Do you have questions about weaning? Ask a Leading UK Paediatric Dietician your questions - £200 voucher to be won

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Do you have questions about weaning? We know that starting solids can be a big step, filled with questions and concerns. That’s why we’re excited to have Lucy Upton, a leading UK Paediatric Dietitian and a trusted voice in children’s nutrition, here to answer all your weaning worries!

Whether you’re unsure about when to start, what foods to introduce, or how to handle picky eaters, Lucy is here to help. Drop your questions below, and let’s make your weaning journey a little easier together.

• Share your questions on weaning your child below
• Everyone who shares a questions on the thread below by 25/10/2024 will be entered into a prize draw to win a £200 voucher
• Lucy will be back in a few weeks to answer your questions

About Lucy Upton:
Lucy Upton is a leading UK Paediatric Dietitian and voice for children's nutrition. She has over 14 years of experience embedded in the NHS and Private Practice. She is passionate about championing the nutritional health of babies and children of all ages. Lucy has gained a wealth of clinical experience supporting children and their families in a range of NHS settings, from GP clinics and schools to Specialist Children’s Hospitals. Her knowledge and experience gained within this diverse range of settings allow her to bring experienced, honest, pragmatic and, importantly, evidence-based advice to parents when supporting children’s feeding and nutrition. Lucy’s specialist areas of expertise include; food allergies, fussy eating, gut health, feeding and feeding difficulties, weaning, coeliac disease, and children’s growth.

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Can you tell me why you think there are so many food allergies in this country, and children with IBD (my nephew has just been diagnosed age 14) and my DSIL weaned at 4 months - albeit on baby rice - is it because mums are not taking the 6 month weaning guidance - and rushing to wean for convenience and problems longer term - or have intolerances always been there - we just have not diagnosed them ?

Hello, and thank you for this thread. whats the best way to puree baby food ? I have a stick blender, and should I sterilise before I use it ?

I was extremely nervous when weaning with my first as I was afraid of choking mishaps. Do you have any tips so i don't feel the same this time, and pass my fear onto my child?

What are the foods not to give to weaning babies? Specifically regarding nuts? I find it very confusing, thanks for the help Lucy!

What suggestions do you have about how to stop breastfeeding completely?

My question is about allergies.
When should I offer the main allergens ?
Is there any benefit to offering them before or after weaning is established?

My daughter had so many foods she would eat in the initial stages of weaning, but now refuses to even put them in her mouth. What is the best way to approach the situation and ensure she's having a balanced diet?

Hello! I wondered what your advice would be around reflux and weaning?

My child suffers really badly with reflux and has been bringing most of the solids back up again - we are trying to get the reflux under control with medication but I’m worried that he won’t be getting enough food in?

He is very wary of solid food and I wonder if this has anything to do with it?

Thank you!

My question is what type and size of spoon would you recommend as being one which they could then go on to hold and put to their mouth - and what are your tips for self feeding ?

Is it best to introduce eggs and nuts early to prevent allergies?

Either method of weaning (or a combination) can work for babies, and I often remind all parents that the end goal is the same. Children don’t need teeth to manage a wide range of textures, and I would encourage the introduction of finger foods and a range of suitable textures before a baby reaches 9-10 months of age (and of course beyond) as there seems to be an important texture window for acceptance. Choking can occur on a wide range of foods, and the key is to ensure foods are served appropriately cut and prepared, avoiding high-risk choking foods (round and firm) that can easily block a baby’s airway e.g. large blueberries, whole nuts, grapes, cherry tomatoes

Advice from the World Health Organisation is around 6 months, and in practice, we don’t recommend a focus on weight but instead developmental readiness which shows a baby is ideally placed from this perspective to start learning to eat. Look for your baby to be able to hold their head up, able to sit up unaided for a few seconds, can coordinate picking something up and bringing it to their mouth.

Food allergy or intolerance symptoms that are gastrointestinal in nature (so evident from nappies) can include loose watery diarrhoea, blood in poo, abdominal pain, large amounts of mucus in poo or persistent constipation (although constipation can be common during weaning anyway). If it’s a food allergy, there will usually be multiple body signs, this can include other symptoms like skin changes, and food refusal.

At present there isn’t strong or conclusive evidence from a nutritional perspective that organic fruits or vegetables offer any additional benefits. In terms of things like pesticides, organic foods can reduce exposure to these but I encourage all my families to just ensure they wash their fruits and vegetables well.

From 6 months of age children in the UK are recommended a combined Vitamin A,C and D supplement, unless they are still having over 500mls of formula milk per day. Check your supplement has 10ug/400IU of Vitamin D, as many don’t contain enough!

Thank you

What would you start with when weaning, baby rice, or pureed fruits and vegetables - and when should you move forward to food with small soft pieces ? What are the signs ?

Hi @LittleDeeAndME Great question, thank you! We’ve had recent data from a big study in the UK to show that cases of food allergy in children, especially young children under 4 are on the rise - there could be many reasons for this from the environment to weaning practices, the gut microbiome and of course better awareness driving improved diagnosis. We do now know that proactive introduction of common allergens should be commenced when a baby starts weaning and not delayed (which used to be advice), and for higher-risk babies (e.g. those with moderate or severe eczema) starting between 4-6 months is often recommended under medical supervision

Hi @prawncocktailcrispss ! So babies don't need to stay on smooth purees for long at all, and within a few days or weeks after 6 months of age you can start to add some texture and progression with soft lumps. Some babies who commence at 6 months can also manage on more textured food immediately. I'd enco9urgae good texture progression between 6-10 months as this seems to be a key window of exposure and learning oral motor skills

Hi @ButterOllocks thanks for your questions. It is absolutely fine for a baby to be weaned onto a vegetarian diet but it must be with careful planning. Fruits and vegetables alone will not provide all the key nutrients a baby needs like iron, B12, zinc, choline and a whole lot more. A vegetarian weaning diet should include (alongside fruits and vegetables), carbohydrate rich foods e.g. potato, rice, grains, oats, protein and iron-rich foods e.g. eggs, beans, pulses, soy, suitable nuts and seeds e.g. butters, well ground and plenty of fat-rich foods e.g. avocado, oils, nuts, seeds. A balanced vegetarian diet for a baby will still need supplementation with Vitamin A,C,D and it may also be worth considering supplementation of nutrients like omega 3 (in algae form)

Hi @Fancyquickthinker Thank you so much for your question. So a sweet preference is very common in babies and young children as they are innately driven to like and accept these foods. My best advice would be to 1. continue to offer a wide range of flavours and tastes - avoid masking bitter or savoury flavours with sweeter foods to encourage acceptance 2. Model eating these foods yourself 3. Try to avoid any rescue or topping up with sweet foods only. It can take a fair number of exposures to develop taste acceptance and preferences so keep going!

Hi @oddbox The food world is your oyster after this - and honestly, I would focus on starting to incorporate foods to eat regularly as a family at home. Other than avoiding foods with honey, added salts and sugars or that pose a food poisoning or choking risk there isn't much babies can't have. I['d encourage you to start to prioritise some iron-rich foods, as stores of iron have dwindled by 6 months of age - so options like meat, poultry, eggs, oily fish, beans/pulses. Incorporating allergenic foods proactively is encouraged so foods again like egg, smooth peanut butter, seame and wheat. Offering plenty of variety is key during weaning.

Hi @CarrotCake97 So for first foods, I'd often encourage single tastes of things like green vegetables, but you could also have root vegetables or fruits too. There are no recommended portion sizes for babies, and I would encourage you to follow your baby's lead with acceptance. If they are showing signs they are done like turning their head, pushing away the spoon, crying - then stop. We don't have target volumes as babies are starting to learn to eat, and initially, it's not about nutrition but much more about exposure, tastes and learning. Just start with a few spoons or pieces on offer, and you can always get more

Hi @Goldenmimx, thanks for your question and firstly let me reassure you that you're not alone. I hear this probably weekly, and there can be lots of reasons for what's going on - illness, teething, pressure around food, finding it hard work because development is progressing elsewhere. Your baby is also still realistically only weeks and months into learning an incredibly challenging skill - eating! My first steps/tips would be; 1. Pressure off at mealtimes, and focus on mealtimes be a time for connection with you and learning. 2. Eat with your baby as much as you can - this supports them with watching, learning and building confidence. 3. Remember learning looks like smushing, mashing, tiny tastes and exploring 4. Give your little girl some autonomy and agency over her food - even if its spoon-fed options, loading and leaving for her to pick up, finger foods to practice mouth mapping and oral motor skills. If you're still struggling in 4-6 weeks definitely check in with a feeding professional who can support in a much more hands-on way if needed for you. Good luck! P.s. the feeding overnight is completely normal (but I do know from personal experience it can be hard!)

Hi @Greenbaby93 and how exciting! Not far from getting going at all - good luck. So r.e. for Christmas dinner, I would suggest you avoid salty gravy and ensure other options don't have added salt where possible (at least on his) e.g. vegetables, potatoes. Foods like pigs in blankets will need to be prepared carefully e.g. cutting lengthwise and can be a touch salty too, although I would always suggest a degree of pragmatism, in that one more salty meal than usual is ok! Otherwise the meat, vegetables, and potatoes are all fine (just avoid any honey on things like parsnips too), and don't worry about starchy food perfectly safe and appropriate to introduce from the start of weaning (your baby can digest them!).