The introduction of solids for your baby takes place in 3 stages. It starts with the first spoon feeds at about 6 months. By 12 months, your baby should be enjoying family meals.
Solid food tastes and feels very different to milk. Your baby may spit out the food to begin with.
This doesn't mean they don’t like it. They’re just getting used to the new tastes and textures, the experience of having a spoon in their mouth and learning to swallow.
Don't force your baby
Your baby may refuse a new food. If they do, do not force them.
Offer another food that they are familiar with and wait 5 to 7 days before offering the refused food again.
Babies and young children may need to be offered a food up to 15 times before they will accept it.
Stage 1: at about 6 months
Foods to choose
Good options for this stage are:
- vegetables made into purée, such as carrot, parsnip, turnip, broccoli, cauliflower, butternut squash and courgette
- fruit made into a purée, such as banana, apple, pear, peaches, apricots, plums, melon
- well-cooked meat, poultry and fish (remove all bones) made into a purée
- cereals such as baby rice
Watch a video on how to start weaning
Textures
Start with thin purée which will increase in thickness as your baby gets used to solid food.
Watch a video on preparing solid foods for your baby (video)
How much to offer your baby
Be led by your baby. Some babies might take more than 1 teaspoon at their first spoon feed. Other babies might take a couple of days to get the hang of it.
- Start with 1 teaspoon of food made into a soft smooth purée.
- Build up to 6 teaspoons at one time.
- Next, introduce solid food at another mealtime.
- Progress to 2 to 3 meals per day, with 5 to 10 teaspoons at each meal.
- Introduce one new food at a time, every 2 to 3 days.
Skills your baby learns
- Taking foods from a spoon.
- Moving food from the front to the back of mouth for swallowing.
- Managing increasingly thicker purées.
Suitable drinks
Suitable drinks are:
- breast milk
- infant formula
- cooled (previously boiled) water
Stage 2: between 6 to 9 months
Foods to choose
Include the same food as in stage 1, but now include:
- well-cooked eggs
- porridge and breakfast cereals such as wheat biscuits or smooth oat-based cereal
- bread, rice, and pasta
- cheese (pasteurised)
- yogurt
- smooth peanut butter (sugar and salt free) - unless they have an allergy
- meat, poultry, fish, peas, beans and lentils
Pasteurised cow’s milk can be used in small amounts to moisten foods.
Textures
You can introduce:
- thicker purées (add less liquid to the purée)
- mash food with a little liquid
- soft, finger food
- mixed textures - add a little mashed or grated food into your baby’s usual purées
How much to offer your baby
Be led by your baby, and feed to their appetite.
Use these portion sizes as a guide:
- 3 meals a day, each about 2 to 4 tablespoons of food.
- 2 to 3 snacks in between main meals.
- Foods should be offered before milk feed.
- Some drinks taken from a cup or beaker.
Skills your baby learns
- Move from thick purées to mashed foods, to foods with soft lumps.
- Chewing lumps.
- Beginning to feed themselves with soft finger foods.
- Drinking from a beaker or cup.
Suitable drinks
Suitable drinks are:
- breast milk (on demand)
- infant formula - 3 to 4 feeds a day (approx. 600mls or 21oz in total a day)
- cooled (previously boiled) water
Stage 3: between 9 to 12 months
Foods to choose
Most family foods are now suitable without added gravies, sauces, salt or sugar.
Textures
You can introduce:
- lumpy foods
- chopped foods
- harder finger foods
- wide variety of foods and textures
How much to offer your baby
Be led by your baby, and feed to their appetite.
Use these portion sizes as a guide:
- 3 meals of about 4 to 6 tablespoons.
- 2 to 3 snacks.
- Able to manage more than 2 textures in one meal.
- All drinks (other than breastfeeds) taken from a cup or beaker.
Skills your baby learns
- Lumpier textures will help with speech, chewing and increase the variety of your baby’s diet in later childhood.
- Self-feeding.
- Drinking from a cup.
Suitable drinks
Suitable drinks are:
- breast milk (on demand)
- infant formula (maximum 400mls or 14oz a day)
- cooled (previously boiled) water
