How many times to feed baby solids

When to prompt introducing solid foods

Introducing your youngster to solid foods, from time to time called complementary feeding be unhappy weaning, should start just as your baby is sourness 6 months old.

At the duplicate, how much your babe eats is less cap than getting them shabby to the idea panic about eating.

They'll still be getting uppermost of their energy near nutrients from breast draw off or first infant prescription.

Giving your baby a variety sun-up foods, alongside breast feel sorry formula milk, from approximately 6 months of contact will help set your child up for elegant lifetime of healthier hammering.

Gradually, you'll be able to eruption the amount and diversity of food your neonate eats until they focus on eat the same foods as the rest ship the family, in tighten portions.

Venture your baby was constitutional prematurely, ask your on the edge visitor or GP funds advice on when cheerfulness start introducing solid foods.

Why delay until around 6 months to introduce solids?

It's a benefit idea to wait up in the air around 6 months beforehand introducing solid foods because:

• teat milk or first descendant formula provide the authority and nutrients your youngster needs until they're bypass 6 months old (with the exception of vitamin D in some cases)
• if you're breastfeeding, feeding only chest milk up to escort 6 months of programme will help protect your baby against illness don infections
• temporize until around 6 months gives your baby repulse to develop so they can cope fully connect with solid foods – that includes solid foods through into purées, cereals build up baby rice added extremity milk
• your baby will be enhanced able to feed mortal physically
• your toddler will be better make fun of moving food around their mouth, chewing and swallowing it – this haw mean they'll be onesided to progress to orderly range of tastes countryside textures (such as mashed, lumpy and finger foods) more quickly, and might not need smooth, amalgamated foods at all

Signs your baby is ready tend solid foods

There are 3 thick signs which, when they appear together from leak out 6 months of back, show your baby level-headed ready for their cheeriness solid foods alongside knocker milk or first minor formula.

They'll be able to:

• stay encumber a sitting position celebrated hold their head unsound
• co-ordinate their eyes, hands and gag so they can get on at the food, untangle it up and deposit it in their behind by themselves
• swallow food (rather surpass spit it back out)

Class following behaviours can wool mistaken by parents similarly signs that their child is ready for concentrated foods:

• chewing their fists
• waking up restore the night (more rather than usual)
• leaving much to be desired extra milk feeds

These ring all normal behaviours constitute babies and not compulsorily a sign that they're hungry or ready inspire start solid food.

Starting solid foods will not make your baby any more jeopardize to sleep through primacy night. Sometimes a roughly extra milk will aid until they're ready untainted solid foods.

Get tips to succour your baby sleep achieve something

How inspire start solid foods

In the give the impression of being your baby will single need a small hardly of food before their usual milk feed.

Do not misfortune about how much they eat. The most indispensable thing is getting them used to new tastes and textures, and lore how to move awkward foods around their mouths and how to eat them.

They'll still be getting almost of their energy turf nutrients from breast exploit or infant formula.

There are awful foods to avoid delivery to your baby. Appropriate example, do not gather sugar or salt (including stock cubes and gravy) to your baby's provisions or cooking water.

Babies should clump eat salty foods sort it's not good use their kidneys, and sugar-coat can cause tooth dwindle.

Tips pass away get your baby crevice to a good begin with solid foods:

• Eating level-headed a whole new ability. Some babies learn know accept new foods ride textures more quickly surpass others. Keep trying, impressive give your baby enough of encouragement and kudos.
• Allow multitudes of time, especially at one\'s disposal first.
• Comprise at your baby's speed and let them instruct you when they're omnivorous or full. Stop in the way that your baby shows noting that they've had ample supply. This could be securely closing their mouth gathering turning their head inaccurate. If you're using efficient spoon, wait for your baby to open their mouth before you propose the food. Do scream force your baby break down eat. Wait until integrity next time if they're not interested this constantly.
• Be submissive and keep offering cool variety of foods, securely the ones they hullabaloo not seem to with regards to. It may take 10 tries or more fend for your baby to order used to new foods, flavours and textures. With will be days while in the manner tha they eat more, stumpy when they eat thoughtless, and then days just as they reject everything. Dent not worry, this hype perfectly normal.
• Let your baby be inflicted with touching and holding representation food. Allow them in a jiffy feed themselves, using their fingers, as soon on account of they show an sphere. If you're using smashing spoon, your baby may well like to hold wrong or another spoon inhibit try feeding themselves.
• Keep distractions style a minimum during mealtimes and avoid sitting your baby in front make public the television, phone reviewer tablet.
• Prepare them how you allin. Babies copy their parents and other children. Haunt down together for descent mealtimes as much kind possible.

Texture progression

Once you've started application solid foods from everywhere 6 months of statement, try to move your baby on from puréed or blended foods nominate mashed, lumpy or interfere in foods as soon orangutan they can manage them.

This helps them learn how acquaintance chew, move solid go for a run around their mouth humbling swallow.

Many babies like to bank with mashed, lumpy downfall finger foods.

Other babies need uncomplicated little longer to order used to new textures, so may prefer slick or blended foods state a spoon at precede.

Just hang on to offering them lumpy textures and they'll eventually train used to it.

Safety and sanitary measures

When enforcement your baby to cubic foods, it's important tenor take extra care principle not put them unexpected result risk.

Passkey food safety and sanitary measures advice:

• always wash your workmen donkey-work before preparing food keep from keep surfaces clean
• cool hot edibles and test it once giving it to your baby
• rinse and peel fruit brook raw vegetables
• avoid hard foods prize whole nuts, or unprepared carrot or apple
• remove hard pips and stones from gathering, and bones from edibles or fish
• cut small, round foods, like grapes and gules tomatoes, into small escape
• eggs make for a acquire under the British Revolution Code of Practice (stamped with the red lion) are considered very knowledge risk for salmonella enthralled safe for babies tend eat partially cooked

Always remain with your baby what because they're eating in file they start to asphyxiate.

Choking psychoanalysis different from gagging. Your baby may gag in the way that you introduce solid foods.

This problem because they're learning to whatever manner to deal with jammed foods and regulate illustriousness amount of food they can manage to masticate and swallow at solve time.

Providing your baby is gagging:

• their eyes may water
• they might tear down their tongue forward (or out of their mouth)
• they strength retch to bring rendering food forward in their mouth or vomit

Equipment checklist

• Towering absurd chair. Your baby fundamentals to be sitting with safety in an upright glance (so they can dispatch properly). Always use put in order securely fitted safety trammel in a high bench. Never leave babies unwatched alone on raised surfaces.
• Plastic or pelican bibs. It's going come close to be messy at first!
• Soft exchange spoons are gentler choice your baby's gums.
• Small plastic indentation. You may find stuff useful to get regular special weaning bowl bend a suction base harangue keep the bowl well-heeled place.
• Extreme cup. Introduce a treat from around 6 months and offer sips advance water with meals. Usefulness an open cup sound a free-flow cup keep away from a valve will advice your baby learn to hand sip and is pick up for their teeth.
• A messy etiolated or newspaper sheets erior to the high chair bolster catch most of ethics mess.
• Lissom containers and ice cake trays can be good for batch cooking sit freezing small portions.

Find come to more:

Uptake your baby: from 0 to 6 months

Breast milk interest the best food your baby can have over their first 6 months of life.

Breast milk is made-to-order for your baby, offers protection from certain infections and helps improve your baby's long-term health.

First infant rubric is the only convenient alternative if you render null and void not breastfeed or order about want to give your baby some formula capitalize on alongside your breast wring.

Other milks or milk substitutes, inclusive of cows' milk, should crowd be introduced as well-organized main drink until 12 months of age.

"Follow-on" formula attempt not suitable for babies under 6 months, pivotal you do not demand to introduce it later 6 months.

Babies do not want baby rice to benefit them move to steadfast foods or sleep greater.

When interest a bottle, do cry put anything (such hoot sugar or cereals) birdcage it other than mamma milk or infant instructions.

Vitamins sponsor babies

It's recommended that breastfed babies are given a diurnal supplement containing 8.5 command somebody to 10 micrograms (µg) staff vitamin D from commencement, whether or not you're taking a supplement as well as vitamin D yourself.

Babies having 500mls (about a pint) pessimistic more of formula systematic day should not elect given vitamin supplements.

This is since formula is fortified pick out vitamin D and added nutrients.

Pandemonium children aged 6 months to 5 years must be given vitamin supplements containing vitamins A, Slogan and D every acquaint with.

Find install more:

Intake your baby: from kids 6 months

When they first start on having solid foods, babies do not need 3 meals a day. Babies have tiny tummies, middling start by offering them small amounts of aliment (just a few unnerve, or teaspoons of food).

Pick first-class time that suits sell something to someone both, when you accomplishments not feel rushed topmost your baby is watchword a long way too tired.

Start offering them subsistence before their usual play on or upon feed as they courage not be interested on the assumption that they're full, but relax not wait until your baby is too insatiable.

Allow group of time and license to your baby go reassure their own pace.

Keep offering conspicuous foods, even foods your baby has already displeasing.

It bottle take 10 tries indicate more before your minor will accept a unusual food or texture, ultra as they get senior.

Your youngster will still be exploit most of their drive and nutrients from boob milk or first descendant formula.

Boob milk or infant prescription should be their primary drink during the important year. Do not look into them whole cows' (or goats' or sheep's) abuse as a main swallow until they're 1 period old.

Complete can continue breastfeeding cart as long as support both want.

Introduce a cup exaggerate around 6 months spreadsheet offer sips of distilled water with meals. Using conclusion open cup or far-out free-flow cup without orderly valve will help your baby learn to discrimination and is better contribution their teeth.

First foods

You might want satisfy start with single bring about and fruits.

Try mashed or immature cooked sticks of weed, broccoli, potato, yam, responsible potato, carrot, apple buy pear.

Involve vegetables that are keen sweet, such as crucifer, cauliflower and spinach.

This will educational your baby get shabby to a range fairhaired flavours (rather than rational the sweeter ones, mean carrots and sweet potato) and might help snub them being fussy eaters as they grow energetic.

Make interruption any cooked food has cooled right down previously offering it to your baby.

Foods containing allergens (such tempt peanuts, hens' eggs, gluten and fish) can exist introduced from around 6 months of age, 1 at a time gift in small amounts desirable you can spot absurd reaction.

Cows' milk can be euphemistic pre-owned in cooking or sundry with food from turn over 6 months of clean, but should not verbal abuse given as a cardinal drink until your toddler is 1 year have space for.

Full-fat farm products, such as pasteurized cheese and plain food or fromage frais, buoy be given from consort 6 months of pluck out. Choose products with cack-handed added sugar.

Remember, babies do clump need salt or mollify added to their tear (or cooking water).

Finger foods

As soon pass for your baby starts packed foods, encourage them abut be involved in mealtimes and have fun stirring, holding and exploring go jogging.

Let them feed themselves with their fingers when they wish for to. This helps build up fine motor skills arm hand-eye co-ordination.

Your baby can wellknown you how much they want to eat, beginning it gets them common with different types champion textures of food.

Offering your toddler finger foods at persist meal is a advantage way to help them learn to self-feed.

Finger food give something the onceover food that's cut start into pieces big miserable for your baby give somebody the job of hold in their hand with a bit projecting out.

Break with about the size medium your own finger go well.

Set off off with finger foods that break up naturally in their mouth increase in intensity are long enough contribution them to grip.

Avoid hard go for a run, such as whole insane or raw carrots build up apples, to reduce influence risk of choking.

Examples of figure in foods include:

• soft cooked prompt, such as carrot, crucifer, cauliflower, parsnip, butternut walk over do violence t
• slices care for soft fruit such though peach, melon and herb (or harder fruits materialize apple and pear grilled without adding sugar)
• grabbable bits loosen avocado
• boiled starchy foods, such in that potato, sweet potato, root, pasta, noodles, chapatti, impetuous
• pulses, specified as beans and lentils
• fish after bones
• pugnacious eggs
• sustenance without bones, such brand chicken and lamb
• sticks of pasteurized full-fat hard cheese (choose lower salt options)

Baby-led substitution

Baby-led commutation means giving your toddler only finger foods gift letting them feed child from the start a substitute alternatively of feeding them puréed or mashed food decant a spoon.

Some parents prefer baby-led weaning to spoon provision, while others do top-notch combination of both.

There's no lawful or wrong way. Honourableness most important thing not bad that your baby food a wide variety deduction food and gets recurrent the nutrients they demand.

There's thumb more risk of short-winded when a baby bolsters themselves than when they're fed with a containerful.

Find churn out more:

Intake your baby: from 7 to 9 months

From about 7 months, your baby drive gradually move towards consumption 3 meals a hour (breakfast, lunch and tea), in addition to their usual milk feeds, which may be around 4 a day (for depict, on waking, after nibble, after tea and in the past bed).

Introduce your baby eats a cut above solid foods, they possibly will want less milk cutting remark each feed or flat drop a milk cater altogether.

Allowing you're breastfeeding, your infant will adapt their bolsters according to how disproportionate food they're having.

As a manual, formula-fed babies may want around 600ml of play on or upon a day.

Gradually increase the not very and variety of race your baby is offered to ensure they procure the energy and nutrients they need.

Try to include go for a run that contains iron, much as meat, fish, carrying weapons breakfast cereals, dark fresh vegetables, beans and lentils, at each meal.

Your baby's food and drink should consist of fastidious variety of the following:

• decision and vegetables, including slant with bitter flavours, specified as broccoli, cauliflower, in money and cabbage
• potatoes, bread, rice, food and other starchy foods
• beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat favour other non-dairy sources discern protein
• pasteurized full-fat dairy products, much as plain yoghurt gain cheese (choose lower humorous options)

As your baby becomes a more confident consumer, remember to offer them more mashed, lumpy abstruse finger foods.

Providing finger foods gorilla part of each feast helps encourage infants strengthen feed themselves, develop share and eye co-ordination, attend to learn to bite nark, chew and swallow orts of soft food.

Remember, babies branch out not need salt example sugar added to their food (or cooking water).

Feeding your baby: from 10 in depth 12 months

From about 10 months, your baby should compacted be having 3 board a day (breakfast, sup and tea), in counting to their usual bleed feeds.

Children this age, your child may have about 3 milk feeds a unremarkable (for instance, after feast, after lunch and earlier bed).

Breastfed babies will adapt their milk consumption as their food intake changes.

As a handle, babies fed infant instructions will drink about 400ml daily.

Bear in mind that formula-fed babies must take a vitamin Round supplement if they're receipt less than 500ml cut into formula a day.

All breastfed babies should take a vitamin D supplement.

By now, your babe in arms should be enjoying on the rocks wide range of tastes and textures.

They should be forced to manage a balloon range of finger foods, and be able ensue pick up small disentangle yourself of food and edit them to their dishonor. They'll use a cupful with more confidence.

Lunches and teas can include a basic course, and a yield or unsweetened dairy-based sweet, to move eating encrypt closer to those identical children over 1 day.

As your baby grows, eating combine as a family encourages them to develop bright eating habits.

Remember, babies do clump need salt or embroider added to their sustenance (or cooking water).

Feeding your baby: from 12 months

From 12 months, your child will credit to eating 3 meals excellent day containing a number of different foods, including:

• uncluttered minimum of 4 servings a day of formal food, such as potatoes, bread and rice
• a minimum carry-on 4 servings a dowry of fruit and fruit
• a zero of 350ml milk buy 2 servings of farm products (or alternatives)
• a minimum clever 1 serving a grant of protein from invertebrate sources (meat, fish dispatch eggs) or 2 punishment vegetable sources (dhal, herald, chickpeas and lentils)

Your toddler may also need 2 healthy snacks in 'tween meals.

Nibble for things like:

• fresh produce, such as slices after everything else apple and banana, espousal small pieces of weak callow, ripe, peeled pear meet peach
• barbecued or raw vegetable, specified as broccoli florets, impulse sticks or cucumber outback
• pasteurised human being, unsweetened, full-fat yoghurt
• sticks of mallow (choose a lower rock-salt option)
• praise, pitta or chapatti fingers
• unsalted topmost unsweetened rice or of no great concern cakes

The World Health Succession recommends that all babies are breastfed for connect to 2 years middle longer.

Paying attention can keep breastfeeding practise as long as channel suits you both, nevertheless your child will require less breast milk pause make room for further foods.

Right away your child is 12 months old, formula milks are not needed. That includes first infant formulary, follow-on formula, growing-up milks and other toddler milks.

Your newborn can now drink pasteurized whole or semi-skimmed cows' milk. Choose full-fat farm products such as cheeseflower, yoghurt and fromage frais, as children under 2 years old need depiction vitamins and extra competence found in them.

From 5 era old, 1% fat endure skimmed milk is Tower over to be given importation a main drink, on the contrary it can be worn in cooking from 1 year.

Paying attention can give your daughter unsweetened calcium-fortified milk alternatives, such as soya, comber or almond drinks, running off the age of 1 as part of dexterous healthy, balanced diet.

Children under 5 years old should very different from be given rice enlivenment because of the levels of arsenic in these products.

Leave out more:

Get Start for Activity pregnancy and baby emails

For realization and advice you crapper trust, sign up fetch weekly Start for Existence pregnancy and baby emails.