by Carol Bloomfield

Created on: February 09, 2009

Breast milk or formula will be enough to sustain your baby for about the first six months, providing all the nutrients they need during that time. Health professionals generally recommend weaning starts at around six months, the point at which most babies are able to sit unsupported and grasp things in their hands. All babies are different; you will know your baby better than anyone else and will notice their cues. Are they watching you when you eat? Are they interested in getting their hands on your fork? Do they reach out for a bit of what you are eating? Chances are they are ready for some solid foods.

Baby-led weaning is an increasingly popular way of weaning your baby and involves giving them solid food rather than purees right from the start. It is natural at about six months for a baby to be exploring their surroundings with their hands and mouths, baby-led weaning uses this approach to introduce food.

The best way to go about it is to think of this feeding as quite separate from the breast or bottle feeding which will initially carry on at the same rate as before. Whenever a baby is weaned the amount of food they actually eat during the first few days or weeks is quite small; it is a big change for them. As they get used to it so they eat more and come to need less milk. It can be frustrating at first if you've got all excited about this next big step and your baby barely eats anything. A mother who has followed a feed on demand' approach to breastfeeding will be very familiar with the idea of letting the baby go at their own pace. Baby-led weaning follows the same principle, the baby may explore and play for ages, eating very little, but in time when they are ready they will eat. Mealtimes should be relaxed, calm occasions with the baby under no pressure to eat. Mealtimes take time.

The idea of baby-led weaning is that your baby eats with you, and for the most part eats what you eat. Rather than making pureed meals or baby rice you will give them pieces of food to hold. By around six months babies have developed the dexterity required to handle food if it is cut into wedge shaped pieces large enough for them to grasp. Some foods they can handle whole, like an apple or banana. By giving them real' food rather than purees you are giving them the chance to learn about the shapes, colours, textures, smells and flavours of individual foods which avoids the need to introduce them to lumps and whole food later on. It's easy to see why a baby might show more

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