I got so excited for the weaning stage for both kids and couldn’t wait to see what they enjoyed and watch them make a mess! Disclaimer – I completely flipped 180 when the time came and hated the mess but that’s another story 🙂
In this post I share my tips for weaning and a 4 week meal plan.
While I was excited, I was so confused about what I should / shouldn’t offer the first time. There is so much info out there about how to “raise a non-fussy eater” or “making sure your baby learns to chew” etc etc – it got me so worried and looking back I thought about it way too much. For my second, I was much more confident with how to go about weaning and way more relaxed with the whole process, and typically to date he is such a “good eater” – by good eater I mean he will always try whatever I put in front of him. Like any child and adult really he won’t eat loads of food he doesn’t like (there is probably a handful of foods he doesn’t like though), but if he likes something he can go through a hell of a lot of it.
Both times of weaning I know I wanted to offer a diversity of foods and keep a nice balanced diet. In all honesty the main ways I did this was to 1. make sure I had different colour food each day and 2. Mix it up between fruit and veg…fairly simple right! I really enjoyed feeding both with purees. It was a nice bonding session for me and for my husband when he fed them – it was so fun to see their reactions to some of the purees too! But at the same time I wanted them to get some experience with grabbing/holding/bringing to the mouth, so most of the time I offered puree as well as left some whole foods. See my weaning plan below for examples.
Some tips and tricks that really helped us during the phases of introducing new foods:
- Wait until they’re ready, don’t rush the process!
- Make sure they can sit up comfortably in a highchair/seat
- They might be showing an interest in food (possibly eyeing up your plate while you eat!)
- Keep things calm and relaxed. We used to play some chill music, I still do this alot of the time when I feel like the kids could do with some calming down at meal times.
- Safety! When introducing solids ensure the food is large, soft and easy to hold. You should be able to easily squash it with your thumb and forefinger. For things like carrot and potato – I made sticks and made sure it was dry so it was easy to grab. For more slippy foods like banana or avocado, I coated the bottom half of wedges in ground cheerios to make it easy to grip
- Be patient; it’s a gradual process. It can be a bit disheartening when they initially reject something but I found that when I offered rejected food another time or third time they went for it! And even if they don’t, it’s fine, try not to put pressure or expectation on the process.
- Be mindful of what foods you give at what time of day – for example avoid fruits or fibre heavy foods in the late afternoon (I found these did not help with sleep!). I found both of mine slept so much better once they started on solids and I quickly realised which foods I should avoid for dinner to help get a good night’s sleep 🙂
- I saw a lot of advice to introduce common allergenic foods (peanuts, fish, eggs, dairy etc) one at a time – so I did one every other day over a week and watched carefully for any reactions.
- Remember that milk is still their main source of nutrition until 1 years old! So please try not to worry about how much food they are eating.
So here’s my guide to successful weaning and a 4 week full meal plan
Week 1: Start with breakfast – baby porridge only to give little one experience of something other than milk
Week 2: Introduce a second meal (ideally late afternoon). Single ingredient puree and whole foods. Stick to veg only
Week 3: Breakfast and late afternoon meal, milk as usual. Introduce mixed purees and whole foods. Start to intro fruits
Week 4: Breakfast and late afternoon meal, milk as usual. Start to intro different textured foods, e.g. toast, egg, tofu, fish, pasta
Week 5 and beyond: Breakfast, lunch and dinner, milk as required. Increase the amount of whole foods offered (things like baby friendly veggie fritters / pancakes – see my recipes for ideas)
4 week meal plan
| Day | Breakfast | Second meal |
| 1 | Baby porridge | – |
| 2 | Baby porridge | – |
| 3 | Baby porridge | – |
| 4 | Baby porridge | – |
| 5 | Baby porridge | – |
| 6 | Baby porridge | – |
| 7 | Baby porridge | – |
| 8 | Baby porridge | Pureed broccoli with 2-3 whole pieces |
| 9 | Baby porridge | Pureed potato with 1 wedge |
| 10 | Baby porridge | Pureed avocado with 1-2 wedges |
| 11 | Baby porridge | Pureed cauliflower |
| 12 | Baby porridge | Pureed peas |
| 13 | Baby porridge | Pureed Aubergine |
| 14 | Baby porridge | Pureed carrot with carrot sticks |
| 15 | Baby porridge with pear puree | Mashed butternut squash |
| 16 | Soft oat pancakes | Pureed broccoli and peas |
| 17 | Baby porridge | Pureed carrot and mango |
| 18 | Baby porridge with mash banana | Pureed potatoes and cauliflower |
| 19 | Baby porridge | Pureed sweet potato |
| 20 | Toast fingers | Pureed spinach and pear |
| 21 | Baby porridge | Mashed potato |
| 22 | Baby porridge | Toast with little peanut butter |
| 23 | Baby porridge with blueberry puree | Steam broccoli with boiled fusilli pasta |
| 24 | Scrambled egg | Soft apple slice |
| 25 | Baby porridge | Mash potato and carrot |
| 26 | Baby porridge with pear puree | Rice with yoghurt or butter |
| 27 | Baby porridge | Steam broccoli and carrot sticks |
| 28 | Baby porridge | Pan fried fish |
Some example week 5 foods:
- Courgette (zucchini) fritters
- Baby friendly lentil and rice
- Mash potato with fish
- Baby pasta with butternut squash sauce and cheese
- Eggy bread (french toast) with sliced strawberries
I hope this helps you to kick start your littles one’s weaning journey. Enjoy introducing your little one to the exciting world of flavors and textures…happy weaning!
~X~