If it's been a while since your last baby, or if this is your first, this can be one of the most confusing times of early childhood.  Few aspects of child rearing have changed so dramatically over the last couple of generations as weaning.  Our grandparents' generation may have just got on and given the baby the same food as the rest of the family mashed up, but little was known then about the detrimental effects of salt, sugars and some fats.  Our parents' generation again had much conflicting advice, but also heralded the advent of processed baby food.

Visits to health visitor clinics and mother and baby groups can lead to overhearing all manner of distorted recommendations and advice, and one of the most frequent and frustrating conversations heard is the competition between mums regarding who has the hungriest baby, and who had to wean baby first.  11 weeks was the earliest heard, because The baby wouldn't stop crying. Somebody needs to tell this mum that that's what babies do.  So how will you know when your baby is ready?  Firstly, the Department of Health recommends that all babies are fed exclusively on milk for the first 6 months of life.  At that point, there are some signs to look out for which mean that your baby is ready for the hard stuff, okay the soft mushy stuff.

If it feels like your baby is constantly demanding more feeds, he probably is - but he can't say no more milk please, where's my mushy parsnip?

If he starts waking more frequently in the night after having slept for long periods of time - yep, it's probably hunger.

Even if your baby doesn't show these signs, don't delay much beyond six months, as essential stores of iron that your baby has had since birth are now becoming depleted - your baby needs food! (As always though, consult your health visitor if you have any queries.) Don't forget though - weaning means adding solid food, not subtracting milk - milk should still be given for the first year, at around a pint a day.

The initial stages of weaning will involve much patience, mess and trial and error.  Don't be overanxious, as this will make the whole process fraught.  Wait for a day when both you and your baby are ready and have plenty of time to relax together.  Have plenty of cloths ready and please don't spend several hours hand preparing a coulis of exotic vegetables - some mashed carrot or mango is a fine start.  Try introducing new foods one at a time, so you can see which ones baby likes - after this has been established, then move onto combined flavours such as parsnip and cooked apple, or millet with banana.  Don't be afraid of mixing flavours that we might perhaps regard as unusual - one school of thought is that a baby who experiences more flavours from an early age will be a more adventurous eater throughout childhood.

After a couple of months, try giving baby two solid meals a day.  Introduce some puried meats, lentils and pulses to increase nutrient intake, and fish and well cooked eggs can now be added to the menu, as can full fat dairy products.

At somewhere around nine or ten months, your baby may be ready to take his food in less of a purie, more of a mash - introduce small lumps in his food and perhaps try some finger foods.  Bananas are invaluable at this point, and you can try different types of breads such as chapattis or pitas, or chunks of cheese.

Some do's and don'ts:

• Don't add salt or sugar.
• Do use a large variety of foods for optimum nutrition.
• Don't rely on processed baby foods - have a go at making your own - you know what's in it, it's cheap and less time consuming than you might think.
• Do swap recipes and ideas with other parents and carers.
• Don't leave your baby to eat alone - he needs supervision.
• Do check with your health visitor or G.P. if you are unsure about anything, particularly allergies.

Current advice (about allergies) recommends that if you or any of your close family suffer from allergies, check with your medical advisor before introducing any wheat based foods, including flour, rusks and cereals, any milk products, nuts, seeds, citrus fruit, fish and shell fish and eggs. If you are worried about any possible reactions during weaning, perhaps keeping a food journal will help document when each new food is introduced, and wait for a period of a couple of days before giving it again to monitor any possible reaction.You know one. I know one. You may even be one. Me, I'm as for from being a Yummy Mummy as my stomach is from a washboard. We've all sat next to one in the baby clinic, or baby gymkhana as I prefer to call them, feeling cowed and inferior, and trying to hide our chipped nails under our spreading denimed thighs. Who else but a YM could arrive at 9am with her baby in white fake fur wearing a Chanel ribbon round her bald head?  My baby is mostly wearing Weetabix, which it appears she has shared with the back of my slightly stained maternity shirt.  Who else but a YM would whip out a platinum Gucci bottle when I whip out my distended and veiny breast?  YM's baby is sleeping through the night and says "byebye" - my baby sleeps through Eastenders while I try to shave my legs over the sink, and shouts"dadada" at every passing lady (don't ask).

So how do they do it?  Well, I know the answer - are you ready for this? - they cheat.  These poor Yummy Mummy's are in fact no different from you or me; the only difference is that their fear of getting it wrong is even bigger than ours. Instead of being grateful that they are actually getting through the day without serious injury to anybody or thing, and letting all else go to the dogs, these mummies are so terrified that they are going to be judged as lacking in some department that they hide behind this veneer of perfection.  All it takes is a friend like me to look after the baby while YM has a terribly important appointment (with John Frieda) and hey presto!  Some pressed linen trousers and 60 second drying nail polish later, she looks the part and I look, well, the pits.  But I know that YM is in fact in awe of my rapport with my baby, and the fact that I am secure enough to leave the house with my husbands oldest jumper and yesterdays make up still on, and is worried that in fact I will judge her due to her inability to get those perky little boobs to feed her child - so why don't we stop judging?  You know and I know that YM is just a slightly cleaner, but slightly lonelier mummy than us, so why don't we admire her Fendi and then invite her to let the baby chew on her bag for a while?  While she enviously watches me breastfeed, maybe she won't notice if I discreetly remove the slightly laddered pair of tights that is stuck to the back of her cashmere jumper?  And we won't tell her - let her at least be safe in the knowledge of sartorial splendour.