Bottles and meals

To prepare a bottle safely, wash your hands, pour in the water, then the exact number of level scoops the manufacturer states. The WHO and the NHS advise boiled water still at 70 °C or above, because the powder is not sterile. Cool it, test it on the inside of your wrist, feed straight away and throw away what is left.

There is no ideal amount of milk that suits every baby. Quebec guidelines go from 450 to 800 ml a day in the first month to 850 to 1,000 ml at around 4 to 6 months, then fall as solids begin. When breastfeeding, nothing is measured: you follow your baby's cues, nappies and weight curve.

The WHO recommends starting solid foods at 6 months while continuing to breastfeed; French paediatricians accept 4 to 6 months, never earlier. You begin when your baby sits up and brings food to their mouth, with a few spoonfuls of iron-rich foods and varied vegetables, no salt or sugar.

Baby-led weaning (BLW) means letting your baby feed themselves soft foods in pieces, from 6 months. They must sit up unaided and bring food to their mouth. Gagging is common and normal; choking, rarer, calls for constant supervision and first-aid steps worth knowing.

Between 6 and 8 months, your baby moves from smooth purées to mashed textures. These 10 simple recipes pair seasonal vegetables with iron-rich foods (lentils, chickpeas, chicken, fish, egg), with no salt, sugar or honey. Made ahead, they keep 1 to 3 days in the fridge and 1 to 3 months in the freezer.

To lower the risk of food allergy, your baby tastes allergenic foods early, from the start of solids, around 6 months and never before 4 months: well-cooked egg, smooth peanut, milk, wheat, fish. Introduce them one at a time, then keep them on the menu. Swelling of the face or breathing trouble: call 141.

After age 1, growth slows and appetite drops or varies from day to day: a toddler who eats little but stays active, cheerful and growing well is eating enough. Offer three meals and one or two snacks, small portions, without forcing or rewarding, and offer refused foods again.

Before 6 months, a breastfed baby does not need water, even in very hot weather: offer the breast more often instead. After 6 months, he takes a few sips from an open cup at mealtimes. In Morocco, the cautious approach is to boil tap water for an infant, or to choose a low-mineral bottled water.

Between 9 and 12 months, your baby moves from mashed food to soft little pieces he can pick up himself. He usually has 3 meals and 1 to 2 snacks, on top of his milk. Meat, fish or egg: about 10 g a day before age 1. No salt, no sugar, no honey, and round foods always cut up.

Moroccan cooking suits babies very well from the start of weaning, around 6 months, on one condition: set his portion aside before adding salt, stock cubes, smen, olives and preserved lemon. Mild spices are fine. No honey before age 1, no swordfish, and a texture suited to his age.

Before age 1, no salt or sugar is added to your baby’s meals, and no honey is given, because of the risk of botulism. The NHS then sets a ceiling of 2 g of salt a day between 1 and 3 years. Added sugar should be kept to a minimum up to age 4, fruit juice and sugar water included.

A balanced children’s breakfast combines three things: a low-sugar cereal food (bread, oats, baghrir), a dairy food (milk, lben, plain raïb) and a piece of fruit. It provides around 20% of the day’s intake. Msemen and harcha stay occasional, and sugary cereals are best limited.

A homemade purée keeps 1 to 2 days in the fridge if it contains meat or fish, 2 to 3 days if it is only vegetables or fruit, and 1 to 3 months in the freezer. Cool it within 2 hours, reheat it only once and throw away what is left in the bowl.

Cow's milk can go into baby's cooking from 6 months, but not as the main drink before 1 year (NHS), or 9 to 12 months according to Health Canada. After that, pasteurised whole milk, never above 750 ml a day to avoid anaemia. Never raw milk, nor home-made unpasteurised lben, raib or jben.