In the feeding of the baby at 6 months, the introduction of new foods to the diet must be initiated, interspersed with breastfeeding or with the formula of milk formula proper for the age. So it is in this phase that you should add foods such as vegetables, fruit, and porridge, always with the consistency of puree type to facilitate swallowing and digestion.
During the introduction of new foods in the baby’s diet, it is important that each new food is introduced alone, because in this way it is possible to identify possible allergies or food sensitivity, allowing to know what was the food that could have caused symptoms such as belly pains, diarrhea or constipation in the baby.
Ideally, a new food should be introduced into the diet every 3 days, which also facilitates the baby’s adaptation to the taste and texture of the new foods.
So the idea is to start feeding the baby with the following foods:
- Soups or mashed vegetables: are rich in vitamins, minerals and fibers that are essential for the proper development of the baby. Some examples of vegetables that can be used are pumpkin, potato, carrot, sweet potato, zucchini, cauliflower, chayota, ocumo, yam, banana and onion. In addition to this, the soup or puree should be made without using salt, being able to add 1 teaspoon of oil after the preparation is ready.
- Fruit puree: the fruits should be grated or crushed, and can be given to the baby in the morning or afternoon snacks, and can also offer cooked fruits, but without adding sugar. Some fruits that are excellent options to initiate the semi-solid feeding of the baby are the apple, the pear, the banana and the milky or the papaya.
- Papillas: the papillas should be made under the guidance of the pediatrician or the nutritionist, following the dilution indicated on the package. You can give cereal porridge, flours and starch using sources such as corn, rice, wheat, and cassava. In addition to this, you should not avoid giving gluten to the baby, since contact with gluten decreases the chances of food intolerance in the future.
It is natural that in the first meals the baby eats very little since he is still developing the ability to swallow food and is getting used to the new flavors and textures. So, it is usually necessary to supplement the food with breast milk or bottle, being very important not to force the baby to eat more than he wants.
Type menu for a 6-month-old baby
An example of a food routine for a 6-month-old baby during a day can be:
- Breakfast (7h): Maternal milk or bottle;
- Morning snack (10h): Fruit puree with banana and apple;
- Lunch (13h): Mashed potato, squash and cauliflower vegetables;
- Afternoon snack (4 pm): Mother’s milk or bottle;
- Dinner (18: 30h): Wheat porridge;
- Night snack (21h): Mother’s milk or bottle.
Purees and baby food should be given to the baby with a spoon, avoiding always giving them in the bottle, as they need to learn to feel the texture, stimulate chewing and learn to swallow food.
Recipes for complementary feeding
See below two simple recipes that can be prepared for the baby with 6 months:
Cream of zucchini
This recipe pays for 4 meals, being possible to freeze it so that it can be used in the days to follow.
Ingredients
- 80 g of sweet potato;
- 100 g of zucchini;
- 100 g of carrot;
- 1 tsp olive oil
Preparation method
Peel, wash and cut the sweet potato and carrot into cubes. Wash the pumpkin and cut into slices. Place the sweet potato, carrot and zucchini in a pot with boiling water and cook for 20 minutes. Drain the excess water and beat the ingredients using the blender until you obtain a consistent cream. Next, the oil should be added and, if it is necessary for the baby to gain weight, 2 teaspoons of baby’s milk powder can be added.
Banana puree
This puree is simple and can be offered as a snack or as a dessert after a meal with vegetable cream, for example.
Ingredients
- 120 g of banana;
- 1/2 handle;
- 2 tbsp milk powder baby.
Preparation method
Wash and peel mango and banana. Cut into pieces and liquefy until mashed. Then add the milk and liquefy until the mixture is homogeneous.
