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What is Weaning? According to Bupa, weaning is “the process of introducing solid foods into your baby’s diet in order to fulfill their growing nutritional needs.”

When is the right time to weaning your baby? BBC’s Parenting column suggests that you can try solid food when

• your baby is still hungry after a milk feed
• he wakes in the night to be fed, after sleeping through for a period of time
• your baby demands more feeds more often

Weaning your child from the bottle or the breast can start from six months onwards. BabyCare has three levels of weaning your child: The First Course (young baby), Enter the Entrée (your older baby) and Just Desserts (Your toddler)

[source : Anna’s New Parent Pages]

The First Course (young baby)

1. Tiny tastes

Your baby’s first solids should be the smallest of tastes. He needs time to get used to the texture of the food, as well as swallowing, so his first few tries are more about that than getting any nourishment!

2. Keep it simple

Your baby is used to formula or breastmilk, which is bland, so don’t overload his taste buds. Stick to baby rice cereal as it’s plain and you can mix it with your baby’s milk. When you move on to veggies, only give one at a time and the same one for a couple of days so he becomes used to it.

3. The amount doesn’t matter

He’ll probably spit out more than he swallows – most of it over you. Don’t worry, it’s normal and he’ll be chomping away before you know it.

4. Her poo will change

As the saying goes, ‘you are what you eat’, and never will you notice this more than when your baby’s weaning! If your baby’s been breastfeed exclusively up to now, you’ll notice that her poo becomes more smelly and solid. And when you move on to fruit and veggies, watch out for carroty-orange poo, and the broccoli delight – bright green. These changes are normal, so don’t panic.

Tip:

1. Uneaten baby food should always be thrown away; never re-freeze anything once it’s been defrosted, to avoid food poisoning.
2. It’s important to maintain your child’s daily milk intake. Until he’s 12 months old, he should have 570ml (1 pint) every day to ensure his healthy growth. And, while cow’s milk is fine to add to his solids from six months, it shouldn’t be used as his main drink until he’s 12 months old.

Bickers has a weaning diary.

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Related Articles:

JJT Weaning, ready or not! Diary - Day 1
Baby Wearning
BBC’s Parenting

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“Cooking for a baby was something entirely new to me and a different ball game altogether. Cooking for babies required a lot more knowledge, planning and careful thought put into it then cooking for adults!” - Mothering Times

Cooking for a baby is never as easy as cooking for adults. As mentioned in Mothering Times, it requires more knowledge, planning and careful thought put into it. Some precautions such as baby might be allergic to certain food, baby might not be ready for solid food are to be kept in mind.

Some Do’s and Don’ts as described in Baby Food Tips – Do’s

DO:

• use ice cube trays to freeze puréed foods.
• discard unfinished meals. Bacteria forms quickly.
• introduce new foods to pinpoint any allergies.
• make sure your child has accepted most vegetables and fruits before trying any meats.
• steam or microwave retains food vitamins, as opposed to boiling.
• use water left from steaming, breast milk, formula, cow’s milk, yogurt, broth, or apple juice as thinners.
• use wheat germ, whole-grain cereal, cottage cheese, farmer cheese, cooked egg yolks, yogurt, mashed white or sweet potato as thickenner

DON’T:

• feed nuts, raisins, popcorn, raw vegetables, unpeeled fruits, or peanut butter to children under the age of 2.
• give honey to children under the age of one year due to potential contraction of infant botulism.
• give beets, spinach, collards or turnip greens to babies under one year of age due to high concentrations of naturally-occurring nitrates which can reduce the baby’s hemoglobin.
• add salt, sugar, or strong spices to homemade baby foods. No food seasoning for baby good
• use cookies as a pacifier for a fussy baby.
• use canned vegetables as they are usually loaded with sodium and additives.
• use a microwave to warm foods.
• put diluted foods into a bottle with a larger hole in the nipple for night feedings.
• give highly acidic fruits, such as oranges, tangerines and pineapples, to babies under one year as the acid is harsh on the immature digestive system.
• feed egg whites to babies under one year of age, potentially allergic reaction.
• forcefeed your child. To begin solids foods, start with one or two spoonfuls and let your baby guide you.
• limit your child’s fat intake during the first two years. Fats are necessary to development.

Related articles:

Cooking for babies
Baby Food Tips – Do’s
Baby Food Tips – Don’ts
Symptoms of Children’s Food Allergy

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