I am just about to start weaning my 6 month old baby. I am fairly confident about what foods I should be giving him/her but which ones should I avoid?

Some foods are more likely to upset a baby or cause an allergic reaction than other foods. These foods are listed below and should not be given to your baby before 6 months. This is because in the first few months of life the gut is quite porous and allows relatively large molecules to pass through the intestinal wall, possibly causing an allergy. As your baby gets older ‛closure' occurs and molecules can no longer ‛leak out' of the gut.

* Wheat-based foods which contain gluten, e.g. wheat flour, breakfast cereals, rusks, etc. Look for foods marked with the gluten-free symbol.
* Nuts and seeds including ground nuts and peanut butter and other nut spreads.
* Eggs.
* Fish and shellfish.
* Citrus fruits including citrus fruit juices.
* Cow's milk as a drink until your baby is one year old. It is only OK for mixing foods or in cooking from 6 months onwards. This is because cow's milk is very high in protein
* Milk products such as yoghurts and custard, if your family has a history of allergy.

You should also avoid giving your baby .....

* Salt - A small baby's system can't cope with more salt than is naturally found in foods.
* Sugar - This could encourage a sweet tooth and lead to tooth decay. Try mashed banana or breast or formula milk to sweeten food if necessary.
* Honey - This is a sugar too and can cause the same problems as sugar. Don't give honey until your child is one year old. Very occasionally it can contain spores which can cause very serious illness (infant botulism).

Top Tip

If your toddler often rejects meals that incorporate a number of different tastes and textures such as lasagne or fish pie try serving the same ingredients separately instead. Very often, this simple change in presentation will see the plate emptied in seconds and your child asking for more!