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Starting your baby on solids (Weaning)

Starting Your Baby on Solids

Offering your baby solid foods should start when they are around six months old. Your baby should be introduced to a varied diet, along with their usual breast milk or first infant formula.

At six months your baby needs solid foods as well as their usual feed of milk. It’s not a replacement, solids need to be fed alongside their usual feed

Introducing solid foods is known as weaning and teaches your baby how to move solid food around their mouth, chew and swallow solid foods.

How much your baby eats depends on their appetite, so let your baby guide you on how much food they need – never force them to eat. In the same way you follow your baby’s cues when offering them breast or bottle feeds, be responsive to your baby when giving them solid foods, and learn to recognise when they’re hungry and when they’ve had enough.

For ideas, hints and tips on introducing your baby to solids, and healthy eating, please see the following links:

HENRY
Every parent wants to give their child the best start in life, but we don’t always know where to start. HENRY gives some simple and practical top tips for a healthy lifestyle

​​​​​​​NHS Your baby’s first solid foods
Introducing your baby to solid foods, sometimes called complementary feeding or weaning, should start when your baby is around 6 months old. Find lots of helpful information on this website.

Start for Life What is Weaning?
It can be confusing knowing when and how to start introducing solid foods. Start4Life can guide you through the weaning journey and explain what it all means. Expert NHS advice, helpful videos, tips from other parents, and lots of simple, healthy weaning recipe and meal ideas.

Healthier Together Healthy Eating
Healthy eating and good food behaviours from the start of a childs’s life.

Eating Well
Eating well resources for pregnancy, infancy and early years.

Child Feeding Guide
Find help to tackle fussy eating and create happier mealtimes.

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