What should be included in the weaning menu for 6 month babies?

During the first 6 months of life, the baby is exclusively breastfed. After 6 months, you should let your baby practice weaning so that he / she has essential nutrients other than milk. Having to constantly change the weaning menu for your 6-month-old baby to get excited about weaning can sometimes make you difficult.

During the weaning phase, you should note the following: You should pay attention to the scientific formula for baby snacks to ensure adequate nutrition for 6-month-old children, help children develop physically and mentally. Let's refer to the 6-month baby snack menu with 9 nutritious foods from the following article of aFamilyToday Health, will you?

When should you practice baby food?

You can introduce solids when your baby is 4 - 6 months old. Before that, breast milk or formula milk was considered as an essential source of nutrients for the development of children. Children at this age, the digestive system is still not fully developed. Therefore, you should limit your child's use of solid foods or any other solid foods. According to many published studies, you should only feed your baby after 6 months of age.

You should only introduce solids when your baby has the following symptoms:

Children can sit if supported: In order to practice the habit of sitting firmly without adult help later, you need to sit up straight to chew and swallow properly.

You can keep your head upright and steady without any help.

Babies know how to slash and chew food with their gums. You should not offer solids if your baby pushes the food out of his or her mouth.

You can practice solids when your baby's body weight is twice that of birth and is at least over 4 months old.

Your baby has a need to eat more even though you have breastfed 8-10 times / day.

Babies show interest and curiosity about foods. You may notice that your baby is showing strange behaviors like staring at what you are eating and asking for food.

When starting weaning, you can refer to more about Japanese weaning method and combine the following information to develop the most scientific 6-month-old baby food menu:

The essential nutrients in the weaning menu for babies 6 months old

After 6 months, your baby needs to be supplemented with nutrients other than milk. Therefore, you need to practice feeding your baby so that he / she will be provided with essential nutrients from food. When your baby is used to weaning, you should feed your baby a variety of foods, especially foods that provide the nutrients they need. The important nutrients for babies include:

Iron

Calcium

Vitamin C

Vitamin A

Vitamin D

Omega 3 fatty acids

Develop a menu for 6-month babies with 9 nutritious foods

When feeding your baby solid foods, you should feed your baby all 9 following foods:

1. Butter

This is a great food for first-time weaning babies. Avocados contain a lot of fat and essential nutrients for a healthy baby. In avocado, there are vitamins A , C, niacin, folate and minerals such as potassium, phosphorus, iron, magnesium, calcium ... This fruit is soft, smooth and creamy, so babies can easily eat. and good digestion.

You can cook butter for your baby to enjoy in the following way:

The ripe avocado is peeled, removing any fibers and spoilage (if any).

Cut butter into small pieces, puree with a spoon or fork.

You can add formula (prepared) or breast milk or water to give the butter a smooth, liquid form for your baby to swallow. Alternatively, you can add more cereal flour if you want a thicker, thicker mixture.

2. Banana

Bananas are another great option for first-time weaning babies. Studies show that the mucous membrane created by bananas can cover the stomach, helping the baby to digest more easily. Bananas have a sweet taste, so they can help your baby get used to it when they first eat solids. Bananas contain vitamins A, C, folate and minerals such as potassium, phosphorus, selenium, magnesium and calcium ... very good for your baby.

You can cook bananas for your baby to enjoy in the following way:

Peeled bananas, slice them, crush them with a spoon, use a fine sieve or you can add them to a blender and puree them. You can microwave the bananas for 25 seconds before mashing to make them softer and easier to mash.

Add breastmilk, formula or water to thin the mixture or add cereals if you want it to thicken.

3. Brown rice

If you want to make your own baby cereal, try brown rice cereals . Whole grains are healthy, nutritious foods for your baby and your whole family. Choose organic brown rice to make sure the grain has no residue of pesticides.

You can prepare brown rice for your baby to enjoy in the following ways:

Resources:

20g rice flour made from pureed organic brown rice

100ml of water.

Processing:

Boil water, add brown rice flour slowly and stir well.

Simmer for about 5 minutes and stir well.

Cool powder, you can add formula or breast milk or finely ground vegetables and fruits (if desired).

4. Le

This fruit contains vitamins A, C, folate and minerals such as potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium ... which are good for your baby's development.

You can cook pears for your baby to enjoy in the following way:

Peel, core, slice, put in blender until smooth mixture. You can also crush pears with a spoon or fork and sift through a fine sieve.

You can add more water to make the mixture thinner. However, pears are a water-rich fruit, so adding water isn't really necessary. You can mix more grains for a thicker mixture if needed.

5. Potatoes, sweet potatoes

You can process potatoes and sweet potatoes for your baby to enjoy in the following ways:

Wash the potato thoroughly, without peeling it, use a toothpick or fork to poke holes in the potato.

Wrap potatoes in foil, place in the oven and set to 400 degrees, bake for 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Ripe potatoes, pureed or finely ground, add water or milk to make a liquid, smooth mixture and feed your baby.

Or you can process by the following method:

Using a two-blade knife to peel the potatoes, cut the potatoes into small cubes.

You steam the potatoes or put the potatoes in a pot, pour over the water, boil until the potatoes are soft. Note check the water in the pot, do not let the water dry to burn the potatoes.

Ripe potatoes use a spoon to crush, sift through or use a blender.

Add water or milk to make the mixture as fluid, smooth, and then feed your baby.

6. Cereals

In the weaning stage, many babies love to eat weaning powder, especially cereal flour. You can use processed baby cereals from reputable brands. In addition, you can make your own cereal flour from rice, brown rice and beans ... for your baby.

When preparing baby cereal, you can mix it with formula, breast milk or water. Change the dilution or consistency of the cereal to suit your baby's ability to swallow food.

Whenever you offer something to your baby, make sure it is made specifically for young children. This will help ensure adequate supplies of the nutrients your baby needs at this age and that the food doesn't contain too much salt.

7. Animal protein

If your baby is primarily breastfed, he or she may need nutrients from iron and zinc containing meats. At 6 months of age, the baby's body is able to absorb the nutrients contained in these foods.

Pork, chicken, beef, egg yolks, shrimp, white fish ... are an excellent source of iron and zinc for your baby during the weaning period. Note that you should feed your baby little by little and observe if your baby has any food allergies.

8. Foods containing vitamin D

Although scientists recommend that you breastfeed exclusively for the first 6 months of life and keep it going for as long as possible, did you know that breastmilk doesn't contain enough vitamin D your baby needs? Therefore, you should add vitamin D to your baby to avoid diseases like rickets .

Although sunlight stimulates the skin to produce vitamin D, all children are allowed to wear sunscreen, wear a hat, and wear protective clothing when outdoors to limit the harmful effects of ultraviolet rays. This in turn prevents the skin from being exposed to sunlight to produce vitamin D. Therefore, researchers have suggested that breastfed babies as well as formula drinkers should start taking vitamin D supplements as soon as possible. was born by taking a 400 IU vitamin D supplement daily. Talk to your pediatrician to see how much vitamin D your baby needs to supplement.

9. Iron-rich foods

During the first 4 - 6 months, breastfed babies have no need for additional iron because the amount of iron in the mother's body before birth is completely enough for the baby. After that time, the amount of iron stored in your body will gradually deplete and your baby's iron requirements will also increase as the baby grows up.

If, during pregnancy, complications such as diabetes or if your baby is born at a low weight or is born prematurely, your baby may need iron supplements. Ask your pediatrician for further advice.

In addition, researchers believe that babies who are not breastfed or only breastfed for a short time need to drink iron-fortified formula from birth to 12 months of age. Researchers also discourage you from using low iron fortified formula because they do not provide the full amount of iron your baby needs.

Therefore, feeding your baby with solid foods helps your baby get more iron from meats, fish, cereals, vegetables ...

Diets for babies 6 months old

aFamilyToday Health introduces you to a diverse and easy-to-follow 6-month baby meal menu for babies:

In addition to the snacks for babies in the menu table above, please refer to the article Along with the Japanese weaning menu for babies according to each month of age to make your baby's meals more diverse and nutritious.

Wishing your mother and child through an exciting and happy weaning period. Happy baby or large fast food.