Weaning a 6-Month-Old Baby – Our 5 top tips to help you get started

Weaning is huge milestone for most new mums. When is my baby ready for weaning? Should you puree or use the baby lead weaning method? Can you buy pouches, or should you cook it all from scratch? Here we’ll give you our top tips to help you get started and reach the dizzy heights of weaning success.

When do you know if your little one is ready for weaning?

It is recommended that you wait until your baby is close to 6 months to begin weaning. This is so their little guts and immune systems have time to start functioning properly before they’re trying to digest solid foods. The signs to look for are:

• They can stay in a sitting position, holding their head steady.
• They can coordinate their eyes, hands, and mouth so they can look at their food, pick it up and put it in their mouth.
• They are able to swallow food (rather than spit it back out)

Do you need any special equipment for weaning?

Honestly, you don’t really need anything special for weaning your baby. Besides small soft spoons which are gentle on your little ones mouth you don’t really need anything more than you’ve already got in your kitchen. However, some handy things to help you along are small freezer containers for batch cooking and a hand blender if you plan on pureeing.

Puree or Baby Lead Weaning?

There really isn’t a right or wrong answer to this question. The main thing is that you are comfortable with the decision you’ve made and that your little one is safe. Often mums use a mixture of both pureed foods and finger foods to let their little ones explore different flavours and textures as well as different techniques to eating such as using a spoon or using their hands. Do whatever feels comfortable for you and your baby.

Can you buy pouches, or should you cook it all from scratch?

Again, this is very dependant on your situation and what you’ve got time for. Many first-time mums want to give their babies the best, for some mums that means slaving away over a hot stove, blending the life out of numerous vegetables and freezing them ready for the week ahead. For others it means buying a variety or different pouches specially made for their weaning stage. Whichever works for you. Neither one is better than the other.

What else do you need to know?

Keep up the milk – when you first start weaning, it’s important that you still combine food with whatever milk they normally have.

Enough is enough – your baby will let you know when they’ve had enough by closing their mouth. Do not try and force them to have more.

Patience is key – It can be frustrating if you’ve spent ages preparing something and your little one won’t even attempt to try it. Keep your cool and try it again later or tomorrow. There’s no rush. Follow their lead.

So there you have it, our main tips are that you follow your baby’s lead and that you do whatever makes you comfortable when weaning your baby.

For more in-depth information you can visit the NHS website – https://www.nhs.uk/start4life/weaning/what-to-feed-your-baby/around-6-months/

All Adventure Babies Classes help with weaning, giving your little one’s time to explore numerous edible messy play activities. To find your nearest class have a look on our website here – https://www.adventurebabies.co.uk/classes/