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.

Here’s what Tilda Kids has to say:
"Our Tilda Kids range is perfect for young children who are exploring new flavours and textures. Every pouch is bursting with yummy, natural ingredients and nothing artificial. Our rice and vegetable pouches are the easy way to 1 of 5-a-day and conveniently ready in just 40 seconds. The perfect cupboard essential for busy parents!"

Hi again @Greenbaby93 you can introduce in small amounts initially if you're worried about the natural laxative effect but no need to avoid it completely. Combining with a higher fat and protein food e.g. yoghurt can also impact gastric transit!

Hi @jolies1and thanks so much for this question. General advice around amounts of babies is to follow their lead, as they are pretty good at regulating their appetite. If your little one has taken well to their first meal you might want to consider moving towards two meals per day in the next few weeks

Hi @DenDenDenise ! So, you can definitely reheat purees which you've cooked and stored (e.g. fridge or frozen), but I wouldn't recommend reheating for a second time if you've reheated once already for babies

Hi @Snapplepie thanks for your question. So, it's a little nuanced answer but most babies are pretty good at regulating their own appetite and food intake, however if you find she eats portions that start to cause vomiting, and discomfort, start to increase rapidly through centiles for example you may, initially, want to stick to just the initial offering (and don't offer seconds for example). Research shows that a small % of babies and children can be quite food-responsive, but this tends to get picked up over time, and for the most part, responsively feeding your baby is a good starting place. Babies have higher energy requirements than toddlers so you may find that she does eat more than your toddler!

Hi @inquisitiveinga, it would be difficult to say for sure without taking a full allergy history. Hard stools can occur due to big fibre differences in foods and for other reasons. You may wish to try offering differing portions, or types e.g. plain oats instead of those combined with extras in a baby porridge mix for example, but if symptoms continue and you're concerned head to your GP.

Hi @prawncocktailcrispss, in practice we very rarely recommend allergy screening before weaning. The best advice is, and continues to be focussing on trialling and introducing foods directly to a baby, and avoiding delaying the introduction of them e.g. As soon as you've got going with solids, foods like peanuts, nuts and eggs can be introduced gradually into a baby's diet. It is old advice now to delay these foods, as this 'leaves the door open' for food allergy as such. Don't be tempted by online food intolerance tests, they are not validated, lead to needless dietary exclusions and are a complete waste of money!

Amazing, thank you 😁

Thank you so much @TildaLucyUptonPaediatricDietitian - its great in particular to have some reassurance and I'll keep trying what you've suggested

Could you give a few actual scenario examples of how a weaning session/ meal/setupmight look and a few directional instructional guideline. Especially if they seem reluctant and or when to keep going or stop.
And some practice examples.
Obviously I know every family and setup differs.

Hi, I would like to ask about mushrooms as my 3 year old is obsessed and demands them at every meal. Obviously we don’t give them at every meal, but we do end up giving them a lot! Is there any potential issue with eating too many mushrooms? Thank you so much.

Do you have any top tips to introduce children to more savoury foods? My first wouldn't have them from the off and I'd like to try and not repeat the same mistakes!

As a voice for children's nutrition, should you really endorse and offer your services to this kind of pouches.

Tilda kids makes it quite difficult to find the ingredients on their website. When you find them, and the statement "Every pouch is bursting with yummy, natural ingredients and nothing artificial" doesn't really match the ingredients.

Tilda vanilla pudding: Natural Basmati Rice - Steamed (84%), Rice Syrup, Vegetable Oils (Sunflower, Rapeseed), Rice Starch, Natural Flavouring, Salt, Vitamin D

And the reviews: "Smelt like play-doh when opened and tasted like plasticky sweetened watery rice. Not really sure what I expected given the ingredients, but it's horrible. "

Do you really believe that presenting this food to kids is a service to children's nutrition??

Hi there - So to begin with you won't need to make ant changes toyour bby's milk feeds, just leavea. little time between milk feeds and offering solids. Most baby's ntaurally start to drop their milk volumes as they gain confidence and skills with solids.

Hi there, great question. There isn't a single right way to start, however some evidence is now showing the benefits of starting with vegetables and more bitter tastes e.g,green vegetables. Babies are very used to sweet, as breast and formula milk is sweet- so exploring different tastes can be a great place to start. There is no harm in incorporating sweet foods like fruit into first foods though - many parents do a mixture of fruit and vegetables.

This is a very interesting question, thank you. So the UK aligns with the World Health Organisation which recommends around 6 months. Some UK guidance now does recognise that considerations of a child's individual signs of readiness and allergy risk though.

Hi Britanniaa, Thanks for this question. A stick blender is absolutely fine and it just needs to be washed in hot soapy water, not sterilised.

Hi there, so with regards to nuts as long as these are not whole and are in a butter form or very well grund/milled they can be given - there is NO need to avoid nuts. Allergy prevention advice now suggests these should be introduced early during weaning and continue to be given.

Hi JacCarlton, thank you so much for your question. I would recommend some small and soft silicone weaning spoons initially. As your child starts to learn to self feed a shorter-handled or two-handled spoon can be helpful!

Hi there, yes absolutely guidance now shows that the introduction of these foods allergens once a baby starts weaning can help food allergy prevention. Higher risk babies, such as those with eczema, can benefit from introduction from 4-6 months based on the current sceintfic evidence

Thank you - I will look out for a 2 handled spoon

Hopefully the UK official advice will catch up. I did read on BBC news the other day about new research in the UK recommending to give peanut butter to babies as soon as they start weaning, and saying from 4 months is best but then of course they had to put in that the NHS and the WHO recommend waiting until 6 months. Contradictory advice isn't very helpful for unsure new parents, who just want to do their best to avoid allergies, especially in high risk families.

My daughter is 2.7 and has only been walking for a couple of months. She can't run/climb/use a ride on toy and still waddles and falls when walking. She is overweight, should I change her diet or is it OK to wait until she's more active and she'll balance out naturally?

Hello,

I heard recently its better not to give a baby snack foods (veg crisps etc) as it develops an unhealthy snacking habit for when they are older- what's your opinion of this?

Thanks

I don't actually want to wean my baby at the 3 month stage, as I have been advised. Given that they seem satisfied by breast milk, how much longer can I go without introducing solids?

Do you have any advice on introducing potential allergens. I’m worried my child could have a reaction but have heard these should be introduced when young.