Foods to feed 15 month old baby

Mega List of Table Foods for Your Baby or Toddler

Snag this awesome list of food for 1 year olds to toddlers, and the 9, 10, and 11 month old babies in between learning to eat table and finger foods. Includes a free printable list too!

Wondering what types of food to feed give your baby or 1 year old? As a pediatric occupational therapist and mom, I’ve got your covered. You’ll find that most of the ideas I am sharing are for babies 10 months and up, but it really depends on how well your baby or toddler is chewing foods. You could be introducing these a little earlier or later.

In general, these are perfect foods for 1 year olds and those a little younger!

Wait, I’m worried about my baby or toddler choking on solid food!

If you’re worried about your baby choking make sure you check out our guide on baby gagging. Understandably, this is a common concern. Keep in mind that gagging and choking are two different things. It’s quite common for babies and toddlers to gag occasionally.

If your baby or toddler gags a lot with new foods they might be getting used to the texture. Or, they may need help learning to chew.

However, if it’s happening a lot you’ll want to talk to your doctor and for sure head to that guide. This is something I’ve seen a lot as an OT and the sooner you address it the better.

Of course, any concerns at all about your child’s eating or variety of foods should be brought up with your child’s pediatrician.

And, if you’re wondering when you should first serve the ever popular crunchy breakfast cereal, Cheerios, then head to When Can Babies Eat Cheerios.

Are these Food Appropriate for My Baby or Toddler?

These guidelines are based on my experience as a licensed occupational therapist and the 17 years of experience working with hundreds of families. The suggestions are also in alignment with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommendations.

If your baby hasn’t started eating table foods yet or is CONSISTENTLY REFUSING THEM and they’re 9 months old or older then please go to this article first for a step by step guide: how to transition to table foods.

To be honest, I wanted to have a resource for myself, since Isaac (10 months old) is right in the middle of this transition and I am struggling to make sure he has enough variety.

I do have to admit that Isaac isn’t (hmm, need to choose my words carefully here,) the best eater.

He chews and manages food very well, but unless the texture isn’t right, he isn’t very interested. Of course, this is very frustrating! To make sure I optimize my chances at success (aka: he actually eats something other than Gerber Puffs or Cheerios), I need a go to a list with all of my ideas (plus some new ones), so I am not scrambling in the craziness of meal prep.

If you’re in the same boat, check out our free workshop to help your toddler learn to eat a wider variety of foods.

The list is organized into three categories:

fruits/vegetables
carbs
proteins

When putting together meals, plan for at least one food in each of these three groups. Also, keep in mind that if you mash up a casserole or lasagna, all three categories may be covered in one shot. For example, with the lasagna: spaghetti sauce= protein, noodles= carbs, and meat or cheese= protein.

Let’s get started…

Affiliate links used below. See our full disclosure.

Tips for Feeding Table Foods to Babies

Make sure everything you give your baby for the first time is closely monitored. Chew a small piece in your mouth first and pay attention to how hard it is to chew. If it doesn’t break down easily and quickly, it probably isn’t a good choice.

Stay calm if your baby coughs or chokes a little, it will happen. If you freak out, they will freak out. If they are coughing or choking on a food frequently, stop giving it to them and re-introduce at a later date.

Cut food into small pieces so they can chew it easily. Cut beans in half and make sure meats are soft and moist. Help your baby with foods that are difficult to pick up, don’t make the pieces bigger until you are sure they can manage them.

This is a list of table foods, not necessarily finger foods, although many of them are. For example, spread hummus on crackers or serve cottage cheese.

Have your baby or toddler eat with the rest of the family. It’s the best way for them to see other’s eating a variety of healthy meals and food groups. They learn so much from watching YOU eat!

If your baby is under 1 they’ll still be drinking formula or breast milk. You can serve some during the meal in an open cup, straw, or sippy cup. Children at this age typically don’t need fruit juice, but water is a great option. Once a child has their first birthday they can be transitioned to cow’s milk.

At every meal offer a fruit or vegetable, carb, and protein for a balanced meal. Snacks don’t have to include a protein. Baby food is optional, but by this age focus on moving them towards all table food at a meal.

Cutting foods into small pieces can be a pain, but offer small pieces that are easy to pick up and small amounts so they aren’t overwhelmed. This also helps prevent choking hazards of overstuffing and too large pieces that they can’t manage. You can also cut food into stick shapes if your child is able to manage that well.

This suction mat is also my favorite if your using a chair that pulls right up to the table or if your going to a restaurant. Check out the little pocket to catch the food, brilliant. I used this with all three of my kids, and it’s held up amazingly! Seven years of use, not too shabby.

If you use a high chair, these suction bowls are awesome for trays!

Before we move on, if your baby is 9-10 months old and struggling to eat table foods, be proactive. They can learn to eat with some specific strategies.

Check out the free workshop that will help you get your baby or toddler on the right track: 5 Big Feeding Mistakes That Are Stopping Your Child From Learning to Eat Table Foods Workshop. Includes a free workbook:)

Food Ideas for 10 -11 month and 1 Year Olds

Protein Ideas

Tofu

Meatballs (gluten and dairy free optional with this link)

Meatloaf

Cheese shredded from a hand grater (it is thicker and easier to grab this way)

Tilapia

Salmon

Chicken (make sure it is softer texture)

Homemade mini chicken nuggets (gluten and dairy free option)

Turkey (ground or breast/cutlet)

Hard-boiled Egg

Scrambled Egg

Hummus

Black Beans

Cheese Spreads

Cottage Cheese

Ricotta Cheese

Crumbled Goat Cheese (or use as a spread)

Plain Pulled Pork (make sure it is extra soft)

Shreds of Pot Roast (make sure it is extra soft)

Yogurt

Tzatziki Sauce (may need to puree if there are large pieces of cucumber in it)
Peanut Butter (now safe to give to babies and toddlers, spread thin or thin out with water)
Olive oil (great healthy fat, drizzle on top of carbs or veggies)

Carb Ideas for Baby and Toddler

Toast

Plain or Buttered Bread

English Muffin

Bagel

Cheerios

Barley

Corn Grits/Polenta
Brown Rice

Short Pasta

Graham Crackers

Town House Crackers

Pancakes

Crepes

Waffles

French toast

Tortilla

Pita
Oatmeal

Quinoa
Cream Of Wheat
Fruit and Vegetable Breads (i. e. zucchini, banana, etc.)
Muffins
Corn Bread

Fresh Fruit/Vegetable Ideas for Baby and 1 Year Old

Peaches

Watermelon

Plum

Mango

Banana

Avocado

Potato

Sweet Potato

Applesauce

Pears

Peas

Cooked Diced Apples

Cooked Diced Carrots (great to use pieces from soups)

Cooked Diced Celery

Pureed Soups (i.e. tomato, butternut squash)

Inside of Baked Potato

Mashed Potato

Mashed Sweet Potato

Broccoli (make sure this is extra soft)

Cauliflower (make sure this is extra soft)

Puree Fruits and use as a spread

Butternut Squash

Zucchini

Strawberries

Blackberries

Blueberries

Raspberries (many babies will find these too tart, but still give it a try)

Spinach (use in casseroles or foods you are mashing up)

*If your baby is struggling with the taste or texture of fresh fruits you can also try freeze dried varieties. They’re also great as quick health snack while you’re traveling.

Baby Meal Plans

Below, I am outlining some various meal plans, just to give you some ideas. Many of the meals would suit a toddler or big kid as well. Again, depending on how your child is managing foods, you may need to dice or mash foods more. I would encourage you to think of what you are eating and if you could modify it for your baby. Ideally, you want your baby (soon to be toddler) to be eating what you are eating.

This may mean some planning ahead.

Mash up or chop what you are eating into small pieces. Once you get into this frame of mind, you will be surprised to think of all the foods your baby can enjoy, too!

Also, I try to vary textures at each meal. Meaning, I want one kind of food that needs to be eaten from a spoon and at least one that is finger-fed. It doesn’t always work out this way, but that’s the goal, especially as they are transitioning off of all pureed foods.

Breakfast Ideas for 10 -11 Month and 1 Year Olds

English muffin with cream cheese and chopped strawberries
Cottage cheese (depending on age, may need to chop coarsely in food processor), diced pear, and graham crackers
Diced hard-boiled egg, diced toast with butter, and applesauce
Cream Of Wheat with pureed berries and plain whole milk yogurt (yes, mix this all together)
Pumpkin waffles and diced banana

Check out toddler breakfast ideas for more inspiration.

Lunch Ideas for 10-11 month and 1 year Olds

Tortilla folded in half (quesadilla style) with a little melted cheese inside and mashed avocado
No sugar added applesauce, zucchini bread, and shredded mozzarella pieces
Tomato soup with black beans and blueberry cornbread
Hummus spread on pita with diced fruit salad (or whatever fruit you have on hand)
Shreds of pot roast in tzatziki sauce and pureed mango-banana sauce (blend pieces of mango and banana together, leaving it a little chunky)

Head over to toddler lunches for 17 more easy and healthy ideas perfect for 1 and 2 year olds!

Dinner Ideas for 10-11 Month and 1 Year Olds

Ricotta or cottage cheese, spaghetti sauce, spinach, and whole wheat noodles chopped coarsely through a blender or food processor. Also, give some pieces of noodles to finger feed
Tilapia, steamed and slightly overcooked broccoli, and polenta
Meatballs, barley, and diced carrots
Mashed sweet potatoes, tender turkey breast or cutlet, and pieces of buttered bread
Canned salmon (I always use wild Alaskan), quinoa, and diced apples/butternut squash

Find even more food ideas for babies and toddlers in Ultimate List of Baby/Toddler Meal Ideas and if you’re looking specifically for high calorie foods, click on over to High Calorie Foods for Baby and Toddlers.

Want a Free Printable Food List for 10-11 Month and 1 Year Old’s?

Yup, you heard me right, get a printable of tons of finger food ideas for babies, it’s something I’ve written about a lot here on Your Kid’s Table. You can print this out and hang it right on your fridge. I’ll send it right to your inbox!

Grab your free toddler/baby table foods printable here.

More for Babies and Toddlers

How to Transition Your Baby to Table Foods

How to Wean from the Bottle

Toddler Portion Sizes: How Much to Serve

How to Teach Your Baby or Toddler to Feed Themself

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Alisha Grogan is a licensed occupational therapist and founder of Your Kid’s Table. She has over 17 years experience with expertise in sensory processing and feeding development in babies, toddlers, and children. Alisha also has 3 boys of her own at home. Learn more about her here.

Baby and toddler meal ideas

If you need some inspiration to help you cook healthy and tasty food for your child, try these meal ideas.

These are not suitable as first foods but are fine once your baby is used to eating a wide range of solid foods. Read more about your baby's first solid foods.

When preparing food for babies, do not add sugar or salt (including stock cubes and gravy) directly to the food or to the cooking water.

You can find more recipes and meal ideas on the Start4Life website.

Breakfast ideas for babies and young children

unsweetened porridge or lower-sugar cereal mixed with whole milk and topped with fruit, such as mashed ripe pear or banana
wholewheat biscuit cereal (choose lower-sugar options) with whole milk and fruit
lower-sugar breakfast cereal and unsweetened stewed apple with plain, unsweetened yoghurt
toast fingers with mashed banana and smooth peanut butter (if possible, choose unsalted and no added sugar varieties)
toast fingers with a hard-boiled egg and slices of tomato, banana or ripe peach
toast or muffin fingers with scrambled egg and slices of tomato

Lunch ideas for babies and young children

lamb curry with rice
cauliflower cheese with cooked pasta pieces
baked beans (reduced salt and sugar) with toast
scrambled egg with toast, chapatti or pitta bread served with vegetable finger foods
cottage cheese (full-fat) dip with pitta bread, cucumber and carrot sticks

Dinner ideas for babies and young children

mashed sweet potato with chickpeas and cauliflower
shepherd's pie (made with beef or lamb and/or lentils or vegetarian mince) with green vegetables
rice and mashed peas with courgette sticks
minced chicken and vegetable casserole with mashed potato
mashed canned salmon with couscous and peas
fish poached in milk with potato, broccoli and carrot

Finger foods for babies and young children

Finger food is food that's cut up into pieces big enough for your child to hold in their fist with a bit sticking out. Pieces about the size of your own finger work well.

Examples of finger foods:

soft-cooked vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower, courgette, parsnip and sweet potato
carrot or cucumber sticks and avocado
fresh fruits, such as apple (soft-cooked if needed), banana or soft, ripe peeled pear or peach
toast, pitta or chapatti fingers
unsalted and unsweetened rice or corn cakes
strips of meat without bones, such as chicken and lamb
cheese on toast fingers, made with full-fat cheese, and cucumber
hard boiled eggs
omelette fingers

Healthy snacks for young children

Babies under 12 months do not need snacks; if you think your baby is hungry in between meals, offer extra milk feeds instead.

Once your baby is 1 year old, you can introduce 2 healthy snacks in between meals. For example:

vegetables, such as broccoli florets, carrot sticks or cucumber sticks
slices of fruit, such as apple, banana or soft, ripe peeled pear or peach
pasteurised, plain, unsweetened full-fat yoghurt
toast, pitta or chapatti fingers
unsalted and unsweetened rice or corn cakes
small strips of cheese

Getting your child to eat fruit and vegetables

It may take up to 10 tries, or even more, for your child to get used to new foods, flavour and textures.

Be patient and keep offering a variety of fruits and vegetables, including ones with bitter flavours, such as broccoli, cauliflower, spinach and cabbage.

Try to make sure fruits and vegetables are included in every meal.

To help your child eat more fruit and vegetables:

give carrot sticks, cucumber sticks or slices of pepper with hummus as a snack
give apple slices with smooth peanut butter as a snack
mix chopped or mashed vegetables with rice, mashed potatoes, meat sauces or dhal
add vegetables to classic savoury dishes such as cottage or shepherd's pie, spaghetti bolognese or casseroles
chop prunes or dried apricots into cereal or plain, unsweetened yoghurt, or add them to a stew
for a tasty dessert, try mixing fruit (fresh, canned or stewed) with plain, unsweetened yoghurt

Read more about helping your baby enjoy new foods and fussy eaters.

Drinks for babies and young children

Find out about drinks and cups for babies and young children.

Page last reviewed: 21 December 2022
Next review due: 21 December 2025

How to transition a child to solid foods - what is BLW

The BLW theory was introduced in 2010 in the book Baby-Led Weaning by Jill Rupley and Tracey Marquette. This approach to first foods is popular in the US, while there is not much information about it on the Russian-language Internet. In this article, we will talk about what are the features of BLW, what foods can be given to a child and what should not be, what precautions should be taken into account.

Baby-Led Weaning can be translated as “baby food of choice”. You can apply this method no earlier than six months of age, it is better - from eight months. According to BLW, from this age, the child can be given regular food (which one - we will discuss below), while continuing to breastfeed or feed formula milk.

Advantages of BLW

Compared to baby purees, BLW has a number of advantages, in particular:

You do not have to spend time preparing baby purees.
The child can be at the family table from the very beginning and eat the same food as the parents.
This feeding method promotes the development of visual and fine motor skills.
The child learns to chew, swallow and decides what and how much to eat - this is how the foundations of healthy eating behavior are laid.

Also read: From 1 year and older - what and how to feed a small child

How to understand that a child can be given solid food

There are several signs - how to understand that a child can already be given regular food:
The child can sit up alone with little or no support.
The child wants to chew something, even if he does not yet have teeth.
He takes food with his thumb and forefinger instead of his palm.
The child shows interest in food, grabs food from the table.
It is advisable to consult a pediatrician before giving a normal meal to a child.

What foods can be given as first complementary foods

Of course, not all foods can be given as first complementary foods. Foods that are suitable for first foods according to BLW are:

Steamed or baked vegetables (broccoli, carrots, pumpkin pulp, zucchini).
Ripe fruits (apple, banana, avocado, mango, watermelon, peach, pear, plum).
Protein food (natural cheese, egg yolk, meat, liver).

Carbohydrates (gluten-free pasta, brown rice, millet, buckwheat, gluten-free bread).

Also read: 6 Months and Older - Which Dairy Products to Give to Young Babies

BLW First Feeding Rules - Do's and Don'ts

Make sure your child is ready for regular meals.
Continue breastfeeding or formula feeding until at least 10–12 months of age.
Sit the child in a comfortable position - he should sit upright without leaning back.
Cut the food into large pieces so that it is easy for the child to take them.
Start with soft foods: ripe fruits, steamed vegetables.
Take your child to the family table.
Get ready for a mess.
Take your time and don't rush your baby - meals should take at least 10-15 minutes.
Pay attention to the signals - for example, if the child scatters food, he may have already eaten.
Do not offer complementary foods if the child is tired or in a bad mood.
Do not coax your child to eat another bite and do not offer too much food at a time.
If your child doesn't want to eat regular food and likes baby purees more, don't be upset. Fortunately, there are many foods available for children today that can be spoon-fed, such as baby yogurt, cottage cheese spreads, and others.

See also: Baby food - 7 dairy products for young children

Precautions - things to consider

Avoid foods that your baby can choke on, such as nuts, grapes, cherries, grape tomatoes.
If you want to give your child foods such as cherries and grapes, cut them in half and remove the pits.
Hard foods that a child cannot chew should be boiled (eg carrots).
Find out in advance how to give first aid if a child chokes.
Be careful with foods that can cause allergies: foods containing gluten, peanuts and other nuts, egg whites, seafood and some types of fish, citrus fruits.
Do not give your baby junk food and fast food: chips, popcorn, sugary foods, candy.
Banned honey, sugar and chocolate. Salt - in very small quantities with the permission of a doctor.
Never leave a child with food unattended.

Based on materials from parents.com, mamanatural.com, malyshi.livejournal.com

The information and recipes contained in this Blog may not meet the user's expectations, are presented for use without regard to the individual characteristics of the user's health and are used by the user at their own discretion and under personal responsibility.

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Complementary foods at 5 months, what foods to introduce into complementary foods for a child from five months

08/02/2022

≈ 6 min read time

The right age to start weaning
How do you know when it's time for your baby to introduce complementary foods?
How to introduce complementary foods at 5 months
Where to start complementary foods at five months?
How should the process of introducing complementary foods take place?
The diet of a baby on breastfeeding and on artificial - what is the difference?
5 month old baby diet
Sample food menu
What to do if the baby refuses to eat a new product

There is no universal and uniform recommendation for all about the age of the child, when the mother should start complementary foods. Everything is due to the individual characteristics of the baby. However, Russian and European experts consider the age from 4 to 6 months to be the best time interval. Five months of age is called a kind of "golden mean".

A pediatrician can tell you in detail about how to introduce complementary foods at 5 months - while he, in addition to his experience, will be guided by recommendations from the National Program for Optimizing Feeding Children in the First Year of Life - a document developed by leading domestic medical organizations in the field of pediatrics and children nutrition.

It may be premature to start introducing complementary foods before four months of age. The body is not yet ready to absorb any food other than mother's milk or infant formula. But by 5 months, the gastrointestinal tract is already more mature: the permeability of the mucous membrane of the small intestine, initially high, decreases, certain digestive enzymes mature. Local immunity is already at a sufficient level to reduce the likelihood of allergies. By 5 months, the “spoon ejection reflex” fades away in the child, the baby can already swallow semi-liquid and thicker food.

Postponing complementary foods beyond 6–7 months may cause some micronutrient deficiencies. The baby is growing, actively moving, for this he needs more energy and nutrients - however, by this time their amount in women's milk is decreasing. As many studies show, if complementary foods are not added for a long time, there is a risk that the baby will lack the necessary substances. For example, by the age of 6 months, the need for iron in babies without complementary foods is satisfied only by 12-14%.

In addition, the later complementary foods are introduced, the more difficult it is for a child to develop an “adult” skill - the ability to chew solid food. It is very important to start the introduction of complementary foods on time so that the correct eating habits are subsequently formed, and the baby can learn to eat food of different textures.

The timing of the introduction of complementary foods and the most suitable product for this should be consulted with a pediatrician. It will take into account the individual needs of the child.

As the chief freelance pediatrician of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, academician A. A. Baranov, explains, it is necessary to take into account not so much the calendar age as the degree of physiological maturity of the child, "his readiness to perceive and assimilate more complex food."

There are signs by which a mother can understand that it is time to “introduce” a child to a new food:

the baby is able to sit - on his own or with support;
the “spoon ejection reflex” fades away when the baby pushes food out of the mouth if it is thicker than milk;
there was curiosity about what mom eats; the baby can even begin to open his mouth and reach for the product.

The main thing is that you do not need to offer complementary foods in stressful situations and the baby feels unwell. For example, during an illness, immediately after vaccination, or during other events that may affect the comfort of the child and mother. You have to wait 3-5 days. You need to introduce complementary foods when the baby is healthy and in a good mood.

To understand how to properly introduce complementary foods at 5 months, you need to learn simple rules:

offer a new product in the 1st half of the day. This will allow you to track the appearance of an undesirable reaction - it will be indicated, for example, by a rash or a violation of the stool;
complementary foods are offered before breastfeeding or formula;
complementary foods must be given from a spoon. The very first serving is no more than half a teaspoon;
increase the amount of complementary foods during the week, gradually.

Vegetable puree is recommended first for administration. or porridge. If the child is healthy, nothing worries him, the choice is up to the mother. However, there are nuances that need to be discussed with the pediatrician:

with a lack of weight or frequent stools in a baby, you need to start with cereals;
if weight gain is excessive, constipation is frequent, vegetable purees will do.

With all the variety of baby food, for a baby, you need to choose the simplest purees and cereals in composition: one-component (monocomponent) - from one type of vegetable and cereal, unsweetened, unsalted. More complex foods from several types of vegetables or cereals will be left for later.

Complementary feeding schedule from 5 months

Determine what type of product you will start with - with porridge or vegetable puree. The doctor will help you choose.
Give your baby an unfamiliar meal in the 1st half of the day, before breastfeeding or formula. Watch for signs of food intolerance.
On Day 1, offer to try 1/2 teaspoon of a single-ingredient product: puree of 1 vegetable (zucchini is a good start) or cereal from 1 type of gluten-free cereal (such as buckwheat). In the case of porridge, it is very important that it be prepared with breast milk or regular infant formula. It is better to choose a product of industrial production, enriched with a complex of micronutrients.
Little by little, over 5 days to a week, we increase the portion of the monocomponent dish to the amount prescribed by the doctor. Usually at 5 months one serving "reaches" a maximum of 150 g.
If the baby responds well to complementary foods, and you do not notice an undesirable reaction of the body, you can add another flavor from the same food group. If you started with squash puree, you can try broccoli puree after it. You need to follow the same pattern. In the variant with cereals after buckwheat, you can offer dairy-free rice, breast milk or infant formula.
Now it is necessary to mix a drop of refined deodorized vegetable oil into the vegetable puree - sunflower or olive. Familiar flavors of vegetable puree can already be mixed and given in one feeding. If the first dish was porridge, add butter, but butter. Porridge should be alternated and not mixed in one feeding. Please note: oil is also a product unknown to the baby. We introduce it gradually and observe the reaction. You need to start literally with 1 g at a time, bringing it up to 3 g within 3 days.
After 2-3 weeks (depending on the rate of introduction of complementary foods), when the baby is already familiar with two tastes of vegetables or cereals and one type of oil, we begin to introduce a monocomponent dish from a product of another group. If you started with vegetables, you need to introduce cereals, and vice versa. The principle of "acquaintance" with a new group of products remains exactly the same.

Important: it is too early to introduce combined dishes (vegetable purees from several types of vegetables at once or vegetable and meat purees, cereals with the addition of fruits and / or milk, multi-cereal cereals) at this age. As a rule, they should be offered after 6-7 months.

At first glance, the menu of a 5-month-old baby will not be very diverse, but you should not rush: for a child, this is an unknown world of tastes, sensations and reactions. Mashed zucchini, broccoli or cauliflower with vegetable oil will be enough for him, as well as buckwheat, rice or corn porridge with butter - this is just the list that is best suited at this age.

No need to introduce more than one new product at a time.
The texture of dishes should be homogeneous, uniform and semi-liquid.
The dish must be warm.
Feed carefully, with a spoon.
The child must be strictly in a sitting or semi-sitting position. A special children's chair for feeding with an adjustable backrest is suitable - this way you can securely fix the baby.

The maximum serving volume should not exceed 150 g of the product + 50 g of complementary breast milk or infant formula. On average, a baby should eat at least 1 liter of food per day - a combination of breast milk / infant formula and complementary foods. If the mother is breastfeeding, you need to focus on the reaction of the child.

Breastfeeding is always preferable to artificial. As WHO experts recommend, breastfeeding should be maintained as long as possible, including against the background of the introduction of complementary foods. Human milk not only provides the baby with nutrients: it is also the most important factor in the "metabolic and immunological programming of the baby's health," the National Program emphasizes. Therefore, artificial feeding is introduced only for objective reasons - for example, for the health of the mother.

Complementary foods at 5 months on artificial feeding consist of the same approximate set of products as complementary foods at 5 months on breastfeeding. And in both cases, it is necessary to focus on the characteristics of the child. If he is healthy, then, all other things being equal, when breastfeeding, the doctor will most likely advise you to start with fortified porridge of industrial production. With artificial - with a high degree of probability will recommend vegetable puree as the first product. In any case, the pediatrician will take into account the individual needs of the child.

As complementary foods are introduced, the diet becomes more caloric, and the breaks between feedings become longer. As a result, this will lead to a decrease in the number of feedings. At 5 months, a child can switch from seven times feeding to six times, and then to five times. The night interval is lengthened, and then the child may completely refuse night feeding.

Feeding times must become more fixed in order for the food reflex to form. The intervals between meals should be approximately 4 hours. It is better not to deviate from the set time by more than 15-30 minutes: this will help to establish a rhythmic work of the digestive tract.

Sometimes a mother, hoping to get enough sleep, tries to feed her child before going to bed “to satiety”. Experts do not recommend doing this.

Recommendations on the weight of the dishes that the baby's menu should consist of are indicated in the National Program.

Complementary feeding table from 5 months

Products, dishes	Weight (g, ml)
vegetable puree	10–150
Porridge	10–150
Oil: vegetable - mix with vegetable puree, butter - with cereals	1–3

There is no single approved menu for the first complementary foods of a 5-month-old baby. The diet is determined by many factors: the recommendations of a specialist, the individual characteristics of the baby and mother's preferences, as well as the prevailing folk traditions and the region where the family lives. Experiences and approaches to introducing complementary foods can vary greatly, and it is difficult to say that one approach is better than another.

However, based on the accumulated experience and medical knowledge, the nutritional habits of the population and our cultural characteristics, Russian pediatricians agreed: complementary foods at 5 months should consist only of the products listed in the table below.

Recommendations of domestic experts:

vegetable puree	Kashi
Russian experts advise mashed white or green vegetables as first feeding dishes: 3/4 zucchini; 3/4 patissons; 3/4 cauliflower, broccoli. Gradually, you can enter their combinations. Then you can add puree from: 3/4 carrots; 3/4 potatoes; 3/4 pumpkin; 3/4 combinations of the listed products. Important: do not season the puree with salt and sugar	Porridge for the first feeding from 5 months should be hypoallergenic. These include: 3/4 buckwheat; 3/4 rice; 3/4 corn. Important: it is necessary to give preference to enriched cereals of industrial production. They are the first assistant in preventing the lack of essential micronutrients. Cereals should be dairy-free, gluten-free, unsalted, and sugar-free. They need to be diluted with breast milk or infant formula.

vegetable puree

Kashi

Russian experts advise mashed white or green vegetables as first feeding dishes:

3/4 zucchini;

3/4 patissons;

3/4 cauliflower, broccoli.

Gradually, you can enter their combinations. Then you can add puree from:

3/4 carrots;

3/4 potatoes;

3/4 pumpkin;

3/4 combinations of the listed products.

Important: do not season the puree with salt and sugar

Porridge for the first feeding from 5 months should be hypoallergenic. These include:

3/4 buckwheat;

3/4 rice;

3/4 corn.

Important: it is necessary to give preference to enriched cereals of industrial production. They are the first assistant in preventing the lack of essential micronutrients. Cereals should be dairy-free, gluten-free, unsalted, and sugar-free. They need to be diluted with breast milk or infant formula.

You can cook the dish at home, but only immediately before feeding and always use fresh, high-quality products that you know are safe. If the baby has not finished eating, it is not worth storing the dish.

Meanwhile, WHO experts and domestic pediatricians note the advantages of industrial dishes:

made from safe raw materials;
often enriched with prebiotics and probiotics, polyunsaturated fatty acids, vitamins, microelements;
processed and crushed taking into account the characteristics of the digestive system and chewing apparatus at a certain age;
hermetically sealed, they can be stored at room temperature;
ready to eat: just warm up the puree or dilute the porridge with breast milk/baby formula at the right temperature.

Can fruit be offered to a 5-month-old baby?

It is better to offer fruit puree when the baby is already six months old and his diet will contain the main food groups that he will eat with pleasure: several types of vegetables, cereals, meat puree. Therefore, we will talk more about fruit puree in another article.

But there are situations when it makes sense to introduce this product a little earlier: if the child has constipation or reduced appetite. The pediatrician will tell you more about this and give specific recommendations. The main thing is that fruit puree should not be introduced as a product of the first complementary foods.

Never force feed. It is better to offer a new product when the baby is slightly hungry. But if he is very hungry, nervous or not in the mood, it is better to postpone the "acquaintance" until the next feeding or move it to the next day.

If the baby didn’t like a dish (for example, broccoli) the first time, don’t give it up right away. Continue offering a little each day for 8-10 days. And when the child tastes it, continue to give a new product for another 10-15 days to build on success.