Diseases and Conditions › Nutrition › Weaning

Weaning

Monica Adhikari

Consultant Dietician, Great Ormond Street Hospital, London
First Created: 09/15/2014 Last Updated: 09/15/2014

Patient Education

What is Weaning?

Weaning your baby from the breast or the bottle starts from about 4-6 months. From about 4-6 months old, your baby needs more iron and other nutrients like Vitamin D and Vitamin C that milk alone cannot give. The idea of weaning is the process of gradual introduction to a wide range of nonmilk foods so that by the age of one, your baby will be joining in family meals.

When do I Start Weaning?

Weaning is a transition form breast milk or formula milk to solid foods. It is divided into the following stages:

Stage 1: Babies are usually ready to start on solid foods between 4-6 months.

Stage 2: 6-9 months.

Stage 3: 9-12 months.

Begin with smooth textures, mashed, minced, chopped, finger foods, and finally family foods.

Stage 1: From 4-6 Months

During the first couple of weeks of weaning, your baby needs to learn that foods have different textures and tastes and that it doesn't come in continuous flow.

You can start off with:

Baby should be still having 600 ml of breast or infant formula milk daily.

Starchy foods: Initially cereal is used such as baby rice or sago (sabudana).

Mashed, pureed, starchy vegetables are also suitable e.g. potato, carrot, sweet potato, yam (suran). Try combining some of these foods together.

Vegetables and fruits: soft cooked pureed vegetables and fruits are suitable e.g. apple, banana, pear, mango and chickoo.(Do not add sugar)

Non fibrous vegetables e.g. cauliflower, pureed spinach, lauki (bottle gourd, dudhi)

Remember:

The aim is to get the baby used to take food from a spoon-Start with teaspoonful (quantities will be small) and milk will still be major sources of nutrients).

Foods should be not be salted or sweetened.

Don't press food on your baby-If the food doesn't seem to be wanted, wait, and try again another day.

To try the food after a milk feed or in the middle of one.

If food is hot, you make sure you stir it and test it again.

Stage 2: From 6-9 Months

Gradually increase the amount of food you give either before or after a milk feed.

Continue 500-600 ml breast or infant formula milk.

Dairy products: Cow's milk may be used to mix solids. Cheese may be given as finger foods.

Starchy foods 2-3 servings daily: introduce wheat-based cereals: khichri (gruel of rice and pulses), sooji halwa/porridge, nachni mixed with milk (porridge).

Vegetables: 2 servings. Raw soft fruits and vegetables may be given as finger foods e.g. soft-cooked strips of carrot, Cooked green beans, soft banana and pear, Apple stew, Spinach and tomato soup. Other cooked vegetables and fruits may now be coarser in texture.

Meat and alternatives: 1 serving. Meat, fish, pulses may be coarsely pureed. Chopped hard-cooked egg may be used as finger foods.

Remember:

Introduce lumpy foods by 6-7 months

Introduce feeding from the cup.

Encourage different textures and stronger tastes.

Food should not be salted or sweetened

Encourage a savoury preference to sweet

Some meals to try:

Breakfast: porridge of rice or suji (rava) or nachni or dahlia or mashed banana

Lunch: minced chicken with vegetables and potato or khichri (gruel of rice and dal with vegetables and potato) or soft ripe peeled pear or apple.

Dinner: mashed boiled sweet potato with carrots with cauliflower.

Stage 3: From 9-12 Months

Continue 500-600 ml-breast milk or infant milk formula daily.

Dairy products: To continue to use cows milk to mix with solids. Hard cheese used as finger foods.

Starchy foods: 3-4 servings daily. May be normal adult texture.

Vegetables and fruits: 3-4 servings. Encourage lightly cooked or raw foods. Chopped or finger foods is suitable, e.g. pear, apple, chickoo, banana and melon.