Ask the expert: Weaning your baby - £100 voucher to be won

[LibbyMumsnet]

Weaning can be an exciting milestone, but it can also bring lots of questions - from when to start, what foods to offer first, and how to manage worries around allergies, gagging or fussy eating.

We’ve invited Paediatric Dietitian Lucy Upton to answer your questions on all things weaning and early feeding. Lucy will be posting answers throughout February.

Share your question by 2nd March for your chance to win a £100 VEX voucher (T&Cs apply).

About Lucy:
Lucy is a qualified Paediatric Dietitian and Feeding Therapist with over 15 years’ experience supporting children’s nutrition from birth through adolescence. She has worked across both the NHS and private practice, is author to 'The Ultimate Guide to Children's Nutrition - How to nurture healthy happy eaters in the first 5 years', and is a Media Dietitian. Lucy specialises in early years nutrition, weaning, food allergies, fussy eating, feeding difficulties, gut health and children’s growth, and is passionate about providing clear, practical and evidence-based advice to parents. She’s also mum to three-year-old Aurelia.

Alongside Lucy’s answers, you may also find the Best Start in Life weaning hub helpful for clear, NHS-approved guidance at each stage of weaning.

Hi @Tempodrom, thanks so much for this question. Firstly, I just wanted to reassure you that the arsenic content of baby rice is carefully regulated, so using it in age-appropriate amounts should not be of concern. It tends to be food stuffs such as rice-based milk alternatives that are not recommended for children under 4-5 years of age. In terms of nutritional content, whilst it is not a nutritionally dense food item, some brands do fortify with additional vitamins or minerals. In short, some parents may find it helpful to thicken foods such as puree, but offering a wide variety of appropriately prepared whole foods would take priority!

Hi @SandwichMakerHater, thank you for this thoughtful reflection, and I can empathise with the challenges of weaning a baby with food allergies. There has been significant research over the last 5-10 years on the management of food allergies during weaning, including advice on supporting allergy prevention through the proactive introduction of allergenic foods and the importance of dietary diversity. There are now some very helpful resources across the NHS website, as well as with patient charities like Allergy UK, which have specific weaning guides for families with babies with allergies. I am hopeful this means that current parents have an experience that is less lonely that you have described.

Hi @Haleyscomets, thanks for this question. At 11 months old, you could offer sweet potato and carrot as very soft batons (for a finger food), mashed, or finely chopped/diced, e.g. roasted, or steamed. You can absolutely add herbs and spices to your baby's food. This is a great way to support variety and, like you've mentioned, extra taste exploration.

What's something that you recommend that's not well known?

I find feeding at home is fine, but we often have to bring dc2 along while we wait for older siblings to do sports. What foods would you recommend for packing up to take out and about?

I want to wean/stop breastfeeding my 13month old at bedtime. Her current routine is bath, feed, stories, bed. She won’t take a bottle but will drink cows milk from a cup. I’ve tried giving her a cup of milk before bath but she doesn’t take much and still has a strong bf after bath. Any advice on how to stop? I am keen for my DH to be able to put her to bed so that my older DC can have me sometimes.

I want to go all organic - but is it really - when I have bought it, it's still perfect, when grow our own organic potatoes, carrots, beetroots etc - they are not perfect but taste 100% better than any shop bought organic - but we only eat what we grow seasonally - any advice for weaning with the best quality vegetables ?

How often should we keep trying a new food before knowing they definitely do not like it?

When does a baby develop the taste recognition (sweet/sour/spicy etc) and does this develop gradually with weaning ?

Hi @newmum1976, lovely to hear from you and thanks for this question. You're very right that iron is a nutrient we pay close attention to during weaning and the early years. The first thing I would reassure you about is that your baby will be getting some iron from their milk (formula and/or breastmilk), but alongside this ongoing exposure and opportunities to eat and engage with iron-rich foods would be encouraged. I would consider options like fortified cereals , such as wheat biscuits, fortified oat cereal e.g. ready oats that can be added to porridge, bakes like pancakes or muffins and even things like yoghurt. Alongside this, prioritising iron-rich foods at other meals such as eggs (boiled, scrambled, omelette strips), beans and pulses (mashed, as dips like hummus or foods like dhal), red meat, poultry and oily fish (even options like blending sardines into pasta sauce).

Hi there @Roseliad, and thanks so much for your question. Firstly, I want to reassure you that the pace every baby moves through weaning is different (just like any other aspect of development). At 8 months, your baby will still be getting familiar with how food looks, feels, smells and tastes - and for many foods it takes time, familiarity and repetition to support acceptance. As a starting point, it can be helpful to ensure she's happy and comfortable at mealtimes, with a good gap (where possible) since her last milk feed. Offering finger foods and loaded spoons will allow her some autonomy when exploring foods, and mean you can also spend time showing her what to do (model eating where you can - babies love to mirror). I know the offering with minimal eating can feel challenging, but please be reassured she will be banking all the other experiences too, e.g. how food feels, smells, changes shape/texture and building skills towards eating. If by 10 months you're not seeing any further progress, I would reach out to your Health Visitor.

Hi @Kweenxo, thanks for your question. I know identifying potential reactions can be challenging, especially when symptoms are delayed. Typical symptoms of delayed allergies (known as nonIgE mediated allergies) can include diarrhoea, excess mucus or blood in stools, vomiting, abdominal pain, eczema flare, exacerbation of reflux symptoms, or even food refusal. Often more than one symptom is present, and completing a food and symptom diary can be helpful to take to a health professional if you have any concerns.

Hi @saffysabir, this is a great question, and I know one that lots of parents are keen to understand. So around six months of age is about the time we'd expect babies to have all the key developmental signs of readiness for weaning (meaning their body is in a good place to start safely learning to eat). The three key things I encourage all parents to look out for are 1. Can your baby sit upright and hold their head steady? 2. Can your baby see an object, pick it up and bring it to their mouth (coordinate their eyes, hands and mouth) ? 3. Has your baby's tongue thrust reflex started to reduce (so they are able to start swallowing foods), e.g. if they just push all things out of their mouth, you may need to wait a little longer.

Hello @KrillBrill - and thanks so much for your question. Constipation can be very common in babies during weaning as their gut adapts to digesting a wide range of foods. My top tips would be: 1. Include some foods that may naturally support bowel movement, e.g. sorbitol-rich fruits such as plums, prunes and pears or kiwis, which have been shown to be particularly supportive of constipation management 2. Remember to offer some water with meals 3. Try some gentle movement, e.g. cycling legs, or a gentle tummy massage 4. Check in on fibre intake overall, and ensure you haven't added too much fibre to their diet all at once 5. Warm baths 6. If still struggling have a chat with your GP as some babies need a short course of laxatives. Hope that helps!

Hi @hannahp1209, Thanks so much for your question. So there isn't a cut-and-dry answer here, but we do know that it's common for babies to need 10-15+ exposures to a food to support acceptance. The reality is, however, that for some foods, this may take longer, so my advice is to maintain opportunities for learning, even if repeatedly rejected. To avoid food waste offer very small portions of those foods intiially, or offer on a day you may be eating it anyway.

We hope you’ve found the answers shared so far helpful.

Please do keep your questions coming in - Lucy will be back regularly over the next couple of weeks to answer more.

Hi, at 17 months, should we be doing 3 meals or 3 meals with snacks? I’ve been sort of put off the idea of snacking as I read it can eventually cause fussiness at mealtimes (as they’re full on the snacks).

If we should be offering snacks then do you have any recommendations please?

Two questions if I may! (1) When weaning a pre term baby, do you have avoid allergens such as dairy before 6 months corrected? We are weaning now at just over 6 months actual age (4.5 corrected). and he has loved everything we have given so far (avocado, butternut squash, peas, baby rice all with breast milk). We are trying to do high calorie weaning and so dairy would be useful - but should that be avoided until 6 month corrected age? (2) Do you still have to offer sips of water with food if the food is all purées made with breastmilk? Thank you.

Can a pre-weaned baby have a food allergen test before trying new foods, or would a 8mo not show any signs of allergies ? I'd really like this clearing up for myself for future.

My little boy was 6 weeks premature, he has now reached the 6 months mark and my instinct is saying he's not ready for weaning yet am I denying him vital nourishment by still only breastfeeding?

Unfortunately my 10month old has had a series of problems and health issues that resulted in him getting an NG feeding tube just 1week ago. He's making amazing progress on that and we're so thankful. We are undergoing investigations but in the meantime our dietician has said to keep offering food to prevent him getting food aversions and hopefully stop him developing a reliance on the tube.

He's getting all his nutrition through the tube so do you have any top tips on making food fun for him? We're a foodie family so I would love to help him make positive associations and enjoy his mealtimes. They don't have concerns about him swallowing and we've ruled out allergies and intolerances. Thanks so much!

What finger foods are good to start with? I have a choking phobia from childhood that has caused an eating disorder which I don’t want to affect the weaning experience for my DC and me. I overcame this with my older DC by offering puréed food for a while, but this time round I want to offer textures, not be as fearful and make it a fun, enjoyable time all round.

My DC has eczema and I’m worried about offering allergens as part of his weaning journey. I have certain food allergies and worried about a possible adverse reaction. The GP has not been helpful when discussing these concerns and I’m at a lost about how to introduce this safely given the higher risk factors. Should we be referred to a dietitian or paediatric allergist to introduce in a controlled environment? Any advice would be appreciated! Thank you

Hi @djddmdm, thanks for your considered question. So first, please let me reassure you that the risk of immediate allergic symptoms to a food during weaning is rare, especially for severe reactions (e.g., those that affect a child's breathing or circulation). For babies who may be at higher risk of reactions during weaning (e.g. because they've already had a reaction for example), doctors may sometimes prescribe an antihistamine, but this does have to be guided by a doctor for babies under 1 year of age. I encourage all parents to learn the signs of both immediate and delayed allergies, and to remember that introducing common allergens during weaning is recommended to help prevent allergies

Hi @salemaxo, great question! Offering resistive foods, sometimes called “food teethers,” early in weaning isn’t often discussed, but it can really help. They support babies in exploring their mouths, building oral-motor skills, and beginning to self-feed. Examples include a watermelon rind with most of the flesh removed, the middle of a corn on the cob, or a well-trimmed chicken drumstick bone.