In the first 1000 days, introducing a healthy, varied diet will improve eating habits for life.The introduction of solid foods is a very exciting stage of the First 1000 Days journey. It is a critical time to give your baby a wide variety of healthy food and textures, both essential to establish good eating habits now and into the future.
The Department of Health & Children recommends that the introduction of solid food should start at about 6 months of age. The exact timing should be dictated by your baby, but you should not introduce solid food into your baby’s diet before 4 months (17 weeks) of age, and weaning should start no later than 6 months (26 weeks) of age.
When you do get started, giving your baby a variety of healthy foods will set them on the road to being good eaters - keen to try new foods and more likely to be accepting of a variety of flavours throughout their lives.
How do you know your baby is ready to wean?The signs that your baby is ready for solid food are that:
- They have good head control
- They show interest in foods. Your baby may look at food eagerly, watch when you eat and chew their hands.
- They are able to sit up with support.
- They start to look for milk feeds more frequently, for over more than a week.
Babies who are given plenty of fruit and vegetables at 6 months old will be more likely to eat plenty of fruit and vegetables when they are 7 than those who had a poor weaning diet. That’s a fact! Prevention is better than cure…so now is the time to avoid having a fussy schoolchild or even a picky teenager!
