Mums and Babies

Weaning guide

An easy guide to weaning your baby
Take everything you read here as a rough note. Consult your health worker or doctors if you are unsure of anything, as baby’s weights and sizes can make the difference in what they can and can’t eat.

0-4 months

At this age, your baby will be fed on either formula or breast milk. We all know the virtues of breast milk, but if you are simply unable to then don’t worry.

Your child will be fine on a good quality formula. Look for the nutrients on the label – if you child has a specific birth defect or something specific wrong with them, look for formula specific to this. Again, your health care worker can assist you on this choice.

You’ll be feeding your baby 6 – 8 bottles a day.

4-6 months

Start your baby off with baby rice. Only a tiny amount a day for a while, and give them 5 – 8 bottles a day rather than 6 – 8. Again, this depends on your baby’s appetite. Pop your baby on your lap, and cover them up. This will be messy so keep at it! Your baby needs to learn to push the solid food to the back of their mouth to digest it, where milk just goes down on its own. Remember that, and you’ll be fine. Start the feed with the milk, try the rice, and then finish with the milk.

5-8 months

Start giving your baby more variety of foods. Try pureed fruit and vegetables. Let your baby guide you on what to give them – if they like something like pineapple, try them on mango. Try and broaden their tastes. Again, don’t give them too much. One to two teaspoons with the formula is fine.

From 7 months

Start giving your baby a much larger range of food. Start pureeing fish, chicken, whole milk custard, pulses etc. Again, be guided by your child. Increase the meals to two a day, then three. Your baby will turn their head away when they’ve had too much and are full. Never force your child to have more than they want to. Start trying your baby on foods that are less soft, like toast fingers, soft fruit like raspberries, or cooked vegetables. You may still be giving 5 bottles a day, and your baby might not want any or much milk after a meal.

From 8-9 months

Your baby should be on 3 proper meals a day now, of around about 1 to 1 ½ small bowls at each meal. Try them on sweet and savoury meals. You want them to get a range of flavours and taste experiences. Start adding in meat, spinach, and fortified cereals. These are all rich in iron and help increase your baby’s immune system. All the stores your baby was born with are now used up and so you need to replenish them. Start offering juice or water with meals too, instead of milk all the time, so you can start the transition of nutrients from milk completely to nutrients from food.

From 9-12 months

Start encouraging your baby to self-feed with fingers or with a spoon. Once they get to around ten months, stop mashing and pureeing food completely, and start cutting into small pieces or a rough puree. Just don’t make it completely smooth. You’ll still be giving around 3-4 bottles a day.

From 12-15 months

You can start feeding your baby food the same as the rest of the family, just chopped up into small pieces. If they need them, give them a couple of snacks, such as toast, plain biscuits, yoghurt etc. You can also start to give your baby cow’s milk instead of formula, which is again, rich in calcium and good for little growing bones. Try to do all drinks from a cup now and not a bottle, as your baby will start to feel like a big boy or girl! Give them three or four cups of water a day, because more than this may make them be reluctant to eat their food.

Tips and Tricks

Try not to over feed your baby. Let their tastes and thoughts guide you instead of making choices for them. Don’t decide straight away that they’re going to be a vegetarian because you are, because they need the iron and the nutrients. If you are really set against it, then try them on fish or poultry.

Try combinations you don’t think would work. Carrots and fruit go together, avocado and pears go well together, and also strawberries and peaches. Mash them together with a fork and a little tiny bit of natural fromage frais to make it creamy.

Above all, don’t get discouraged. If your baby doesn’t like something, try something else. Don’t force anything on them, and remember, after 4 attempts, it will become a habit!