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Food ideas 6 month old baby


Baby Meal Plan: 6 to 9 Month Old

What should you know about feeding your 6- to 9-month-old?

  • Learn about how to introduce solid foods to your baby

  • Know that what foods you introduce now help influence baby’s preferences in the future

  • Explore menus that help you understand the transition from purees to soft solids

Starting solid foods is an exciting time for you and your baby. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization recommend introducing solid foods around 6 months of age.1,2

Check out our signs of readiness article and speak with your baby’s pediatrician to help determine when your little one is ready to start solids.  

While starting solids, you will continue to provide most of the essential nutrition and hydration your baby needs from breast milk or formula, while also exposing your baby to a new world of diverse flavors and nutrients.

In fact, this is one of the most influential periods in your baby’s taste development.3,4 Your baby will most readily try and accept all kinds of foods at this age so it’s important to offer a variety of different flavors from meal to meal.

There are two meal plans below

One for starting solids with purees, and one for when your little one starts to advance textures. Both have snack and recipe ideas to help you get started. They also have plenty of flavor variety to help maximize your baby’s taste
development.

Read more: Learning to Love Healthy Foods

Pro tips for 6- to 9-month-old baby meal plans

Eating solids at this age is mostly about letting your baby explore new flavors and textures. Breast milk or formula will remain your baby’s primary nutrition source during their first year, so continue to give breast milk and/or formula just as you were before starting solids. Your little one will begin to reduce how much formula or breastmilk they take as they get closer to 1 year.5,67

For breastfed babies, introduction of solids at 6 months helps your little one get enough of certain nutrients. For example, at 6 months stored iron begins to diminish. Since breast milk is not a good source of iron, including some iron-rich foods, such as fortified cereals and pureed meats, will help your little one get enough.8

For more information, chat with baby’s health care provider for their recommendations.

For more information on the nutrient needs of your older baby, check out: Nutrient Needs and Feeding Tips for 6 to 12 Month Olds

How much should I feed my baby?

At around 6 months old, you can start by offering 1 to 2 tablespoons of food once or twice per day. Once your little one gets the hang of eating and shows more interest, slowly begin offering foods 2 to 3 times per day and ¼ to ½ cup at a time. 9,10

Remember to listen to your baby’s hunger and fullness cues throughout their feeding journey, rather than go by specific portions. Your little may take more or less each day; by responding to their feeding cues you’ll be providing them with just what they need.11

It’s important to advance texture once your baby is comfortable. Start with thin, pureed foods, thickening them a bit as baby gets used to eating. Next, move to lumpy, mashed foods; followed by finely chopped, soft foods.12

Read more: Introducing Solids: First Foods & Textures

Introduce one single-ingredient new food at a time

Allow for 3 to 5 days before introducing another new food to make sure your baby is not allergic or intolerant to these foods. 9,12

Foods most often associated with allergies are eggs, soy, peanuts, tree nuts and seeds, wheat, fish, shellfish, and cow’s milk (drinking cow’s milk is not recommended before 12 months, but milk can be used in small amounts in baked or cooked foods, and baby can also eat yogurt and cheese as long as there is no allergy or intolerance). 13

Read more: Introducing Major Food Allergens to your Infant

What should baby eat by 9 months?

By 9 months of age, your baby should be eating foods from all food groups, and should have been introduced to lumpy purees.15 Some little ones may be able to handle small, soft pieces of finger foods by this age as well.

Pay attention to your baby’s cues, have fun, and let your baby set the pace while offering your baby healthy foods that contain important nutrients to set the standard for healthy eating patterns.

Baby doesn’t like a food? Try, try again!

Your baby may grimace, wrinkle their nose, or make other faces when they try new foods and textures. Know that this is completely normal and doesn’t mean your little one dislikes the food or is being picky.

Babies may need to taste a food up to 10 or more times before they start to accept it, so just keep offering (though not forcing) that food. 14

Remember, starting solids is mostly about introducing a variety of flavors and textures – and keeping it fun and stress-free!

If you have questions about introducing solids or advancing textures, reach out to our team of registered dietitian nutritionists for free! They are here to help on our free live chat from Monday through Friday, from 8am–6pm ET. Chat now!


Around 6-month old meal plan: First foods and purees
Breakfast

  • Option 1: Whole Ancient Grain Baby Cereal

  • Option 2: Mashed avocado

  • Option 3: Avocado and Pea Puree

  • Option 4: Apple and acorn squash mash (pureed apples and squash mixed)

  • Option 5: Pureed peaches or soft cooked pears

Lunch

  • Option 1: Root Vegetable Puree

  • Option 2: Unsweetened whole milk yogurt

  • Option 3: Avocado and Pea Puree

  • Option 4: Pureed apples

  • Option 5: Quinoa cereal

Dinner

  • Option 1: Mashed “Banacado” (banana and avocado mashed together)

  • Option 2: Baby Muesli with Peach Yogurt

  • Option 3: Tropical medley (mashed papaya and mango)

  • Option 4: Garden veggie and fruit combo (mix mashed/pureed apples, spinach and peas)

  • Option 5: Beet and Cantaloupe Puree

7-9 months-old-menu: Advancing Textures
Breakfast

  • Option 1: Unsweetened yogurt with mashed peaches

  • Option 2: Oatmeal cereal

  • Option 3: Whole grain waffle strips

  • Option 4: Orange Sunny Soup

  • Option 5: Soft scrambled egg

Lunch

  • Option 1: Soft cooked whole grain pasta with olive oil and parmesan cheese

  • Option 2: Slivers of turkey with peas

  • Option 3: Unsweetened applesauce and shredded or cubed cheese

  • Option 4: Chickpea and Carrot Spread

  • Option 5: Cottage Cheese with Cinnamon and Diced Strawberries

Dinner

  • Option 1: Soft cooked slivers of chicken, with steamed carrots

  • Option 2: Ginger Carrot & Sweet Potato Mash + Lean Beef

  • Option 3: Small chunks of low mercury fish, like cod

  • Option 4: Soft steamed chunks of broccoli or green beans

  • Option 5: Lumpy, mashed kidney or black beans

Let's Chat!

We know parenting often means sleepless nights, stressful days, and countless questions and confusion, and we want to support you in your feeding journey and beyond.

Our Happy Baby Experts are a team of lactation consultants and registered dietitian nutritionists certified in infant and maternal nutrition – and they’re all moms, too, which means they’ve been there and seen that. They’re here to help on our free, live chat platform Monday - Friday 8am-6pm (ET). Chat Now!

Read more about the experts that help write our content!

For more on this topic, check out the following articles and recipes:

Starting Solids: Purees versus Baby Led Weaning

Starting Solids: Baby Led Weaning

The Division of Responsibility: Helping Avoid Picky Eating

Feeding Tips for Healthy Weight Gain in Babies and Toddlers

Our meal plans offer recipe and meal suggestions for your child. They are not designed to replace your doctor’s recommendations, nor do they take into account special nutritional needs, including allergies and intolerances. The meal plans suggest serving sizes that may or may not be appropriate for your child. Please consult your doctor to determine what is best for your child.

Ultimate Guide to Baby Led Weaning (and Best First Foods)

Learn the basics of how to do the feeding approach known as “baby led weaning” and the best first foods for baby to make starting solids easy and fun. Plus: Learn why it’s perfectly okay to use a combined approach of blw and purees.

Baby Led Weaning

The feeding approach known as “baby led weaning” or “BLW” for short, is a style of feeding infants that allows them to feed themselves right from the start. The food is offered in thick finger-size pieces and is soft and easily squishable between your fingers. This way, the food is both easy to hold but has a low risk of choking.

TIP: This method became popular about a decade ago after the publication of the Baby Led Weaning: The Essential Guide to Introducing Solid Food by UK author Gill Rapley.

BLW Baby

One of the many reasons that people are starting to opt for this style of feeding more and more is simply that it’s easy. In many cases, you can modify foods you’re already making to share with your baby and there’s not always a lot of separate cooking involved. It also allows a baby to have control over what goes into their mouths, which sets a good precedent for letting them eat intuitively from the start.

What age should I start baby led weaning?

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, a baby is ready to start solids with baby led weaning when:

  • They’ve doubled their birth weight (at least).
  • They can hold their head up well and are starting to sit up unsupported.
  • They show signs of being interested in food (watching you eat, reaching for food when you’re eating, etc).
  • When you feed them, they are able to move the food around in their mouths—rather than spit it right out.

TIP: Look for a highchair that allows a baby to sit up relatively straight so they can have good posture and better control over their arms and hands.

How to Start Baby Led Weaning

The first time you offer solids is such a fun milestone, so you’ll be ready once you follow these simple steps.

  • Make sure baby has hit the milestones listed above to let you know that he’s ready to start.
  • Get the highchair ready and adjust the straps and foot rest as needed.
  • Plan to introduce water when you start solids. I recommend a trainer cup.
  • Choose one food to start with and plan to offer only one food at a time.
  • Stop when baby starts to fuss, turns his head away, or shows any other signs of not wanting to continue. It’s usually fairly obvious when they are done!

TIP: If you start offering solids and baby just doesn’t seem interested at all, it’s okay. Take a break for a few days or a few weeks and start again. Each kiddo has their own unique timeline.

Best Tips for Starting BLW

Here are a few more tips to consider and review before you get started.

  • Understand the gag reflex. Gagging is different than choking though and is most often a sign that baby is learning to move food around in their mouths—and to get it out of their mouths, which is a skill you want them to have!
  • Brush up on the basics of how to know when baby is ready to start solids. (Go back to the top of this post for the signs to look for.)
  • Set them up for success with a highchair that allows them to sit up straight and has foot support.
  • Sit with them as you offer food.
  • Check your own expectations of what will happen and simply allow your baby to take the lead.
  • Start with one new food a day or every few days.
  • Vary the textures of foods you offer to start exposing baby to many right from the start.
  • Offer water in a sippy cup or small open cup.

TIP: Remember that breastmilk or formula will continue to satisfy baby’s hunger for the first few months of eating solids. Do not expect solids to replace milk feedings at this age.

First Foods for Baby

Starting solids with baby led weaning or purees are both perfectly acceptable ways to introduce a baby to solid foods—but the topic can get so heated! There’s a lot of pressure to do it the “right” way and I’m here to say that there isn’t one. You 100% can do one or the other, or combine the two to make it work for your family. It’s all good!

Remember, the goal with first foods for baby is that they’re introduced to flavors, nutrients, and foods they can easily eat or suck on. It should be an enjoyable milestone for all involved. 

TIP: It’s a good idea to get into the habit of offering an iron-rich food since iron stores in babies start to run out around 6 months and they’ll need to start ingesting it in their food.

Best First Foods for Baby Led Weaning

Here are some of our favorite first foods to offer baby led weaning style. You want foods to be finger sized so they are large enough that baby can’t force the whole piece into their mouth, and a shape that’s easy for a 6 month old to hold with their chubby little hands. These are some of our favorites.

  • Roasted sweet potato wedges
  • Roasted apple wedges, skin on to help them hold together
  • Roasted or steamed broccoli florets (big enough for baby to hold)
  • Melon slices
  • Thick mango slice
  • Banana with some of the peel still on
  • Toast sticks with mashed avocado
  • Avocado spears (make sure the avocado is ripe and soft)
  • Lamb or beef, on the bone or a large piece for baby to suck on
  • Dark meat chicken, on the bone or a large piece for baby to suck on.

TIP: The foods should generally be soft enough to squish between your fingers with the exception of the large pieces of meat. If baby gnaws a piece down into a smaller piece, replace it with a larger one to avoid her putting a chunk of food into her mouth.

Baby Led Weaning Banana

To serve a banana to a baby, wash it well, then slice it in half. Cut off an inch or two of the peel, but leave the rest of the peel on so it’s not slippery for baby to hold. They’ll suck on the top part like a little popsicle! You can also help them hold the banana if needed.

Foods to Avoid Serving While Doing BLW

You want any foods you offer to a baby while doing baby led weaning to be soft enough to squish between your fingers and safe for them to eat and digest. Plan to avoid:

  • Anything hard, sticky, or crunchy (like raw apple or carrot, whole nuts, crackers, or a big spoonful or nut butter)
  • Added salt
  • Cow’s milk (which is difficult for kids under 1 to digest; plain yogurt is fine though)
  • Added sugar (they simply don’t need it)
  • Honey (to avoid a risk of botulism)
  • Super slippery foods that would be hard for baby to hold (which can be frustrating)

TIP: Always sit with your baby and watch them try to eat. They are your best guide for making adjustments to the foods you serve.

Baby Led Weaning and Choking

There are many parents who dislike this method of feeding because it often sounds like a baby is choking. And while there are surely some incidences of choking, what’s more likely is that a baby will occasionally gag on a piece of food that gets into their mouth that they weren’t expecting.

But remember: Gagging is a sign that baby is doing what she needs to in order to move the food around in their mouth as they learn to eat. It usually sounds more dangerous than it actually is.

TIP: If the sound of gagging really freaks you out, you’re not alone. Consider offering more preloaded spoons with purees to start your journey more slowly.

How to Cut Foods for BLW

You generally want the food to be big enough that it would be difficult for baby to put the entire thing into their mouths. Here are some specifics:

  • Foods that are roughly the size of a finger, so about a 4-inch stick.
  • Foods that are easy for the baby to pick up—they can’t pick up small pieces until closer to 9 months when they develop the ability to use their fingers in what’s known as a “pincer grasp”.
  • Foods that aren’t too slippery—so you can wash and leave some of the peel on fresh foods like bananas, avocado, kiwi, and mango.

TIP: You can also go even bigger if you’re worried about size. Think half of a slice of bread or a big chunk of watermelon.

Will my baby actually eat much food with BLW?

Probably not at first. There will likely be more tasting of the food than eating of it and that is totally fine. They will still rely on breast milk or formula at this age for their main nutrition, so don’t expect them to suddenly start eating full meals. (They’ll get there in a few months, but it takes time!)

Do babies need teeth for baby led weaning?

No! Gums are super strong and front teeth aren’t used for chewing—that happens when the back molars come in. Teeth really have nothing to do with whether or not a baby can eat solids.

TIP: Learn more about what to expect from teething here.

Can you mix baby led weaning and purees?

Absolutely! I think it’s a great idea to mix the two methods simply because it gives you many more options for foods and allows the baby to experience more textures. I recommend allowing babies to feed themselves preloaded spoons—so you put the puree on a spoon, then hand it to them to actually put the spoon into their mouth—so they still have control over what goes into their mouths.

TIP: Feeding some purees is also helpful if you’ll be sending food with a baby to daycare since the care provider may not have experience with blw.

Best First Foods for Baby: Purees

Here are some of our favorite purees to start offering baby when they’re ready to start solids. Remember: There’s no evidence that says that you need to start with vegetables versus fruits, so go with something that tastes good to you. Start with single foods pureed smooth and offer just a little at a time on a spoon.

  • Mashed roasted sweet potato puree
  • Mashed avocado puree
  • Mashed banana puree
  • Butternut squash puree
  • Applesauce, unsweetened
  • Mashed pea puree
  • Oatmeal baby cereal (with added iron)

TIP: One of my favorite baby food companies is Amara Organic Baby Food, a company using a nutrient protection technology that makes organic purees just as good as homemade. I love how easy they are to use when I need a shortcut and that they have fun baby-led weaning recipes on the side of every box! (paid affiliate link)

How do I know when baby has had enough?

If your baby is eating and then starts to turn her head away or just refuses to open her mouth, she’s done! Babies may also start to fuss if they’ve had enough. Learning this new skill takes time and babies can become tired fairly quickly into the process, so don’t expect them to always eat very much or to last very long at the table. This stage is about exploration!

Baby with preloaded spoon of yogurt

How to Let Baby Self Feed Purees

I love offering purees on a preloaded spoon. To do this, the parent, puts some of the food on the spoon and hands it to baby. Then baby can bring the food to their mouth all by themselves. This gives you some of the same advantages of baby led weaning, but can be more comfortable for many parents.

Remember, you can mix what you offer, going back and forth between purees and blw finger foods, so you can offer the same food two different ways to let baby explore. The main goal is to avoid forcing baby to take more bites than they want to, which can sometimes happen with purees.

Baby eating peanut butter toast stick

When to Introduce Potentially Allergenic Foods

In recent years, guidelines have been updated on when to introduce potential allergens including peanuts, eggs, and shellfish, so unless you have a family history of a food allergy, you can go ahead and introduce them soon after baby starts eating solids. In fact, research is showing that introducing these foods early can actually protect baby from developing an allergy. Talk to your pediatrician if you have concerns.

TIP: Thin unsweetened peanut butter with water to form a very thin Peanut Butter Puree until it’s about the consistency of regular yogurt and offer a very small amount on a spoon or spread on a toast stick.

What does a baby led weaning meal look like for months 7 and 8?

Until a baby is closer to 9 months and is able to pick up smaller pieces of foods, but after they have gotten the hang of one food at a time, I try to offer 1-2 foods they can feed themselves and one puree. This offers them a chance to ingest more via the puree but still feed themselves a range of textures. You can do more or less food following the lead of the child.

TIP: My Baby Food Chart has loads of with ideas for blw foods and purees by month.

Recipes for Every Stage of Starting Solids

If you’re ready to start solids with baby, or you’re just curious what it looks like to do a mix of baby led weaning and purees, check out my Yummy Baby Food cookbook. It goes stage by stage with specific foods to start in each, with simple recipes and easy feeding tips.

Listen to a recent podcast episode to hear about some of the basics of BLW with our guest Megan McNamee, MPH, RDN, CLT, and a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist specializing in pediatric nutrition who runs Feeding Littles. 

I’d love to hear any questions you have with BLW or if your baby had a first food that I didn’t list here. Please comment below to share your experience!

Prep Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Author Amy Palanjian

Cuisine American

Course Dinner

Calories 28kcal

Servings 1

Banana
  • ▢ 1 small ripe banana with peel on
Roasted Sweet Potato
  • ▢ 1 small sweet potato + 1 teaspoon olive oil
Roasted Apple
  • ▢ 1 small apple + 1 teaspoon butter or neutral oil
Roasted Broccoli
  • ▢ 1 cup broccoli florets + 1 teaspoon olive oil
Sauteed Green Beans
  • ▢ 4 green beans 1 teaspoon olive oil
Melon
  • ▢ 1 small piece watermelon or cantaloupe
Avocado Toast
  • ▢ 1 slice whole grain bread
  • ▢ 1 tbsp ripe avocado
Avocado Spear
  • ▢ ⅛ ripe avocado
Lamb or Beef
  • ▢ 1 lamb chop, roast, or steak
Pan-Seared Chicken Thighs
  • ▢ 1 chicken thigh
  • ▢ 1 tsp olive oil
  • ▢ 1 garlic clove, optional
Banana with some of the peel still on

  • Cut a banana in half. Use a knife to gently cut around the peel about 2 inches down, leaving some of the peel on so that the banana is easy for baby to hold and less slippery.

Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Wash and dry the sweet potato. (You don't need to peel it.) Cut in half, then cut lengthwise into strips. Cut each strip in half again until each is about 1/2-inch thick. Slice in half horizontally if the sweet potato is very long. (Each strip should be about the size of your finger.) Place into a bowl and toss with the olive oil. Spread onto prepared baking sheet and roast for 22-25 minutes or until soft. Let cool slightly and serve.

Roasted Apple Wedges
Roasted Broccoli Florets

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the broccoli onto a rimmed baking sheet and toss with the olive oil, coating and mixing well until all of the florets are a little shiny and coated with oil.  Roast for 15-18 minutes or until tender. Let cool slightly and serve.

Sauteed Green Beans

  • Warm the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the green beans and stir. Cover and cook for about 8 minutes. Remove cover and taste one to see if it’s soft enough. Cook for an additional minute or two as needed.

Melon slices
Avocado Toast
Avocado Spears

  • (Make sure the avocado is ripe and soft): Cut a thick strip of avocado and offer to baby. You can leave the peel on if that makes it easier for baby to hold (just wash it first).

Lamb or Beef

  • Prepare a roast, steak, or chop without salt and with butter or olive oil until cooked medium well. Offer a thick slice at least the size of your finger or a drumstick.

Pan-Seared Chicken Thighs

  • Warm 1 tablespoon olive oil or butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken thigh and top with a few slices of fresh garlic, if desired.  Cover and cook for 4-5 minutes. Remove cover. Flip over and cook for an additional 4-5 minutes uncovered or until a meat thermometer registers 165 degrees F.

  • Add spices like garlic powder, cinnamon, cumin, oregano, or any other non-spicy flavor you like to make these more interesting.
  • Offer just one piece at a time when starting out.
  • If baby gnaws a piece down into a smaller piece, replace it with a larger one to avoid her putting a chunk of food into her mouth.
  • Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days. Reheat briefly if needed.
  • Remember that it's normal for babies to take time to actually ingest the food. Part of the process is exploring all of the senses related to the experience of eating.

Calories: 28kcal, Carbohydrates: 2g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 2g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Sodium: 6mg, Potassium: 75mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 23IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 2mg, Iron: 1mg

Tried this recipe?Rate in the comments and tag @yummytoddlerfood on IG!

90,000 child’s food at 6 months

Content:

  • 1 Rules for compiling a menu at 6 months
    • 1. 1 Age and readiness
    • 1.2 than you can feed a child at 6 months
      • 1.2.1 Vegetable
      • 1.2.2 Cupi
      • 1.2.3 Fermented milk
  • 2 Sample menu at 6 months
  • 3 Doses and volumes
  • 4 Ready meals or homemade meals
  • 59 Kitchen helpers
    • 6 Tasty and healthy recipes
  • 0004
  • 6.1 Vegetable recipes
  • 6.2 Porridge recipes
  • 6.3 Soup recipe
  • 7 Drinks on the menu
  • 8 Complementary foods video
  • 9 food. And then the menu of a child of 6 months will have to be diversified. Ph.D.
  • 9.1 Child menu 6 months: new dishes
  • 9,0005 9.2 Child menu 6 months: new diet
  • 9.3 menu of a child 6 months
  • 10 introduce complement according to the rules
  • and IV
  • 12 Diet when introducing complementary foods for the first time
  • 13 Weekly feeding charts
  • 14 Recipes for meals for babies
    • 14. 1 Vegetables
    • 14.2 Meat puree
  • 15 Doctor Komarovsky's alternative opinion

    • The first six months after the birth flew by with troubles and joys like a few days. Mom already knows exactly what diet should be followed during breastfeeding so that the baby does not experience discomfort. With artificial feeding, through trial and error, mixtures are selected that are suitable specifically for your child.
    But now the baby is six months old, and it's time to change the menu: it's time for the first complementary foods. After all, the child grows, and at the same time his need for various useful substances grows. In order for the process of accustoming to the adult menu to be comfortable and without unnecessary “surprises”, you need to think over the child’s diet at 6 months in advance.

    Rules for compiling a menu at 6 months


    At first, the main task of introducing cereals, vegetables or kefir is not so much to fill the lack of nutrients, but to train the entire digestive system of the child. After all, for half a year the children's body received and digested exclusively breast milk / an adapted mixture. And now the kid will have to try and learn completely new tastes and types of food!

    Therefore, it is extremely important not to rush and do everything according to the rules.
    It must be said that fruit juice is not considered complementary foods, but a food supplement. According to the rules, it is added to the menu even before the start of complementary foods: at about five months. Start with apple juice, as the least allergenic. Then they gradually give a taste of pear, plum, apricot juices.
    The same additives include cottage cheese, baby biscuits, crackers, butter, yolk, meat. In addition to juice, which is given even before the first complementary foods, other nutritional supplements are administered in parallel with the main meal.

    Age and readiness

    For healthy babies on breastfeeding, complementary foods are included in the menu from 6 months old, for artificial babies - about two weeks earlier. In addition to age limits, there are other signs of readiness for changes in the daily menu:

    • the baby's weight, which was recorded at birth, has doubled;
    • the child sits well, holds his head confidently;
    • may spit out what he does not like or turn his head away from unwanted food;
    • knows how to take food with his lips from a spoon, does not choke on food.

    What can you feed a baby at 6 months

    Let's say you saw that the baby is ready to try unknown food. Decide what food you will start with. Three options are possible here:

    Vegetable

    Recommended from 6 months for babies and from 5 months for artificial babies. Start with zucchini, broccoli or cauliflower. Orange vegetables (carrots and pumpkin) are added with care to avoid an allergic reaction.

    Cereal

    Babies are advised to introduce porridge into the menu from 6.5-7 months, formula-fed babies - from 5.5-6 months. Buckwheat is considered the best option for porridge for the first feeding - it is rich in iron and is easily digested. Then they offer other gluten-free cereals: rice, oatmeal. Semolina is not given to children under the age of one.

    Sour-milk


    Basically, kefir and cottage cheese begin to give from 7.5 months with HS and from 6.5 - when fed with adapted mixtures. Kefir is purchased low-fat, made especially for kids, in small packages.

    Sample menu at 6 months

    A 6-month-old baby's diet when choosing vegetable complementary foods might look like this:

    • 6-7 am: 180 ml of mother's milk/adapted formula;
    • 10 am: 150-170 g vegetable puree with 1/4 mashed boiled egg yolk and 30 ml fruit juice as a food supplement;
    • 2 pm: 140 ml milk/formula plus, after an hour and a half, 40 g fruit juice;
    • at 6 and 10 pm the baby sucks mother's milk or receives 180-200 ml of milk formula.

    According to medical rules, a six-month-old baby should normally eat about 1000 ml of food per day. This means that in each of the five daily meals, the volume of products should reach up to 200 ml. These are average data so that parents understand the approximate amount of food in one serving.

    Doses and amounts


    An important rule is that new food is always given before mother's milk or formula. If you do the opposite, then a well-fed baby is likely to refuse to eat an unusual dish.

    Dosages in the menu of a 6-month-old child on breast or artificial feeding have one important distinguishing feature:

    • a baby, after feeding from a spoon, supplements the meal with mother's milk in unlimited quantities, that is, eats as long as he has a desire;
    • an artificial baby needs to be supplemented with the amount of mixture laid down according to the norms.

    Komarovsky says about complementary foods that the second feeding can be replaced, in which kefir and cottage cheese are given instead of milk. So they fed before, when dairy kitchens still existed. Today, mothers have a choice: start complementary foods with kefir or with seasonal white-green vegetables (zucchini, potatoes, broccoli, squash).

    Daily dosages look like this:

    1. On the first day, give 3-4 teaspoons (15-20 ml) of 1% kefir, and then supplement with milk or formula (180 ml). If you decide to start with vegetables, start with one teaspoon of vegetable puree, doubling daily until it reaches 150-180 g.
    2. If the child responds normally, then on the second day the dose is doubled - 30-40 ml plus 155 ml of formula / mother's milk.
    3. By the third day, the baby eats 60-80 ml of kefir, and then eats up 100 ml of milk.
    4. By the fourth - it reaches the norm of 120-160 ml.
    5. After reaching the main dosage, start adding curd. First - it will be one teaspoon (10 g). I must say that many children spit out pure cottage cheese. In this case, it can be mixed with fruit puree.
    6. Feeding by the sixth day consists of the following products: kefir - 150 ml, cottage cheese - 20 g, mother's milk or mixture - 15 ml.
    7. Complete replacement of one feeding with kefir and cottage cheese (150 ml and 30 g respectively) occurs by the seventh day.

    For a complete replacement, the volume of kefir should reach 150-160 ml, and cottage cheese - up to 30 g. These figures are stored in the menu until the seventh month.
    As you can see, it takes about a week to gradually introduce a new product to the menu. Although some pediatricians advise to stretch the process even more: start with half a teaspoon of a new dish and bring it to a full serving in two weeks.
    By the end of the sixth month, they try to introduce porridge from cereals in milk into the menu. Suitable cereals are rice, oatmeal or buckwheat.

    The scheme for introducing porridge is the same as in the case of kefir. Porridge is advised to replace one of the evening feedings. Start with 3-4 tablespoons of the product, bringing up to 180-200 ml of the finished milk-cereal mixture.

    Ready meals or homemade food

    Milk and cereal mixtures of industrial production are additionally enriched with various vitamins, iron, they do not need to be boiled, which greatly facilitates the work of the mother. On the other hand, in the wake of the general distrust of factory products, my mother is calmer when she personally prepared porridge for her pet according to the recipe.

    In case of intolerance to cow's milk proteins, special dairy-free cereals are selected for the baby. And if mom cooks herself, then the cereal is boiled in water.

    When purchasing porridge from any manufacturer, carefully study the composition: it should not contain sugar, cow's milk, lecithin, vanillin. Moreover, there is no place in baby food for preservatives, flavors and flavor enhancers.

    As for fruits and vegetables , products for ready-made factory purees are grown in clean fields, raw materials for baby food are carefully selected and certified. Is it possible to be sure of the safety of vegetables and fruits bought at the market or in the supermarket? Where did they grow up, how were they processed, will they harm the child? These questions can only be answered if these are plants from your own garden. Otherwise, it is better to stop at ready-made high-quality baby food.

    Kitchen helpers


    Three household appliances: steamer , blender and multicooker will definitely be needed by the mother of a six-month-old toddler.

    Meals for a 6-month-old baby should have a uniform (homogeneous) consistency so that the baby can easily swallow them. And here the blender will become an indispensable assistant to mom.
    So that vegetables do not lose their beneficial properties and retain their taste, they are cooked according to the recipe in a double boiler or stewed in a small amount of water.
    And from bananas and apples baked in a slow cooker, you get a wonderful puree.
    If you decide to cook your own cereals, then you will need coffee grinder . With its help, buckwheat and rice groats, oatmeal are crushed.

    In addition to kitchen appliances, special feeding accessories are useful. When using them, the baby can sit at the table with the rest of the family, thus joining the family meal.

    Convenient and useful feeding aids:

    • special chair with table. The design is conveniently adjustable in height, and safety belts are provided for safety;
    • bib (bib) will help clothes stay clean, after eating there will be no problems with changing clothes, which kids do not like so much;
    • utensils made of silicone or soft plastic do not injure children's gums, do not break, and are easy to care for.

    Many mothers appreciate the convenience of such a device as a kitchen scale. After all, they help to accurately measure the amount of products indicated in the recipes, and the dishes always turn out “excellently”.

    Delicious and healthy recipes

    When inventing different recipes, remember that the child must "get acquainted" with all the ingredients of the dish in advance. This is necessary to track possible negative reactions to any product.

    You can diversify the children's menu in different directions: vegetable dishes, fruit treats, soups, dairy-free and dairy-free cereals, meat purees .

    Vegetable recipes

    • Wash 100 g of cauliflower and place on the multicooker rack. After 15 minutes of steaming, chop the cabbage with a blender and cool;
    • To prepare pumpkin puree, cut the product into cubes and steam for 20 minutes, then grind with a blender, cool. Carrot puree is prepared in the same way;
    • the baby will surely like carrots with milk prepared according to this recipe: chop the boiled vegetable into a puree, add 4 tbsp. l. hot milk, a few drops of olive oil, and simmer the mixture on fire for 1-2 minutes;
    • mashed potatoes recipe looks like this: peeled potatoes are soaked in water for about 12 hours to remove starch. Then the potatoes are boiled, rubbed through a sieve, diluted with milk to a liquid puree and stewed on fire for another minute or two;
    • if the baby has tried different vegetables, then you can cook a whole assortment: 100 g of zucchini, half a carrot, a potato. Diced products according to the recipe are cooked in a double boiler for 20 minutes. Ready vegetables are put in a blender, add half a glass of hot water, a teaspoon of olive oil. Then everything is crushed and cooled to room temperature.

    Porridge recipes

    • Corn and rice porridge can be prepared without milk. Rice is pre-ground in a coffee grinder. Add 3 tablespoons of cereal or cereal flour to a glass of boiling water. Rice is cooked for 10 minutes, corn grits will take about half an hour until it is completely softened.
    • Milk porridges are cooked from whole-grain gluten-free cereals: rice, oatmeal, buckwheat. They are washed, poured with water two fingers above the level of the cereal - and boiled until tender. The finished porridge is ground through a sieve or whipped with a blender. Then bring to the desired consistency by adding hot milk. After that, the recipe recommends boiling the mixture for 2-3 minutes and adding a little oil.

    • Juices are prepared with a juicer or fruit is rubbed on a fine grater and squeezed through gauze. Additional sugar or water is not needed.
    • For puree, fruit is grated or ground in a blender and stewed with 2-3 tablespoons of water for 1-2 minutes.

    Soup recipe


    Two original recipes for soups diversify the baby's menu:

    • for fruit and vegetable soup, 2 apples and a carrot are cut into large cubes. The cuts are poured in a slow cooker 1-1.5 cups of water and cooked in the “quenching” mode for half an hour, and then crushed with a blender to a puree state;
    • the recipe for a delicious pumpkin soup with milk will be as follows: cut and boil 100 g pumpkin and 1 carrot. Then add a quarter of the boiled chicken yolk to the vegetables and beat everything with a blender. Add 150 ml of milk, butter, a little salt - and bring the mixture to a boil.

    Drinks on the menu


    At 6 months, the baby already needs water. It is more convenient to buy special water for babies, packaged in large bottles. During the preparation of baby food, purified water is also used.

    In addition to water, according to the rules of a healthy diet, the baby can be given juices. Fruits for them are chosen, according to the area of ​​\u200b\u200bresidence. At the beginning it can be apples, then apricots, plums or pears. Juices are not diluted with water, do not add sugar. They are offered in a small amount (40-50 g) after the baby drinks the right amount of milk or mixture.

    Water can be given from a bottle, but it is better to teach a 6-month-old toddler to drink from a cup.

    Video about complementary foods

    Complementary foods are discussed in the studio of the most famous Ukrainian pediatrician. When complementary foods can harm, what to do if the baby refuses "adult" food - look for answers to these and other pressing questions in the "School of Dr. Komarovsky".

    At 6 months of age, your baby will not get enough breast milk alone and will need other, more mature foods. And then the menu of a child of 6 months will have to be diversified. Ph.D.

    It is one thing to know about the problems of a child's nutrition "theoretically" and quite another to face them in practice. How to organize baby menu 6 months ? At what time, in what form and in what quantity should they be offered? These questions often confuse moms and dads. We hope that the sample menus for a growing child, which we begin publishing in this issue, will become the model that will help you create an individual menu for your baby.

    By 6 months old baby has noticeably grown up, become more active and active. He is interested in objects that fall into his field of vision, carefully examines them, more and more often makes guttural, melodious sounds, repeating them with different intonations. The child's emotional reactions have become much richer: he joyfully smiles at his mother, father, other people whom he often sees, and is alert at the sight of strangers, reacts to the intonation of adults. Of course, you are still breastfeeding your baby, but the composition of breast milk can no longer fully satisfy his needs. And that means it's time to think about complementary foods.

    6-month-old baby's menu: new dishes

    If a breast-fed baby develops normally, then up to 4-6 months he does not need any additional food, including fruit puree and juices. This also applies to those children who are prone to allergies while breastfeeding: if the pediatrician does not detect any nutritional deficiency in a child of 6 months , then complementary foods are introduced at the usual time, taking into account individual food tolerance.

    “Artificial” children quickly begin to experience a lack of a number of substances necessary for normal growth and development. Consequently, the need for additional nutrition appears somewhat earlier in children of 6 months . Therefore, new products in the form of juices, and then fruit puree, are introduced into their diet at about 3.5 - 4 months. Children who receive formulas made on the basis of soy protein or protein hydrolyzate (this happens in the case of an allergy to cow's milk proteins) experience a lack of animal protein earlier than others. Therefore, meat puree from twice boiled meat is introduced into their diet already at 5 - 5.5 months. In case of intolerance to beef, veal, whose proteins are similar in composition to cow's milk proteins, it is recommended to use lean pork, horse meat, rabbit, turkey or chicken meat, as well as baby food containing horse meat or pork. However, these products should be administered to children with allergies carefully, always taking into account individual tolerance.

    6-month-old baby's menu: a new diet

    At at 5 months old, baby should be fed not 6, but 5 times a day with intervals of 3. 5 hours and a 10-hour night break. Complementary foods are best given at lunch (about 13 hours), and if for some reason it is inconvenient, then at any other feeding, except for the first and last. In this case, it will be easier for the child to wean from the first feeding (at 6 o'clock in the morning), and overeating at night is harmful for children as well as for adults.

    A non-dairy product should be offered before breastfeeding or formula feeding while the baby is still hungry and attracted to food. Start small (a few drops of juice, half a teaspoon of puree or cereal). Within 10 - 12 days, gradually bring the amount of food to the desired volume (for complementary foods, this volume is about 150 grams). In order for a child to learn to swallow thick food, it is necessary to feed him with a spoon patiently and carefully; it is desirable that the baby's first spoon be soft (for example, silicone).

    If the child does not like the dish, do not insist; forced feeding is unacceptable!

    Let the child first get used to one dish and only then enter the 6-month-old baby's menu another into . When introducing a new type of complementary food, first try one product, gradually increasing its amount, and then gradually “dilute” this product with a new one. For example, vegetable complementary foods can be started with half a teaspoon of squash puree. During the week, give the baby only this puree, gradually increasing its volume. After a week, add half a teaspoon of mashed peas to the zucchini puree. Continue to gradually increase the volume of the mixture of squash and peas, etc.

    Complementary foods should be started either with porridge or vegetable puree. In cases where the child has signs of rickets, anemia, food allergies, we advise you to start with vegetable puree. The composition of puree for children with food allergies must include only green and white vegetables (zucchini, cabbage, green beans, peas, potatoes). Since potatoes have rather high allergenic properties, their amount should not exceed 20% of the total mashed potatoes. For the preparation of puree, both natural (including frozen) vegetables and canned vegetables for baby food of the above light-colored vegetables. Vegetable oil (sunflower, corn, olive) is added to vegetable puree - preferably refined and deodorized.

    Menu for a 6-month-old baby with insufficient body weight, as well as children who often spit up, porridge can be given as a first complementary food. In the diet of healthy children, porridge is usually introduced after vegetables. It is better to start with gluten-free milk cereals (buckwheat, corn, rice). In this case, preference should be given to cereals for baby food industrial production, which are prepared from environmentally friendly raw materials, enriched with vitamins, mineral salts (including iron) and do not require cooking. Even if your child is healthy, he does not have signs of an allergic mood and you prefer to cook porridge yourself, it is advisable not to use whole cow's milk for making porridge until 8 months. It can be prepared with breast milk , the mixture that the child is fed with, if necessary - in water. Many industrial cereals already contain milk powder in their composition, you can also give them at 5-6 months. In the early days, 5 percent porridge is prepared (5 grams of cereal per 100 grams of liquid): the porridge should be liquid - such that it pours from a spoon. Gradually cook the porridge thicker. Butter can be added to the finished porridge (from 5 months) and 1/4 of a hard-boiled egg yolk (from 6 months).

    For children suffering from intolerance to cow's milk proteins, the second complementary food - dairy-free porridge - is introduced from 5 months. It can be buckwheat, corn, rice, oatmeal, barley porridge (the range of cereals is selected individually). When purchasing ready-made porridge, pay attention that it does not contain powdered cow's milk. Porridges are prepared on water or on a specialized mixture that a child receives (based on soy or protein hydrolyzate).

    Menu for a 6 month old baby

    To explain which menu for a child of 6 months is recommended for children of this age, we decided on a few examples that will help you navigate in compiling a menu specifically for your child.

    Option 1. If your baby was exclusively breastfed until 5-6 months of age and was growing and developing normally, now is the time to start introducing new foods into his diet. Depending on the individual characteristics of the child, the doctor's recommendations and your personal wishes, it can be juice, fruit or vegetable puree. When the child is prone to allergic reactions as the first, new for child of product in some cases, vegetable puree can be recommended (with half a teaspoon, gradually increase the serving volume to 150 g). After 2 - 3 weeks after this, the child can be offered another new product. A month after the baby began to receive new products, his menu may look something like this:

    A child who has celebrated the first six months of life can already receive complementary foods. Moreover, some formula-fed babies have already tried several types of vegetables and cereals by this age. How to properly feed a child at this age, what should parents remember? We have collected in our material the recommendations of specialists on the introduction of complementary foods to children at 6 months of age who are breastfed and formula-fed. In addition, they separately described the rules for feeding babies in need of corrective nutrition.

    We introduce complementary foods according to the rules

    According to pediatricians, complementary foods for breastfeeding children should be introduced starting from the 24th week, that is, at the 7th month, not earlier. Otherwise, there is a risk of problems with the tummy, since the gastrointestinal tract of the crumbs is not yet ready to receive food other than mother's milk.

    However, there are general rules for introducing complementary foods for each baby:

    • A new meal should be given before the baby receives the usual portion of milk. It is best if the mother feeds the baby with a spoon. It is important to ensure that the food is warm, because the child is used to such food.
    • Feeding your baby should start with a minimum portion - from half a teaspoon or even less. The next day, slightly increase the dose and bring it back to normal in a week or two. The next type of product can be introduced in a shorter period of time - in 5-7 days. During this time, it is necessary to monitor the reaction of the child - to control the stool, allergic manifestations. At the slightest suspicion of an allergy, you should immediately stop giving a new food.
    • Do not mix several types of food in one serving. First, the child should receive mashed potatoes from one type of vegetable or cereal.

    The introduction of any new type of food should begin with one product

    • It is always better to introduce complementary foods in the morning. This will make it possible to better control the reaction of the body to a new product.
    • Any new product should be introduced when the baby is healthy.
    • The first cereals should be cooked on gluten-free cereals - buckwheat, rice, cornmeal. You should not add milk to the porridge, you can dilute it with a mixture that the baby is used to.
    • It is better to choose hypoallergenic vegetables - broccoli, zucchini, cauliflower.
    • If the child is underweight, it is best to start feeding him porridge. Vegetables are the best food for those children who suffer from constipation.

    Differences in complementary foods for breastfeeding and IV children

    However, today some pediatricians have a different point of view. Dr. Komarovsky believes that the timing of the introduction of complementary foods should not depend on the type of feeding. In his opinion, in those days when baby food was slightly diluted cow's milk, pediatricians tried to introduce other products into the child's menu as early as possible in order to provide him with the necessary amount of useful substances.

    Dr. Komarovsky states that modern infant formulas are almost identical in composition to human milk, which eliminates the need for early complementary foods.

    Modern mixtures are almost identical in composition with breast milk

    Diet when introducing complementary foods for the first time

    At 6 months, when complementary foods are introduced, the baby should be transferred to 5 meals a day. The interval between feedings should be approximately 4 hours. Recall that pediatricians recommend introducing a new dish in the morning. It is convenient to schedule so that complementary foods fall on the second or third feeding of the day. Next, we will consider the most optimal diet by the hour and an approximate menu for a child at 6 months (for more details, see the article: the diet of a child at 6 months who is bottle-fed).

    Time
    Nutrition
    1 feeding 6-00 Formula or breast milk
    2 feeding 10-00 Complementary foods + formula and milk, or regular feeding
    3 feeding 14-00 Complementary foods + formula and milk, or regular feeding
    4 feeding 18-00 Milk or formula
    5 feeding 22-00 Milk or formula

    It is better not to offer bread to a baby before 7 months

    Not all products can be offered for testing to a six-month-old baby. Allergens, hard-to-digest foods, and much more are excluded. Do not give crumbs crackers, cookies and dryers until he is 7 months old. In order not to make a mistake in choosing new dishes, study the information provided in the feeding schemes.

    Feeding charts for the week

    In the first table is the nutrition plan of a formula-fed baby who started receiving complementary foods from 4 months. It is believed that by this age he has already tried cauliflower, broccoli, pumpkin, zucchini. In addition, the baby is already familiar with rice, buckwheat, corn porridge, apple. During this period, it is time to introduce meat - in our example, it is a rabbit.

    Day After sleep Breakfast Lunch Dinner For the night
    Monday breast milk (GM) or formula (C) rabbit puree* with rice zucchini puree, applesauce GM/S GM/S
    Tuesday rabbit with corn porridge cauliflower, applesauce
    Wednesday rabbit with buckwheat broccoli, applesauce
    Thursday rabbit with rice pumpkin, applesauce
    Friday rabbit with corn porridge zucchini, applesauce
    Saturday rabbit with buckwheat cauliflower, applesauce
    Sunday rabbit with rice broccoli, applesauce

    *On the first day, the mass of puree is 3 g. The amount is doubled daily until the maximum dosage is reached - 50 g.

    The second table contains an approximate menu for a 6-month-old formula-fed child who has been receiving complementary foods for four weeks, i.e. from 5 months - we get acquainted with a new cereal - in our example, this is rice, because buckwheat was introduced earlier. By analogy, another cereal can be offered.

    Day After sleep Breakfast Lunch Dinner For the night
    Monday breast milk (GM) or formula (C) buckwheat zucchini puree GM/S GM/S
    Tuesday rice* and buckwheat cauliflower puree
    Wednesday rice and buckwheat broccoli puree
    Thursday rice and buckwheat zucchini puree
    Friday rice and buckwheat cauliflower puree
    Saturday rice and buckwheat broccoli puree
    Sunday rice zucchini puree

    *On the first day, the volume of rice is 3g. Every day, the amount is doubled until the maximum dosage is reached - 170 gr., while the proportion of the previous porridge (buckwheat) decreases proportionally.

    Buckwheat porridge is great as a complementary food for a six-month-old baby for breakfast. Let's make a menu by week 28, that is, when the child has tried 4 different products. In this example, complementary foods began with vegetables, they have all been tried and are now offered to the baby for lunch, and for breakfast we get acquainted with the first porridge - buckwheat.

    Day After sleep Breakfast Lunch Dinner For the night
    Monday breast milk (GM) or formula (C) buckwheat* + supplement GM/S zucchini puree GM/S GM/S
    Tuesday buckwheat + supplementary food GM/S cauliflower puree
    Wednesday buckwheat + supplement GM/S broccoli puree
    Thursday buckwheat + supplementary food GM/S zucchini puree
    Friday buckwheat + supplementary food GM/S cauliflower puree
    Saturday buckwheat + supplementary food GM/S broccoli puree
    Sunday buckwheat zucchini puree

    *On the first day, the volume of buckwheat is 3 g. The amount is doubled daily until the maximum dosage of 170 g is reached, while the proportion of supplementary feeding with formula / breast milk is proportionally reduced.

    Recipes for babies

    We have prepared several recipes for the correct preparation of dishes for a child from six months. Check if you know the basic ways to process food for crumbs. Our recipes contain general recommendations for preparing vegetable purees, cereals, soups and meats. It is important not to forget that you are cooking the baby, and not to use a lot of salt - it is better to do without it altogether. Instead, it is allowed to flavor the dishes with oil - and the baby will be happy to eat what is offered.

    Vegetables

    Vegetables must be washed, peeled and washed again before cooking. Then they are cut into pieces and steamed for as long as needed until soft. After that, the mass is rubbed through a sieve, or crushed in a blender. The resulting puree can be slightly diluted with vegetable broth, or with a mixture that the baby is used to. It is not recommended to salt the puree, you can only add a couple of drops of vegetable oil.

    Porridges are ideal for feeding a baby at 6 months. At home, they are prepared in two ways, and you can choose the one that seems more convenient:

    • Porridge in a coffee grinder. For this method, you need to take a well-washed cereal and dry it to get rid of moisture. Then grind in a coffee grinder to a powder state. Pour this powder into boiling water, stirring with a spoon. The porridge will turn out to be homogeneous and tender in texture, and it will take quite a bit of time to cook it. To simplify the process, you can grind the cereal in advance and use it as needed.

    Porridge for a six-month-old child should be of a homogeneous consistency, without lumps

    • The second method involves a long boil. Rinse the groats, add water and cook for about an hour. Then cool, grind - a strainer or blender will help. Add a little water or baby formula to the mass and bring to a boil.

    Meat puree

    Meat can be included in the crumbs menu if complementary foods started at 4 months. Otherwise, the meat sample should be postponed until 8-9 months. For starters, you should use rabbit meat, turkey or chicken fillet, and beef are also suitable. Cooking meat for children up to a year is easy. You need to cut it into pieces, pour water and cook until fully cooked. After that, cool, pass through a meat grinder twice. Some people like to grind in a blender. Dilute with vegetable broth or water, bring to a boil. Then pour in a couple of drops of vegetable oil.

    Pediatricians do not recommend giving soup to a 6-month-old baby unless he is an artificial baby and has started solid foods at 4 months. What soups are allowed to cook crumbs? If you decide to cook soup for a baby, it is worth remembering that you need to cook food on vegetable broth or water. Also, for a 6 month old baby, the soup should contain only a couple of ingredients and a little oil. A little later, you can try adding cereals to the soup - first rice, buckwheat, then barley and corn.

    Cauliflower and zucchini puree soup - great for lunch

    1. Cauliflower and zucchini puree soup is a good first introduction to these dishes. For him, you need to take zucchini and cauliflower in equal parts (50-60 g each), pour a glass of water and cook until tender. After that, wipe the ingredients, add the broth in which they were cooked, bring to a boil again. Remove from heat and add half a teaspoon of butter.
    2. Rice soup with broccoli (or cauliflower) and zucchini is the next step for feeding babies. To prepare it, you first need to boil 1 tablespoon of rice. Separately, boil 150 g of cauliflower and 50 g of zucchini, drain the vegetable broth into a separate bowl. Wipe rice and vegetables, dilute with broth, put on fire, bring to a boil. Add butter or vegetable oil.

    Dr. Komarovsky's alternative opinion

    According to the WHO, in the diet of a six-month-old baby, in addition to milk and formula, only cereals and vegetables can be present. It all depends on the characteristics of a particular baby - his weight, health status. However, the famous pediatrician Dr. Komarovsky has a different opinion - he believes that it is best to start with kefir.

    The fact is that kefir is a close relative of milk and the baby's digestive system will cope with this product in the best way. Kefir contains lactic acid bacteria and fungi that positively affect the functioning of the intestines. In addition, this drink does not burden the liver, contributing to high-quality digestion.

    Kefir is very useful for babies

    Kefir should be offered to the baby to drink in the morning, once a day, carefully monitoring the body's reaction to a new product. First, you can offer the baby 2 teaspoons of kefir, increasing the portion day by day. Over time, kefir should replace one of the daily meals. The volume of the drink should be approximately 150 ml.

    As soon as the baby gets used to kefir, you should wait a week and you can start offering him cottage cheese, which should be added to kefir. A child of 6 months should eat up to 30 g of cottage cheese per day, gradually this volume should be increased and by 9bring to 50 g for months. The baby can eat in this way throughout the entire nursing period.

    As soon as one of the morning feedings is completely replaced by fermented milk products (kefir and cottage cheese), you can try to introduce porridge into the child's diet. It can be buckwheat, rice or oatmeal, which will gradually replace the evening meal.

    Note that Komarovsky's opinion in this case contradicts the recommendations of the World Health Organization. According to WHO advice, kefir and cottage cheese can be introduced into the crumbs menu only at 8 months.

    diet for a 6-month-old baby with breast and artificial feeding, sample menu for a week in the table, diet for a day

    Published: 02/10/2021

    Reading time: 4 min.

    Number of reads: 224681

    Author of the article: Ponomareva Yulia Vladimirovna

    Pediatrician, Candidate of Medical Sciences, Allergist-Immunologist

    Changes in a child in the first year of life are very rapid, and each month is not like another. The 6-month milestone is very important, it is largely evaluative and transitional. By this age, most babies have doubled their birth weight, are about 15 cm tall, and some babies have already erupted their teeth. The age of 6 months is also transitional in terms of nutrition. Breast milk or an adapted formula is still the basis of the diet, but with the beginning of the second half of life, all children, without exception, should begin to receive complementary foods. Despite the general graph of growth and weight gain and indicators of psychomotor development, the status and diet of children at 6 months can be very different. 9Ol000 If the baby is healthy and breastfed, and his mother eats a full and varied diet, exclusive breastfeeding is possible until this age. Cereal complementary foods in this case are preferable to start. This is due to the high energy and nutritional value of cereals, the ability to significantly enrich the baby's diet with a delayed start of the introduction of complementary foods.


    However, the rate of expansion of the child's diet in this situation will be accelerated. Before the 8th month of life, it is necessary to introduce all basic food groups into the baby’s menu, since in the second half of the year the need for additional intake of nutrients and micronutrients is very high. Another reason explaining the importance of the rapid introduction of complementary foods is the formation of immunity of the immune cells of the intestine to ordinary food. If a child is introduced to these foods at the age of 4-8 months, the risk of developing food allergies has been proven to be reduced.

    Complementary feeding starts at 4–5 months

    In modern life, the nutrition of a nursing mother, unfortunately, is not always complete. Therefore, for most breastfed babies, complementary foods already need to be introduced from 5 months in order to prevent deficient conditions.

    If a child is bottle-fed, then by the 4th month of life, the baby will not have enough adapted formula alone, and in this group of children, the timing of the introduction of complementary foods usually shifts a month earlier than in breast-fed babies. Accordingly, by 6 months, children will have vegetable puree and gluten-free porridge (buckwheat, corn and rice) in their diet. In the first half of life, monocomponent meals are used (that is, from one type of grain and vegetables), prepared on the basis of water, breast milk or an adapted mixture.

    Fruit puree and juice can be another possible complementary food for children under 6 months of age without allergy symptoms. In a child with a risk of developing or manifesting allergies, the timing of the introduction of fruit complementary foods is shifted to the 8th month.


    Second six months of life

    Children over 6 months of age can supplement their diet with cereals containing gluten. First of all, these are oatmeal and wheat porridge, and then multi-cereal dishes with the addition of other cereals (millet, barley, rye). If the child does not have any manifestations of allergies, milk porridge can be included in the menu at this age. Bebi Premium industrial baby food products include specially prepared milk that is safe to use in healthy babies in the first year of life.

    From the age of 6 months, the baby's diet is expanded with such important products as meat and cottage cheese. These products are a source of high-quality protein, fats, and are also rich in minerals such as iron, calcium, and phosphorus. Pediatricians and nutritionists recommend introducing meat and cottage cheese as part of combined dishes based on a fruit and vegetable and / or grain component in a ratio of 1 (cottage cheese / meat): 4–5 (fruits / vegetables / cereals).

    To enrich the diet with polyunsaturated fatty acids in the second half of the year, the menu includes vegetable oil in the amount of 3–5 grams per day, which can be added to the complementary food dish.

    Learn more