Different stages of weaning

Weaning is a learning process and children will only learn to accept and enjoy new tastes and textures if they are given the opportunity to try them.

Progressing through the weaning stages

	Stage		Age guide		Skills to learn		New food textures to introduce
	1		Begin by 6 months, but not before 4 months (17 weeks)		Taking food from a spoon Moving food from the front of the mouth to the back for swallowing Managing thicker purées and mashed food		Smooth purées Mashed foods
	2		6 to 9 months		Moving lumps around the mouth Chewing lumps Self-feeding using hands and fingers Sipping from a cup		Mashed food with soft lumps Soft finger foods Liquids in a lidded cup
	3		9 to 12 months		Chewing minced and chopped food Self-feeding attempts with a spoon		Hard finger foods Minced and chopped family foods

Adapted from Clinical Paediatric Dietetics 3rd ed. 2007

When your little one is confident eating solid food, a variety of foods from 4 food groups should be included every day so they get the full range of nutrients they need. Ideally these foods should be the nutritious family foods that they and the whole family will eat during their toddler years:

The 4 food groups are:

• Starchy foods – potatoes, rice, oats, pasta and other cereals
• Meat, fish, eggs, beans such as lentils, black and chick peas
• Fruits and vegetables
• Full fat yogurt and cheese. Full fat milk can also be used during cooking.

Which foods when?

4 to 6 months

Any of the following foods can be introduced as the first weaning food, but most mothers begin with cereal, root vegetables or fruit, mixed with their baby’s milk.

• All vegetables
• All fruits
• All cereals such as rice, oats, wheat and corn based
• Lean meat, poultry or fish – well cooked
• Eggs – well cooked
• Lentils, hummus, chick peas and other beans
• Plain cheese and yogurts
• Grated cheese melted onto warm foods.

Texture
Begin with a runny purée for the first few tastes. Then move on to thicker purées or well-mashed food as your baby becomes used to taking food from a spoon.

6 to 9 months

You can include all the foods above, and in addition:
Liver – limit to one small serving per week because of high levels of vitamin A.

Texture
Mashed food with soft lumps and soft finger foods. Meat may still need to be puréed but can be mashed if it is very soft.

Examples of soft finger foods

• Soft fruit pieces, e.g. mango, melon, banana, soft, ripe pear, peach, papaya and kiwi
• Cooked vegetable sticks, e.g. carrot sticks, green beans, zucchini sticks, potato and sweet potato
• Cooked vegetable pieces, e.g. cauliflower and broccoli florets
• Cooked pasta pieces
• Crusts of bread or toast
• Cheese cubes
• Roasted soft vegetable sticks, e.g. potato, sweet potato, parsnip, pepper, carrot, zucchini.

Drinks

• Sips of water from a cup at meal times – meals should end with a milk feeding or milk pudding
• Well-diluted fruit juices from a cup, which aid iron absorption from vegetarian foods.

9 to 12 months

You can include all the foods above, and family foods that have been prepared without salt or sugar.

Texture
Minced and chopped foods, finger foods (such as raw fruit and vegetable sticks) and a variety of family foods, such as sandwiches or toast.

After 12 months of age

From the age of 1 year most toddlers can eat family foods, aiming for a balanced diet. This may include foods that are not recommended in infancy:

• Honey
• Foods preserved with salt, such as bacon and canned foods with added salt
• Foods with added sugar – they should be offered only at meal times to avoid dental decay.

Drinks
You can introduce full-fat cows’ milk into your toddler’s diet at 1 year. Semi-skimmed milk should not be introduced until 2 years of age.