'Better Health Start for Life' campaign: NHS advice on weaning your baby

by Laura Cummins | 10 March 2022

The word ‘weaning’ can instil fear in many new parents due to the catalogue of information available.

NHS promote campaign to help new parents on their weaning journey / Photo credit: Unsplash

Feeling overwhelmed by this potentially difficult journey, and not knowing where to start, are perfectly normal emotions to experience ahead of this new milestone.

Help is at hand, thanks to a new campaign by ‘Better Health Start for Life,’ who are working alongside the NHS to provide support and expert advice for new mums and dads.

The Office of Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) conducted research ahead of the campaign and found alarming results.

Usually, your baby will start to eat solid foods around 6 months of age (depending on other factors), however, the study found that 40% of first-time mums introduced solid foods before their babies were 5 months old.

Along with this, the findings revealed 59% of first-time parents found the decision to start weaning confusing, with a further 64% having received conflicting advice on what age to start introducing solid food.

Look out for your baby showing these three signs / Photo credit: Start4Life

Infants are usually developmentally ready to accept foods other than breast or infant formula milk around the age of 6 months.

If a baby is showing these three signs, it means they’re ready for weaning:

Stay in a sitting position, holding their head steady
Coordinate their eyes, hands and mouth so they can look at food, pick it up and put it in their mouth
Swallow food, rather than push it back out

The campaign has several supporters including; Dr Zoe Williams and nutritionist Charlotte Stirling-Reed who also hope to bring awareness of resources to support first-time parents.

Charlotte Stirling Reed, Registered Nutritionist, Association for Nutrition said:

“I know lots of parents may feel nervous and overwhelmed at the thought of introducing their baby to solid foods, but this research just goes to show you’re not alone. The Start for Life weaning hub is a great tool to make parents feel confident about how to wean their baby. It’s so important to teach little ones about food in a fun and relaxed manner as we want them to grow up enjoying mealtimes, so the weaning hub is designed to help parents enjoy this milestone by having lots of helpful advice all in one place.”

Dr Zoe Williams, GP and TV Doctor added:

“The research released today confirms that with so much conflicting advice available, weaning can be a very confusing time for parents. That’s why it’s so important to have all the information and NHS advice in one place. For most healthy babies, the easiest way to cut through the confusion is to wait until your baby is around six months old – this gives them time to develop properly, so they can cope with solid foods. When you do eventually start, there will be days when your baby eats more, some when they eat less, and then days when they reject everything! Don't worry – this is perfectly normal.”