Weaning your baby from milk to solids is an exciting time and a big step for both of you. What you feed your baby as he starts his life journey is all-important for healthy development. So follow Annabel Karmel’s guide to weaning and try some of her delicious recipes on the way.

Baby’s best first foods

Root vegetables like carrots, sweet potato, parsnip and swede tend to be the most popular with very young babies – they have a sweet flavour and smooth texture once puréed.

The best first fruits for young babies are apples, pears, banana and papaya – choose fruits that are ripe and have a good flavour. Lots of fruits like banana, papaya and peaches, do not require cooking provided they are ripe – simply mash them with a fork to make instant baby food.

Baby rice makes a good first food as it is easily digested and its milky taste makes an easy transition to solids. First foods need to be semi-liquid and as close as possible to the consistency of milk so that they are easy to swallow. Give them at room temperature or lukewarm.

Steaming or microwaving is the best way to preserve the fresh taste and vitamins in vegetables and fruits.

Perfect purée makers

Making healthy and delicious purées at home using the freshest of ingredients couldn’t be simpler. Try one of these options to make the perfect purée for your baby.

Baby Food Grinder A hand turned food mill ideal for making smooth purees for young babies as it gets rid of tough fibres which are difficult to digest in foods like dried apricots and sweetcorn. It’s also good for puréeing potato as puréeing in a blender breaks down the starches and produces a sticky texture.

Electric Hand Blender These are ideal for making baby purées and can handle quite small quantities.

Annabel’s ‘Make your own’ range of equipment and foods is available in Boots stores nationwide. For more information, see our consumer section at the back of this isse or visit www.annabelkarmel.com for great recipe ideas for your children.

Stage One - From four to six months

Introducing solids
Don’t be in a hurry to wean your baby onto solids. Milk provides all the nutrients your baby needs for the first six months or so. Remember, there is no precise ‘right’ age to introduce solids – so follow your instincts and speak to your GP or health visitor for advice since no two babies are the same. However, you should wait at least 17 weeks before weaning as a baby’s digestive and immune system are not sufficiently developed before this time


Feeding tips for baby...
Don’t add sugar or salt to your baby’s food. Salt is harmful to a baby’s immature kidneys and adding sugar is a bad habit

Breakfast - Suitable from four to six months
Apple and pear purée with cinnamon

Makes four portions
This is an ideal first food – it’s easy to digest and unlikely to cause allergies.

2 dessert apples 2 ripe pears (eg Conference pears) 4tbsp pure unsweetened apple juice or water A generous pinch of ground cinnamon (optional)

Place all the fruit into a saucepan together with the apple juice or water, cover and cook over a low heat until tender (about 6 to 8 minutes). Blend to a smooth purée.

LUNCH
Suitable from six months

Carrot Purée (Suitable for home freezing)
Makes eight portions

In the first few weeks of weaning make sure that the carrots are cooked for quite a long time so that they are soft enough to purée to a smooth consistency. This method of cooking also works with many of the other root vegetables.

350g carrots, peeled and chopped

Put the carrots into a steamer set over boiling water and cook for 15 to 20 minutes until tender. Drain the carrots and place in a blender, adding some of the water from the bottom of the steamer

Spoon some of the purée into your baby’s bowl and serve lukewarm. You can freeze the remainder in an ice cube tray or in small plastic containers.

Tea - Suitable from six months

Potato, carrot and sweetcorn purée
(Suitable for freezing)
Makes three portions
Sweetcorn is a good source of betacarotene and fibre. For young babies it is best to purée sweetcorn through a baby food grinder as it will be easier to digest and will have a smoother texture.

25g butter 50g onion, peeled and chopped 175g carrots, peeled and chopped 200g potatoes, peeled and chopped 250ml vegetable stock or water 50g tinned or frozen sweetcorn 1 to 2tbsp milk

Melt the butter and sauté the chopped onion for 1 minute. Add the carrots and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the potatoes, cover with the stock/water and cook over a medium heat for 15 minutes. Add the sweetcorn and cook for 5 minutes. Purée, using a baby food grinder, then stir in the milk to a good consistency. You can also add grated Cheddar at the end, until it melts, before puréeing.

Stage Two
from seven to nine months

Introducing MEATS AND FISH
It’s important not to carry on giving only fruit and vegetable purées for too long. Babies grow more rapidly in their first year than at any other time in their life and by seven months need nutrient dense foods like cheese, meat and fish. Red meat is an important food for babies as it provides the best source of iron and the iron babies inherit from their mother runs out at six months. Oily fish like salmon is good too as it contains essential fatty acids which are vital for brain and visual development

Breakfast
Suitable from seven to nine months

Porridge with apricots - (Suitable for freezing)

Makes four portions
Porridge is packed full of nutritious ingredients. Oats help stabilise blood sugar and give long lasting energy. Dried apricots are a good source of betacarotene, iron and also contain fibre.

• 150ml milk
• 2tbsp porridge oats
• 6 ready to eat dried apricots (approximately 60g), chopped
• 1 large ripe pear, peeled, cored and cut into pieces

Put the milk, oats and apricots in a pan, bring to the boil and then simmer, stirring occasionally for 3 minutes.
Purée together with the chopped pear in a hand blender.

LUNCH - Suitable from seven to nine months
Salmon with sweet potato and cheese - (Suitable for freezing)

Makes four portions
Omega-3 fatty acids found in oily fish like salmon help electrical signals travel from nerve cells, speeding up the way in which messages are sent around the brain.

• 200g carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
• A knob of butter
• 2tbsp milk
• 125g salmon fillet, skinned
• 40g grated Cheddar cheese
• 4tbsp fresh squeezed orange juice

Steam the carrots for 15 minutes or until tender, then mix with the butter and milk and blitz in a hand blender. Meanwhile, put the salmon into a microwaveable dish, pour over the orange juice and scatter over the cheese.

Microwave on high for 21⁄2 minutes or until cooked. Leave to cool, then flake with a fork checking to see there are no bones. Alternatively cook the salmon in the oven for 20 minutes. Blend the flaked salmon and its cooking liquid with the sweet potato. For older babies mash the sweet potato together with the butter and milk and mix with the flaked salmon.

Feeding tips for baby...
Babies over six months can include gluten in their diet and don’t need special baby cereals. Choose cereals low in sugar and salt. Also it’s fine to use cow’s milk with cereals and in cooking
from six months

Tea
Suitable from seven to nine months
Chicken with sweet potato and apple (Suitable for freezing)

Makes four portions
Chicken is an ideal ‘growth food’ as it is packed with protein and vitamin B12. Apple and chicken make a delicious combination. Sweet potato is rich in betacarotene, the plant form of vitamin A and mixing chicken with sweet potato gives it a smoother texture.

• 1tbsp vegetable oil
• 40g chopped onion
• 110g chicken breast, chopped
• 300g sweet potato, peeled and chopped
• 1⁄2 a dessert apple, peeled and chopped
• 200ml unsalted chicken stock.

Heat the oil in a pan, add the onion and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the chicken and sauté for a couple of minutes until it turns opaque. Tip in the sweet potato and apple and pour over the stock. Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Purée to the desired consistency.

Stage three from nine months to one year

Introducing finger foods
As your baby develops better finger control, introducing finger foods will help to develop the skill of biting, chewing and self feeding. When your baby seems to cope with soft foods like steamed vegetables and fruit, try introducing raw vegetables like carrot and cucumber. Take care with hard foods to begin with as sometimes babies can bite off a chunk and then choke on it.

Feeding tips for baby...
A dollop of food on a plate can
look very unattractive. It’s a good idea to make mini individual portions of foods like Cottage Pie or Risotto in mini ramekins. In my Make Your Own range in Boots, I have a set of three coloured ramekins with lids that are the perfect size for older
babies or toddlers

Breakfast
Suitable from 9 months to 1 year
Cheese scramble

Makes 1 portion
Until your child is one year old, scrambled egg should be cooked until both the white and yolk are solid.

1 egg
1tbsp milk
15g butter
1tbsp Cheddar cheese, finely grated
1 tomato, skinned and de-seeded

Beat the egg with the milk. Melt the buter over a low heat, then add the egg mixture. Cook slowly, stir all the time.

When the mixture has thickened and looks soft, add the cheese and chopped tomato. Heat through and serve.

TEA
Suitable from 9 months to 1 year
Risotto with succulent butternut squash (Suitable for freezing)

Makes 4 portions
Butternut squash is now more readily available in supermarkets. It is rich in betacarotene which is important for your baby’s growth, fighting infection, healthy skin and good vision.

50g onion, chopped
25g butter
100g basmati rice
150g chopped and peeled butternut squash
450ml boiling water
3 ripe tomatoes (approx 225g) skinned, de-seeded and chopped
50g Cheddar cheese, grated

Sauté the onion in half the butter until softened. Stir in the rice until well coated. Pour over the boiling water, cover and cook for 8 minutes over a high heat. Stir in the chopped butternut squash, reduce the heat and cook, covered for about 12 minutes or until the water has been absorbed.

Meanwhile, melt the remaining butter in a small pan, add the chopped tomatoes and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the cheese until melted. Stir the tomato and cheese mixture into the cooked rice.

Lunch
Suitable from 9 months to 1 year
Annabel’s mini fish pie (Suitable for freezing)

Makes 3 portions
Introduce your child to fish with this delicious mini fish pie.

• 375g potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 1/2 tbsp milk
• 40g butter
• A little salt and pepper (do not add salt if your baby is under a year old)
• 15g butter
• 25g onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 1tbsp flour
• 75ml milk
• 50ml vegetable stock
• 125g cod fillet, skinned and cubed
• 125g salmon fillet, skinned and cubed
• 1tsp chopped fresh parsley
• 1 bay leaf
• 25g frozen peas
• 50g Cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 lightly beaten egg

Preheat the oven to 3500F/1800C/Gas Mark 4. Bring a pan of lightly salted water to the boil, add the potatoes, reduce the heat and cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until tender. Drain the potatoes and mash together with the milk and half the butter until smooth and season to taste for babies over one year old. Melt the remaining butter in a saucepan, add the onion and sauté until softened. Add the flour and cook for 30 seconds, stirring.

Gradually stir in the milk and then the stock. Bring to the boil and cook for 1 minute. Add the fish with the parsley and bay leaf. Simmer for about 3 minutes and then stir in the peas and cook for 1 minute. Remove the bay leaf and stir in the cheese until melted.

Season with a little salt and pepper. Divide the fish between three ramekin dishes and top with the mashed potato. Brush with the lightly beaten egg. Heat the pie through in a pre-heated oven for about 15 minutes and finish off for a few minutes under a pre-heated grill until golden.