Weaning: Stage 2
Stage 2
Feeds will still be mainly breast or formula milk (around 500-600ml a day). But when you’re both ready, you can start very gradually increasing the amount of solid food you give, either before, during, or after the milk feed. Try to react to your baby’s appetite, so if he or she is still hungry, you can give a little more.
At the same time, you can move gradually from solid food at one feed in the day to solid food at two, and then three feeds.
You can give your baby full-fat cows’ milk products, such as yoghurt or cheese sauce as a solid food.
Try to give cereals to your baby just once a day. Begin to add different foods and different tastes. You’ll be able to use lots of the foods you already cook for yourself. Just mash, sieve, or purée a small amount, but remember, don’t add salt, honey or sugar.
Using your own food is cheaper than buying baby foods, you’ll know what the ingredients are, and your baby will get used to eating like the rest of the family. Preparing larger quantities than you need and freezing small portions for later, for example in an ice cube tray, can save you time and effort.
More first foods to try
Add to the vegetable, fruit and cereal purées other foods such as:
- Purées of meat and poultry
- Purées of pulses such as lentils (dahl), hummus
- Full-fat milk products such as yoghurt or fromage frais - unless you’ve been advised otherwise by your health visitor or GP
- Full-fat milk can also be used for cooking, for example in cheese sauce, but avoid giving it to your baby as a drink until after he or she is a year old