Moving on up: step-by-step weaning
Weaning is a very gradual process, and for the first few weeks at least, your baby will probably take no more than a couple of spoons of food at each sitting. Take it slowly and stay relaxed and you’ll both take to it like ducks to water.
Week 1: Puréed vegetable such as carrot is an ideal first food. Mix it to a runny consistency with breast milk or formula, and just give one or two spoonfuls once a day.
Even when weaning, your baby still needs plenty of breast milk or formula milk – milk is still his most important source of nutrition, so be sure to offer at least 600 ml of milk a day until he’s 12 months old.
Week 2: Introduce smooth purées of single vegetables, such as carrot, swede, or potato, watered down with breast milk or formula. Stick to the same purée for a couple of days before introducing a new one, so your baby gets used to each flavour. If your baby is happy, aim for two small servings a day.
Make up quantities of puréed vegetables, and then freeze them in ice cube trays. This lets you prepare food in advance and increase the size of servings as your baby’s appetite increases. Life’s too short to cook a tablespoon of purée at a time!
Week 3: Add purées of fruit, such as banana, apple, or mango. You can also combine purées to make new flavours. Give two or three servings a day.
Week 4: If your baby’s over 6 months of age, you can start to introduce more filling meals such as lentil and vegetable purée. You can also try small amounts of dairy products, such as unsweetened natural yogurt or fromage frais, or mild cheddar cheese. If your baby’s happy, he can now be having two quite substantial meals a day.
Week 5: You can now start to add thoroughly puréed meat and fish, or lentils, if your baby’s over 6 months of age. All of them are rich in protein and great for your baby’s growth. Give your baby two or three meals a day, with at least one protein-based serving.
Posted in Children's Health
