Solid foods should add to, not replace, breast milk or commercial iron-fortified infant formula, which are nutritionally superior for young babies. Let your baby’s appetite guide how much food to give.
WEANING TIMETABLE
| TIME | MEAL |
| Breakfast | Porridge or infant cereal *Important note: give single grain porridges e.g. maize, wimbi (millet), sorghum (mtama) or oat porridge. Mixed flours may not cook all grains well and you will end up giving your baby uncooked porridge |
| 10.00 am | Fruit, Porridge or Infant cereal |
| Lunch | Cooked Meal |
| 4.00 pm | Fruit, Porridge or Infant cereal |
| Supper | Cooked meal |
SOLIDS FEEDING GUIDE
|
Age |
Foods |
Comments |
|
| Birth | Breast milk only or iron-fortified formula if breastfeeding is not possible | Amount varies depending on age and the baby’s appetite. | |
| Six to Eight Months Continue with breastfeeding or formula. Feed solid foods two to three times per day. | Infant cereal Introduce one type of grain at a time. Start with rice; then try barley or oatmeal; then corn, millet or sorghum porridge, wheat and mixed grain infant cereal. | Infant cereal: Start with 1 teaspoon (5 ml). Increase amount according to your baby’s appetite. Try one new cereal at a time. Wait for 3 to 4 days before you try another kind of cereal. | |
| Meat and Alternatives Pureed or ground-up meat, fish, poultry, meat alternatives (peas, lentils) and egg yolks. | Meat and Alternatives: Start with 1 teaspoon (5 ml). Increase amount according to your baby’s appetite. Try one new meat or alternative at a time. Wait for 3 to 4 days before you try another kind of meat or alternative. | ||
| Vegetables and Fruit Grated or mashed vegetables and fruit. | Vegetables and Fruit: Start with 1 teaspoon (5 ml). Increase amount according to your baby’s appetite. Try one new vegetable or fruit at a time. Wait 2 days before you try another vegetable or fruit. (You can mix a starchy vegetable e.g. potato with non-starchy ones like courgette, etc) | ||
|
Age |
Food |
Comments |
|
| Nine to Twelve Months Continue with breastfeeding or formula. Wait for 1 to 2 days between the introduction of each new food. Feed solid foods three to four times per day. | Grain Products Bread, pasta, crackers (unsalted tops) and rice whole grain unsweetened cereals as finger foods. These cereals do not replace infant cereal. | Infant cereal: Continue to provide and increase the amount according to your baby’s appetite.
Grain Products: Introduce different grain products in small amounts, such as 1 teaspoon (5 ml) of cooked rice or cooked cut-up pasta, a finger-sized piece of bread or a small cracker, ugali, etc. Increase amount according to your baby’s appetite. Meat and Alternatives: Continue to provide and increase the amount according to your baby’s appetite. Vegetables and Fruit: Continue to provide and increase the amount according to your baby’s appetite. |
|
| Supplementation | Add omega 3 oils e.g. cod liver oil to the baby’s diet. | ||
| Finger Foods | Introduce different foods in small amounts such as 1 teaspoon (5 ml). Continue to provide and increase the amount according to your baby’s appetite. | ||
| One year of age Breastfeeding can be continued until two years of age or longer. Nutritious snacks may be provided one to two times per day. | Milk and Alternatives Whole cow’s milk (3.25% MF), Plain cheese, unsweetened yoghurt, cottage cheese, egg white may be offered. | Whole milk can be introduced once your baby is eating a variety of foods from all food groups. Introduce small amounts of cheese and yoghurt such as 1 teaspoon (5 ml). Increase amount according to your baby’s appetite. Continue to give whole milk until your baby is two years old. Continue to provide healthy foods according to your baby’s appetite. | |
