Top 5 weaning recipes for the first weeks

Lily Barclay – Content Director

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Is your baby ready for weaning? Discover BBC Good Food's easy, triple-tested baby food recipes, from simple sweet potato purée to spiced pear.

Giving your baby their first taste of foods is a huge milestone, which can feel exciting and daunting all at the same time. Weaning begins with single fruit or vegetable purées or soft finger foods like florets of steamed broccoli or cauliflower. The below recipes have been designed to give your baby a great tasting foundation before proteins and other richer foods are introduced.

1. Sweet potato purée

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Sweet potatoes are an easy, simple first food for when you start weaning your baby. The taste tends to be readily accepted and you can blend in their regular milk for a creamy, easily-digestible purée.

Sweet potato purée

2. Carrot & swede purée

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Once your baby has tried single tastes of these root vegetables, try combining for a more interesting flavour combination. This carrot and swede blend is packed with vitamins that you can make with their usual breast milk or formula.

Carrot & swede purée

3. Apple & beetroot purée

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This vibrant purée is a great way of introducing a new taste like beetroot into your child’s diet. The more varied the flavours sampled at an early age, the easier the weaning process should be when they start exploring more complex dishes. Just make sure you have a decent sized bib at the ready!

Apple & beetroot purée

4. Spiced pear purée

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This makes a lovely purée for breakfast or a first dessert. A subtle pinch of cinnamon will stimulate your baby's taste buds, laying the foundations for more interesting recipes in the future.

Spiced pear purée

5. Perfect banana & avocado purée

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This simple no-cook purée is great if you need to feed your baby in a hurry. Made with ripe, nutrient-rich avocado and banana, this is also quite a filling meal. Yogurt can be added for a protein boost if you like.

Perfect banana & avocado purée

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