During Stage 2 you should aim to feed your baby 3 meals per day. Divide these into the morning, afternoon and evening. Each meal should be approximately 2-4 tablespoons but this will depend on your baby’s appetite. Foods should be offered before your baby’s milk feed during this stage.

Space meals and milk feeds apart as your baby gets used to having 3 meals in the day.

You can also offer 2-3 snacks or finger foods (but not more than this) in between main meals each day. Finger foods are an important part of your baby’s diet from about 7 months of age to increase their range of foods and textures, develop hand eye co-ordination and encourage self feeding.

Suitable finger foods for baby during this stage of weaning include:

Breads & Pasta

• One finger of toasted cheese on bread
• 3 – 4 well-cooked pasta shapes, e.g. bow-ties, shells
• One piece of chapatti
• Small piece of a bread stick with cheese spread or hummus
• Small piece of naan bread or pitta bread with smooth peanut butter*

Fruits & Vegetables

• Raw sticks of cucumber
• Small, soft pieces of fruit, e.g. pear, apple, banana, peach, nectarine, mango, melon
• Soft cooked sticks of vegetables, e.g. carrot, parsnip, green beans, turnip
• Soft cooked baby sweet-corn, mange-tout or sugar-snap peas
• Soft cooked florets of caulifl ower and broccoli
• Soft cooked slices of pumpkin or butternut squash

Cheese

• Stick of firm cheese, e.g. cheddar cheese

Meat & Poultry

Strips of freshly cooked meat or chicken

*Whole or chopped nuts should not be given to children under 5 years of age due to the risk of choking.