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When should we start?

Whether you choose to feed your baby breast milk or infant formula, it’s not until 6 months, and no earlier than 4 months (17 weeks) that weaning should begin. At this age, your baby’s digestive system, kidneys, and nerves (which all play an important role) should have developed enough for them to start with solid foods. Up until this point, infant formula or breastmilk is nutritionally complete and provides all the fluid and energy required for growth and development as well.

The NHS advise the signs of readiness to wean are:

• stay in a sitting position, holding their head steady
• coordinate their eyes, hands and mouth so they can look at their food, pick it up and put it in their mouth
• swallow food (rather than spit it back out)

There are some other behaviours that can be mistaken for readiness, such as your baby being hungrier, putting their fist in their mouth, or waking in the night, but these are not necessarily signs of hunger or readiness.

If your child was born prematurely, please speak to your healthcare professional on the right time to start weaning.

Why 6 months?

Solid foods are introduced from around 6 months as a baby’s stores of some nutrients, such as iron, begin to run out. Up until this point, milk has been nutritionally sufficient as your baby has stores of the nutrients it doesn’t provide.

As well as being nutritionally important, weaning is also integral for your baby’s physical and mental development. Motor skills and coordination will develop with the introduction of solids (working out just how to get that food into their mouth), and the action of eating develops the muscles required for speech. Additionally, whilst suckling and sucking are inherent behaviours, munching and chewing are learned behaviours that require exposure to different textures to develop.

What to offer?

Textures

In the UK, ‘finger foods’, which are foods that are of a size and consistency appropriate for a child to pick up and eat with their fingers, are also advised in traditional weaning from around 6 months. However, they are not typically a large part of the diet until around 8-9 months, allowing time for babies to adapt to the textures offered.

Baby-led weaning differs from this approach as the infant is encouraged to completely self-feed from the outset. Parents provide the baby with a range of foods and allow the baby to feed themselves, usually with them or the wider family all eating meals at the same time. This usually means there’s a reliance on finger foods from the outset since pureed foods require spoon feeding and babies do not have the dexterity to do this until a little later.

(see full post on traditional vs baby-led weaning here)

What to start with?

Foods are divided into four groups according to their nutritional composition, so that by selecting foods from each a varied diet is achieved. This means both varying food groups, as well as the foods chosen with that group, is important.

The four food groups are:

• STARCHES eg. potatoes, rice and pasta
• PROTEIN eg. meat, fish, eggs and pulses
• DAIRY eg. milk, cheese and yoghurt
• FRUIT & VEGETABLES

What’s off the menu?

• High salt and sugar foods, as early introduction can increase preference for these foods later in life.
• Whole nuts and seeds and small fruits, these should be finely chopped or ground owing to choking risk.
• Soft and unpasteurised cheese, as these can contain a harmful bacteria called Listeria.
• Raw shellfish and some specific fish; shark, swordfish and marlin. These fish contain high levels of mercury.
• Raw eggs, unless British Lion quality. Eggs carry the risk of Salmonella.
• Honey, owing to the risk of Infant Botulism.

Allergens

(see full post on Allergens for more information on this)

Cautiously offer the common allergens from around 6 months of age; milk, peanuts*, tree nuts*, seeds*, eggs, fish, shellfish (well cooked), sesame, soy, and wheat. Offer one at a time, and start with small amounts, monitoring for allergic symptoms. Should no symptoms occur, build up to a full portion of the food over 3-4 days. Once the food is tolerated in the diet, continue to offer regularly.

If your baby has a known allergy or eczema, or there is history of eczema, asthma or hay fever in the direct family, speak to a healthcare professional as earlier introduction of certain allergens may be advised.

*Ensure peanuts, tree nuts and seeds are offered ground or finely chopped to those under 5 years of age, to avoid choking risk.

Drinks

It’s important to note that ‘Follow-on’ formula is not necessary if they’re weaning well, as the nutrients that it is fortified with your baby will now be getting from solid foods. If you are using infant formula rather than breast milk, it might be that you need to supplement this with water in hotter months (breastmilk will adapt to ensure the water content is sufficient).

Whilst only breast milk, infant formula or water are appropriate drinks, full fat cow’s, goat’s or sheep’s milk can be used in cooking. It is just advised that milk alternatives – soya, almond, oat, coconut etc. – are avoided until 1 year unless you’re advised to use plant-based alternatives by a healthcare professional eg. if your little one has cow’s milk protein allergy. In any case, rice milk should be avoided for those under 5 years of age.

At 1 year of age, when your baby should be getting the majority of their nutritional needs from food, whole cow’s milk can be introduced as a drink. Unsweetened, fortified milk alternatives can also be offered as drinks now and infant formula is no longer necessary.

How much?

There are no portion size guidelines for babies so follow their lead, and try to learn their hunger and fullness cues. Small amounts of foods should be offered first, with quantity and variety slowly increasing with age, remembering that it will only be tiny tastes to start!

Since the first foods baby is introduced to are in small quantities, they are still quite reliant on breast milk or infant milk for the energy density and macronutrients required. With age progression, milk feeds should be slowly reduced as food intake increases.

Choking vs Gagging

Whether your little one is starting on pureed foods, finger foods or both, a common concern for parents is choking. It is advisable to attend a first aid course on this topic, and head to a reputable source (such as the Red Cross) for instruction on how to respond to choking.

Babies have a very sensitive gag reflex which means gagging can be a regular occurrence, but it’s important to remember that it’s normal. In response, remain calm and allow your little one to respond naturally, and never try and fish the food out as this risks pushing it further in and causing a choking hazard.

The trouble lies in differentiating gagging from choking, the latter being far more serious, and the key is sound. Gagging means your little one will be coughing and spluttering, therefore air is getting through. When choking, the airway is blocked and no sound can be made, requiring immediate attention.

As well as being prepared with the knowledge of what to do should choking occur, here are a few other important recommendations to reduce the risk of choking:

• Avoid foods that are high choking risks, such as:
  • Whole nuts (which shouldn’t be given to your little one before 5 years). Offer these finely chopped or ground.
  • Whole small fruits, such as grapes and cherries – chop these up before serving.
  • Dried fruits. Again, you can chop these up and serve.
  • Raw, hard foods, such as carrots, which can easily be broken and form a choking hazard. Soften these by cooking before serving.
  • Remove tough skins, pips & seeds from foods.
• Wean when ready, not before 4-6months. If you’re unsure, ask your healthcare provider.
• Ensure your baby is always sat upright when eating.
• Never leave your little one unsupervised whilst eating.

Last, but not least…have fun!

If eating is fun and enjoyable for your little one it will support their long-term relationship with food. Remember, they are at the start of their learning journey when it comes to food. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself to “get it right”, you’re learning about them too so focus on what’s within your control. Offer a variety of foods, ensure the mealtime is relaxed and free of distractions and, ideally, eat with them as this aids their learning.