Heinz - Tinytums

Advancing weaning

When should I start giving my baby lumpy food?
By about 7 months, most babies will be ready for foods containing soft lumps and for soft finger foods. But every baby is different. That’s why you’re the best judge of when your baby is ready to move onto lumpy food and new textures. If you’re not sure, talk it over with your health visitor.

My baby doesn’t like lumpy foods.
Eating lumpy foods is a whole new experience for your baby, so it’s best to take it slowly. Many babies don’t enjoy chewing meat and prefer the softer textures of fish, cheese, eggs and chicken. Also when babies are teething they may be reluctant to eat lumpy foods. If this happens:

• offer more finger foods
• give a little grated cheese in a bowl
• stir some cooked rice, tiny pasta shapes or couscous into a puréed meal

As your baby gets used to lumpy food, you can start to increase the size, thickness and quantity of the lumps. 

How can I encourage my baby to start feeding himself?
Try giving your baby soft finger foods that they can pick up. Start with soft options such as cooked carrots, or fruits such as banana and pear. Heinz Organic Biscotti or Farley’s Mini Rusks are two other tasty foods you can try. When your baby is ready, you can move on to harder textures such as cheese and soft meats. And of course, when your baby does start to feed themselves, give them lots of encouragement.

How much should my baby be eating?
The best person to answer that is your baby. When you are feeding them watch them and if they turn their head away, they have probably had enough. If your baby hasn’t eaten much, don’t be tempted to force food on them. Some babies just naturally have small appetites. If your baby appears well, has plenty of energy, sleeps well and is gaining weight at a good rate, you can rest assured they’re getting all they need.