Right Time To Wean Your Baby?

Perfect timeline to wean your baby

How do you know if your baby is ready for solid foods? There are many signs to look for which will indicate that, your little one may be ready to begin the journey to solid foods. Your baby may be 3 or 4 months old when you start to feel he/she may need “something more” than formula or breast milk.

Maybe the baby is beginning to wake up more often at night, or demand milk more often than “usual”. This can make you wonder if the baby is ready to be introduced to solid foods?

Beginning Solid Foods

When you find that your baby is ready for solid foods, consider skipping the boxed cereal and starting out with a fresh avocado, sweet potato, banana or pear!

You should give your baby one new food at a time, and wait for a minimal of 3 to 4 days before starting another. Many parents call this the “4 day wait rule”. The wait allows parents to watch for any allergic reactions such as diarrhoea, rash, or vomiting after being introduced to a new food. If any of these occur, we suggest to stop feeding that specific food and consult your child’s paediatrician immediately.

Within a few months of starting solid foods, you should offer your baby a variety of foods each day including :

• Breast milk and/or formula
• Meats
• Cereal
• Vegetables
• Fruits
• Eggs and fish

Also, WHO recommends that infants start receiving complementary foods at 6 months of age in addition to breast milk,

• initially 2-3 times a day between 6-8 months
• increasing to 3-4 times daily between 9-11 months and 12-24 months with additional nutritious snacks offered 1-2 times per day, as desired.

Click on our slideshow below to see age wise charts explaining how to introduce solid foods to your baby.

So initially, if your baby is just starting with purées, moving onto solids, or doing Baby‐Led Feeding, you should make sure they’re getting a wide variety of healthy foods, and expanding their palette in the process in terms of flavours and textures.

At what age did you baby have their first bite of solid food? Share with us in the comments below.