Will I Need?

• plastic spoon: as it can be sterilized easily
• plastic bowl
• plastic bib / cotton bib

Getting Your Baby Started On Solids

Once you recognize the above signs from your baby, you can begin to give them their first taste of solid foods. Ideally choose a time when you are both relaxed.

Try giving your baby a few small teaspoonfuls of food either half way through their bottle or after their bottle.  Quite often your baby might not know what to do with the food, and do not be surprised if you see a range of different facial expressions as your baby takes their first taste of food.

It is always essential to check that if you are giving warm food to your baby that it is not too hot. Do not be surprised at the amount your baby will have initially it is quite normal for them only to consume four or five spoonfuls.

Next Steps

Gradually your baby's demand for milk will probably reduce. Over time you might find that your baby wants to feed themselves this is a good time to introduce finger foods (see below).

Over time you will need to introduce a range of foods and textures which you can make yourself which is a lot cheaper than buying it in shops. Some of the foods you may look at:

•  mashed potato
•  pureed meat
•  white fish
•  pasta
•  minced or mashed green vegetables
•  banana and apple

All of the above foods can be prepared and frozen for future use. An ideal way to freeze foods is in empty yoghurt pots or ice cube trays

Are There Any Foods I Should Avoid?

There is evidence to show that the following food groups have been known to cause tummy upsets and allergic reactions in babies under six months.

•  nuts – concern over choking as well
•  shellfish
•  egg – can sometimes cause an allergic reaction
•  gluten

What Are Finger Foods?

Once your baby has become used to eating solids you can introduce finger foods. Finger foods are foods that your baby can pick up and eat themselves, they help to give your baby some independence. Try to give them healthy foods such as:

• fruits – apple, pear, orange
• vegetables: carrot, cucumber
• cooked pasta shapes
• cheese on toast

Suitable Drinks

You can offer your baby plain water which has been boiled and cooled from about six months old. You will need to be careful about juices as most are high in sugars which are harmful to your baby’s teeth.

Pasteurised cow’s milk can be given to your child to drink from around one year old.

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