When is a baby ready to wean?
Posted 10/07/2012 11:44:00 | Filed under Our Experts
Hello. I wanted to talk to you about the weaning stage and offer some advice on deciding when your baby might be ready.
As your baby develops, the time will come when they are ready to try some solid foods. Some signs that your baby might be ready for weaning include:
- Staying in a sitting position and holding their head steady
- Co-ordinating their eyes, hands and mouth so that they can look at the food, pick it up and put it in their mouth all by themselves
- Swallowing food - babies who are not ready will push their food back out
The initial stage of weaning is about teaching baby to eat and getting them used to the feel and taste of food in their mouths. Milk will still provide the majority of their energy and nutrient requirements at this stage.As a guide, the Department of Health recommends that weaning should start from around 6 months. If your baby is showing signs of a growing appetite at an earlier age, it could be that they’re just going through a growth spurt. So it’s important to get in touch with your health visitor before trying solids – remember that a young baby’s digestive system is not ready to process solid food.
I hope you’ve found this post useful. But if you have any questions about weaning or anything else, just get in touch with one of our experts on 0800 996 1000.
Nutritionist
Vicky has a particular interest in allergy and how nutrition affects short and long-term health, specifically during the early years of life, and is a strong believer in helping mums to learn about good nutrition in pregnancy, as well as the early stages of infancy. Having worked for Aptaclub for over 5 years, Vicky is invaluable to the team. She is currently in the final stage of a second Masters degree in Nutritional Medicine.
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