Weaning Baby onto Solids

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Words and image courtesy of Lynsey Riach

house with the correct food and prep accordingly so on day one of weaning you are ready to go!

The delicate balancing act of weaning newborns can be a challenging time. How exactly does one go about the whole thing? QH offers up some advice on how to transition smoothly and avoid any potential issues.

First Flavours

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n the early days, when babies only require milk, it can actually feel easy getting into a routine so naturally but when it’s time to introduce proper food, suddenly the task in front of you can seem quite daunting.

All those new colours, flavours, smells and textures for a baby to try, can often open up a whole new side to your little one that you mightn't have experienced yet– watch them giggle as they try banana for the first time, or perhaps wince at the taste of broccoli (hopefully not!).

The World Health Organisation recommends feeding your baby breast milk exclusively for the first six months of their lives. Of course, there are circumstances where formula milk is used instead and some babies will be required to wean onto solid food before they hit the six-month mark. Generally though, it is more than likely that you will not have to wean your baby before four months due to internal developments still taking place.

So whenever the time comes to start introducing solid food, it’s best to understand a basic rule of thumb – food is fun until they’re one! Milk will still be the dominant provider of nutrition to your baby so keep on providing them 3-4 milk feeds a day until they celebrate their first birthday.

Solid food for the moment, will offer new tastes and textures to the baby and allow them to get used to eating at set mealtimes and eventually independently.

Wean, Wean, Wean During the first year of life, babies grow rapidly and most will have tripled their birth weight by their first birthday. To ensure that your baby grows at the right rate, develops strong bones and teeth, firm muscles and healthy tissue, it is essential that the food you give your baby has the right balance of nutrients.

It is suggested that once your baby can hold their own neck up and sit independently, they can then sit in a highchair to enjoy their meals. Always stay with your baby when feeding them. Research has shown that babies, who are allowed to play with food in the beginning, will find more interest and confidence in trying new foods later on.

To begin with, weaning from milk to solids takes time and practice. Remember, your baby has only ever digested milk so be patient and build their serving sizes slowly.

You will need a highchair, bibs, bowls, spoons, baby wipes and it would be a good idea to stock your

It is advised that you offer your baby one new food type for the first three days of weaning. At this stage it is only a very small amount of food (one teaspoon) that they will try and the small quantity will allow them to get used to the sensation of new food. Also, this way you can easily monitor and identify any allergies.

When prepping food at home, steam or boil food then use a food processor to ensure the food is pureed and smooth enough for your baby to swallow safely.

You can also buy readymade pouches too and these can be found in many places around Doha (stocked in Carrefour, Monoprix and Megamart). Marks and Spencer also offer their own brand of baby puree.

First Foods (puree only) • Sweet Potato • Carrot • Courgette • Swede • Cauliflower • Broccoli • Apple • Pear • Peach • Mango • Banana • Baby Rice • Baby Porridge Tips and Tricks: • Always puree foods for a baby until they are 7-8 months old

• Begin your weaning at the 11 a.m./12noon feed time

• Mix breast milk or formula milk with puree Weaning by Weeks • Week 1 – offer 1 teaspoon of new flavours at 11am • Week 2 – offer 2-4 teaspoons of new and existing flavours at 11 a.m.

• Week 3 – introduce a 5 p.m. dinner with 2-4 teaspoons of existing flavours

• Week 4 – introduce a 7 a.m. breakfast of baby porridge; continue with lunch and dinner of new and existing flavours.

By week 5, your baby should be able to enjoy 10-15 teaspoons per meal and all food should be digesting well. If so, you can start to introduce dairy and protein in the coming weeks following the same principle of a few teaspoons to be sure they are able to tolerate the new food.

From 8 months on the baby can enjoy milk from a sippy cup or beaker to get them used to weaning from the bottle.

Day by day…

• 6 a.m. – Milk • 7 a.m. - Porridge with pureed fruit • 11.30 a.m. – Pureed vegetables • 2.30 p.m. – Milk • 5 p.m. – Baby rice with pureed vegetables • 6.30 p.m. - Milk n 51

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