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  1. Around 6 months
  2. 7 to 9 months
  3. 10 to 12 months
  4. Over 12 months

Over 12 months

Your child is now ready to eat healthier meals with the rest of the family – just in smaller portions and cut up into smaller pieces!

Feeding at 12 months and over

Now your toddler is 12 months old, they should be having 3 meals a day.

They may also need 2 healthy weaning snacks in between (for example fruit, vegetable sticks, toast, bread or plain yoghurt).

Remember, your child does not need salt or sugar added to their food or cooking water. Children should not eat salty foods as it is not good for their kidneys, and sugar can cause tooth decay.

A pan of shakshuka – vegetables and eggs baked in a rich tomato sauce

Healthy meals for the whole family

Find loads of tasty, affordable family meals with our easy step-by-step recipes on Better Health – Healthier Families.

Food groups

Make sure you include a wide variety of the following food groups in your child’s meals. Have a look at our baby weaning recipes and YouTube channel for inspiration!

Vegetables

Your child should now be able to manage mashed, lumpy, chopped and finger foods.

Cook veggies to soften them, where necessary, and offer them as chopped or finger foods. Offer a variety of vegetables, including ones with bitter flavours.

Veggies include:

  • asparagus
  • avocado
  • broccoli
  • butternut squash
  • cabbage
  • carrots
  • cauliflower
  • courgette
  • green beans
  • kale
  • parsnips
  • peas
  • peppers
  • spinach
  • swede
Fruit

Your child should now be able to manage mashed, lumpy, chopped and finger foods.

Wash fruit and remove any pips, stones or hard skin – chop the fruit up or offer as a finger food.

Fruit includes:

  • apples
  • bananas
  • blueberries
  • kiwi
  • mango
  • melon
  • nectarines
  • oranges
  • papaya
  • peach
  • pears
  • pineapple
  • plums
  • raspberries
  • strawberries
Starchy foods

These can be cooked, where necessary, and offered as mashed, chopped or finger foods.

Cereals can be mixed with breast milk, or with pasteurised whole (full-fat) cows' milk (or goats' or sheep's milk) if your child is over 12 months old.

Starchy foods include:

  • baby rice
  • bread
  • chapatti
  • cornmeal
  • maize
  • millet
  • oatmeal
  • oats
  • pasta
  • pitta bread
  • porridge
  • potato
  • quinoa
  • rice
  • sweet potato
  • toast
Protein foods

This food group includes meat, fish, eggs, beans and pulses, and is suitable from around 6 months.

As well as giving your baby protein, these foods contain other useful nutrients, such as iron and zinc, which are important for babies.

For eggs, make sure you buy ones stamped with the British Lion stamp mark. There have been improved food safety controls in recent years, so infants, children and pregnant women can now safely eat raw or lightly cooked hen eggs (as long as they have the British Lion stamp), or foods containing them.

If you have a severely weakened immune system or are on a medically supervised diet prescribed by health professionals, you should cook all eggs thoroughly. Read about the healthy way to eat eggs.

Protein foods include:

  • beans
  • beef
  • chicken
  • egg
  • fish (no bones)
  • lamb
  • lentils
  • pork
  • pulses, such as chickpeas
  • tofu
  • turkey
Dairy

Pasteurised dairy foods, like pasteurised full-fat yoghurt and cheese, are suitable foods for your baby from around 6 months.

Full-fat, unsweetened or plain yoghurts are a good choice because they do not contain added sugars.

Full-fat cheeses and dairy products are recommended up to the age of 2. Once your child is over 2, you can then switch to lower-fat cheeses and dairy products.

Pasteurised whole (full-fat) cows' milk, goats' milk or sheep's milk, can be used in cooking or mixed with food from around 6 months. Lower-fat milks such as semi-skimmed or skimmed are fine to use in cooking from 12 months.

Should I still give my baby breast milk or first infant formula?

You can continue breastfeeding for as long as you both want. As your child eats more solid foods, the amount of milk they want will decrease.

Once they're 12 months old, first infant formula is not needed – toddler milk, growing up or goodnight milks are also unnecessary.

Drinks

Your child will be using their cup with confidence, helping themselves to sips of water as and when they need it. If you're breastfeeding, they can carry on having breast milk for as long as you like.

Now your toddler is 12 months old, milk or water, as well as breast milk, should be their main drink.

If you’re giving your toddler cows’ milk, then it should be pasteurised whole (full-fat), or semi-skimmed. You can also give them pasteurised goats’ or sheep’s milk too.

Pasteurised skimmed and 1% milk should not be given as a main drink until your child is 5 years old.

Sweet drinks like squash, fizzy drinks, milkshakes and fruit juice can have lots of sugar so avoid these to help prevent tooth decay – even baby and toddler drinks can be sugary.

Do not give children under 5 years old rice drinks.

Video: Weaning top tips

Hear tips, advice and stories from other parents weaning their babies in this video.

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