With a smile and a deep breath! This is a big step for your baby and it can take a bit of getting used to so just relax, go at their pace and take it one meal at a time.

After all they are still getting most of their nutritional needs met from milk so there is no pressure here to get them to ‘eat’ meals. As they say, ‘food is just for fun before one’! 

Weaning guide

If your baby is ready to start trying solid foods then pick a mealtime that suits you and will be nice and relaxed with plenty of time.

Give your baby about half the normal amount of milk to quench their thirst and satisfy some of their hunger. Then offer a very small amount of pureed food, about a teaspoonful, in tiny amounts on the very tip of a soft-tipped plastic spoon.

Do not worry if your baby appears to spit the food straight out. This is a completely new experience for them. Just be patient and prepared for some mess - it will take some time for your baby to get used to this new and very different way of eating!

Allow baby to play with the food (just have the wipes handy!) and wait for them to open their mouths rather than forcing food at them. They should feel in control and comfortable and if they show no interest at all that’s fine, just try again another time.

Planning meals into the day

Knowing how to fit meals as well as milk into the day can feel a little daunting! Just start with one to two teaspoons of puree before a feed at lunchtime for the first 2 weeks then as your baby progresses start to introduce 1 or 2 teaspoons at breakfast time and increase your lunchtime offer to 3 or 4 teaspoons. Be led by your baby to finally introduce 2 or 3 teaspoons at teatime. As your baby grows increase the quantities and variety so by around 9 months your baby is having 3 meals per day.

What’s on the menu?

Below are some ideas of foods you might like to offer but it really is as simple as some blended fruit or vegetables – very easy and nutritious. It is a good idea to steam the fruit or vegetables before blending as this helps to preserve their taste and nutrient content (a lot of the goodness can be lost if boiled).

When deciding which fruits and vegetables to offer, first think about the fruits and vegetables you eat most as a family. The long-term objective is to have baby join in with family meals, so it makes sense to use things that make it regularly into the family shop. You can make up a batch of purees and freeze in individual meal quantities. Ice cube trays or baby food pots are ideal for this.

Banana, apple, broccoli, dried apricots, peas, courgette, avocado, sweet potato, carrots, cauliflower.

So week one might look something like this:

Once your baby has tried a variety of individual fruits and vegetables, you can start to mix them together to offer more variety in taste texture and nutritional content. 

At this first stage, there are some foods that you should avoid giving to your baby:

Salt & spices, sugar & honey, eggs, nuts, shellfish, bread, cereal, pasta, cows’ milk, blue cheeses, spicy foods and sugary drinks.

After a few weeks of introducing solid foods, you can gradually increase the amount of solid food from one feed to two or three.