Weaning is a huge milestone for you and your baby and we have plenty of helpful weaning advice to share. This is the first step on a journey that should see your little one developing life-long healthy eating habits and positive associations with food.
With a bit of know-how, it can be a fun and exciting experience. So set aside a few days when you can make weaning your main priority. Take it slowly and make sure you have all the best baby weaning products to get started. And have fun watching your little one entering the wonderful world of taste, texture and flavour.
When is the best age to start weaning a baby?
Current NHS advice says weaning should start around six months of age, at which point your youngster won’t be able to get all the nutrients they need from milk alone. Some mums do wean earlier than this, but it’s important to know that, until babies are 17 weeks old they should only have milk, as their digestive systems simply can’t cope with introducing solid food.
What are the signs a baby is ready for weaning?
Your baby is ready to wean if…
• They are at least 17 weeks old. If your baby was premature they need to be at least 17 weeks past their due date.
• They can sit up holding their head and chest straight and steady.
• They can coordinate their eyes, hands and mouth, so they can pick things up and put them in their mouth.
• They're interested in food.
• They've lost their tongue-thrust reflex. Tongue-thrusting is when a baby automatically uses their tongue to push something out of their mouth.
• They're relaxed, happy and feeling well.
How to start weaning at 6 months
Now that you know your baby is ready to start eating solids, you might wonder when the best time to begin is. The best time to begin weaning is at lunchtime, after your baby has had half a milk feed, so they're not feeling ravenous. For the first few days, your baby will only manage between one and four teaspoons of food. They’ll want to explore it, so let them smell it, squash it, spit it – whatever they want. It’s all about making eating fun and relaxed. Oh, and don’t wipe their face too much, it makes most babies grumpy! The more relaxed you can be about mess, the easier weaning will be.
How much milk when weaning at 6 months?
To start with, your baby is still getting most of their nutrients and energy from either breast milk or infant formula and for the first year of their life, ithis will be their main drink. If your little one is bottle-fed, they should have 4-5 feeds with a total of 500-600ml of formula milk in 24 hours. If you are breastfeeding, you should continue breastfeeding on demand.
When your baby starts weaning, they’ll still be having regular milk feeds. That will probably be milk in the morning, mid-morning, at lunchtime, mid-afternoon, and evening. As they eat more, they’ll start dropping these milk feeds – the first one to go is usually their lunchtime milk. By the time they're one, they’ll probably be down to just two milk feeds a day – morning and evening.
What is spoon-fed weaning?
There are different types of weaning, and spoon-fed weaning is the most traditional kind. As the name suggests, you will offer food by feeding it to your little one on a spoon. Many parents prefer this as it gives them more control over how much food ends up in baby's mouth, and how much ends up on the floor, which is easiere when feeding outside of your home. It's also a great way to introduce then to solid foods initially until they begin to understand what to do themselves, if you want to switch methods as they develop.
How to do spoon-fed weaning
With liquid food like purée – or with any food that’s been microwaved – it’s important to stir the food if you’re serving it warm. This gets rid of ‘hot pockets’, which might hurt your baby’s mouth. To test the temperature of the purée before you give it to your baby, put a dollop on the inside of your wrist.
Put the bowl of purée on your baby’s tray so they can see what you’re doing. Don’t worry if they stick their fingers in to explore. Take a spoonful of purée and offer it to your baby. The first time you feed them you may have to gently touch their mouth with the spoon. Hopefully, they’ll open up! If they don't, just try again tomorrow. As soon as they get the hang of it, they’ll be opening their mouth up like a baby bird as soon as they see their spoon.
Tips:
• Always check the temperature of the food before you give it to your baby. If it’s a liquid, stir it to get rid of ‘hot spots’.
• If your baby seems reluctant to try a food, try stirring in some of their usual milk, whether formula or expressed breastmilk. This makes the taste more familiar, so they're more likely to tuck in.
What is baby-led weaning?
With baby-led weaning you offer your baby finger foods so they can practice feeding themselves from the start. Finger foods are used as they are much easier for little ones to handle than a spoon with puréed or mashed foods. They will allow your baby to develop their motor skills more successfully.
How to do baby-led weaning
Want to try baby-led weaning? Your baby needs to be sitting securely in their highchair, but able to move their arms and head freely, so they can get at the food.
Give your baby something you’re eating too as baby-led weaning is all about eating together – just make sure it’s age-appropriate and so soft that you could squash it between your thumb and finger to prevent the risk of choking. It will help your baby if you cut the food into finger food - a shape and size that’s easy to grasp. Aim for chip-shaped.
Put the food straight onto your baby’s tray – any bowl will wind up on the floor. Then let them play! If they want to squash, hurl or poke the food, great. They're exploring and, at this stage, that’s exactly what you want them to be doing.
Tips:
• You can combine baby-led weaning with a bit of spoon-fed weaning if you're concerned about them eating enough or getting all the nutrients they need. It's also a lot quicker to spoon-feed in certain situations.
Never leave your baby unattended when he is eating with either method.
Weaning schedule at 6 months – stick to a routine
Babies like routine – it makes them feel secure. It’s exactly the same when it comes to food. As well as helping them to build hunger patterns, they quickly get used to expecting food at a particular time of day, so if your baby’s food doesn’t arrive when they're expecting it to, they will get cranky. And that will make the mealtime less fun.
To start with, your baby only needs a small amount of solid food. The NHS advises to feed to baby once a day, at a time that suits you both.
When to increase food
It's a good idea to have a weaning plan at 6 months, as you begin their weaning journey, so that you can ensure your baby transitions over to solids smoothly, and develops a palate for a range of textures and flavours.
By the time your baby’s around five days into their weaning journey, try giving them food at tea time as well as lunchtime. The food at lunch should be a new food, and at tea time, a food they've had before.
Two weeks into their weaning journey, your baby can eat food three times a day, so introduce breakfast, too.
By week three, if you’re only spoon-feeding, you need to introduce food to your baby in tiny lumps so they start getting to grips with texture. These lumps should be so soft that they could squash them between his fingers. Don’t cook a smooth purée with an occasional lump, or your baby will turn their nose up. They're much less likely to fuss if the whole meal has tiny lumps so the texture is consistent – aim for somewhere between puréed and very-well mashed food.
Weaning foods to introduce at six months
Sweet potato
Root vegetables tend to taste sweeter than leaf vegetables, so babies are often keen to eat them. Sweet potatoes are also high in healthy vitamins and fibre.
To prepare it for spoon-feeding:
Preheat your oven to 200°c/gas mark six. Clean the sweet potato and prick it with a fork. Place on a baking tray and roast it for about 45 minutes until it’s soft. Cut the sweet potato in half, scoop out the flesh and purée it in the blender.
To prepare it for baby-led weaning (blw):
Preheat your oven to 200°c/gas mark six. Clean the sweet potato and cut it into chip-shaped pieces. Place on a baking tray and roast for about 20-25 minutes until it’s soft. Cool.
There are plenty of other yummy sweet potato recipes for babies 6-12 months to try, from pureed meals to soft potato wedges and croquettes.
Swede
Swede has got a very mild flavour, so it’s very easy for baby taste buds to get to grips with. It’s full of protective compounds that may help protect against heart disease.
To prepare: peel it, cut it into baby-friendly chunks, then put it in the steamer for 20-25 minutes until it’s very soft. If you’re spoon-feeding, mash it down to the consistency of porridge. If you’re doing blw, simply cool the chunks.
Parsnip
Parsnips are another sweetish root vegetable, packed with fibre, vitamins and potassium – a mineral our organs need to work properly, and very unlikely to provoke an allergic response.
To prepare: preheat your oven to 200°c/gas mark six. Clean the parsnips and chop into quarters, length-ways. Put into a saucepan of water, bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Drain and shake in a colander, then put into a lightly oiled roasting pan. Roast for about 25 minutes until soft. If you’re spoon-feeding, purée the parsnips (with a little milk if needed). If you’re doing blw, allow it to cool.
If you're looking for more chunky weaning recipes to try with parsnip Annabel Karmel has a tasty chicken, parsnip, apple and kale recipe or a beef, Quinoa, Parsnip and Squash recipe – these will also start to introduce your little one to meat in their meals (if you're not a veggie ir vegan family, of course). You can always leave the meat out though.
Carrot
Babies like the taste of carrots as they’re one of the sweetest of all the vegetables. They’re also easy to digest and a good source of vitamin a.
To prepare: peel and cut it into long, thin sticks, lengthways. Pop in the steamer and steam until it’s soft, roughly 25 minutes. Puree if spoon-feeding, or cool and serve if blw.
If you're after a non-homemade alternative that's more convenient for weaning on the go, we love this Carrots, Peas + Kale Love Veg Puree by Ella's Kitchen that comes in a handy pouch.
Butternut Squash
This vegetable is easy to digest, so it’s gentle on your baby’s still-new digestive system.
To prepare: preheat your oven to 200°c/gas mark six. Peel the squash and cut it into big chunks. Roast it for 30-35 minutes. If spoon-feeding, mash it up to the consistency you want and cool, otherwise simply allow to cool.
Try Annabel Karmel’s baked butternut squash baby puree recipe.
Avocado
Avocado contains more nutrients than any other fruit, it’s easy to digest and babies usually really like its creamy texture.
To prepare: if you’re spoon-feeding, just peel it, get rid of the stone and blend the fruit into a simple guacamole-green purée. If you’re baby-led weaning, peel, de-stone and cut into manageable chunks.
We have lots of delicious avocado recipes for babies to choose from.
Banana
Bananas are sweet, nutritious and a good source of the mineral potassium.
To prepare: iI you’re baby-led weaning, partially un-peel the banana so the top part of the fruit is poking out. If you’re spoon-feeding, mash to the consistency you want.
Pear
Pears are very easy on little digestive systems. They’re full of water, so they help protect against constipation and are a good source of vitamin c.
To prepare: Wash and peel, chop it into chunks and steam it until it’s soft. If you’re spoon-feeding, blend into a purée. If you’re baby-led weaning, simply cool.
FAQ: Weaning at 6 months
What are the benefits of weaning at 6 months?
According to your baby's natural development they are ready to start being weaning onto eating solids around 6 months old. At this stage their digestive systems are ready to start processing solid foods, but they'll still be getting all the essential nutrients they need from your breast milk or formula. Babies will also benefit from starting their weaning journey at 6 months if you are doing baby-led weaning or allowing them finger foods, as this will support the development of their motor skills. The sooner you can start introducing babies a variety of different types of foods, from 6 months, the risk of food allergies developing may be reduced too.
What is the best food to start weaning at 6 months?
You should introduce your baby to foods that have a simple flavour and are smooth and easy to digest. Mashed or puréed foods like butternut squash and carrot are ideal. For finger foods go for soft sweet potato sticks that squash easily between your thumb and finger, or soft fruits like banana and avocado. You can also feed single-grain cereals mixed with breast milk or formula if you are spoon feeding. Foods like these a highly nutritious and safe for little one to explore with their fingers and mouths.
Do you have to wean at 6 months?
All babies develop at different paces, so though 6 months is the recommended weaning age by health professionals, your baby might not be ready yet. You should wait until they are around this age before beginning your wearning journey. If you start too soon your baby's digestive system may not be ready, but if you think your baby might be developing faster, you can ask your GP or health visitor for advice.
Is night weaning at 6 months okay?
Night weaning means different things to different people, but generally it is when you start to wean your baby off their night feeds. Night weaning at 6 months can be okay for some babies, but it depends on their individual needs. Some babies can get enough calories during the day and may naturally start dropping night feeds. Others may still need night feeds for comfort or nutrition. Between 7 - 8 months the majority of babies need just one feeding overnight (if any). And by 9 months, many babies have bid farewell to night feedings entirely. Remember, every baby is unique, so embrace their sleep journey, and if unsure seek advice from your GP.
Should I be worried about choking and gagging?
RIt's normal to be concerned when starting out with weaning onto solids when your baby starts to gag. Remember that your little one's natural gag reflex is there for a reason – it helps to help protect them from choking. This means that that it’s completely normal for them to cough a little when trying new textures.
_With a degree in journalism, Emily Gilbert has been a journalist since 2015 and has worked across a variety of specialist and lifestyle brands both in print and online. This includes four years on Mother&Baby magazine where she worked her way up to Senior Writer and wrote news, product pages, and features and interviewed celebrities such as Paloma Faith and Fearne Cotton.
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