Babies grow more rapidly in their first year than at any other time in their lives, so how, when and what you feed your baby will be one of the most important decisions you make. Annabel Karmel, author of The Complete Baby And Toddler Meal Planner and other recipe books, has some helpful hints to make weaning easy.

When to wean

For the first six months, breast milk or formula provides all the nutrients your baby needs and should remain their main source of nourishment. At around six months, your baby will start to need solid foods, too. One reason is that the iron store she inherited at birth will be used up, so she will need iron-rich foods in her diet. Every baby is different though, so if you feel yours needs solids earlier, speak to your health visitor or GP.

Solids should not be introduced until at least 17 weeks after your baby’s due date, as before this their digestive and immune systems are not sufficiently developed and there is a greater risk of allergy.

Signs that your baby is ready for weaning:

• She is still hungry after a full milk feed
• She demands feeds more frequently  
• She wakes at night for a feed, having previously slept through.

Which foods first?

First foods should be easy to digest and unlikely to provoke an allergic reaction. Root vegetables, such as carrot, sweet potato, parsnip and swede are the most popular with young babies, due to their naturally sweet flavour and smooth texture when puréed. It’s important that you choose fruits that are ripe and have a good flavour, so taste them yourself first.

• First fruits: apple, pear, banana and papaya
• First vegetables: carrot, potato, swede, parsnip, pumpkin, butternut squash and sweet potato
• No-cook purées: try mashed banana, papaya or avocado if you are short of time
• Baby rice: a good first food as it’s easily digested, just mix with breast or formula milk. Its milky taste makes the transition to solids easy, and it combines well with purée
• To begin with, introduce single-ingredient purées and simple combinations, such as apple and pear, or mixed root vegetables, such as carrot, sweet potato and parsnip.
• Once your baby is used to these, you can pretty easily introduce all fruit and vegetables, but take care with citrus, pineapple, berries and kiwis as these may upset the stomachs of susceptible babies.
• From about seven months, you can introduce fish, chicken and meat. It’s best to combine them with root vegetables.

Foods to avoid

• Salt: can strain immature kidneys and cause dehydration. May also lead to high blood pressure later in life.
• Sugar: increases the risk of tooth decay and is habit-forming.
• Foods containing gluten (for example, wheat, oats, barley and rye): make sure baby cereals and rusks are gluten-free. Baby rice is the safest to try first.
• Raw or lightly cooked eggs: cook until solid to avoid the risk of salmonella infection.
• Unpasturised cheese (such as Brie, Camembert or Danish Blue): not before 12 months to avoid the risk of listeria infection.
• Shellfish: not before two years to avoid the risk of food poisoning and allergy.
• Nuts: not recommended before the age of five to avoid the risk of choking and allergy.
• Honey: not before one year old, as it can contain a bacteria that results in a potentially serious illness called ‘infant botulism’ (severe poisoning).

Recipes for weaning babies: why cook?

You may be wondering why you should go to the trouble of making baby food when you can buy it in jars.

Well, commercial baby foods are heated to a high temperature and cooled in the sterilising process, which destroys some of the natural vitamins and taste.

They can also make the transition to family food more difficult, as babies are not used to the natural tastes of fruits and vegetables. With freshly prepared food, you can be sure of using the best quality ingredients with no thickeners or additives – plus it’s cheaper, and homemade purées taste better!

Try these delicious home-made recipes from bestselling author Annabel Karmel for weaning baby appetites:

• Chicken with sweet potato and apple
• Trio of root vegetables
• Fillet of plaice with carrots, cheese and tomato
• Apple and pear with cinnamon

Find out more

• Now read our features on your baby's first foods, finger foods and foods for older babies
  
  
• Watch our short film "I want to stop breastfeeding my toddler"