How to Wean Your Baby: When to Start & What Parents Get Wrong

When should you start weaning your baby—and how do you do it properly?

Weaning is one of the biggest transitions in early childhood, and many parents feel unsure about when to begin, what foods to introduce, and how to do it safely.

In this episode of Healthy Beginnings, Dr. Edgar Kalimba explains how to approach weaning with clarity and confidence. From timing and nutrition to common mistakes and misconceptions, this episode breaks down what parents really need to know.

Healthy Beginnings offers clear and evidence-based conversations about children’s health, family wellbeing, and the systems that shape our lives. 

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Have a question? Email: healthybeginningspodcast@gmail.com

Produced by LF Media

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

One of the biggest milestones in your baby's life is starting solid foods. But it often comes with questions. How do I know that my baby is ready for solids or for winning foods? When do I actually start? What should I give at first? And what are some of the signs that will tell me that my baby is actually ready? Starting solids or winning your baby is supposed to be an exciting period, an exciting growth and developmental milestone, but it often comes with anxiety and uncertainty. I get this question very frequently, and not just from first-time parents, but also from other siblings, second, third year, second, thirdborns, because every child is unique and different. So today I want to break it down in a manner that is simple and easy to follow. So I'll address the first point. Is my baby ready for solids? Now I know that all parents are aware that the recommended age to start solids is around six months. And the reason we say around, I underline the word around six months, is because it's not a hard rule. There's a minority of babies that could be ready before six months. And there's also a minority of babies that could be ready after six months. And I'll give an example of a developmental milestone that is quite exciting, walking independently. So we always say that girls walk independently around 13 months of age and boys around 15 months of age. But it's not a hard rule. There are some babies who are very fast and will walk even before their first birthday. And there are other completely healthy babies that will walk around 18 months, one year and a half. And this is perfectly normal. So it's always a spectrum. And as such, some babies are faster and will be ready at five months, five and a half months. And others just take their time. And even at six months, they are not necessarily entirely ready for solids. So the answer is around six months, but also depends. So I'll highlight a few signs, a few things that you can look at that will tell you that your baby is ready. The first one we always say if your baby can sit upright with minimal support, you know that most babies from the age of around four months are propping themselves up. They are really trying to sit. They don't want you to, they don't even want to be held like we hold small babies. They're always active and propping themselves up. But really, most of the babies, the vast majority, are practically sitting around six months and actually between six and seven months. So that's one of the signs. The second sign is head and neck control. Um, you know that younger babies, first three to four months, they are learning to control their neck, and usually around six months they have very good head and neck control. Actually begins from around four months. So that's the second sign. The third sign is if they actually show interest in food. So you might be carrying your baby or sitting with them, and when you're eating, they're actually watching and showing, or you know, showing interest. Um, and typically when you try to offer them something, they'll open their mouth, they'll basically respond and even swallow, uh, showing signs and not just interested, but they actually want to eat. Now, I'll add something else that is a bit more medical. When we look at developmental milestones or what we call primitive reflexes that babies are born with, there's something we call a tongue thrust reflex. So usually they should have lost that reflex because that is what allows them to actually uh take the food and be able to process them and swallow it safely. So these are some of the general things that show you that uh your baby is ready. Now, there are other signs that parents often ask me that are not necessarily reliable signs. I'll give examples. You know, sometimes parents say, My baby is waking up more at night. My baby barely sleeps anymore as it was before. Does that mean that they're ready for solids? Probably not that reliable. Or my baby wants more milk, they want to feed more, they are drinking more, they are more hungry. Again, could be a sign, but not really reliable. The other common um element is the change in bowel habits. You know, sometimes when you know babies around four months, five months, with the growth of the digestive system and enzymes are growing and changing and adapting, sometimes there's a change in bowel habits. And there's all sorts of cultural beliefs around this, but again, not a very reliable sign that they are ready. So if your baby can sit with minimal support, has relatively good head and neck control, actually shows interest in food, you know, opens their mouth when you offer them something and they really are uh showing that they want to take some food, especially when you're eating around them. Those are some of the simple but consistent signs. And typically they're usually there around six months. So I would say that um readiness is about development. It's not just age, how many months they are, but it's also generally about development. And I always tell uh parents that there's no pressure if you have a healthy five-month-old who's gaining weight, growing well, normal growth and developmental milestones, there's no hurry because most babies are really, really ready around six months. Now, this takes me to the second point, which is what should I start with? What should I actually give? And there's a lot of information uh either between parents or uh from marketing and commercial information. Uh, so for example, one of the most popular things that parents tend to do is to actually buy uh commercially packed baby food, things like Cerolac. And I always prefer a healthier, richer, conservative approach. This is why I don't routinely recommend to start with Cerolac or other commercially packed foods. Not only are they high in sugar content, which is not necessarily a good thing, especially for infants, they also lack the fresh nutrients needed for your baby because these are processed, uh processed packed food. So it's generally better to start with something that is home prepared that you prepare yourself from fresh ingredients. And I've noticed that it's easier, particularly at the very beginning when you're exploring, to start with a plant-based natural ingredients and preferably that are rich in iron. Remember, in my previous podcast, I've talked about anemia and how important iron is, especially when babies are growing from six months onwards. It's important to make sure that the food is iron-rich. So in the context of Rwanda or Africa, in our setup, in our African setup, we have plenty and diverse vegetable options. You know, the green leafy vegetables. Um, we have potatoes, we have pumpkins, we have butternut, we have all these very rich, colorful, natural ingredients that you can make into a vegetable puree. You make it loose, you make it smooth at the beginning. And I prefer this because it is not sweet, it has a natural food taste. So it's always better to start with non-sweet options. Because what I've seen is, for example, the commercial options that I just mentioned that are sweet and high in sugar, when you start with those, and then a week later you introduce uh a vegetable, mixed vegetable puree, some babies will spit it out because it will not taste as good as the commercial sweet ones. And that also applies to some extent to the fruit. So I always recommend that start with a vegetable puree, healthy mix of vegetables, and then you know, explore with that, and maybe for a day or two, and then keep it and then add a fruit, because fruit obviously is sweet, but it's also a natural, healthy um option. And again, in our context, in our setup, we have plenty, plenty of readily available, fresh options, plenty of bananas. Avocado is an amazing option. We have plenty of very good quality avocados here in our backyard. Uh, apple puree and really pretty much uh most of the fruits can be given either alone or uh in a mixture of two or three different fruits. So once you've started your uh plant-based vegetable pureees, you've added a fruit uh meal, that already makes it two small meals. And between six months of age and let's say eight months of age, having two small meals uh is usually a very good start. And I always say that if your baby picks up quickly and they really want to eat and they love the food, you can quickly build that to three meals. And the third meal is typically a natural grain, or in our setup, we have you know, porridge and uh different flowers that are from naturally uh and locally produced grains. We have plenty of those. And you know, by the time your baby is eight months, you actually have uh three meals already. You have like a breakfast, a porridge, or a natural healthy cereal, you have food like a vegetable and food uh puree, then you have a fruit. Those are already three uh small meals. Um, it should be noted that at the beginning, again, between six and eight months, the milk component is still the main source of nutrition. So while you're adapting, exploring, building up the solids, milk, breast milk, or you know, appropriate formula if there's not sufficient breast milk is still the main source of nutrition. And sometimes parents ask me, uh, how much should I give? There's a lot of pressure. You know, you want to prepare uh a bowel full and you want your baby to take, to take it, all of it. And it shouldn't be like that. You know, there's there should not be any pressure if your baby accepts three, four, five spoons at the beginning and they're not interested anymore. Don't fight, don't force, uh, take a break, try again the next day. So take it slowly, be patient, follow your baby's cues. Um, there's really, really no pressure. If your baby has is growing well, they have good weight gain, they are not undernourished, you should not feel any pressure at all. The other important element to mention here is that your baby's schedule during their day should be taken into consideration. So when you're starting solids, this is something new. Your baby is adapting to new textures, new tastes, it's a totally new experience. You should preferably uh fit it in, fit those new meals within the schedules, within the time frames where your baby is not excessively tired or sleepy, and preferably not excessively hungry. Because when they're excessively hungry, they're going to cry, they're going to be fussy, and you know, while you're trying to explore with solids, it might not necessarily be a pleasant experience. So make it fun, no pressure. Now, six months, between six months and eight months, you're building, you're exploring, you're observing, uh, and you're following your baby's cues and increasing uh from one meal at the beginning per day, quickly build it to two meals, depending on the interest, then to three meals, so that between 9 and 12 months of age, your baby should typically have on average three meals and maybe even additional snacks on top of the three meals. The milk component, the breastfeeding, the breast milk, the formula is still uh predominantly still an important part of their feeds. But typically between 9 and 12 months, it will drop maybe by 30 to 50 percent. If your baby has a good appetite, they love the food, uh naturally they're going to take less and less milk. And we we we always say that uh um from one year and above, your baby should take the family meal. You shouldn't have to prepare a different dish for them because from one year and above, they can have a little bit of salt, they can have a little bit of good quality uh plant-based oil in their food, and you don't necessarily need to prepare a separate dish for them. And anyway, around one year, you know, when you when you try to feed, you know, most babies, the typical baby food that doesn't have salt, doesn't have that, doesn't have that, they begin to lose interest and they actually want to eat from your plate. They want to eat the family meal. And this is fine, it's completely normal. Um, so really think of winning and solids as learning first and foremost, not replacing milk, and working progressively following your baby's adapting and building on from there. So now that that takes me to what you need to watch out for. Just a couple of uh cautions. We've mentioned in the previous uh podcast that you know cow's milk uh as a part of the nutrition should wait until at least 12 months of age. Now, on top of cow's milk, I would like to add honey. Uh, we do not give honey, we don't include it in the food, again, below 12 months of age, below one year. And the reason for this is because of something we called botulism. You know, botulism is a medical term, but really means that sometimes honey has uh uh bacteria-induced toxins, and that leads to a medical condition called botulism, which can be very dangerous for babies. So we don't give honey to babies below one year. I have seen some parents giving honey, and that's really, really risky. It's not good. The other thing is uh generally avoid adding sugar or salt to the food, uh, especially at the beginning of introducing solids. This can come later, you know, towards one year of age. And then the other important thing is uh avoiding food items that have a high risk of causing choking. Uh, for example, nuts, all kinds of nuts, whether it's peanuts or almonds or cashew nuts, all those kinds of nuts, because they're usually hard. And uh I have seen not few children uh that have actually chalked and inhaled nuts, and typically they go down into the respiratory system. So uh please avoid that, avoid nuts, popcorn, and those kinds of hard food that are not easy to chew and are not easy to control. In fact, I would say, you know, for nuts and those kinds of um high choking risk uh food components, probably even better to wait for two years. Now, when you're giving appropriate food and appropriately prepared food, um, and your baby is constantly or recurrently choking or gagging or coughing excessively, this is something that should set an alarm that maybe you need to consult a doctor. Same with persistent vomiting. So when your baby shows signs of persistent vomiting with a particular food item, whether it's every time you give it, they vomit, they become very uncomfortable, or they completely refuse it, or they completely refuse actually a wide range of food options. This is uh a good reason to actually consult your doctor. The other reason is if they lose weight or they don't gain weight at all, because that age range of starting solids, sometimes it can be uh a distressing time for your baby. And they can have some growth faltering. So if your baby is not gaining good weight, is not uh really progressing as they were before, this should be a cause. For uh consulting and seeking a medical opinion. Now, something that is really, really important is uh the discussion around uh allergies and foods or food allergens. Um and this is the last part of the discussion or the last main part of the discussion today. Food allergies are quite common. Um, and sometimes this is uh very confusing for parents, you know, whether, you know, a parent is wondering, does my child have allergy? Is my child allergic to milk? Are they allergic to eggs? Are they allergic to meat or fish or nuts or all these different uh commonly allergenic foods? Or sometimes parents will say, okay, I'm allergic to uh eggs or I'm allergic to wheat. Is my baby going to be allergic as well? So these are very good and pertinent questions and ones that we see fairly frequently. In fact, some babies are very allergic and very sensitive to the extent that even early on during the time they're breastfeeding, some babies react when the mother takes a particular food item, uh, and the babies get traces of these proteins through uh the breastfeeding. So it's a spectrum of uh relatively common problems. Now, the most common foods, at least from my observation, from my clinical practice and what I've seen over the last 10 to 15 years, is that first of all, dairy, uh, so cow's milk or cheese or yoghurts, it's a very common uh allergy that we see in babies. Now, some people, you know, start things like yogurt or cheese a bit before one year, and this is relatively fine and acceptable, uh, but you always have to look out for uh signs of allergy that I'll come back to shortly. The other frequent common allergen is eggs, uh, quite common. And the third is actually peanuts, uh, and in our setup here, especially in Rwanda, we we really take a lot of peanuts and nuts in general, whether it's peanut sauce or all forms of nuts prepared in the food. Then, you know, fish and seafood is another common one, and then to a much lesser extent, wheat and soy and beef and even less so uh chicken. So these are all proteins. By the way, uh food allergy should be distinguished from food intolerance. So, for example, lactose intolerance, which is an intolerance to uh the common sugar found in dairy or in milks, is different from protein allergy. So typically, uh food allergy is triggered by protein sources. So, having allergies as a parent or being allergic to something does not necessarily mean your child will be allergic to the same thing. And in fact, in the past, let's say 10 years plus ago, there was a recommendation that foods that commonly trigger allergies should wait to be introduced and be added to your baby's food a little bit later, let's say from nine months onwards. But currently, now, the global recommendation is that babies should be exposed to these potentially allergenic proteins early enough. So from six months, uh, we've already discussed a reasonable way to initiate the meals. Once you've sort of had a routine, it's actually recommended to start adding um other protein source and rich foods to your food. So, for example, adding egg yolk to your vegetable puree or adding uh minced meat, uh minced chicken, uh, fish, uh, because these are also very rich in iron and vitamins, like vitamin D, for example, and other very important nutrients. So, what then uh what are the signs of allergy? First of all, they get a rush or hive. So typically, a baby who is allergic to something, once you give them that thing, they'll often uh turn red, so to speak. They'll uh they'll redden up, get a rush, or get hives. Uh, you know, those blotting either on the face, the lips, and the rest of the body. Um a more severe version of this is actually swelling. Sometimes they swell the lips, the tongue. And often when they get repeated exposures, they might even get what we call a nephylaxis, which is a very severe form of allergic reaction that could potentially be fatal, can affect breathing due to the swelling of uh the upper airway. So, by and large, rush a rush and hives, and it's very itchy. Sometimes babies don't know how to show that itchy, they'll be very uncomfortable, they'll cry, they'll start to blot all over the face all over their face and skin generally. Uh, and that's a classic sign. And typically, reactions happen within minutes to an hour or two, because these are what we call immediate type hypersensitivity reactions. So if your baby eats something and has a reaction the next day, that's not a typical allergy. A typical allergy will happen uh quite immediately or at least within a short period of time. So a rush, hives, swelling, vomiting is a frequent one. And sometimes babies don't show any other signs, but the parents will tell me that every time I give egg, my baby vomits. Do they just hate it? And yes, sometimes it could be just an aversion, they don't like the taste or the smell, but sometimes it could be a sign that they're actually allergic to that particular food item. Now, what's very important is that uh when the reaction is uh quite robust, it makes sense to seek immediate medical attention because you don't know if there's going to be progression to breathing difficulty as part of the allergic reaction. So, what then we say is that while you're introducing one of the list of the common allergens that I mentioned, it's better to introduce one new food at a time. So if you're giving egg, egg yolk for the first time today, don't give it and add fish and add beef or and add peanut sauce. Rather give that one new protein mixed with the basic vegetable puree or your normal plant-based food, and then observe carefully if the baby's fine, they take it, they like it, you can keep it. Then next time you can introduce something else. The second thing is always start with a small amount. In any case, you know, babies between six and seven months, typically when they start solids, um, they just take a couple of spoons per meal. And um, you know, if they take 20 spoons, that's already about 100 ml. And typically you start with a small amount, just one little amount and see how they respond. And I would say that this caution is particularly important if your baby has early signs of allergies. You know, there's babies who within the first three, four months, they have maybe excessive eczema, which is skin allergy, or you have a really predominant strong family history of allergy. If many people are allergic to multiple food items, and this is really like a very common apparent thing in the family, it makes sense to really start with a very small amount, take your time, observe, and then build from there. And then I always say that new allergens or new proteins in your baby's diet should preferably be introduced at home. You know, don't explore daycare or in the restaurant for the first time or somewhere where you're not in control or ready or well equipped. So um it is perfectly fine and in fact recommended to uh introduce a diverse array of food protein sources uh as opposed to what was recommended in the past. So early introduction can actually be protective. So to close the session today, starting solids should not be a source of stress. It should actually, in my opinion, be a source of fun. It's an exciting period, it's an exciting time, it's part of natural progression. And it does not mean that you stop the milk because uh between six and eight months, as I mentioned, the breastfeeding or formula are still the predominant nutritional source as you build the solids progressively. And don't force feed. Uh, I always really uh get frazzled when I see families fighting and they always say, you know, my baby just doesn't like food, and they have to force feed and hold the baby down. That is very bad practice. So go with the flow, don't force feed, make it fun, be creative, and give your baby time to explore textures and expect a mess. It's part of the learning and growing and adapting, and this is perfectly fine. And remember, repeated exposures actually helps. They might take two spoons today, that might be five spoons next week, and that might be a whole meal, 150 ml, uh in the next two to three weeks. So be patient. Your goal is not perfection, it's building curiosity, confidence, and healthy eating habits. So starting solids is not just about feeding, it's about development, learning, and laying the foundation for lifelong health. So take it step by step. Trust your baby, and remember, you are actually doing better than you think. Before we leave, I would like to answer some of the questions that were sent to us by the listeners.

SPEAKER_00 34:42

First question from Joan 39 and living in Kigani. In my marriage, we don't really talk about health issues openly, whether it be stress, intimacy, or even going for checkups. It's just not something we were raised to discuss. Can that silence affect our overall health?

SPEAKER_01 34:59

My answer to that question would be yes. Indeed, there are many things in our culture, in our setup that we're just not exposed to, we're not used to talking openly and being intentional about. And the the questions, the the elements raised from uh the person who asked the question, particularly stress, intimacy, and health checkups, those are actually very important elements. Stress affects every part of the family life, not just within uh the couple, the spouses themselves, but also the children and the environment and how you raise your children. Intimacy, the same thing. You know, it's a core part of a healthy relationship, a healthy family, healthy couple. And more and more, uh as most people know, there's very strong recommendations to actually have regular checkups. And this depends on yes, your gender, yes, your family history, uh, yes, your medical and surgical history as well. So I'll give an example, they say, for a 45-year-old uh who is healthy, it's recommended to have a colonoscopy every five years if there are no issues, because you know, intestinal cancers always have precursors that develop many, many years before. And these are picked up when you do a regular checkup. Same thing with things like prostate cancer or breast cancer or hypertensive and cardiovascular diseases. So these are important aspects that should be discussed openly, regularly, and support each other to make sure that you take good care of your health.

SPEAKER_00 36:58

Last question from Joseph37 from Kampala. My kids get sick often, and every time we go to the clinic, they're given medication. I sometimes worry they're taking too many drugs at a young age. Can frequent medication affect children long term?

SPEAKER_01 37:13

The answer is yes. Uh actually, um, I've seen really frequently in my clinic, virtually every week, I find myself stopping medication instead of starting medication. Because as you know, and this is a good question, uh, children frequently get all kinds of things, viral infections. You know, in the preschool age, between two years and five years, we always say that kids get something every single month. It might be a flu, a cough, a viral fever, a rush, a diarrhoea, something. You know, healthy children get exposed to all these kinds of things, especially when they interact with a lot of children in preschool. So you can imagine if you have to expose your child to medication every time they are sick, it's really not a good practice. The good news is that for a healthy child who doesn't have any chronic issues, um, most of the common, frequent early childhood infections or problems do not need to be over-medicated. So, virtually for most of the viral infections, like the viral respiratory infections, like flus and coughs, the vast majority of them do not require any medication. You might need a parasitamor on day one, just to make sure that you manage fever and you reduce discomfort. Um, but by and large, people over-medicate children. You know, over-the-counter medication is big business. We walk into the pharmacy and pick two or three things to give to our children just because of a cold. So, my advice is that this can be harmful. It doesn't need to be like that. Um, if your child has symptoms that are worrying they have a high fever or they're not eating or they are vomiting, get them checked, get the doctor to look at them, and then manage it appropriately. If it's something that is within the scope of what we frequently refer to self-limiting illness, so like a flu. A flu is a self-limiting illness. It's rest, hydrate, maybe manage fever. Um, the less you give, the better. Thank you for listening to Healthy Beginnings. If you have any questions you'd like answered in the next episode, you can submit them to our email, healthybeginningspodcast at gmail.com. You can also follow us on all social media platforms. You can find us on YouTube as well as the audio platforms of your choice. See you next week.

SPEAKER_00 40:16

This podcast is for general informational and educational purposes only. Do not make health decisions without consulting your doctor. This podcast is brought to you by LF Media, home of great African podcasts.