Weaning is the process of change from a milk based diet to one made up of a variety of foods and drinks. Each child is an individual hence the appropriate age for weaning will vary, but generally takes place between 4 and 6 months of age.

Weaning is a gradual process whereby the infant learns firstly to feed from a spoon and to move food to the back of the mouth and swallow, gradually learns to appreciate new and various tastes and textures, moving on to chewing larger lumps of foods. Ultimately the process develops a pattern of eating similar to the rest of the family around 12 months of age.

During the weaning period it is essential to make sure the baby receives a wide variety of foods. This is because the more foods the baby enjoys, the greater the range of nutrients available Protein, carbohydrate, fat and vitamins and minerals are all essential in the weaning diet. In addition, stores of iron in the baby will start to deplete around 6 months of age. Having an adequate source of iron in the weaning diet is essential. There are some nutrients that should be kept to a minimum - salt or sodium should not be added to babyfoods as their kidneys are not mature enough to cope with this in their diet.

The following nutrients are key in the weaning diet:-

• Iron is essential for healthy blood and for healthy development. It is found in red meats, fortified foods (such as cereals), green leafy vegetables and pulses. There are two types of iron, haem iron found in meat and non-haem iron from vegetable sources.

• Carbohydrate is an important source of energy. The balance between the different types of carbohydrate is important in infants and young children. For instance too little fibre is a common cause of constipation whereas too much fibre is undesirable as large quantities fill up small stomachs at the expense of other nutrients making it difficult to meet energy requirements. Too much fibre can also interfere with the absorption of essential minerals.

• Fat is another important source of energy and provides essential fatty acids and helps in the absorption of certain vitamins. As weaning progresses, the proportion of energy supplied as fat decreases whilst the proportion supplied as carbohydrate (mainly from starch) increases.

• Protein is also essential for the development and maintenance of body tissues, but too much should be avoided because babies have immature kidneys that cannot cope with high levels.

Follow-on formula is a cows' milk based formula that has been specially modified to suit the needs of an infant aged 6 months and older. It contains a range of nutrients designed to complement the weaning diet. The Department of Health advise that unmodified cows' milk is not suitable as the main milk drink until over 12 months of age. Up to this age infants should be breastfed or given infant or follow-on formula.

Some babies, often those with a family history of allergy, cannot tolerate certain proteins (e.g cows' milk, egg or a specific cereal protein called gluten. In these cases, the introduction of foods containing these proteins should be delayed until 6 months at the earliest. The advice of a health professional should be sought to discuss allergies or intolerances for individual infants.