Autumn is a great time to start weaning your baby, as this season has a wonderful bounty of fresh fruit and vegetables

The days are getting shorter and we all want to cuddle up at night. Autumn is the perfect time to begin your weaning journey as there are lots of affordable and seasonal vegetables and fruit about, all ideal for creating delicious baby purées.

Harvest festival

Most of this season’s root vegetables, berries and tree-grown fruits are idea for making Stage One weaning purée. They’re easy to cook and mash and go easily into the fantastic Fill n Squeeze pouches, ready for feeding your little one at home or on the go. Gently steam them to keep the nutrients in, then mash with the clever Fill n Squeeze masher and you’re ready for anything!

Once your baby is used to single fruit or veg purées, don’t be afraid to mix two or three flavours together – vegetables like parsnips, squash and sweet potatoes work well with pear and apple, for example.

Nutrition note: when your baby starts weaning, continue to offer their usual milk, whether it’s breastmilk or formula; babies need 500-600ml of milk daily. This gives them all they need between six and 12 months, with weaning foods as an additional boost.

Fresh and nutritious

 Choosing produce that’s in season now is great because

• It can be local, so it has fewer food miles
• It’s super fresh
• It is full of great vitamins and minerals.
• It’s inexpensive.

Some great choices for weaning this autumn

Looking for ideas for baby purée? Choose apples, pears, Brussel Sprouts, soft fruits and berries, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, pumpkin and squashes, swedes and turnips, carrots, celeriac, parsnips, fennel, beetroot, celery, green leafy vegetables, onions, and garlic, peas and sweetcorn, peppers, tomatoes, potatoes and sweet potatoes.

Try our Vegetable Broth recipe

Stage One to Stage Two

As your baby gets used to eating one, two and three ingredient purées, start introducing a few small lumps into the mixture. You can do this by puréeing part of the food, leaving some aside, which you mash roughly to leave some lumps. This will still work beautifully in your Fill n Squeeze pouches – just add the lumps to the machine and stir before filling your pouches.  

Adding extra ingredients

It’s colder outside, so many of us long for slightly heavier, more filling meals and Autumn comfort eating can help your little one enjoy a whole new range of textures and flavours. Start to include potatoes, tiny pasta shapes and other small carbs like couscous and rice to your little one’s purées. A source of protein such as poultry, meat, fish, cheese or a plant-based protein source such as tofu, lentils and beans, plus those vitamin-rich fruit and veg will help they grow and you should offer the protein-rich foods first to ensure your little one gets enough before filling up with any carbohydrates.

Food for the whole family

As your baby breezes through new flavours and textures, you can start to save yourself some time. Cook a dish the rest of the family will enjoy, removing some to purée for your baby before adding spices. Remember; never add salt or sugar to your baby’s food. You can also offer fist-sized pieces of soft food for your baby to hold and feed themselves while you pop some delicious spoons of food into their hungry mouth. Try to eat together so that your little one sees mealtimes as a fun, family time.