Introduce solids after the 11am feed. Prepare everything you need for giving the solids in advance: baby chair, two bibs, two spoons and a clean, fresh damp cloth. Start by offering your baby one teaspoonful of pure organic rice mixed to a very smooth consistency using either expressed milk, formula or cool, filtered freshly boiled water. Make sure the baby rice is cooled enough before feeding it to your baby. Use a shallow plastic spoon – never a metal one, which can be too sharp or get too hot. Some babies need help in learning how to feed from the spoon. By placing the spoon just far enough into his…

I HAVE ALWAYS believed that the foods a baby is introduced to during the first stage of weaning help to lay the foundation for healthy eating habits for the rest of his life. Of course, the majority of babies and toddlers will go through fussy spells where they eat less or refuse certain foods. But in general I have found that, in the long term, introducing the right foods at the right age helps ensure that a child will eat a varied diet during the early years. Since the changes in the recommended age for weaning, I have received thousands of emails and calls from worried parents about how to…

Making your own food not only often works out cheaper, but, more importantly, will be of great nutritional benefit to your baby. And it needn’t be fiddly or time-consuming if you make up large quantities at a time and store mini meals away in the freezer (see here). Keep sterilised feeding equipment, ice cube trays and freezerproof containers at the ready and follow the general instructions below. Sterilised feeding equipment All feeding equipment should be sterilised for the first six months and bottles and teats for as long as they are used. Sterilise ice cube trays or freezer containers by boiling them in a large saucepan of water for five…

During the first year babies grow rapidly, and most will have tripled their birth weight by the time they reach their first birthday. To ensure that your baby grows at the right rate, develops strong bones and teeth, firm muscles and healthy tissues it is essential that the food you give him has the right balance of nutrients. The following section divides food into the five different food groups. By giving your baby the recommended daily number of servings from each group shown, you can be sure that his daily nutritional needs are being met. For more information about creating a healthy, balanced diet for children see The Contented Child’s…

If your baby is over 17 weeks and having 5–6 full milk feeds, and still not managing to go happily between feeds, it is possible that he may need to be weaned early. Check the signs mentioned earlier that indicate that your baby is no longer satisfied by milk alone. I would then suggest that you keep a feeding and sleeping diary for 3–4 days to show to your health visitor or doctor so they can help you decide whether your baby should be weaned early. If they do advise that you should introduce solids before the recommended age of six months it is important to remember that milk is…