Cow & Gate

Current government guidelines advise exclusive breastfeeding until babies are 6 months old. If you are bottlefeeding your baby solids may be introduced between 4-6 months of age. It’s not a good idea to begin solid feeds at less than four months; at this stage, your baby’s body is too delicate for anything more than breast or formula milks.

Introducing solid foods too early can also increase the risk to your baby of food allergies, some of which could lead to lifelong health problems.

Your baby has a delicate tummy that’s still no bigger than a peach. So the first solid ‘meal’ should be just a few small spoonfuls of pure, mild tasting and easy-to-digest food, like Pure Baby Rice. Vegetable and fruit purées make great ‘starter foods’. Make sure your fruit and vegetable ingredients are all ‘baby grade’ quality, then cook and puree to a very fine consistency.

A baby pushing the spoon (and food) out with their tongue is simply adjusting to the new sensation of getting their meal from a spoon rather than from a nipple or bottle teat. It doesn’t mean they’re are rejecting the food – so if you persist, they’ll learn to take the food on to their tongue and to the back of their mouth. Swallowing solids is a new technique that they’re getting to grips with – so be prepared for most of the food to end up on the floor or on their clothes! Invest in lots of bibs… Real food, even though it’s mushy, is a very new experience for a baby who’s only ever had milk before. Just take it gradually and your baby will soon come to enjoy more and more solid food as time goes on.

Once your baby gets used to eating food from a spoon you can introduce some new tastes and textures like meat, fish and pasta to the menu. It’s a good idea to introduce different flavours at an early age. A baby with a wider taste in food is much easier to shop for, and when your baby becomes a toddler you’ll have fewer tea-time tantrums - and just maybe less food will end up on the floor!

Gluten is a protein found in some cereals and is unsuitable for a baby’s digestive system before the age of six months.

Gluten is naturally occuring in wheat, rye, oats and barley, so be sure to keep your baby’s diet free from these ingredients until after he turns six months.

Alternatives to these cereals include baby rice, sago and millet, all of which are gluten free.

Other foods which are best avoided until later on are:

• Cows milk
• Nuts - especially peanuts
• Eggs
• Shellfish