First tastes

First tastes

First tastes are exactly that, tastes.  At six to nine months, breast milk will still be your baby’s main source of nutrition for some time to come, so the amounts of other foods will be small. 

The changeover to solid foods needs to be very gradual, and early foods will be in addition to your baby’s milk feeds.

Baby rice recipes

When you’ve only ever tasted milk, new flavours can come as a bit of a shock, so start with something suitably bland like baby rice, which you can make in tiny portions.

  • Start by mixing a little baby rice with breastmilk, or boiled cooled water, to make a thin, smooth puree, which is easy to swallow.
  • Once your baby has got used to the idea, you can add other tastes to the rice.  Try vegetables like pureed carrot, cauliflower, sweet potato, swede, butternut squash or potato.  For fruits, good first tastes are pear, apple, cooked plums or ripe banana, which just needs mashing with some milk before sieving.
  • Gradually increase the amount of purée and decrease the amount of baby rice. Start with single flavours so you know if any particular food upsets your baby, and then begin to mix two or more flavours together.

Breastmilk

Breastmilk will still be the main food for your baby for months to come, but it’s good to let them have some experimental tastes of other foods now.  Take things slowly. They may welcome new foods and try everything that you offer, or may need a little while to get used to the idea.

Gradually they will be ready to try lots of different foods, but begin with just one new food at a time.  Then you will know if they don’t like it, or if it upsets their digestion.

Once your baby has really learnt how to deal with solid foods and is taking a fair amount, they will begin to need less milk. So don’t cut down on the milk you offer at this age, but you may notice that they don’t seem to want to stay at the breast for as long as usual.

As your baby grows, try introducing:

  • Coarser purees of vegetables, chicken, meat, fish or lentils and pulses like kidney beans.
  • Then lumpier finger foods including chopped hard-boiled eggs, cubed or grated hard cheese, pasta and raw soft fruit and vegetables.
  • Some what-based cereals and bread.
  • Cow’s milk products such as yogurt, custard, cheese sauce.

The Department of Health recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months. Unless otherwise advised by your health professional, solid foods in any form (baby jars, cereals or rusks) should not be started any earlier than six months.

Comments

Submitted by Claredun on Wed, 25/04/2012 - 22:29.
for belt2105 I am really sorry to hear the difficulties you are experiencing with your baby regarding contipation. I really do sympathise because my daghter who is now 3 1/2 went through this (however at an older stage). I am not sure about the impact of diet on your child's situation however too much milk in a baby/child's diet can cause constipation. This came as a surprise to me as I hadnt thought she was getting too much dairy. Some tips that worked for us & might be of use are warm baths, tummy massage & plenty of fluids. Not all of this may be effcetive when your baby will obviously be so compacted. Our daughter was initially prescribed lactalose (liquid laxative) but it didnt work and she could go 5 days without a BM. We were eventually referred to a specialist and were prescribed Movical which was the first thing to be effective. It is for 2 year olds and older, however it could be worthwhile speaking to your GP to see if there is a version suitable for your child's age group. We then encountered the problem that my daughter refused to do a bowel movement because she knew it would be painful creating a vicious cycle. I dont know if this is something that is the case with your child. After much reading around the subject, being told by various mums that she would grow out of it & being told by Drs that she could take laxatives safely all her life, I make the following discoveries and would suggest looking online and speaking to health visitor about your particular situation: 1. Look for an alternative prescribed laxative 2. Bath often as warm water helps. 3. Tummy massage (check online for method) 4. Put plenty of vaseline on baby's bottom to enable ease of movement when it happens 5. Prune juice is a natural laxative so check can you give it to a 6 month old. It may not taste great so we sweetened it with apple juice and over time my daughter loved drinking just prune juice. (You can but it in Tesco in fruit juice section). I really believe this was the solution in our case. 6. If you have one, sit your baby in a bumbo/potty to play and the upright position will help. It also helps if your child can press their feet flat down on the ground (or into your hands) as that pressure seems to help. I put my 6 month old son on his bumbo every morning for a play and he does his first bm of the day. The upright position definitely is effective. 7. When the situation resolves itself, try to have a routine with regard to when you would like your child to do a bowel movement (e.g. b4 bed or after breakfast which may be less stressful) I really hope this resolves itself for you. I am happy to say that after about 6 months on a daily drink of prune juice and no laxatives, my daughter no longer had a problem. I hope this is of help to you
Submitted by Claredun on Wed, 25/04/2012 - 22:29.
for belt2105 I am really sorry to hear the difficulties you are experiencing with your baby regarding contipation. I really do sympathise because my daghter who is now 3 1/2 went through this (however at an older stage). I am not sure about the impact of diet on your child's situation however too much milk in a baby/child's diet can cause constipation. This came as a surprise to me as I hadnt thought she was getting too much dairy. Some tips that worked for us & might be of use are warm baths, tummy massage & plenty of fluids. Not all of this may be effcetive when your baby will obviously be so compacted. Our daughter was initially prescribed lactalose (liquid laxative) but it didnt work and she could go 5 days without a BM. We were eventually referred to a specialist and were prescribed Movical which was the first thing to be effective. It is for 2 year olds and older, however it could be worthwhile speaking to your GP to see if there is a version suitable for your child's age group. We then encountered the problem that my daughter refused to do a bowel movement because she knew it would be painful creating a vicious cycle. I dont know if this is something that is the case with your child. After much reading around the subject, being told by various mums that she would grow out of it & being told by Drs that she could take laxatives safely all her life, I make the following discoveries and would suggest looking online and speaking to health visitor about your particular situation: 1. Look for an alternative prescribed laxative 2. Bath often as warm water helps. 3. Tummy massage (check online for method) 4. Put plenty of vaseline on baby's bottom to enable ease of movement when it happens 5. Prune juice is a natural laxative so check can you give it to a 6 month old. It may not taste great so we sweetened it with apple juice and over time my daughter loved drinking just prune juice. (You can but it in Tesco in fruit juice section). I really believe this was the solution in our case. 6. If you have one, sit your baby in a bumbo/potty to play and the upright position will help. It also helps if your child can press their feet flat down on the ground (or into your hands) as that pressure seems to help. I put my 6 month old son on his bumbo every morning for a play and he does his first bm of the day. The upright position definitely is effective. 7. When the situation resolves itself, try to have a routine with regard to when you would like your child to do a bowel movement (e.g. b4 bed or after breakfast which may be less stressful) I really hope this resolves itself for you. I am happy to say that after about 6 months on a daily drink of prune juice and no laxatives, my daughter no longer had a problem. I hope this is of help to you
Submitted by AllyPally1985 on Wed, 25/04/2012 - 12:05.
Bounty, Thank you for this information, but would it be possible to include a more varied guide, including baby led weaning, or a mixture of the 2? The first food my baby tried was broccili as he took it off my plate at 5 months. I never offered or bought baby rice. We are now doing a mixture of cutting and offering a variety of finger foods and some purees as he really enjoys eating and hasn't had any problems. We followed the guidelines that because he could sit unaided, took food from our plate and was interested in us eating that he was ready...he will be 6 months in 3 days. Having read through some of these comments I feel compelled to write...who cares if you bottle fed, only you. We all know that starting on breast is best for our babies. These is support out thre, the LLL provide great information sheets, and they come up if you google breastfeeding support. There are also baby cafes nationwide, you just have to push for the help, which is easier said than done in the early days.
Submitted by belt2105 on Wed, 18/04/2012 - 19:32.
I struggled to breasfeed my baby the first weeks following her birth, so I didn't have any choice than giving her formula from the third day of her birth because she was not eating. It was really hard but we've finally managed to do it at the extend that she refused the formula at three months old. She will be six month old in two days. I started on solid at five months but I introduced directly a mix of fruit and vegs. I didn't have the information about baby rice at first so is it bad that I introduced fruit and vegs directly? Also she hasn't open her bowel for more than a week now so I am concerned. Can anyone gives me some advice of what to do to conquer that constipation. (she's always have that problem since bith but doctors never seem to worry) Did I upset her tummy by giving her strong tastes too early? Thanks for advice
Submitted by BeccaT3112 on Wed, 18/04/2012 - 09:12.
I believe that mothers just need to be aware of the current recommendations (thats all they are and they change regularly!) and then do what is right for them and their baby. I expressed for a torturous 5 weeks while my son was in neonatal (born at 30wks) but I couldn't express enough as he started to take more so had to formula feed. He weaned no problem and eats anything! When I had my second son I couldn't mentally even contemplate breastfeeding so I formula fed him. It has been lovely as it has meant my husband was fully involved with feeds from the start. My second son was ready and wanting food at 4 months so we started weaning then. So far there has been nothing he wont eat and we are going to start on lumps next week.
Submitted by JQuy1991 on Mon, 02/04/2012 - 23:23.
Jo, thank you so much for posting that. I had major depression after having my son 6 months ago (tomorrow) because he wouldn't take to me. I wasn't allowed out of hospital until I admitted defeat which crushed me. All along I thought that was what I was going to do, but it never happened. He managed some of the first sticky stuff which I spent an hour pumping the tiniest amount, but that was it. As I was only 2 days off of 20, I felt judged and still do when I feed him out, because I am young. I feel that people will think I just couldn't be bothered, but the truth is, even when me and my partner brought him home, I tired for another 2 weeks - still nothing. Everyone needs to stop making it sound like you're a disgrace to mankind if you don't breastfeed and maybe start focusing on aiding those who can't and give support and advice. If there is something I apologise, but I haven't been blessed with it yet...
Submitted by waterbabejen on Wed, 15/02/2012 - 14:01.
I suppose they need to give a recommended age (6 months) so we don't get some Mums feeding their babies too early, but i started my little one on baby rice at 4 months. He was definitely ready and was like a little bird! If your baby lets the food go in and doesn't push it out with their tongue (an innate response to avoid choking), looks interested in what your eating and is generally very hungry, I'd say try them on some baby rice or cereal mixed with their usual milk. I followed the mixing instructions on the baby rice/cereal boxes but i always needed to add way more rice than suggested. otherwise it's so runny you might as well not bother. I started off with giving my 4 month old 10 teaspoons of rice at lunch for 3 days and then tried out a new vegetable or fruit every 3 days, this way he got used to each new food and i could see if he had an reaction to it. He's now 6 months, has 3 meals a day, along with his breast milk and i shall now start introducing fish, chicken and finger foods. Best advice ; Every baby is different, use all the info out there as a guide but the best guide will be your baby. On one other note if you can spare a little time and effort, you can 'cook up a storm' and steam or boil a load of fruit and vegetables (separately) and freeze it in ice cube trays. I cooked once and ended up with 7 weeks supply!. Annabel Karmel is a good recipe book to follow if you want to make your own food. Enjoy :)
Submitted by stringbones on Tue, 07/02/2012 - 22:51.
I'm in a similar situation to Jo below. I can quite understand that this website has to reflect advice given by the Department of Health, but my now 6-month old daughter has always refused to breastfeed even after numerous midwives and the hospital breastfeeding counsellor had attempted to help me (which at times felt awkward and a little humiliating). Although I've now got over the initial disappointment and guilt at being unable to breastfeed (as I'd always intended to throughout my pregnancy), I find articles such as these a huge slap in the face. Please find a way to show a little more sympathy to those mums who still care for their little ones' welfare but had to take the formula route through necessity, not choice.
Submitted by JoMcNeely on Wed, 01/02/2012 - 13:14.
You say 'Breastmilk will still be your baby's main source of nutrition' and you have a whole section with the subheading 'Breastmilk', even though that doesn't seem to be the best subheading for the content of the section. Can you please stop persecuting mums who do not breastfeed. Some of us had no other choice but formula. It isn't because we are bad mothers, or lazy, or have insufficient femininity or small breasts. It is because some babies cannot breast feed. Presumably those of us who have committed the sin of formula feeding need to be extra careful to get weaning right. So stop putting us off reading this important information. Have a little common sense and a little compassion. You never know your next child or grandchild may not be capable of breast feeding either.
Submitted by emmaharbottle on Wed, 18/01/2012 - 21:24.
My first choked all the time, even on fully pureed food- actualy going blue in the face and not just gagging as people said she was. It took me until nearly a year to get her on finger foods. My second seemed to want food from about three months- I struggled to wait but waited till four months planning to do it slowly. However, he was on solid lumps of food pretty quick often grabbing it himself from others plates. Im amazed as he seems to know exactly how to chew and swallow and spits it out if it is tto much. I pretty much let him feed himself to what he wants from six months and 1 week and there is no choking. My long winded point being that I was the same nervous parent and dealt with both my children in the same way(in fact I was more nervous with the second) and have 2 on completely different sides of the spectrum. See how your child reacts. Some can handle it others can't. Use the method that seems right for your baby.
Submitted by jillybelly on Tue, 17/01/2012 - 21:50.
I'm interested in Baby led weaning but the choking hazard freaks me out! How do you get around the choking fear - Nuby "food-sock" thingys for everything?
Submitted by sophz86 on Tue, 06/12/2011 - 20:40.
Do what you feel is best for your baby, don't be pushed around by people insisting that either blw or pureed is best. Each mummy has only weaned their own child and therefore should not be dictating which is best for you. Personally I do a mixture of both but there are pros and cons for both. Enjoy the experience and you will gradually find out what suits you you and your baby :)
Submitted by zoehulme1 on Wed, 23/11/2011 - 12:55.
My boy has just turned 6 months, and has been diagnosed as lactose intollerant (which isn't a massive surprise, as I am as well). This is causing alot of confusion about things to give him now he's starting new foods, as I'm not sure what's always in any of the baby tins etc. Am doing pureed roasted veg (squash etc) but does anyone else have this problem, and if so, which cereals etc are good? He's stuck on rusk every day at the mo, as don't know what else to try! Cheers
Submitted by tiggerwizz on Tue, 22/11/2011 - 21:28.
hello i have a daughter just turned 6months andim breast feedin it sounds bad but shes had 1 pot of hipp fruit a day since 4 months as i just knew she needed more food and because she was havin poo problems which is all well now. ive tried her with pots of meal type food but she gags when she trys it but if i give her some of my dinner off my finger she loves it. im concerned on what i can and cant give my baby, but i really want to give her a mini dinner of mine but turn it into puree. also i need to get a baby blender that actually works. can anyone help me please debbie
Submitted by MummyLisa1989 on Fri, 11/11/2011 - 16:32.
i weaned my little lady at around 14 weeks, she was a small but very hungry baby from day one. she didnt like baby rice, so i gave her the porridge's and jars of fruit purees. she is now 6 and a half months and eats everything. she has 7 month jars, pasta shapes in tomato sauce, toast, cheese, all the veg we eat fruit we do spoon feed her parts of meals but i always try and have a finger food element in her meal too like sticks of banana or fingers of toast or sweet potato wedges or chips and she is really enjoying food and is trying new things all the time
Submitted by Faeriemumma on Thu, 15/09/2011 - 20:38.
Thank you to SarahW9440 (on Tue, 02/08/2011 - 19:57.) for your comment on baby led weaning. As something that health visitors are now recommending I find it frustrating that none of the advice on sites such as this, reflects it. My baby will be 6 months on Monday and has been exclusively breastfed. I am very excited to start BLW as she is very interested in anything I eat or drink, I look forward to seeing her explore food & feel proud to know I am doing the most natural thing for her.
Submitted by SarahW9440 on Tue, 02/08/2011 - 19:57.
Everybody should investigate baby led weaning (BLW). Purees are not necessary if you start weaning at the recommended age of 6 months, or slightly before. Most health visitors are taught about it now. With BLW your baby is NOT spoon fed and instead feeds himself from the start on healthy foods, usually starting with sticks of fruit and veg. BLW is much more relaxed, families do not have battles at mealtimes and the children love their food and are not fussy. Please ignore the outdated stage1,2,3 puree nonsense and learn about a method that is much better for everybody. I can recommend the book by Gill Rapley and the website www.babyledweaning.com
Submitted by Meanjodan34 on Tue, 28/06/2011 - 21:01.
I started weaning my son at 5 months as he's a big baby 17 lbs that age and he absolutely loved the first time I introduced him solids I started on baby fruit jars but later found out certain food caused him to be constipated so in the end I ended up making my own purees I gave him pear purees then introduced sweet potatoes purée and butternut squash purée over the next few weeks I also introduced parsnips brocolli turnip and carrots mixed with his first taste foods mentioned above but one at a time now he's 26 weeks I am looking into introducing him meat based foods he still has a 7-8 oz formula milk with his solids 3 times a day and a last bottle before I go to bed in order for him to sleep through the night I just stopped breast feeding after a gradual decreased in feeds over the last few weeks although i never breastfef exclusively but just partial with normally 2 bottles a day when he wasn't weaned
Submitted by beckyg123 on Tue, 29/03/2011 - 21:23.
My son is 6.5 months and I give cheese on a jacket potato, cheese spread on bread, omelete these are great quick meals and loves his food.
Submitted by wani74 on Tue, 29/03/2011 - 21:16.
I notice that my daughter (5 months) has been looking at us while we were eating lately; so one morning I tried some crushed-ripped banana on her and she loved it. Then I started her on organix baby rice with breast milk/banana. She is now 6 months old; has been eating puree of sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnip, pears and apples-which have been steamed. I will be trying to mixed them with chicken and fish next week. She is still having breast milk as well as her purees.
Submitted by savi2010 on Tue, 22/03/2011 - 22:55.
can you give a 6.5 month baby boiled eggs and hard cheese?? i didnt think you could try that kind of dairy till 12 months, am looking for ideas on new finger foods so if she is ok at her age i may try these