From 7 months
At 7 months, your little one is ready for complex tastes + textures! Take a peek at our handy tips + guides below
Smashing!
time for texture
Little ones can learn to push + squish soft lumps against the roof of their mouth with their tongue, so don’t worry if you can’t see any tiny teeth yet! Start to finely mash food to form soft lumps (no bigger than the size of a lentil) in a thick puree.
Nutritionist Claire's top tips!
rainbow of veggies
Offer a variety of colourful veg for a good mix of nutrients
herbs + spices
Excite tiny taste buds with a twist of herbs + spices like cinnamon, basil or rosemary!
grip + grab
Little hands can start to hold more tricky flat-shaped foods like toast + pitta bread fingers with more confidence
helpful stuff: weaning guides + videos!
Introducing texture
Super smooth, a little lumpy, nice + chewy? Claire Baseley (expert nutritionist) shares her top tips on how to introduce texture throughout your little one's weaning journey
Introducing BIG tastes
Expert nutritionist, Claire Baseley, shares her top tips on why it's important to introduce your little one to new + exciting tastes on the weaning journey
yummy recipes to try
explore our yummy food
There's something for every step of your little one's weaning journey
Weaning FAQs
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
Try not to get too stressed if little ones don’t eat well at a meal and never force them to eat if they're not interested. Just take the food away + try again at the next meal. Even after the weaning journey, little ones are still learning about eating, so encourage them to listen to their appetite so they don't routinely learn to overeat.
If you’re worried about your little one’s weight, have a chat to 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 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!
