Frequently asked questions on weaning

The Department of Health recommends that solids are introduced when your baby is around 6 months old.However, all babies are different, and you might find that your baby is ready to accept solid foods a little sooner than this.

Advice from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is that it is safe to start weaning babies between 4-6 months. However, it’s not advised to start giving them solids before 17 weeks (4 months). Your baby’s digestive systems won’t have formed properly yet, so feeding them anything other than their milk before this time could be quite harmful.

If you feel that your baby is ready to wean before around the age of 6 months, have a chat with your healthcare professional.

Signs to look out for that your baby may be ready to start weaning are:

Your baby can stay in a sitting position holding their head steady.
Your baby is able to look at food and is coordinated enough to pick this up and put it in their mouth by themselves.
Your baby can swallow food (rather than spit it back out). Some babies may be a little slower than others of the same age in learning to deal with food in their mouths.

If you decant the amount of food you are going to feed your baby from our HiPP jars and trays into a seperate bowl, you can reseal the jars, using the cap provided, or cover the trays & refrigerate the remaining content for up to 24 hours.If feeding directly from the jar or tray, any remaining food at the end of the meal must be thrown away.

How to prepare HiPP Baby Rice:
Mix 2 tablespoons (approx. 9g) of HiPP Organic baby rice with 6 tablespoons (90ml) of baby's usual warmed milk in a clean bowl until smooth.
As weaning progresses, increase the amounts used according to the baby's age and appetite. Always check the temperature before feeding. Look after those first tiny teeth and brush regularly after feeding. The Department of Health advises that you don't need to wean until around 6 months. However, every baby is different. HiPP Organic Baby Rice is suitable for babies from 4 months+.

How to prepare HiPP Creamy Porridge:
Mix 4 tablespoons (approx. 30g) of HiPP Organic creamy porridge with about 6 tablespoons (100ml) of warm, previously boiled water in a clean bowl until smooth. Do not warm in the microwave - hot spots may scald.
As weaning progresses, increase the amounts used according to the baby's age and appetite. Always check the temperature before feeding. Look after those first tiny teeth and brush regularly after feeding. Enjoy as part of a varied and balanced weaning diet.
 
How to prepare HiPP Banana & Plum Porridge:
Mix 4 tablespoons (approx. 30g) of HiPP Organic banana & plum porridge with about 6 tablespoons (100ml) of warm, previously boiled water in a clean bowl until smooth. Do not warm in the microwave - hot spots may scald.
As weaning progresses, increase the amounts used according to the baby's age and appetite. Always check the temperature before feeding. Look after those first tiny teeth and brush regularly after feeding.
 
How to prepare HiPP Summer Berry Multigrain Porridge:
Mix 4 tablespoons (approx. 30g) of Hipp Organic summer berry multigrain porridge with about 6 tablespoons (100ml) of warm, previously boiled water in a clean bowl until smooth. Do not warm in the microwave - hot spots may scald.
As weaning progresses, increase the amounts used according to the baby's age and appetite. Always check the temperature before feeding. Look after those first tiny teeth and brush regularly after feeding.

Baby-led weaning is where the food is not given to your baby on a spoon, but instead, you give your baby the opportunity to explore the food you offer them for themselves using their hands, and then they eat whatever they can independently put into their mouths.

This is down to personal choice.You can choose whether you prefer to spoon-feed your baby or let them feed themselves – or do a bit of both! One thing that is really important is to make sure they’re sitting comfortably and securely in an upright position. Weaning should be an enjoyable experience for your baby, so try to relax and enjoy the journey. In the early stages, it’s really more about getting them used to a variety of different foods and the overall concept of eating solid foods, rather than actually filling them up. Let them experiment and play, and remember to give them lots of praise and encouragement. Don’t try to make them eat if they’re not into it. You can always try again later. For more information on baby-led v spoon feeding read our expert article from our Paediatric Dietician Lucy Neary click here

The Department of Health recommends that solids are introduced when your baby is around 6 months old.However, all babies are different, and you might find that your baby is ready to accept solid foods a little sooner than this.

Whilst we acknowledge the Department of Health’s advice, our packaging follows guidance from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) which recommends starting weaning between 4-6 months.

We believe this is the right thing to do to acknowledge the fact that all infants develop at different rates and the most appropriate age for introducing weaning foods for most infants is dependent on the individual child’s characteristics and development, but should never be started before 17 weeks.

Our range of complementary foods, therefore, includes products labelled from 4+ months, for those infants who are developmentally ready to start from this time, following guidance from their healthcare professional.

All babies are different and some will take longer than others to adapt to weaning. The amount of food your baby will eat will depend on individual appetites, so you need to be guided by your baby, but never force them to eat. While milk is still an important source of energy and nutrients at this stage, over the first few weeks or so, you can gradually increase the amount of food you are feeding to your baby. As weaning is established, then babies will start to drink less milk once their food intake increases.For more information on portion sizes for babies read what Lucy our expert Paediatric Dietitian has to say here

Some evidence suggests that introducing babies to single vegetable flavours for the first few days of weaning can help to make them more accepting of vegetables later on. So it can be helpful to start new tastes with savoury vegetable flavours rather than sweeter-tasting fruit flavours.
After those initial tastes of bitter vegetables you can start to expand what you give so your baby can explore new flavours, such as sweet potato, carrots and fruits. In addition to increasing flavours and trialling different combinations it is also important to start offering more food groups than just fruit and vegetables.

Beyond this, babies can eat most foods if prepared appropriately i.e. avoid hard foods like raw carrot or apple pieces and cut small, round foods, like grapes into small pieces.
Avoid also giving unpasteurised cheese or dairy products, raw shellfish, shark, swordfish or marlin, whole nuts and peanuts (until the age of 5 years), honey (until the age of 1 year), foods high in saturated fat, salt or sugar or adding them as an ingredient into dishes.Lightly cooked eggs are fine as long as they are British 'Lion stamped'.

For more information read what Lucy our expert Paediatric Dietitian has to say here [LINK]

All babies are different. Not all babies at the same age will be able to eat the same amount of food at mealtimes or drink the same amount of milk. There are no hard and fast rules on quantities you should give at any age, and the amounts your baby will take may well vary from day to day, and from week to week. The best advice is to be guided by your baby. Don’t worry about giving them too much food – babies will normally turn their heads and refuse to open their mouths when they are full.

As long as your baby is well, wetting and filling nappies regularly and is putting on weight steadily, it’s likely they’re eating and drinking enough for the stage they are at. If you have any questions about how much to feed your baby and whether they are getting enough, it’s probably best to speak to your health visitor or other healthcare professional.

To give you some indication of what might be expected at about 7 months, a baby may eat the equivalent of one Stage 2 jar (about 190g) for a meal, either completely as the savoury main meal (a mix of protein, vegetables and a carbohydrate e.g. rice, pasta, potato) or partly savoury and partly a 'dessert' (e.g. fruit or milk desserts such as yoghurt or fromage frais). If your baby takes this amount without resisting, then this is fine, but the thing is never to force your baby to eat food if they don't want it.

For more information on portion sizes for babies read what Lucy our expert Paediatric Dietitian has to say here

We think so! In general, the advantage of organic foods is a lower level of contaminants and no use of artificial pesticides.
Avoiding pesticides is better for your baby’s tummy and the planet, and organic food tastes good too.

In the early stages of weaning, fruit, vegetables and baby rice are really all you need. You can start to offer a variety of tastes and nutrients from other food groups, e.g.:
Starchy carbohydrates, such as bread, pasta and oats, etc.
Protein foods, such as meat, fish, eggs, dairy foods, pulses, etc.
The first foods to be introduced to your baby should be very simple and only have a very mild flavour, and they should be smooth and runny without any lumps. Sometimes mixing them with some of your baby’s usual milk can make these first tastes a little more acceptable. If you are starting to wean before 6 months of age, then it is best to use gluten-free foods until then.

Some evidence suggests that introducing babies to single vegetable flavours for the first few days of weaning can help to make them more accepting of vegetables later on. So it can be helpful to start new tastes with savoury vegetable flavours rather than sweeter-tasting fruit flavours.
After those initial tastes of bitter vegetables you can start to expand what you give so your baby can explore new flavours, such as sweet potato, carrots and fruits. In addition to increasing flavours and trialling different combinations it is also important to start offering more food groups than just fruit and vegetables.

Beyond this, babies can eat most foods if prepared appropriately i.e. avoid hard foods like raw carrot or apple pieces and cut small, round foods, like grapes into small pieces.
Avoid also giving unpasteurised cheese or dairy products, raw shellfish, shark, swordfish or marlin, whole nuts and peanuts (until the age of 5 years), honey (until the age of 1 year), foods high in saturated fat, salt or sugar or adding them as an ingredient into dishes.Lightly cooked eggs are fine as long as they are British 'Lion stamped'.


Read our expert Paediatric Dietitian's advice on how to start weaning here

A range of different vegetable purees is a good way to introduce first tastes. This helps to get the baby used to more bitter tastes rather than sweeter fruit-containing purees. Fruit will be accepted more readily by your baby than vegetables due to its sweet taste. You could always mix some breastmilk or your baby’s usual formula milk with some of the more bitter-tasting vegetables, such as broccoli and courgettes. If you can, introduce new tastes each day and try one vegetable at a time, and then try different combinations. Experience shows that introducing a variety of flavours early on in weaning can help your baby to be more open to trying new foods and tastes later on. Babies will very often reject their first tastes of new flavours, but after repeated offerings, they will eventually accept it.You can read our expert Paediatric Dietitian Lucy Neary's advice on introducing single flavours at the start of weaning here

Once a jar of baby food has been opened, you need to decant the amount you are going to feed your baby into your baby’s feeding bowl. Any remaining content within the HiPP jar can be resealed and stored in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.If feeding directly from the jar however, any leftover food should be discarded after feeding.

We do not recommend reheating baby food. But you should decant the amount you are going to feed to your baby into the baby’s feeding bowl, and any remaining content within the HiPP jar can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours.