Feeding FAQ: 4-6 months – Other

Question – Purée consistency

I think I may have been making my baby’s puréed food too thick. My poor baby had a sleepless lunch-time nap followed by only 1oz of milk after I gave her a purée of sweet potato. What consistency is your purée? Is it like mashed potato, yogurt or thinner? Sorry if this seems a daft question.

Answer:

Weaning is often described as a learning process for babies, in which they learn to take solid food after only having a liquid diet. However, it is also a learning process for mums, so there is never a ‘daft question’. As well as learning to swallow solids after only drinking liquids, babies need to learn to take food from a spoon instead of from breast or bottle. It’s quite a revolution in their little worlds, and so it’s not surprising that it can cause some babies a degree of upset.

I’d suggest starting with a purée that is quite thin, just a little thicker than formula or breast milk. Once they are managing this you can thicken it, little by little, to about yogurt consistency by adding less liquid. As time goes by your little one will want to try to feed themselves, though I know that may sound unbelievable at this point. You might find it better to move to a mashed-potato consistency by then, as this is more likely to stick to the spoon all the way to your child’s mouth rather than slipping into their lap. Good luck!