First Stages

0-4 months

Most experts believe breastfeeding is the best start you can give your baby, though many mothers are able to only breastfeed for a short while or use bottle feeding from day one. Some also combine breastfeeding with formula feeding - for instance, when new mums need to go back to work they can breastfeed in the morning and at night, but their baby can be fed with a bottle during the daytime.

This is the stage when your baby is almost most likely to suffer from colic - that is, uncontrollable crying that can last for hours at a time. However, studies indicate that babies with colic feed normally and continue to gain weight. If you're worried, talk to your GP or pharmacist, who can recommend over-the-counter colic remedies that might help.

4-8 months

Now's the time to start introducing solid foods, such as baby cereals or very finely mashed-up or pureéd fruits or vegetables - the consistency should be almost liquid, so your baby can swallow it easily. However, the main food at this stage is still breast or formula milk, with any solids being introduced gradually.

How soon you start introducing solids will depend on when your baby is ready for them, with some experts recommending that solids aren't introduced until a baby is six months old. If your baby's appetite is growing, however, and they seem to want more than the breast or formula milk you're giving them, or if they are showing interest in what you're eating, it may be time to let them try some solids.

8 to 10 months

At this stage you can start adding a bigger variety of fruit and vegetables, as well as introduce other foods such as well-cooked, mashed-up pasta, meat, eggs, cheese and yoghurt. Around this time your baby could have one solid meal each day, but at other times they will still need their milk.

Do not, however, introduce new foods late in the day or at night. If your baby has a reaction to a food they haven't tried before, it's easier to get access to a health professional who can help if the reaction starts earlier in the day.

12 months onwards

By the time they reach their first birthday babies are usually ready for more solid foods that they can chew - so instead of mashing up their solids, cut and chop into small pieces. Introduce lots more tastes, colours and textures at this stage too, as by the time they're a year old most babies are ready to experience lots of different things.