Weaning process
with CMPA

What’s it all
about?

Weaning is the process of introducing your baby to solid foods, and is also known as complementary feeding.

Girl

From birth to 6 months, breast milk (or formula) will provide a complete source of energy and all the other nutrients your baby needs.

Although breast milk or formula remains very important throughout early childhood, solids are required from 6 months to complement breast milk or formula as your baby’s requirements for nutrients are increasing. A child who is only taking breast milk or formula after 6 months of age may struggle to meet their requirements for key nutrients such as iron.

A varied/balanced diet including iron rich foods e.g. meat, eggs, pulses, energy rich foods like starchy carbohydrates and higher fat food alongside fruits and vegetables will support the energy and nutrient needs of your baby.

Did you know?

  • Weaning helps your baby experience new tastes and textures at a time when they are very receptive to learning about these.
  • Weaning helps your baby learn to move food around their mouth, chew and swallow safely.
  • Weaning can play a part in developing your baby’s social interactions as they become more involved in family meals.
  • Learning to chew and swallow helps develop your baby’s speech muscles.
  • Weaning supports sensory based learning e.g. how food feels, smells and sounds (as well as tastes)

When to wean

The introduction of solid food to infants in addition to breast milk or infant formula provides a range of important nutrients.

Girls

The Government and expert scientific groups in the UK recommend* babies start solids at around 6 months of age, and not before 17 weeks of age.

Remember, breast milk and formula milk can provide all the key nutrients for babies up to 6 months of age. It is encouraged that parents looks for developmental signs that a baby is developmentally ready to commence solids.

These signs of readiness include:

  • Baby will be able to move food from the front to the back of their mouth. Their tongue thrust reflex will have reduced and they will be able to swallow.
  • Co-ordinate their eyes, mouth and hands (e.g. be able to pick food up and bring it towards their mouth.)
  • Sitting upright with minimal support and holding their head steady

Common misconceptions around weaning:

  • Chewing/ sucking their fists is a sign they are ready to wean
  • Increase in demand for breast or formula milk is a sign they are ready to wean
  • Waking in the night is a sign they are ready to wean
  • Remember it is what is happening inside that counts and a baby’s digestive system needs to be developed enough to manage foods.
  • Larger babies need to wean early

Why milk is still
important

Why is milk an important part of my baby’s diet?

An infant will drink less breast milk/formula after the age of 6 months as you start to introduce solid foods. However, breast or formula milk remains an important source of nutrition in early childhood. For formula fed babies on a milk-free diet, using their prescribed special formula milk (Althera or Alfamino) in foods and recipes can help improve intake of both energy and key nutrients like calcium.

Breastfeeding and weaning.

If you are breastfeeding you should continue to do so. (Only a very small number of babies will react to traces of cows’ milk protein from mother’s diet coming through in breast milk. If you have been advised to exclude milk from your diet whilst breastfeeding, make sure you discuss with your Dietitian and ensure guidance on your own diet and supplementation).

Getting your baby to take a new specialist formula.

If your formula fed baby is having a cow’s milk formula with or without any breast milk, your healthcare professional will recommend that you stop the usual formula your baby is taking immediately and change straight over to your new specialist formula.

This will help with your baby’s symptoms. In some circumstances you may be able to gradually swap your baby onto the new formula milk by mixing the specialist formula and their old milk formula together and gradually increasing the proportion of the milk-free feed.

What about vitamins?

The UK guidelines recommend giving vitamins to babies from 6 months of age unless they are drinking more than 500ml of formula per day. If your baby is breastfed, they should have a daily Vitamin D supplement from birth. Breastfeeding mothers are also recommended to take 10ug Vitamin D daily too. A supplement containing vitamins A, C and D should continue until your child is 5 years old.

Weaning stages

STAGE 1
STARTING OFF

What texture?

  • Continue with mashed food aiming to move onto more chopped up and minced foods
  • Encourage finger foods
  • Encourage your child to feed themselves

How Much?

  • At least one small serving of an iron rich food at each mealtime such as; fortified breakfast cereals, meat, fish or pulses (including peas, beans and lent
  • 3-4 small servings of starchy foods and 3-4 small servings of fruit and vegetables
  • Look at what you are cooking for the family and see if it can be adapted for your child e.g. a milk-free spaghetti bolognaise or shepherds pie

STAGE 2
MOVING ON

What texture?

  • Smooth purée, blended or mashed
  • Cooked and soft foods can be made into a purée by passing them through a sieve or by a hand blender or liquidiser
  • Finger foods - e.g. cooked, cooled and soft veggies

How Much?

  • Begin with 1-2 teaspoons, gradually increasing the amount according to your baby’s appetite.
  • Follow your baby’s lead with amounts to offer based on their appetite
  • If offering finger foods from the start of weaning, ensure your little one is well supported in their highchair and offer options that are soft and will mash easily in their gums e.g. well cooked vegetable fingers, ripe fruit

STAGE 3
FAMILY MEALS

What texture?

  • Gradually move onto mashed and lumpier foods which encourage your child to chew
  • Continue to introduce finger foods such as soft cooked vegeatable (e.g. boiled carrot/parsnip), soft toast and milk-free margarine, ricecakes, baby corn puffs or soft fruit (e.g. banana)

How Much?

  • Servings can still be small
  • Include meat, fish or pulses (including lentils, peas or beans) in at least 1 meal per day
  • Try to offer 2-3 servings of starchy foods per day and 2 servings of vegetables and fruit

DOWNLOAD FULL GUIDE TO WEANING PDF

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