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Fun first foods: An easy guide to introducing solid foods

Contents:	How this booklet will help you What is weaning about? When should weaning begin? Signs to help you tell if your baby is ready for other foods Allergies in the family? Making Food Fun Stage 1: Getting Started Stage 2: Moving On Stage 3: Mini Meals When can my baby eat...? What can my baby drink? How to prevent your baby choking More information on weaning

Stage 1: Getting Started

What this stage is about

Up until now your baby’s only food has been milk. Now your baby needs to get used to food coming on a spoon as a smooth puree.

What you will need

To make food into a puree use a spoon and sieve, or a small blender.

Have everything you need ready before you start:

How to start

Choose a time of day when your baby is relaxed and awake and you have time to spare. Some people like to give a milk feed first, some afterwards. There is no right way, just the way that suits you and your baby. After a couple of weeks you will find the pattern that suits you both.

What to expect

Eating is fun and your baby needs to learn this too! Try not to worry too much about mess, and if your baby spits food out the first couple of times, just wait and try another day. Remember that your baby can pick up how you are feeling, so if you are nervous, she may be too.

How often and how much?

• For the first few days just give your baby pureed food one meal a day.
• At first give only a few teaspoons of one food.
• Gradually increase the amount.
• When your baby seems happy with food from a spoon, add solids to another meal.
• Be guided by your baby’s appetite, this may be a fewteaspoons or a quarter of a cup.

Don’t forget that milk is still the most important part of her diet. At this stage she will continue to drink the same amount of her usual milk (breast or infant formula).

Food safety

• Wash your hands before preparing your baby’s food.
• Sterilise the feeding bowl, spoon, bottle / feeding cup and any containers used to freeze extra food, until your baby is crawling and putting objects in her mouth.
• Spoon out and heat only the amount of food you may need.
• Throw away any uneaten or heated food.
• Make sure you stir and test any heated food before giving it to your baby.

First foods

• Baby rice mixed with her usual milk (expressed breast milk or formula), always in a bowl, not in her bottle, or cooked sieved potato.
• Pureed fruit such as apple, pear or banana.
• Pureed vegetables such as carrots, parsnip, swede.

Do not add sugar or salt to foods (salt can overload a young baby’s kidneys).

Do not give any foods in your baby’s bottle.

The consistency of first foods is smooth puree rather like a smooth yogurt.

Until your baby is 6 months old it is best to avoid certain foods. These are listed on page 28.

Get baby comfy in a bouncer, supported chair or your arms; pop a bib on her, put newspaper on the floor, and cover yourself!

Food choices

When choosing foods for your baby try to avoid foods that fill your baby up with sugar or fat, or are high in salt and/or have few vitamins and minerals. These include foods with lots of sugar added to them or fatty foods, e.g. sweetened drinks and fizzy drinks, fruit squashes, fruit drinks, chocolate, sweets, crisps and corn snacks, deep fried foods, chocolate coated biscuits, pastries, tea and coffee.

Caring for her teeth

It is important that you clean your baby’s tooth/teeth by brushing as soon as teeth appear. Twice daily gentle toothbrushing with a soft ‘baby’ toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste is needed to prevent tooth decay. A smear of toothpaste should be used for babies and a small pea-sized amount for toddlers and older children. She should not have fruit juice or sugared drinks or other food (e.g. rusk or rice) from a bottle, as this may harm her teeth.

Recipes

Remember: Do not add any salt to baby’s food

Carrot and parsnip puree

1 carrot
1 parsnip

1. Peel and dice the carrot and parsnip.
2. Steam or boil the vegetables in a little water until soft
(8–10 minutes).
3. Puree the vegetables until smooth using baby’s usual milk to achieve the right thickness.
4. Don’t add any salt.

This makes several portions. Freeze extra in sterilised ice-cube trays.

When your baby is used to this puree, add baby rice or other cooked vegetables.

Pear puree

1 ripe pear

1. Peel and roughly chop the pear.
2. Place in a small pan with a tablespoon of water.
3. Gently heat until the fruit is tender.
4. Cool slightly.
5. Press through a sieve or blend to a puree.

Add a little baby rice, a pinch of ground cinnamon, or try another fruit such as mashed banana.

Lentil and potato puree

1 medium potato, peeled
50g red lentils, washed (no need to soak)

1. Cut the potato into quarters and boil until soft.
2. Meanwhile place the lentils in a pan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer until soft (20+ minutes). Drain thepotatoes and lentils and puree together.

Stewed apple with apricots

1 eating apple, peeled and chopped
5 ready-to-eat dried apricots, chopped into pieces
2 tablespoons water

1. Place the apple and apricots in a saucepan with the water and simmer gently until the fruit is tender.
2. Puree.

Freeze extra in sterilised ice-cube trays