Mummy and Me Magazine August 2014 October-November 2014 | Page 22

Early Years
ANNABEL KARMEL WEANING ADVICE & RECIPE

So you want to start introducing your little one to the wonderful world
of food…but where do you start? Weaning your baby from milk to
solids is an exciting time and a big step for both of you. Your baby will
be entering a whole new world of tastes and textures, and you’ll want
to feel safe in the knowledge that you are giving them the right foods for
the very best start in life.

T

he general rule is that babies should be
weaned from around six months old; this
is the age recommended by Government
guidelines. Milk provides all the nutrients your
baby needs for the first 6 months or so, but some
parents feel that their babies are ready before
then.

17 week as his gastrointestinal function won’t
have fully matured. Every baby is different, and
in families with a history of food allergy, hay fever,
eczema or asthma, it’s best to try to exclusively
breastfeed for the first six months. Also as your
baby gets older he will need more iron and
nutrients than milk alone can provide.

If this is the case with your baby, it’s acceptable
to introduce solids a little earlier, but not before

Signs that your baby is ready for solids:

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- Your baby starts demanding feeds more often
- Your baby still seems hungry after his usual
milk feed
- He was sleeping through the night but
has started to wake for an extra feed when
previously he slept through
Importance of milk

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When you start weaning, milk will still form a
major part of your baby’s diet. Whether you
are breastfeeding or using a bottle, milk will
provide all the nutrients they need. Babies
should continue to have breast or formula milk
throughout the first year. Up to the age of one
year, your baby needs a minimum of 600ml (20
oz) of breast or formula milk a day.
Recently the advice was to introduce every
new food separately with a space of three days
before introducing another food. However,
unless there is a history of allergy or you are
concerned about your baby’s reactions to a
certain food, there is no reason why new foods
should not be introduced on consecutive days,
provided you keep to the list of the best first
foods.
When to introduce cow’s milk
Cow’s milk and goat’s milk aren’t suitable

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