The process of changing a baby’s diet from only milk to food takes quite a few months. But if you are strict with their diet in the first year it will pay dividends on their health for the rest of their life.  Most infants are weaned too early, some as early as 3-4 weeks.  Ideally it is best to begin weaning when the baby is about 6 months old.  At 6 months your baby needs more iron and other nutrients than milk alone can provide.

The early introduction of food is not intended to replace milk intake – simply to add to it.  If a baby is weaned too early, you may be overworking immature kidneys, the digestive system may not be fully developed so most foods will pass straight through, the baby may gain weight too rapidly causing the baby to become overweight, and certain foods introduced too early may trigger food allergies later in life due to an immature digestive system.  Between 4-6 months babies need more calories than the volume of milk their stomach can hold, and therefore will want more frequent feeds.  If your baby is 16lbs before 6mths he may be ready earlier for food.

Start off with a teaspoon the first day and gradually increase, go slowly and over a few months your breast milk (if breast feeding) will naturally reduce.  Introduce new foods one at a time with 3-4 days between each new food so that you can monitor any reactions.  Begin with foods that have the lowest allergenicity.  Therefore, follow this order, where the lowest are at the beginning – vegetables (not the nightshade family), fruit (not oranges), nuts and seeds (ground), pulses and beans, rice, meat, oats, barley, rye, nightshade vegetables (tomatoes, peppers, aubergines and potatoes), oranges, wheat, milk products and finally, eggs.  The last 4 foods should not be introduced before 12mths.  The first foods should be organic and there should be no artificial flavourings, sugar or salt in it.

At the beginning make sure it is soft, runny and smooth.  To soften the baby’s food use breast milk, formula or cooled boiled water.  Don’t use gravy, stock cubes or jars of sauce.  After 1-2mths, one milk feed can be replaced with a meal of solids and a drink.  Gradually, over 3-4mths you can mash and mince foods rather than puree-ing and sieving.  Their gums soon become very efficient at chewing.  As more solids are taken the amount of milk will gradually decrease.  Give them water or milk to drink to avoid giving them a sweet tooth.  If you do give them juice, make it very dilute.  Bananas need to be well ripened with black spots before giving to babies, so that the starch is converted into easily digestible sugar.  The longer you delay adding sugar to foods or giving sweets the better.  Sugary foods may soon be requested (or, more realistically, demanded!) to the exclusion of more nutritious forms.

Most babies at 12mths are almost able to enjoy a full family diet.  Although fatty, fried, very spicy, salty and sugary foods should not form a regular part of the child’s diet.  After 12mths he will continue to need at least a pint a day of either breast milk, formula or cows milk.  Ordinary cow’s milk shouldn’t be given to babies under 12mths.  It contains high amount of salt and potassium that immature kidneys can’t cope with.  It also contains proteins which infants are unable to digest.

Teething babies love salt free rice cakes to chew on!