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102 4.2­ Weaning onto Solid Foods – Complementary Feeding

successfully increase the energy (calories) and Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition
nutrients he or she derives from food. (ESPGHAN) Committee on Nutrition made the
following recommendations in 2008 (Agostoni
Foods to offer et al. 2008):
Any appropriate nutritious family foods from the
list below can be introduced as the first weaning ●● Introducing gluten* between 4 and 7 months
food, but most parents begin with cereal, potato, while breastfeeding may reduce the risk of
root vegetables or fruit, often mixed with a little coeliac disease, type 1 diabetes and wheat
of their infant’s usual milk: allergy. (*Foods containing gluten are wheat,
rye, barley and oats.)
●● all vegetables
●● High-allergen foods such as milk, eggs, fish and
●● all fruits nut pastes can be offered from the beginning of
the weaning process – there is no evidence that
●● all cereal foods delaying their introduction until after 6 months
of age will reduce the likelihood of allergies.
●● well-cooked lean meat, poultry, fish and eggs
The Scientific Advisory Committee on
●● dhal, lentils, hummus, chick peas and other Nutrition (SACN) and the Committee on Toxicity
pulses (COT) also considered the timing of the
introduction of gluten and concluded that there
●● plain yogurt or fromage frais. was not enough evidence to support a
recommendation for any timing of introduction of
Herbs and mild spices can be used to flavour food gluten into the diet except that it should be later
but salt should not be added. than 3 months of age (www.sacn.gov.uk/pdfs/
sacn_cot_statement_timing_of_introduction_of_
Freshly prepared foods may be frozen in small gluten_into_.pdf).
quantities, in ice cube trays or bags as a convenience
measure.

Previous guidance was to avoid some foods
before 6 months of age but this advice has changed
since the European Society for Pediatric

Menu Planner
First meals

Day 1 Day 2 Day 3

Before a Baby cereal with milk Porridge with milk Baby cereal with milk
morning feed
Puréed or well-mashed Puréed or well-mashed
Before a Puréed or well-mashed sweet potato and parsnip and broccoli
middle-of- potato and carrot cauliflower
the-day feed Puréed or well-mashed Puréed or well-mashed
peach avocado
Before an Puréed or well-mashed

evening feed cooked apple