Weaning your baby, stage 3

Should I give my baby drinks other than milk during weaning?

Yes, because the quantities of food eaten at this stage of weaning are small, at the start of weaning, it is important that you should continue to give your baby's usual milk feeds at mealtimes. Your baby still relies on milk to meet his or her main nutritional needs.

When baby has got used to eating solid foods, in the weaning, the drinks given by you at mealtimes can be either milk or water or occasionally diluted fruit juice. Drink is given to the baby in a 'feeding cup', or a beaker (not a bottle). You should avoid leaving your baby with these drinks for long periods because the prolonged contact with the sugar content in these drinks can cause tooth decay.

It is wise to restrict the use of sugar-containing drinks only at mealtimes, offering only milk or water between meals.

It is definitely not recommended that you give your baby fruit squashes, fizzy drinks, tea, coffee, undiluted fruit juices or any drinks containing artificial sweeteners, or of course alcohol. Apart from anything else there is very little in the way of 'nutritional value', in these anyway and you should be showing the direction of the future eating patterns which your child will get used to and will eventually adopt.

The whole process of weaning is to shift from the initial 'milk diet', towards a healthy and nutritious diet, which with care and understanding, the child will continue to benefit from throughout his or her life.

When during weaning can I start giving my baby the same foods as the rest of the family?

After the baby arrives at the age of 9 to 12 months, of age, babies should be able to eat similar meals to the rest of the family, they should be minced or chopped or 'processed' to a manageable texture, for baby and baby will soon be enjoying the sensation of feeding themselves.

In addition to the baby's three meals a day, offer him or her fruit, or another healthy snack twice a day between meals.

As part of babies weaning, give the baby plenty of 'starchy type foods', for example bread, pasta, potatoes, rice and breakfast cereals, each day Say between3 and 4 servings, and fruit and vegetables, again between 3 and 4 servings. Also make sure that your baby is getting sufficient protein and iron, by including 2 servings of meat, poultry, fish, eggs, pulses each day.

Not all family foods are suitable for your baby. You certainly should give your baby 'full-fat' diary products, such as cheese or yogurts, not low fat ones.

But discourage 'high fat foods' such as crisps, savory snacks and pastry. These, are again not products that your little one should be encouraged to develop a taste for. You should certainly limit the amount of high sugar and salt, in foods that your baby eats. These tastes, again are not ones which you should encourage. A low salt and sugar diet is without doubt, scientifically well established, as being far better for everyone who value good health, especially in children. Another category of food, whole nuts, should not be given to any children under the age of 5 years, not only because of the risk of choking, but also because of the problems some children experience with allergic reaction to nuts.

All in all the progress of the weaning of a child from a solely milk diet, to that of a well nourished young adult is one of vital importance, the 'steering away' from the junk food towards that of far better nutrition in later life, should be one of a parents main priorities. Even at this early stage in the baby's life.

'How to wean my baby?', is a very important question that can provide some very important answers.