From 10 months

Once your little one is confidently eating a variety of foods, from around 6 months of age, you may find they’re less interested in their usual milk. Milk still offers a reeeally important source of nutrients to help babies grow, so try to offer around 600ml usual milk a day as well as a range of nutritious foods.

When it comes to dropping milk feeds, be led by your baby. They will often want less and less of a particular feed, for example, the lunchtime one, especially if it’s given close to a mealtime, so this feed may be the first one you drop. Your baby will probably still enjoy milk when they wake and just before bedtime.

If you find your little one is still drinking a lot more milk than 600ml and not taking much food, try offering food first and then milk, or separating milk and food feeds completely. Even when babies are 10m of age, they still need around 400ml usual milk, so it’s still super important!

To find out when it's safe to give your baby certain foods and allergens such as cow's milk, peanuts and citrus fruits, take a peek at our introducing food allergens article.

The more variety of tastes you give your little one when they're weaning, the more likely they are to be a good little eater when they're older. A good way to check if you're giving lots of variety is to eat a rainbow of colours of veggies + fruits each week. Why not colour in a rainbow chart with crayons or stickers each week with your little one? When they're old enough, they can have fun with colours and stickers as they tick off all the healthy colours they've eaten.

Try to offer variety from other food groups too so your little one gets a wide range of nutrients and tastes.

• Starchy carbohydrates: pasta, oats, bread, rice, polenta, quinoa
• Protein foods: meat, fish, eggs, yoghurt (or non-dairy alternatives) + cheese, pulses (beans + lentils), soy products
• Healthy fats: oils like olive or rapeseed oil, nut + seed butters, avocado

Little ones are really good at knowing when they've had enough to eat. Unlike us, they don't eat when they're bored or stuff in a dessert when they're full up just because it looks tasty!

So if your little one pushes food away or turns his / her head, they're telling you they don't want any more. It's really important to avoid forcing them to eat more than they want, even if it seems they've not eaten that much. They'll probably make up for it later or in a day or two. Every baby is different, so their appetites will vary and this is usually completely normal for them.

If you think your little one’s weight isn’t right for their age, have a chat with your health visitor or GP.

Don't worry! This is really common when little ones first experience textures.

Gagging is a normal reflex response to new textures and, while it can be worrying, it isn't a cause for concern. Your little one will pretty quickly get used to new textures if you keep trying.

When first introducing texture, make sure foods are mashed finely so that the lumps are really small and soft. This will help your little one get used to eating more textured foods. You might want to blitz up more challenging textures more finely, if your baby struggles at first, gradually introducing larger lumps, at your baby’s pace. Introducing finger foods alongside pureed and mashed food can also help little ones become more confident eaters, as well as help develop motor skills.

If you’d like to learn more about gagging and choking and what to do, check out the brilliant Keep A Beat resources here: https://www.keepabeat.com/content/S637468656249088811/Gagging%20Vs%20Choking%20Poster%202021.pdf

Lots of little ones want to feed themselves at mealtimes, especially once they are a bit older. If your little one really doesn't like being fed and you've tried giving them their own spoon while helping food into his / her mouth then you might want to try finger food meals and picnics. This gives your little one control over what they're eating and can also help them learn great hand-eye co-ordination.

Great ideas include strips of omelette containing veggies + a little sprinkle of grated cheese, meatballs in a little sauce, pasta pieces in sauce, falafel, veggie sticks or pitta slices with dips like hummus, frittata slices, potato cakes, and stir fries with well-cooked veggies and strips of soft, well cooked meat.

You can find lots of yummy recipe ideas on our recipe hub!

Lots of little ones will pull a funny face the first time they experience a new taste. Flying spoons, messy faces and sticky fingers are all part of real-life parenting.This often happens with vegetables, especially the green ones. Don't worry! Even if your little one doesn't seem to like a new taste at first, keep trying.

Studies show that you may have to try up to 8 times with a new taste before your baby accepts it so don’t give up. Offer a range of single vegetables and keep going until your baby accepts each one. Remember to keep giving your little one veg throughout weaning and beyond!

We're here to help little ones build a lifelong bond with healthy eating through playful discovery and adventurous, repeated exposure to the right foods. It’s about turning first tastes into lasting habits, and helping children grow into happy, confident eaters who love good food. This is what growing tastebuddies for life is all about!

Try to eat together as a family as much as possible, so that your little one can see you eating what they're having (even if the texture is different). Good food habits and memories start early and stick when they’re fun, familiar, and full of flavour.

Little ones love to copy, so make sure you show them how much you love eating veg! Make food and eating fun - show your little one how much you love eating the foods you'd like them to eat and make up funny songs, games or stories about food, to make the weaning experience a positive and happy one.

There's lots of fun ways to explore cooking + eating together at the big table in our 4 yummy cook books!

We're here to help you spark those first foodie connections, so your little ones grow into explorers, adventurers, and joyful eaters - this is what Tastebuddies for life is all about.

Take a peek at our top tips for weaning.