Introduction to weaning

Up until about four years ago, health professionals advised parents in the UK to start weaning at four months (their digestive systems can't cope with food any earlier). The Department of Health, in line with the World Health Organisation's recommendations, now advises waiting until your baby is six months old. But the truth is that all babies are different and some are hungrier earlier than others. Following the earlier guidelines, both my babies were encouraged to wean at 16 weeks but neither of them were interested in the slightest until they reached five and a half months. Other babies I knew, however, looked like they could eat you alive by the four-month stage, judging by the way they stared at plates of food intended for their parents. Once past four months, if you see that your baby has an overwhelming interest in the food you are eating, it may be that she's ready for weaning. She may even have started waking up more at night or demanding more feeds during the day.

What is important, however, is that you do not go past the six-month stage. If your baby is happy until then to have milk for all her meals, then great - but at six months you need to introduce foods because a baby's iron stores start to deplete and milk alone doesn't contain enough nutrients for a growing bairn.

Babies should begin weaning on quite small amounts of food. Milk feeds should continue at the same rate as previously because your baby isn't consuming enough to get any nourishment from the food. It's a good idea to start the first solids at lunchtime, when she's is likely to be more receptive, and to allow plenty of time (trust me, weaning just before some major appointment or life event is just asking for trouble). The tools for battle should be an expansive, easy-to-clean to bib, an enormous apron (for you) and a nice soft baby spoon if your starting with purees. Oh, and the food of course…

Food, glorious food

Foods to avoid

Gluten (to reduce the risk of Coeliac's disease) Salty foods (salt should not be given to your baby as it is too much for her immature kidneys to cope with) Sugary foods (baby's teeth being the main concern) Spicy foods Cow's milk cannot be given as a drink until your baby is one year old. Small amounts can be used in cooking Tea, coffee or other caffeinated drinks Undiluted fruit juice or fizzy drinks Nuts - not worth the risk in case of a nut allergy Honey should not be given to children under one year (it can contain harmful bacteria) Offal Pâté Sweets, biscuits, crisps and chocolate Adult processed foods as they can contain high levels of salts, sugars, additives and preservatives Never reheat baby food or milk Do not store baby food for more than 24 hours in the fridge

Having been only accustomed to milk, your baby may only be interested in smooth textures and rather bland tastes, but all babies are different and some will want to reach out right away for breadstick or piece of cheese to gnaw on. A blender is a handy device when it comes to whipping up some super-smooth purées and the small handheld ones are easy to clean which is always a bonus. However, the old-fashioned mash, sieve and spoon method will also do the job.

Health visitors normally advise starting your baby on baby rice - a bland concoction of ground rice and vitamins that is mixed with breast or formula milk. It works for some babies but didn't do anything for mine - I found it tasted like wallpaper paste so we decided to go down the fruit route instead which proved far more successful. Mashed banana, stewed apple and pear were all taken far more readily. If this happens to you, don't throw your baby rice out - it's a great thickening agent for purées.

Weaning can be quite hard work so any time-saving tips are a great help. It's best to start using real food, rather than baby food jars, but having to purée almost microscopic amounts of foods can be time consuming. The trick is to purée a large quantity and freeze tiny portions in ice cube trays. Every time you want to feed baby, you can pop one or two cubes out of the ice tray and - bingo! - there's your meal. Vegetables are a good source of early foods too - potatoes, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower and peas can all be pulped to a smooth texture and a little sweet potato can pep up an uninteresting dish no end.

Try, try again
At first your baby is likely to spit everything out and push the spoon out of her mouth, though you may be lucky and she may squeal for more. It's important that you supervise feeding so that she doesn't choke on anything at first. You should begin with one type of food and carry on with it for a few days until she gets used to the taste. If you're having no joy, it may be time to move on to another food - or that she is simply not quite ready for solids. You can always reintroduce the first food a couple of weeks later. Obviously, if your baby is very tired or not feeling too well you are unlikely to get a good response so it's best to try again at a more auspicious time. And remember that baby knows best: she will tell you when she's full by turning away, losing interest or simply crying.

Once your baby is eating a reasonable amount at lunchtime, you can begin to introduce breakfast in the same way. Any cereals given shouldn't contain gluten until your baby is well over six months (this protein found in wheat, rye, barley and oats can cause a reaction known as Coeliac disease). Then you can move onto introducing dinner and by then your baby should be eating a good range of foods from fruit and vegetables to dairy products (cheese and full-fat yoghurts), starchy foods (bread, rice and cereals) and meat and fish (vegetarian alternatives are peas, beans and lentils). However, you shouldn't feed her eggs until she's over eight months. As a rough guideline, baby should be having three meals a day by the age of nine months. The more meals she's having, the less milk she'll want, although she should still be having 500ml a day.

As the weeks pass, the food texture should change from smooth to lumpy and you can begin to introduce finger foods, such as rice cakes and breadsticks so that your baby gets used to feeding herself. Family food, without salt, can be puréed once your baby is doing well with solids. Although, homemade food is preferable whenever possible, there is a good range of baby jars available, particularly the organic varieties. These, though pricey, come in handy when time is of the essence or when you're out and about.

All in good time
Perseverance and buckets of patience are the secrets of successful weaning as well as remembering to keep calm and have an open mind about your baby's attitude to food. For example, both my babies had no teeth until 10 months and so couldn't chew food easily - I just had to give them smoother food for longer. Like adults, some babies will have bigger appetites than others, some will be fussier eaters and some will just take longer to get to grips with this new-found food thang. Just hang on in there…