The introduction of solids process takes place in 3 stages. As well as their usual milk feeds, your baby will now be eating solid foods 2-3 times a day. All your details are private and only your username and avatar photo are publicly visible. Once the baby is 6 months of age, small amounts of pasteurised full-fat cows’ milk can be used to prepare weaning foods. In the late afternoon baby could have another few spoonfuls of solids for their second meal. If you’re pregnant or breastfeeding this Christmas, here are some tips to help you maintain healthy eating habits over the festive season. If you want to read more about preparing those very first foods, we also have this guide to the 10 best first foods to give to your baby, including cooking guidance and recipes. You can start making them a little lumpier too, so they can begin to get used to chewing foods in their mouths before swallowing. red meat such as lamb and beef. Each will now be a small bowl of food, about 6 tablespoons full. You can read more about the somewhat controversial topic of early weaning in our article here. Our expert team of dietitians and nutritionists have created lots of articles, tips, advice and recipes all about the importance of good nutrition to help you give your baby the healthiest possible start in life. Your baby is really getting the hang of eating solids and will be moving towards enjoying 3 meals a day. In Weaning Stage 2 you want to introduce your baby to a wide variety of foods and tastes. However a number of parents feel that their baby is ready for solids before 6 months of age. During their first year babies move from a diet of just milk, to eating 3 meals a day with a wide variety of foods. However recent research has shown that early exposure to potential allergens may actually reduce the food allergy risk in the future. Over the next few days keep offering a spoonful or two of solid foods at the same time. Remember! Give your baby lots of soft finger foods and chopped baby foods that they can pick up and feed themselves with. Fruit made into a purée, e.g. Find out how to prepare and cut foods so that they are the right size and texture for your baby to pick up and chew. We always recommend checking with your doctor of GP first before introducing allergenic foods to baby. Meat, poultry and fish purées, e.g. This could be at mid-morning and mid-afternoon so that it’s served between bottle feeds. After 12 months of age your baby can also drink cow’s milk as their main milk drink. In the past parents were advised not to give their babies allergenic foods (such as eggs, dairy products or nuts) until they were much older. During this introductory period the texture of food offered should  progress from a runny (semi-liquid) and absolutely smooth consistency to a slightly thicker purée with no lumps. Continue with your baby’s usual milk feeds, spacing them out between solid feeds. Avocado, very ripe and mashed well. They’ll get to try so many different tastes and textures. of our fun learning activities delivered straight to your inbox. The baby’s usual milk (breast milk or formula milk) should be used to modify the texture of the food – the baby will recognise the taste. Pass the food through a sieve to remove any lumps. If your doctor has advised that you can wean baby before 6 months, then you can offer them smooth pureed food from a spoon. After 6 months if baby is ready, you can choose between offering purees and soft finger foods. The food offered should become increasingly varied so that your baby can experience different tastes and flavours. Start with one solid meal on the first day. When you’ve seen that they don’t react badly to a particular food, you can feel more comfortable to offer it to them regularly. For more details about starting weaning including equipment, first foods and a sample baby eating schedule take a look at our article Ultimate Guide to Starting Weaning. After they’ve had one you can move onto the next but make sure you regularly offer that food again to them. Unfortunately, there are very few dietary sources of vitamin D. Make sure you are getting enough. Start 4 Life NHS. Foods can be prepared in bulk and frozen in small portions using sterilised ice-cube trays. Cooked pasta pieces that your baby can pick up. By 12 months, your baby should be enjoying family meals. Over time they will start to enjoy a small bowl of about 2-3 tablespoons for each solid feed. If you started offering purees that were quite runny at first, you can gradually make them creamier over. Your baby doesn’t need any added salt or sugar (even to the cooking water). Your baby will be eating 3 solid meals a day. gravies and sauces, and don’t add butter or spreads to their food. However you can find the time that works best for you both and give a few spoonfuls each time. Stage 1 weaning: Baby’s first foods – The easy way to start solids with first weaning food recipes and nutritional advice. Please check your inbox and spam folder. Once the baby is 6 months of age, small amounts of pasteurised full-fat cows’ milk can be used to prepare weaning foods. After your baby has tried it remember to keep introducing that food regularly in between other new foods. You can gradually increase baby’s meals from 2 up to 3 a day. However, as your baby eats more solid food you might need to reduce milk feeds slightly as they approach 9 months of age. Please enter the 4-digit code we've sent you. Foods should be the same texture throughout. It’s also a good idea to offer these new foods at a time when baby will be awake for a while, so that you can more easily monitor them for any symptoms such as a rash or wheezing. If they are eating well at each mealtime, then you can begin to gradually cut down on how much milk you are giving them. Professor Michael Turner welcomes the First 1000 Days Movement. 3 Stages of Weaning – Quick Summary Stage 1 – First tastes (4-6 months) Baby will experience their first tastes of solid foods. Do not mix food textures at this stage. You also want baby to slowly get used to more textures and start to eat some foods with lumpier, chunkier textures. This is because up to now, they’re used to drinking milk which is liquid. Not all, but some babies prefer to start off with a runny texture. If you do decide to wean before 6 months, speak to your health visitor or GP first. You can mix new tastes of fruit or vegetables with baby milk to dilute the flavour. Remember to keep introducing new foods to baby. banana, stewed apple, pear, peaches, apricots, plums, melon. Stage one of weaning baby is 6 months of age, small amounts pasteurised... 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