Infant Nutrition
Good infant nutrition is essential for healthy growth, brain development, and overall wellbeing. Breast milk or formula provides key nutrients early on, while introducing solids ensures babies get important vitamins and minerals like iron and vitamin D. Providing a balanced diet from the start helps support growth, development, and healthy eating habits for life.
How do we help?
Our private paediatric dietitian service provides personalised infant nutrition guides and practical support to help families feel confident about feeding their children at every stage of growth. We can help with a wide range of concerns, including slow or rapid weight gain, growth faltering, food allergies and intolerances, reflux, constipation, and fussy eating. We provide guidance on milk feeding, whether breast, formula, or a combination, including advice on specialist formulas when required, and we offer step-by-step support for weaning — helping parents know when and how to introduce solids, new textures, and flavours, while building a balanced and varied diet that meets all nutritional needs.
In addition to tailored feeding plans, we provide practical tools in our infant nutrition guide including easy-to-follow recipes, snack ideas, and meal suggestions, making it simpler for families to offer nutritious and enjoyable meals at home. We also support infants and children with special dietary requirements, including vegetarian and vegan diets, ensuring they receive all the essential nutrients for healthy growth and development. Our approach is personalised and evidence-based, focusing on practical strategies that fit into everyday family life, while giving parents reassurance, confidence, and the knowledge they need to make feeding a positive and stress-free experience.
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Infant nutrition refers to the nourishment a baby receives during the first year—from birth through weaning and early solids. It encompasses breast milk or formula, and later, the safe introduction of complementary foods. Proper infant nutrition ensures babies get the essential macro- and micronutrients required for growth, brain development, immune function, and establishing healthy eating patterns for life.
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Ideal nutrition for an infant starts with breast milk or formula as the main source of energy and nutrients in early months. As your baby grows, a balanced diet includes iron-rich foods, healthy fats, proteins, and fruits and vegetables, introduced gradually in safe textures. The goal is to support steady growth, full development of organs and the brain, and to foster positive eating habits that can transition into a varied, wholesome diet.
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Solid foods are typically introduced around six months of age when baby shows signs of readiness—sitting with support, showing interest in food, and the ability to hold up their head. This is a gradual process, beginning with soft, single-ingredient purees before progressing to more complex textures and flavors. Gentle guidance, patience, and observing your baby’s cues are key during this transition.
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Yes — in the first year, you should avoid honey (risk of botulism), whole nuts or large chunks like whole grapes or popcorn (choking hazard), unpasteurized dairy, raw meats / fish or shellfish, excessive added salt or sugar.