What is Weaning?

Weaning

Weaning is the time when parents begin to gradually introduce foods other than breast milk or infant formula to their baby's diet. Specially prepared solid foods may be introduced gradually between 4 and 6 months of age.

Cereal-based foods are usually the first weaning foods offered to the infant. Other foods, including strained or mashed fruits, vegetables, meats, and fish, are later added to the weaning diet.

The introduction of weaning foods should not signal the elimination of milk from baby's diet. In fact, breast milk, infant formula, or a follow-on formula designed specifically to meet the nutritional needs of older babies should remain the primary source of nourishment throughout the first year of life.

Weaning is an important stage in your baby's life. It requires much patience on your part, some practice on your baby's part, and a lot of learning by all.

When to start?
Most experts agree that weaning should begin sometime between 4 and 6 months of age. Nearly all babies are developmentally ready to sample their first solid foods by then. At this age, baby can sit up, hold up his or her head, and coordinate chewing with swallowing. He or she is also developing the ability to accept smooth foods from a spoon.

By 4 to 6 months of age, baby's ability to digest and absorb nutrients is virtually mature. His or her kidneys are also able to handle the extra sodium and extra protein present in some solid foods.

The right time to wean should be determined with the help of your health care professional, who can best evaluate your baby's progress and needs.

The problem with early weaning
Introducing foods before your child is 4 to 6 months of age may cause problems. Before the age of 4 months, your baby cannot coordinate chewing with swallowing. Your baby's digestive system may be unable to tolerate a variety of foods. Also, because kidney function is not mature, a young baby cannot handle the extra sodium and extra protein present in some solid foods.

When solid foods are given too early, so little is consumed that it makes an insignificant contribution to your child's diet. Research has also shown that introducing solid food early does not help your baby sleep through the night.

Introducing food too early to an infant who doesn't want it or cannot handle it can result in unpleasant feeding experiences for both parent and infant. Waiting until your baby is ready to handle more "mixed fare" can facilitate a smoother transition.

The problem with late weaning
By 6 months of age, breast milk or formula is unlikely to provide all of your baby's nutritional requirements. To meet increased nutritional needs, you should begin to add more food to your child's diet.

Weaning is also important because it introduces your baby to new tastes and textures that will prepare him or her for a more adult diet. If you wait much beyond the age of 6 months, your baby may be less willing to accept solid foods.

What foods to avoid

Take care to avoid the following foods:

Salt
Babies up to 6 months old should have less than 1g salt a day. From 7 months to a year old they should have a maximum of 1g salt a day.

If you're breastfeeding, your baby will be getting the right amount of salt. And infant formula contains a similar amount of salt to breast milk.

When you start introducing solid foods, remember the following:

• Don't add salt to any foods you give to babies because their kidneys can't cope with it. The baby foods you'll find on sale aren't allowed to contain salt.
• Remember to limit how much you let your baby eat of foods that are high in salt, such as cheese, bacon and sausages.
• Avoid giving your baby any processed foods that aren't made specifically for babies such as pasta sauces and breakfast cereals, because these can be high in salt.

Sugar
Avoid adding sugar to the food or drinks you give your baby. Sugar could encourage a sweet tooth and lead to tooth decay when your baby's first teeth start to come through. If you give your baby stewed sour fruit, such as rhubarb, you could sweeten it with mashed banana, breast or formula milk.

Honey
Don't give honey to your baby until he or she is a year old. Very occasionally, honey can contain a type of bacteria that can produce toxins in a baby's intestines. This can cause serious illness (infant botulism). After a baby is a year old, the intestine matures and the bacteria can't grow.

But remember that honey is also a sugar, which means it can cause the same problems as sugar.

Other foods to avoid up to six months
There are also certain foods that can cause an allergic reaction in some babies. So it's a good idea not to give your baby any of these foods before he or she is six months old:

• Wheat-based foods and other foods containing gluten - including bread, wheat flour, breakfast cereals and rusks. If someone in your family can't eat foods containing gluten (because they have Coeliac disease), talk to your GP before giving any wheat, rye or barley-based foods to your baby.
• Nuts and seeds - including peanuts, peanut butter and other nut spreads. Peanuts can be given from six months old, if you always crush or flake them. Don't give whole peanuts or any type of whole nuts to children under five years old because they could cause choking.
  
• Eggs
• Fish and shellfish