AFTER months of breast or bottle-feeding your baby, it’s the moment you’ve been waiting for – introducing food.
But it can be confusing to know when to begin, what to feed them and how much.
Getting your child to eat well from the start will set them up with healthy habits for life.
Rest assured, you don’t need to be Nigella Lawson or have oodles of fancy equipment to get you and your baby on the right track.
Nichola Ludlam-Raine says she started sitting her son, now aged five, and daughter, now two, in a highchair from five months, letting them play with spoons and empty cups and bowls.
“I wanted them to feel familiar with it and it really worked,” says Nichola, from Leeds.
“When I actually started the weaning process, the children were calm and less distracted.
“It wasn’t all new, just the food and eating. It also allowed me to crack on with cooking dinner while they were happy playing with these new and exciting toys.”
There are key signs to look for before you start your baby on solid foods
Suzanne Samaka lives in Watford with husband Steve and is mum to Enya, five, and Betsy, two.
“From as early as nine months, Betsy has always been a huge talker,” Suzanne says.
“So as long as we talked through what the food was beforehand and she could repeat the word, she would eat it.
“She would always ask, ‘What’s this?’ and wouldn’t touch it until she knew what it was called.
“I’d blend up fruits and vegetables to make purees and she really loved dipping in breadsticks or toast.
“She also used to have a lot of hummous or Greek yoghurt, and she still loves them now.”
If you’re thinking about weaning, these top tips will get you started.
When should I start weaning my baby?
Wait until your baby is six months old before you start feeding them solid foods.
This allows them to develop so they’re ready to cope with solids, and breast milk or formula provides all the energy and nutrients they need until that time.
By then your baby will also be better able to feed themselves and move food around their mouth, chewing and swallowing.
This means they can have mashed, lumpy and finger foods, so you don’t necessarily have to start with smooth, blended foods.
Try and introduce a wide range of foods – top tip, babies do not need salt or sugar added to meals
How can I tell if my baby is ready?
There are three clear signs your baby is ready to start eating solid food.
Clear signs:
They are able to stay in a sitting position with their head up
They can coordinate their eyes, hands and mouth so they can look at their food and pick it up to eat
They are able to swallow food rather than spit it out
False signs (these things are common but are NOT signs your baby needs solids yet):
They chew their fists
They want more baby milk
They are waking up in the night
Beautician Jane Ashling says lots of people told her to start feeding her baby Chloe early as she chewed her fist and would wake up in the night wanting milk.
“I can’t tell you how many people told me she must be waking up hungry and that I should start feeding her,” says Jane, 28 from Deal, in Kent.
“My health visitor told me to wait until six months and I’m so glad I did. Chloe’s eight months now and is loving her food.
“She loves breadsticks and bits of cucumber. And even though she is eating, she still wakes up so I know she wasn’t hungry.”
What should I feed my baby?
You can start weaning with single vegetables and fruits such as blended, mashed or cooked and soft broccoli, parsnip, potato, sweet potato, carrot, apple or pear.
You could also try baby rice mixed with your baby’s usual milk. Make sure any cooked food has cooled right down first.
Some parents prefer baby-led weaning to spoon feeding, while others combine a bit of both.
Baby-led weaning simply means offering your baby finger foods and letting them feed themselves from the start.
There is no right or wrong way. The most important thing is making sure they eat a wide range of foods.
Simona Brand says her daughter Lilibet loves avocado, banana and yoghurt for breakfast
Simona Brand, 35, from Ascot, Berkshire, says the key to successfully weaning daughter Lilibet, now 15 months, was variety.
“At breakfast I always give her something that contains fruit. She loves avocado and banana and yoghurt,” Simona explains.
“For lunch, her favourite is salmon with broccoli and cauliflower, which is very quick to prepare. I use different spices to flavour her meals, never salt.
“I follow many different recipes and most are very easy, they only take ten to 15 minutes to prepare.
“Lilibet was born at seven months weighing just 1kg and the health visitor has praised me for how well she is doing, given she was so premature.”
Visit the Start for Life hub for the complete weaning guide and lots of recipes and meal ideas.
How much should I feed my baby?
Babies have tiny tummies, so start by offering them small amounts before their usual milk feed.
At first, they do not need three meals a day. Even two or three teaspoons or small pieces of food are enough.
How much they eat is less important than just getting them used to the idea of doing so.
In the early days, they will still be getting most of their nutrients from formula or breast milk.
You can gradually increase the amount and the variety of foods they eat.
Stop if they show signs of being full, which might be pushing food away or closing their mouth when you offer it to them.
Don’t worry, it can take many tries to get a baby used to new foods, flavours and textures
When should I feed my baby?
Pick a time that suits you best, when you don’t feel rushed and your baby isn’t too tired.
Breakfast might be easier if you’re at home, but you might prefer lunch or dinner if you are rushing out on a school run in the morning.
Why is my baby being fussy?
Don’t ever feel you have failed.
It can take ten tries or more for your baby to get used to new foods, flavours and textures.
Some days they will eat more, some days less and there might be days when they reject everything. Don’t worry, this is perfectly normal.
Be patient and keep offering a variety of foods, even ones they don’t seem to like.
They might make funny faces, but this doesn’t mean they don’t like it and is just their way of getting used to new foods and textures.
Let your baby get used to solids in their own time.
For the time being, their regular milk feeds will continue to be the most important source of food for them.
What equipment do I need to get started?
You don’t need expensive kit to feed your baby. There are some useful essentials, though.
A highchair – and make sure baby is strapped in safely and sitting upright so they can swallow properly.
First cup – encourage your baby to sip water from a cup with their meals instead of a bottle. Open or free-flow cups help with learning to sip and are better for teeth.
Spoons – soft weaning spoons made of rubber or plastic are gentle on babies’ gums.
Plastic bowls – and ones with a suction base are a good idea to stop them ending up on the floor.
Ice cube trays – you can cook vegetables, and mash and freeze them in small portions. Then one or two cubes defrosted and warmed up should be enough for a six-month-old baby in the earliest days of weaning.
Bibs – ideally ones which are easy to clean.
Tovonya Raybe, from Purfleet-on-Thames in Essex, is mum to two-year-old Xavier. “I found that suction bowls and plates, easy-wipe placemats and bibs were all you need to take the stress and mess out of mealtimes.”
Tovonya Raybe and son Xavier found ways to take the stress out of mealtimes
How do I keep my baby on the right track with weaning?
Gradually increase how much your child eats and between 7-9 months they should be eating three meals a day.
Again, these are baby-sized meals, not like yours.
By now, your baby should be trying a wide range of tastes and textures.
They should be able to pick up small pieces of food and move them to their mouth and use a cup with more confidence.
Lunch and tea can include a main course and fruit or an unsweetened, dairy-based dessert.
Top tips
Babies do NOT need salt or sugar added to their food.
And do NOT offer cow’s milk as a drink until your child turns one, but it can be used in cooking or mixed with food from 6 months of age.
Visit the Start for Life hub for the complete weaning guide and lots of recipes and meal ideas.