Weaning is the introduction of solid food into your baby's diet.
Initially this solid food is as an extra to their milk feeds- the majority of calories and nutrients should still come from their milk feeds, slowly changing this over the first 3-6 months of weaning.
The Department of Health and World Health Organisation recommend exclusive milk feeding until 6 months of age, and no solids should be introduced before 4 months. This is for the following reasons:
However, once a baby reaches around 6 months it is a perfect time and important to introduce solids:
How to tell when your baby is ready to be weaned:
Some babies will start to get hungrier as they approach 5/6 months. Some signs that your baby may be getting ready to wean are:
One sign that parents often look out for as a sign their babies are ready to wean is their baby being interested in your food. Babies become interested in anything at this age (Lego, small toys, dirty shoes!) it doesn’t mean that they should be offered to them. It's great if your baby is interested AND at the right age, as you can take advantage of this, but don’t take this one factor as the decider as to when to start solid food.
Because of the possible risks associated with early weaning, should your baby show signs of wanting to wean early I would recommend waiting at least one week to see if changes in behaviour are due to other factors such as teething before deciding to wean your baby early. It would also be preferable to try other methods of satisfying your baby's increased hunger such as re-introducing a night feed (if your baby has dropped this already) rather than wean early. There is no research that shows any benefit of early weaning, however there is a lot that show the benefits of waiting.
Please also remember that because the foods you are able to introduce if weaning early are very low calorie the chances of this having a positive effect on your baby’s calorie intake and therefore a positive effect on your baby's sleep are very minimal. Early weaning ‘helping to get your baby to sleep for longer periods’ dates back to the times that we introduced things such as rusks first - these are particularly high calorie, contain sugar, milk powder and wheat so did have an impact on appetite and sleep. Advice has changed now, and I would strongly advise against introducing these kinds of foods first!
However, if your baby approaches 6 months and is still not showing signs of needing to be weaned then it is important to start weaning them onto solids at this point.
I think that a good time of day to start weaning is around an hour after their morning milk feed. This way they are not starving, shouldn’t be tired and it also extends the gap between their first 2 milk feeds (once they are swallowing a little) which allows more time for their morning nap.
1 meal:
Wake and milk feed (assume 7am)
1 hour later breakfast
Sleep
I always advise starting with high calorie, high nutrient foods, vegetables are good because I think it is important to get a baby used to savoury flavours first. This can be mixed with a little avocado or coconut, so you have the benefit of the calories.
You want the food you are introducing to be higher calorie than the milk it will naturally replace. For this reason, I avoid only vegetables (apart from avocado).
Best first tasted are either avocado on its own, or sweet potato mixed with coconut.
Carrot, avocado, sweet potato, parsnip
Sweet potato and lentils and cereal
Chicken and lentils (lentils are a good source of both carbohydrate and protein)
Pear and prune (if at all constipated)
Avocado, coconut cream, olive oil and then progress to nut butter
If you decide to start weaning before 6 months you must stick to vegetable, carbohydrate and fat foods. Protein must not be introduced until close to 6 months.
The most important thing is to be relaxed. Weaning is a process that starts at around 6 months and finishes at around 18 months. Taking advantage of the whole year is ideal. If you are relaxed then your baby will be too, enjoy this new stage.
If you would like more information and support, I have a free community here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/yummybabyslepepwell
Hannah Love is a paediatric nurse, nutritional therapist, parenting and sleep expert. She has spent the last 25 years showing families that parenting doesn’t need to be exhausting. More importantly, juggling work, life and a baby can be a pleasure. You can be a gentle parent, have a baby who sleeps well and who fits into your lifestyle - whatever that means to you. Through her CALM approach (Consistent, Achievable, Loving, Manageable) she helps parents in all areas of parenting, including her favourite subjects – sleeping and feeding.
Hannah has a full weaning course with everything you need for your weaning journey:
https://yummybabygroup.kartra.com/page/dZS39
If you would like more information and support, she also has a free community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/yummybabysleepwell
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