reflex starts to diminish and he’ll start taking food into his mouth rather than just automatically pushing it out – this is a good sign. However, it’s worth bearing in mind that even when he does start taking food into his mouth, swallowing is the next step, which might come slightly later and which is why some babies might gag initially. They don’t have teeth, so they’re not chewing but sucking or grinding the food between their gums until it is small enough to swallow. This is why smooth purées are among the best first foods.
Sitting up
To sit up in a feeding chair, your baby needs strong neck and head control. If you think about it, up until now you’ve cuddled your baby during his breast- or bottle feeds, so introducing solids while he’s sitting up in a chair is a far less intimate experience for him. It’s crucial that he’s strong enough to hold himself upright and that he’s sitting comfortably before you begin.
Reaching for food
Babies love to imitate. If you find your little one is starting to reach for things you’re putting in your mouth, the chances are he’s ready to have a go himself. Offering soft sticks of food is a great way of allowing him to start exploring food for himself at his own pace. See if his motor skills are developed enough for him to grab and aim the food into his mouth. (Letting your baby take the lead is the approach taken throughout baby-led weaning – see here.) If you’re spoon-feeding, you might find your baby takes more if you give him his own spoon to hold so he feels as if he’s feeding himself.
HOW TO START
The secret to the whole weaning process is (where possible) to make sure the conditions are right, and this includes the feeding environment. First and foremost, brace yourself for mess! When they start weaning, babies are constantly throwing stuff on the floor and at you. You can always guarantee that the moment you do manage to get a fully loaded spoon into their mouths, they decide to sneeze it all over the table. It’s a messy business, but it doesn’t last for ever and, with a pack of wet wipes at the ready, rather than dealing with Armageddon in one hit at the end, you can sort it out in controlled stages.
FEEDING ENVIRONMENT
Feeding chair and adjustable harness
Whether you choose a Bumbo or high chair with its own table, or one that pulls up or fixes to the dining table (see here), the most important thing is for it to have an adjustable harness. It’s imperative your baby is comfortable and well supported. If he’s slouching, or there’s any pressure on his tummy, it can affect feeding and lead to discomfort.
Indestructible bowl!
Any bowl that’s not going to smash if it gets swiped to the floor – which, believe me, it will at some juncture! If you can bear to, allow messy play to let your baby explore for himself. Let him handle food, feel the texture and try to put it in his mouth. (For more on weaning bowls and spoons, see here.)
TIME OF DAY
Try to make sure your baby hasn’t had too many milk feeds throughout the day, so he’s hungry enough to eat. On the other hand, it’s important that he’s not starving when you sit him down for a meal, as he won’t get the same quick fix his desperate tummy needs from a teaspoon of carrot purée as he would a bottle of milk, and the whole situation may deteriorate into a hot mess.
You need to pick a time of the day when you aren’t in a rush, and most importantly when your baby is contented. With all of mine, their first ever taste of solid food was a breakfast of baby rice. I’d begin the process first thing in the morning after waking. I’d make up the usual morning bottle and a small amount of baby rice, using some of the milk from the feed. It’s important to use that milk rather than additional milk, so as to avoid overfeeding. Then I’d hide the bottle from hungry little eyes, make baby comfortable in the feeding chair and offer a sip of water from a sippy cup, followed by a spoonful or so of baby rice. I’d only keep going until their interest waned and then would finish up with the usual morning bottle.
How much they eat depends entirely on your baby, but you should start to see them taking more as the days go by. Remember, it’s a new and strange sensation for them, so keep the process as relaxed as possible. It’s important to be guided by your baby as to how much solid food he wants and how much milk. Babies know when their tummies are full and learning to stop when they’ve had enough is a useful life lesson.
HOW MUCH TO FEED YOUR BABY
When you are finally sitting face to face with your baby, who’s had just enough milk to appease his rumbly tummy, be prepared to melt as that first teaspoon of solid food touches his lips. There’ll be a lot of gurning, tongue pushing and grimacing for the first few goes until he realizes that it’s quite nice really.
At this stage, don’t even expect to get more than a teaspoon’s worth of food into your baby. And even that will be delivered via half a dozen spoonfuls with the tiniest amount on the edge of the spoon. Just be patient. It’s all about building up your baby’s confidence, taste buds and capacity for food, and it will take time for him to learn. Remember, at the earliest stages, weaning is predominantly about getting your little one familiar with food.
Texture
Initially, purées should be smooth and not too thick – about the same consistency as double cream. Start with one or two single-ingredient vegetable purées (see here), and once your baby accepts those, then slowly introduce others. You can dilute with the vegetable-cooking water to maximize the nutrients, or with your baby’s regular milk to produce something with familiar back notes.
Once you get going, you’ll get a sense for what’s the ideal consistency for your baby. Stick to super-smooth for the first couple of weeks, then gradually start to thicken to a consistency that doesn’t quite pour off the spoon, but rather sticks to it. Think more of a mush/mash than a purée. And I mean gradually. If you try to change too soon, before he’s ready, you risk a meal being rejected altogether. If your baby looks like he’s starting to move the purée around his mouth, as if he’s trying to chew, then it could be a sign he’s ready for thicker textures. Harry loved really smooth purées; it took him longer to eat foods with lumps in it. The bottom line is not to rush it but do remember that moving on to thicker textures is important because it’s good for their digestive system. Also the longer you linger on a texture the more reluctant your baby might be to move on.
Some babies will be eager to hold food and feed themselves from six months of age, while others will need a bit more encouragement. If you’re allowing your little one to experiment with sticks of soft veg or fruit, the texture should be adjusted as your little one develops and they’re ready for something slightly firmer and sturdier.
Breastfeeding/milk
Up until approximately six months, your baby’s exclusive source of nourishment is milk (whether breast, formula or a mix) and so long as he’s drinking well, keeping most of it down, and his weight is going up nicely on the scales, you can be confident he’s getting all the nutrients he needs. Breast milk by its very nature is bespoke to the nutritional requirements of your baby, and the milk formulas on the market today are so highly developed, they’re as close to Mum-made as possible.
It can be trickier to move an exclusively
