1. Introducing Solid Foods and Weaning Stages
1 – Learner 2 – Explorer 3 – Confident
Stage 6 months 7 – 9 months 9 – 12 months
• He/she is demanding more milk more
frequently - (i.e. milk feed are no longer • He or she begins to pick up objects
satisfying him/her & are not lasting 3 - 4 with the thumb and forefinger. • Drinks from a cup
Developmental hours between feeds)
• He or she has developed a fascination
Signs of with tiny objects, such as morsels of
• Put items into a container & take
• He/she is still hungry after each feed them back out again
Readiness food.
• He/she wakes up in the night, when • Holds objects between forefinger
previously sleeping right through the • He or she want to; & thumb
night (not a usual sleeping habit) "do it themselves."
• He/she can hold his/her head up
Food Type
Puree Mashed Chopped Finger Foods
Texture
• Use soft cooked vegetables and fruits for • Cooked vegetables can be of a coarser, • Encourage your baby to eat
Basic pureed foods mashed consistency finger foods
Guidelines • Try to introduce 1 – 2 teaspoons of • Encourage savoury foods, rather than • Discourage frequent snacking on
pureed foods sweet foods fatty or sugary foods
Apples
Apples Bananas
Type of Foods Banana’s Cheese
Broccoli Hard boiled eggs
to use Butternut Squash
Butternut Squash Macaroni cheese
Carrots
Carrots Oranges
Banana’s
Cheese Other cereals: rice, barley -
Mangoes
Chicken - wheat & oatmeal
Potatoes
Fish Pasta
Peaches
Pears Pears
Pumpkin
Mashed potatoes Red meat
Rice cereal
Pumpkin Rice
Red meat Wholemeal bread
Wholemeal bread Wholemeal cereal
Wholemeal cereals Yams
Yoghurt
Do’s
Remember to continue sterilising your baby’s
feeding equipment – this will also include his/her Try foods with Iron such as: Continue the daily servings of starchy
spoons & bowls, bottles as well as teats • Red meat blended – but not pureed foods – however increase them to 3 – 4
or mashed servings per day of a more lumpy
Foods should be bland in taste and smooth in consistency
consistency Encourage dairy products such as:
• Hard cheese Wholemeal products should be encouraged
An alternative is baby rice (or a non- wheat based • Boiled eggs – (boiled eggs should be
cereal) well cooked to reduce the risk of Servings of fruits and vegetables -
salmonella) increase to 3 – 4 servings per day
Try blending vegetables such as:
• Potatoes or carrots to a pureed To encourage jaw development – encourage your Introduce only 1 portion of meat daily
consistency baby to eat mashed vegetables & fruits such as:
• Apples Offer 2 portions of vegetables daily
Try blending fruits such as: • Pears
• Bananas, peaches or mangoes to a • Carrots Ensure fresh fruit is on your baby’s daily
pureed consistency • Butternut Squash menu
• Broccoli
Try blending cooked meat or pulses to a pureed Foods with add sugar should be
consistency Try starchy foods foods (2 – 3 servings per day) discouraged such as:
such as: • Biscuits
Try products such as full fat yoghurts • Wholemeal bread • Cakes
• Wholemeal cereals
Avoid gluten at this stage • Finger foods such as toast Continue the encouragement of finger
foods such as:
Your baby may accept foods more readily if you Continue breastfeeding or bottle feeding – (your • Biscuits
breast feed or bottle feed him/her first – this can baby still requires approximately 500 – 600ml of • Carrots
help to quench the thirst first before solid foods are milk daily or on demand) • Toast
offered
Encourage savoury foods rather than sweet
Try blending fruits & vegetables and store them in foods
individual portion sizes in the freezer (foods must
be defrosted thoroughly and re-heated, then cooled Introduce a non-valve cup for drinks from 6
to the right temperature to feed your baby) months onwards
Continue breast feeding or bottle feeding your baby
(your baby still requires approximate minimum of
600ml of breast milk or infant follow-on formula
daily or on demand – this is equivalent to 20fl oz of
milk daily or on demand)
Only offer well diluted fruit juices at meal times
Don’ts
Do not add salt or sugar to foods
Do not feed your baby runny eggs – you
Do not add pureed foods to bottles – always feed
Do not feed your baby runny eggs – you run the run the risk of salmonella poisoning
your baby with a spoon or by hand
risk of salmonella poisoning
Do not add salt or sugar to foods
Avoid eggs, citrus foods, fish, shelf fish, nuts, seeds
Do not add salt or sugar to foods
and wheat based products until after 5 months
Avoid nuts, seeds until after 3 – 5 years of
Avoid nuts, seeds until after 3 – 5 years of age age
Do not offer your baby drinks such as:
• Tea, coffee, squash, carbonated drinks,
Do not offer your baby drinks such as: Do not offer your baby drinks such as:
goats milk or sterilised milks – they are
• Tea, coffee, squash, carbonated • Tea, coffee, squash,
not suitable for your baby at this stage
drinks, goats milk or sterilised milks carbonated drinks, goats milk
of life
– they are not suitable for your baby or sterilised milks – they are
at this stage of life not suitable for your baby at
Do not offer your baby at this stage pate’s and
this stage of life
mould ripened cheese – this can put them at risk of
listeriosis

2. Introducing Solid Foods and Weaning Stages – Suggested Menu
AGE FROM 6 MONTHS FROM 7 MONTHS FROM 9 MONTHS FROM 10 MONTHS BY 12 MONTHS
Learner eater Explorer Eater Confident Eater Junior
Early rise Breast milk or infant formula Breast milk or infant formula ~ ~ ~
Infant Cereals: Infant Cereals: Infant Cereals: Cereal – such as: Cereal – such as:
Breakfast made up with breast milk or infant made up with breast milk or infant made up with breast milk or infant follow- Porridge, oats, weetabix made up with Porridge, oats, weetabix made up with
follow-on formula follow-on formula on formula infant follow-on formula milk
Fluids – such as:
Small finger foods such as:
Mid Morning freshly squeezed orange juice, baby fruit Fresh chopped fruit
Breast milk or infant follow-on formula Breast milk or infant follow-on formula chopped fruit or wheat rusks
juice or cooled boiled water
Breast milk or infant formula Cooked chopped vegetables such as:
carrots, peas, broccoli or pumpkin
Meat & Vegetables dish – such as: with
Mashed foods – such as: Slightly mashed:
Breast milk or infant follow-on formula strained; chicken, red meat or fish Cooked rice
Pasta, vegetables and sauce
with &
Vegetables & Meat or
Infant Cereals: Cooked strained vegetables – Cooked strained vegetables -
Lunch or Meatballs with mashed potatoes
mixed with breast milk or infant formula a variety to choose from such as: a variety to choose from such as:
Pasta and vegetables or
sweet potato, potatoes, carrots, sweet potato, potatoes, carrots, butternut
with Noodles, vegetables with sauce
Cooked pureed vegetables – butternut squash or pumpkin squash or pumpkin
Fluids – such as: &
a variety to choose from such as: or &
Sample freshly squeezed orange juice, cooled Fluids – such as:
sweet potato, potatoes or carrots Infant Cereals: Fluids – such as:
boiled water or a cup of milk a freshly squeezed orange juice, milk or
Menu mixed with breast milk or infant follow- freshly squeezed orange juice, baby fruit
cooled boiled water
on formula juice or cooled boiled water
Finger Foods – such as:
Wheat Rusks
Mid afternoon snacks – such as: or
Finger Foods – such as:
Small sections of wholemeal bread Chopped fruits – such as:
Mid Diluted baby fruit juice Wheat Rusks
or pear, apples or bananas
Afternoon Breast milk or infant follow-on formula or or
Wheat Rusks or
Small amounts of cooled boiled water Chopped fruits – such as:
or Mild cheese
pear or apples
Fresh fruit chopped or
Small sections of wholemeal bread
Breast milk or infant follow-on formula
Breast milk or infant follow-on formula
Pureed soft fruits – such as:
Infant Cereals: Slightly mashed:
pear & apples
mixed with breast milk, infant formula Mashed foods – such as: Noodles with cheese
or
Dinner time Meat & mashed potato or
Milk products:
Pureed soft fruits – such as: Thick vegetable soup with Chunky vegetable soup
full fat yoghurt or custard - (unless
pureed banana’s, peaches or mangoes or Finely chopped fruit & full fat yoghurt with
history of allergies)
Infant cereal or custard - (unless history of allergies) Freshly chopped fruit
or
Small amounts of cooled boiled water
Infant cereal
Warm milk drink or Infant follow-on
Bedtime Breast milk or infant follow-on formula Breast milk or infant follow-on formula Breast milk or infant follow-on formula Breast milk or infant follow-on formula
formula
• Don’t keep your baby propped up in a baby • Encourage free play on the • He/she will touch any item • Encourage play, games • Interact with your baby more
chair all day, allow some freedom (i.e. play on floor within reach (many of which and singing nursery by singing with him/her (this
How to help the floor) • Offer different nutritious will go into the mouth…so be rhymes will help build his/her
Encourage your • Introduce one type of food at a time to your recipes vigilant make sure all • Encourage your baby to vocabulary)
baby’s development baby, so that he/she can adjust to the • Try not to introduce solid dangerous items are not in eat different textures of • Give your child the balanced
different tastes & to avoid potential allergies foods when baby is reach) foods – to help develop nutrition required for his/her
• Do not add salt or sugar to any foods overtired • Try a mixture of foods – which his/her eating habits growth by introducing a
prepared for your baby will help your baby appreciate variety of foods
different tastes and encourage
a well-balanced diet
• Breast milk or follow-on formula • Breast milk or follow-on • Breast milk or follow-on • Breast milk or follow-on • Breast milk or follow-on
• Smooth pureed foods/Fine textured formula formula formula formula until 12 months
• Single ingredients • Smooth pureed foods • Semi Solids/ Minced • Semi Solids/ Finely • Solids
Feeding • 2 –3 ingredient foods • Richer tastes & textures Chopped
• Mixture of ingredients • Richer tastes & textures
• Mixture of ingredients