What’s weaning?
Weaning simply means introducing food other than milk into your baby's diet. It is a gradual process and involves slowly giving your baby solid foods. Moving on to solid food will not only provide your baby with more nutrients, but will also help develop the muscles necessary for chewing and eventually speech.
At what age should you wean your baby?
Health experts recommend you wait until your baby is six months old* before you start weaning because it’s important to ensure his digestive system is equipped to deal with solid food. Until then he will have all the nutrients he needs from milk, either breast milk or formula.
How do I know whether my baby is ready to be weaned?
- He can hold his head up unsupported
- He can sit up when supported
- He shows an interest in what you're eating
- He starts waking up in the night for feeds when he wasn’t previously
- He isn’t satisfied by breast or bottle feeding
Getting Started – Stage 1
Weaning is very gradual and should be started slowly. Since you’ll only be aiming to give solid food at one meal to start with, decide which daytime feed is the most relaxed, give baby his normal amount of milk and then offer the first solid food on a teaspoon. Start with bland pureed foods such as potatoes, carrots, cauliflower, or baby rice, mixed with a little breast or formula milk. Remember not to add any seasoning. This will start getting your baby used to solid foods and new tastes, and if he refuses, just try again on another day with a different type of food.
Take your time. Your baby needs to learn how to take the food from a spoon, chew and swallow it. It will taste and feel different from milk, and it will take time for him to get used to it.
It’s a good idea to puree up some fresh fruit and vegetables and store these in the freezer so that they are ready to be defrosted as required. An ice cube tray is ideal for freezing first foods, as you can just defrost a small amount when needed, and prevent wastage.
Foods to try:
- Pureed fruit or vegetables
- Banana, apple, pear, mango
- Potato, carrot, broccoli, cauliflower, swede
- Stewed fruit purees with baby rice
- Porridge made with baby rice and milk
Foods to avoid:
- Salt and spices
- Sugar and honey
- Eggs
- Nuts
- Shellfish
- Bread, cereal and pasta
- Cows’ milk
More New Tastes – Stage 2
While milk will still be your baby’s main feeds (up to 600ml a day), you can gradually increase the amount of solid food from one feed a day to two, usually after a few weeks. Eventually you will be able to increase to solid foods at three feeds a day.
Babies learn to chew at 6 – 7 months old, which means that you can start to introduce mashed or grated foods, rather than purees.
Try to introduce different types of food, so that your baby becomes accustomed to lots of different tastes.
Foods to try:
- Lean meat or poultry
- Pureed pulses eg lentils or chickpeas
- Full fat milk products eg yoghurt, fromage frais, or cheese sauce – although not if your health visitor advises against it.
- Fish, either white (eg cod) or oily (eg salmon)
Foods to avoid:
- Salt and salty foods
- Sugary soft drinks
- Spicy foods
- Blue cheeses
- Nuts
- Shellfish
Self-feeding – Stage 3
Between 9 and 12 months, your baby can start to eat the same food as the rest of the family, either mashed or sieved. Remember not to add any salt, sugar or honey. He will still need his milk (either breast milk or formula) - up to 600mls a day.
Your baby will be getting used to holding a spoon and learning to feed himself. He will also start to pick up pieces of food and put them in his mouth – it can be an exciting, and messy, time.
Foods to try:
- Wheat based foods eg bread, pasta and cereals
- Citrus fruits
- Eggs (ensure they are well cooked)
- Finger foods eg carrot sticks, peeled apple slices, breadsticks, fingers of buttered toast
Foods to avoid:
- Sweet biscuits
- Sweet rusks
The Tools of the Trade
A spoon is a spoon, you might think. But when it comes to weaning your baby the right spoon is very important.
- First it should be plastic, as metal retains heat and could burn your baby’s sensitive mouth.
- Second it should be very shallow to ensure the food goes into the baby and doesn’t stay on the spoon.
- And third, a long handle is very useful, as it will reach more easily into food jars and storage pots.
Tommee Tippee weaning spoons have all these things – and more. Only Tommee Tippee brings you Heat Sensing spoons which change colour from red to yellow to warn when food is too hot to give your baby. They are ideal when you’re using a microwave to heat up food because they will tell you at a glance when it’s safe to feed the baby – and when it’s not.
To make the most of baby’s mealtimes, as well as making mealtimes easier for you, we’ve developed a range of colourful, clever and practical products, designed to offer a complete solution to the chaos that can be weaning.
Our Magic Gripper Mat is the perfect answer when it comes to preventing spills, as it holds our bowls and plates firmly in place, avoiding any little disasters that may occur.
All our products are made from hardwearing materials that can be put in the dishwasher, freezer or microwave. None of our products contain PVC, so you can have complete confidence that your baby’s wellbeing is looked after. For less stress and mess at mealtimes, the Tommee Tippee tableware range has been created with both mum and baby in mnd, and has those little extra touches that help make feeding an enjoyable experience.
* The Department of Health recommends that you wait until your baby is 6 months old before you start weaning. However, all babies are different, and some babies are ready to start before then. If your health visitor or GP advises it, you can start to introduce solids from 17 weeks.
Last Updated: April 03, 2008
