Weaning

You may find it easiest to start with simple pureed or well-mashed foods. Try offering your baby one or two spoonfuls of the following:

• Mashed or pureed vegetables, such as cooked carrot, parsnip, potato or sweet potato.
• Mashed or pureed fruit, such as banana, cooked apple, pear or mango.
• Baby cereal such as baby rice, sago, maize, cornmeal or millet. You can mix these with some of your baby's milk.

You can offer food to your baby before or after a milk feed, or in the middle of a feed if it works better. Pick a time that's good for both of you. If the food is hot, make sure you stir, cool and test it on the inside of your wrist before giving it to your baby.

It may take your baby a while to get used to these new flavours. Don't be surprised if she rejects the food or spits it out. Just try again later, or the next day. You can make the food a little blander by mixing it with a few teaspoons of your baby's milk.

At first, your baby may seem to eat very little. Be patient and remember it may take time for her to learn how to eat. As she develops more of a side-to-side, grinding motion, add less liquid to her food so the texture is thicker, with chunkier, soft lumps. This allows your baby to work on chewing, or gumming, and swallowing.

As your baby becomes used to fruits, vegetables and cereal, add a variety of other foods. Then gradually increase the number of times a day that she has solids. By the time your baby is about seven months old, she should be eating solids three times a day. A typical day's intake could include:

• Breastmilk or formula milk.
• Iron-fortified cereal. Check packaging for salt and sugar levels, though.
• Vegetables. These can include potatoes, parsnips, broccoli, cauliflower, sweet potato, spinach and butternut squash.
• Small amounts of meat, poultry, fish, yogurt, hard-boiled egg, well-cooked lentils and cheese. Don't give your baby brie, stilton and other mould-ripened or soft cheeses.
• Fruit.

Remember that your baby's appetite will vary from one feed to the next. Watch out for cues that she's full. If she keeps her mouth shut, turns away, or starts playing with her food, she's probably had enough.

Some parents choose not to spoon feed their babies puree. They prefer to let their babies feed themselves. This is known as baby-led weaning.

If you would like to try baby-led weaning, offer your baby a selection of nutritious finger foods suitable for his age.

The easiest finger foods for young babies are those that are shaped like a chip, or have a handle, such as cooked broccoli spears. This is because when your baby first tries solids, he won't yet have developed a pincer grip. This will develop in the next few months, but for now, he can only clasp foods in his fists.

At first, your baby may just play with the food. He may grab pieces of food with his fist and start to suck on them. Carry on giving your baby breastmilk or formula milk in between mealtimes. As your baby gradually eats more solids, the number of milk feeds will start to decrease.