lucy-upton-weaning-guide - Flipbook - Page 5
What foods to offer next?
After your baby's first few days of tasting 8first foods9, there are no rules other than
avoiding the foods outlined below. Unless advised by a medical professional, there
is no need to do one new food every 3 days either; the aim is to offer your baby
plenty of variety and opportunity to learn about new foods. Ensure that food is
provided in an appropriate form for your baby9s age and skill development. You
can start to branch out and incorporate a range of foods from different key food
groups, including;
● Different vegetables and various fruits 3 aim to expose your baby to a variety
of colours and types.
● Starchy foods include potatoes, rice, pasta, grains, and cereals. It is safe to
include a combination of whole grains and white versions, but avoid all
wholegrain options and bran.
● Protein-rich foods (many also vital iron sources), e.g. meat, fish, seafood,
soya, eggs, beans, pulses, nuts and seeds (as butter or well-ground)
● Full-fat, unsweetened dairy, including whole milk, yoghurt, cream cheese and
harder cheeses
● Healthy fats such as oils, oily fish, nuts, seeds and avocado
Alongside various food groups, your baby must be exposed to different textures
during weaning to help them develop the skills to eat (bite, chew and swallow) a
varied diet. You can help your baby progress with texture by;
● Offering a variety of food groups (like the above)
● Ensuring you don9t just rely on pre-prepared baby foods
● Progress through textures of traditional weaning, e.g., thinner purees to
thicker purees, thicker purees to grainy purees, and grainy purees to mashed
foods.
● Offer age-appropriate finger foods. First, finger foods should be soft and
easily Mashable in your baby's gums. Your baby should be able to grasp them
easily, so they are often best served as strips or large chunks of food, about the
size of an adult finger. From 8-9 months, your baby will develop their pincer
grasp, so smaller bite-sized pieces of food can be offered.
Foods to avoid during weaning
There are a range of foods your baby needs to avoid during weaning, which
include but are not limited to;
● High-risk choking foods, e.g. whole nuts, sweets, marshmallows, rounds of
sausage, whole grapes/cherry tomatoes/large blueberries, hard chunks of
foods like apple or carrot
● Honey, as it can contain a bacterium which causes infant botulism
● Foods at higher risk of carrying foodborne infections, e.g. mould, ripened
cheese, raw or lightly cooked seafood, unpasteurised milk
● Rice drinks, due to the high level of inorganic arsenic
● Salt, processed meats and high-salt foods, e.g. stock, gravy, crisps
● Sugar-sweetened foods and drinks
