Weaning and First Foods Diary

Who this is for

A diary of what was offered and what happened next. Each line takes the date and time of day, the food, how it went described the way you would describe it out loud, anything you noticed afterwards and who was sitting with them — so that if somebody asks you later, the answer is on the page.

Parents starting solid food, partners and grandparents doing a mealtime who need to know what has already been tried, and anyone who has been asked to keep a written note of what was offered and what followed.

What this helps you track

• What was offered, on what date, and at what time of day
• How it went, in your words rather than a scale of ours
• Anything you noticed afterwards, written down with a time beside it
• Who was with them at the table
• A run of entries you can read back rather than reconstruct

How to use it

1. Write the child's name at the top, and copy into the wide box whatever your health visitor, dietitian or doctor told you to do — in their words, not ours.
2. Start a line at the meal, not at the end of the day, and name the food plainly.
3. Describe how it went the way you would say it: spat it out, grabbed the spoon, wore most of it, ate the lot.
4. Use the next column for anything you noticed afterwards, with a time, and write it down even if you think it was unrelated.
5. Note who was with them. If you have been advised to have somebody else in the room, that column is the record that you did.
6. If anything worries you at all, stop and speak to a medical professional rather than writing another line.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The online version keeps what you enter in your own browser and builds the completed PDF on your device.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

When should I start, and in what order?

This diary does not say, and carries no ages, no order of foods and no quantities anywhere. Those are questions for your health visitor, dietitian or doctor, who knows your child. There is a box at the top to write down what they told you.

What should I put in the reaction column?

Whatever you actually noticed, with a time: a rash, a cough, a change in nappies, being unsettled, or nothing at all. Write it plainly. The sheet does not interpret anything you put there and neither should it.

What do I do if I see something that worries me?

Stop and get medical help — urgently if breathing, swelling or consciousness is involved. This is a diary for recording what happened, not a sheet for deciding what it means or what to do about it.

Is there a list of foods to work through?

No. The food column is blank on every row, because a printed list would be a recommendation and we are not in a position to make one. Write what you offered.

Can the childminder or nursery fill this in?

Yes, and it is worth asking them to. Put their name in the who-was-there column so each line has a person attached to it, and the diary stays one continuous record.