Weaning

Weaning

Just when you feel like you have everything mastered, baby is sleeping and feeding well and you are changing nappies like a pro, you start to think about weaning. The thought of weaning fills so many parents with dread, but in reality, like most natural stages in life, it need not be difficult. Remember that weaning is just another stage in your baby’s growth and development and just like any other stage we should let it run its natural course. Babies will all take to weaning at different rates, relax and follow your baby’s cues and it will be an enjoyable experience for you both.

The UK Department of Health recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months as at this time breast milk should provide everything that baby needs. However, not all babies are the same and they will each develop at differing rates, if you feel that your baby is ready for solid foods before six months then contact your health visitor for advice.

Signs that your baby may be ready for weaning include;

• Baby is still hungry after a full milk feed
• Baby demands more frequent feeds
• Baby starts to wake in the night where previously they have slept through
• Baby shows an interest in your food
• Bottle fed babies may also be taking 32 fl oz or more of infant formula per day and remain unsatisfied with the formula designed for ‘hungrier babies’.

It is important not to start weaning too early (before 17 weeks) as the baby’s digestive system may not be ready and this has been found to increase the likelihood of developing food allergies.

Milk

When starting weaning, milk (either breast milk or infant formula) remains the most important part of your baby’s diet and solids should be used to add bulk, introduce new tastes, textures and aromas as well as to help baby learn to chew. It is very difficult to give a young baby all of the nutrients that they need from such a small amount of food and so milk must take priority.

At between 4 and 6 months babies require 600-800ml (21-28 fl oz) of milk (breast milk or infant formula) or 600ml (21 fl oz) when combined with solids. Do not suddenly reduce this amount; babies of 8 months should still receive around four milk feeds per day. To ensure that these needs are met, it is useful to offer baby’s milk feed prior to their solids and use solids simply as a top-up. This will also help to take the edge off their hunger before trying something new.

Home Cooked Baby Food

When you decide that the time is right you will find that there are many food products available and although these offer convenience they may not be the best for your baby. Cooking for your baby is very easy, all he needs is a simple selection of foods to get him started, of which even the least experienced of home Cooks can prepare!

There are great benefits to preparing your own food; on top of the financial saving you will make, you can be sure that you are offering only the best food to your baby. Many widely available baby foods have a shelf life of over two years and are fortified with vitamins and iron as most natural nutrients are lost during their cooking process. By choosing good quality fresh foods and preparing them yourself you can offer highly nutritious meals to your baby without the need of additives found in many jarred foods. Home cooked baby food will taste more like your family food making it easier for your baby to progress onto ‘real’ food in the near future. It is also easier for you to gradually change the consistency of home prepared food rather than having to jump from smooth to lumps which is often the case with processed foods.

A steamer offers the best way of cooking fruit and vegetables and a simple three tier steamer above a pan (widely available in supermarkets) provides a quick way of preparing several different foods at one time. It also helps to retain important nutrients, for example, boiled broccoli will loose 60% of its antioxidants where as steamed broccoli looses just 7%. If you don’t have a steamer then a colander over a pan of boiling water with a well fitting lid can also work well. You will need a masher, grater, blender (or mouli) and sieve, as well as a small bowl for feeding from and small flat soft spoon (both which should be suitable for sterilising). You may also like to use small freezer pots to store portions of prepared food in, and if you do try to choose ones which can be sterilised.

Sterilising

Although it is still important at this stage to sterilise bottles, teats and other feeding equipment, it is impossible to sterilise everything. Use common sense and sterilise spoons and bowls, but it is neither necessary nor possible in many cases to sterilise your pans, masher and blender! Wash all utensils at a high temperature either in a dishwasher or by hand with very hot soapy water and if preferred you can rinse with boiled water from the kettle.

Your Baby’s Diet

Fresh food is always going to be best for your baby; it will taste, smell and look better. Where possible try to choose organic foods, by doing so you are avoiding artificial chemicals and pesticides as well as GM crops, all of which have a worrying and unknown effect on our bodies.

There are four key elements that your baby needs in their diet;

• Protein fuels growth and repair as well as providing energy and is vital for growing babies. It can be found in meat, fish, Soya beans and dairy which all also contain important amino acids. Grains, pulses and seeds also contain protein but lack the amino acids.
• Carbohydrates provide energy and are found in a wide range of foods. The best ones to look out for are natural carbohydrates which can be found in fruits and vegetables as well as wholegrain breakfast cereals, flour, bread, pasta, brown rice, potatoes, dried beans and lentils.
• Fats also offer energy and babies needs proportionately more fat than adults so it is important not to offer your baby a low fat diet. Fats also contain the important vitamins A, D, E and K which are vital for baby’s development. Be sure to include cheese, meat and eggs in baby’s diet once first tastes are accepted.
• Vitamins and minerals are important for the healthy development of the brain and nervous system and are found in most natural foods. Include plenty of different coloured fruits and vegetables, as well as meat and fish, all of which will contain different essential vitamins and minerals. Unfortunately many of these are easily destroyed by cooking and so where possible offer raw, lightly cooked or steamed fruits and vegetables to ensure these vitamins remain. The UK department of health recommends that breastfed babies and bottle fed babies who take less than 500ml (18 fl oz) of infant formula per day should receive vitamin D supplements. If you feel this applies to you please do check with your health visitor.

As long as you offer your baby a varied selection of the important four food groups and take care with high risk foods then he will thrive on his new diet, just remember a few simple guidelines;

• Fresh food
• Low Sugar
• Low Salt (No salt before 1 year)
• Offer plenty of cooled boiled water (avoid bottled mineral water which can contain high concentrates of mineral salts unsuitable for babies).

High Risk Foods

There are some foods that it is best to avoid or use with caution in your baby’s diet. Some are more likely to trigger allergies in at risk groups; others are simply unsuitable for an underdeveloped digestive system. For each consider the risks carefully before introducing and as with all new foods it is important to introduce them individually so that you can monitor your baby’s reaction.

• Eggs- hard cooked eggs can be introduced from 6 months and soft cooked from 12 months. These are also a common cause of allergies so monitor high risk babies for a response.
• Honey- must be avoided before 12 months due to its links with infant botulism
• Nuts- a high risk food for allergy suffers which should be introduced with much caution. Avoid before 12 months and many parents avoid whole nuts until 5 years due to the risk of choking.
• Other foods which are common causes of allergies include berries, citrus, kiwi, sesame seeds, dairy, wheat, fish (shellfish in particular) and chocolate.

Try not to worry too much about allergies unless you have a family history and if you are concerned talk to your health visitor. Do not cut any food out of your baby’s diet without first discussing it with a health professional as they could miss out on important nutrition.

First Tastes

The first food your baby takes should simply be one fruit or vegetable (rather than a combination) and it should be smooth and quite runny in consistency. Babies generally take well to a sweet choice at first such as apple, pear or banana, but if you would rather start with something savoury carrot, swede, parsnip, butternut squash and sweet potato are all popular. Apart from banana which can be mashed and eaten raw (ensure that the banana is ripe), all of the other first foods will require pealing (seeds removing where necessary) and cooking until soft, either by boiling or steaming. They can then be mashed and pushed through a sieve to remove lumps, blended or put through a mouli to produce a smooth texture. If the consistency is too thick, add a little of the cooking water or baby’s usual milk to loosen.  At this stage your baby is unlikely to take more than 2 teaspoons of any solid food and so an ice cube size portion would be ideal. Once he is taking more you can prepare/defrost several ice cubes portions per meal.

Baby foods can be prepared on mass and put into small pots or ice cube trays for freezing. When required, defrost and reheat either in a pan or in the microwave and ensure that the food is piping hot throughout. These foods can be safely stored for up to 8 weeks in the freezer after which point they may begin to loose nutrients. To help keep food fresh ensure that they are tightly sealed with lids or in freezer bags. Aim to serve food lukewarm or at room temperature and if re-heating ensure you heat until piping hot then allow the food to cool before serving. Never re-heat more than once and do not save baby’s half eaten food.

Your baby will only need one meal of solids per day to start with and you may find it easier to simply sit baby on your lap whilst he gets used to this new idea, alternatively you could use a baby chair. Be sure to cover both of you well and be prepared for a mess as it is important to allow him the freedom to experiment with the new food and equipment; this means it is likely that it won’t all end up in his mouth! Try not to worry if he rejects solids the first few time you try, perhaps he is not ready or the food you are offering is too thick/thin/lumpy/hot/cold? Experiment with different foods and flavours and follow your baby’s lead. If there is one food he likes more than others try mixing all new tastes into that until he is more confident.

Introducing New Flavours

Only introduce one new food at a time and give it for a couple of days in a row. Once you have introduced your baby to a range of tastes you can begin to combine them as well as introducing some new, stronger flavours. New flavours can be combined with existing favourites which will make it easier. A great way of introducing potentially bitter green vegetables is to mix it with equal quantities with apple or pear. As well as making it a more welcoming flavour for baby, the vitamin C in apples and pears will aid the absorption of iron from the green vegetables.

Another way of encouraging baby to try new flavours is to mix them into milky baby rice which will dilute the strong flavour of the vegetable or fruit. Mix one tablespoon of unflavoured baby rice with two tablespoons of your baby’s usual milk and then add this to your pre-cooked fruit or vegetables. If this is too thick simply add more milk. Be careful not to add hot foods to cold milk as this will re-heat the milk and encourage the growth of bacteria. Instead ensure are the same temperature before mixing and then re-heat if required for serving.

It is a good idea to have lots of single ingredient purees in your freezer as these can then be mixed in different combinations to provide a more varied meal plan for your baby. Many of these foods can also be prepared along side your family meal or use your left over vegetables to save time. You can also use frozen vegetables and fruit which often contain more nutrients than their fresh alternatives, these can be re-frozen again once cooked.

By the third week of weaning most babies will be taking two small solid meals per day and may be starting to reduce their milk intake. Don’t rush your baby but continue to offer him as much as he is happy to take, babies at this age rarely over eat. By the end of the forth week he may be ready for three small solid meals, as well as four milk feeds per day. Common place for milk is early morning before breakfast, mid-morning between breakfast and lunch, mid-afternoon between lunch and tea and then bedtime. Once baby is established with solids aim to offer cooled boiled water or diluted fresh juice (1 part juice to 5 parts water) with meals rather than milk which may put him off his solid food.

Once your baby has got used to the new idea of solid foods you can begin to offer thicker and lumpier foods. Start by thickening his favourites with baby rice or by excluding the cooking liquid from the mix. You can then progress onto mashed rather than blended foods before grated and then chopped. When first tastes are accepted you can continue to experiment with more new foods for your baby, and somewhere between 7 and 9 months your baby will be ready for meat, fish, eggs, dairy and wheat based products which will all make up an important part of his future diet. Follow your baby’s lead and soon he will be enjoying three solid meals per day and joining in with the family meals

Author Katie Millard

Copyright 2008. All Rights Reserved.

This article was written for and on behalf of Bebeco. Any breach of copyright will be taken very seriously and pursued through law.  This article must not be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without direct written permission by both the author and Bebeco.