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My baby is 5 months what can i feed him


Feeding Your 4- to 7-Month-Old (for Parents)

Most babies this age are ready to try solid foods. Experts recommend starting solid foods when a baby is about 6 months old, depending on the baby's readiness and nutritional needs.

Be sure to check with your doctor before giving any solid foods.

Is My Baby Ready to Eat Solid Foods?

How can you tell if your baby is ready for solids? Here are a few hints:

  • Does your baby swallow food or push it out of their mouth? Babies have a natural tongue-thrust reflex that pushes food back out. Wait until this reflex disappears (typically when babies are 4–6 months old). 
  • Can your baby support their own head? To eat solid food, an infant needs good head and neck control and should be able to sit up.
  • Is your baby interested in food? Babies who stare, reach and grab, and open their mouths for food are ready to try solid foods.

If your doctor gives the go-ahead but your baby seems frustrated or uninterested in solid foods, try waiting a few days before trying again. Breast milk and formula will still meet nutritional needs as your baby learns to eat solid foods. But after 6 months, babies need the added nutrition — like iron and zinc — that solid foods provide.

Do not add cereal or other food to your baby's bottle because it can lead to too much weight gain.

Watch for signs that your child is hungry or full. Respond to these cues and let your child stop when full. A child who is full may suck with less enthusiasm, stop, or turn away from the breast or the bottle. With solid foods, they may turn away, refuse to open their mouth, or spit the food out.

How Should I Start Feeding My Baby Solid Foods?

When your baby is ready and the doctor says it’s OK to try solid foods, pick a time of day when your baby is not tired or cranky. You want your baby to be a little hungry, but not so hungry that they’re upset. So you might want to give your baby a little breast milk or formula first.

Have your baby sit supported in your lap or in a high chair with a safety strap.

Most babies' first food is iron-fortified infant single-grain cereal mixed with breast milk or formula. Place the spoon near your baby's lips, and let the baby smell and taste it. Don't be surprised if this first spoonful is rejected. Wait a minute and try again. Most food offered to your baby at this age will end up on the baby's chin, bib, or high-chair tray. Again, this is just an introduction.

When your little one gets the hang of eating cereal off a spoon, it may be time to try single-ingredient puréed meat, vegetables, or fruit. The order in which you give them doesn't matter, but go slow. Offer foods that are high in iron and zinc — such as meat, poultry, eggs, and beans — especially if your baby is breastfeeding. Try one food at a time and wait several days before trying something else new. This will let you identify any foods that your baby may be allergic to.

Which Foods Should I Avoid?

Foods that are more likely to cause allergies can be among the foods you introduce to your baby. These include peanuts, eggs, cow’s milk, seafood, nuts, wheat, and soy. Waiting to start these foods does not prevent food allergies. Talk to your doctor if you’re concerned about food allergies, especially if any close family members have allergies, food allergies, or allergy-related conditions, like eczema or asthma.

Infants with severe eczema or egg allergies are more likely to have allergies to peanuts. Talk to your doctor about how and when to introduce these foods to your child. 

Possible signs of food allergy or allergic reactions include:

  • rash
  • bloating or an increase in gassiness
  • diarrhea
  • vomiting

Get medical care right away if your baby has a more severe allergic reaction, like hives, drooling, wheezing, or trouble breathing.

If your child has any type of reaction to a food, don't offer that food again until you talk with your doctor.

Babies shouldn't have:

  • foods with added sugars and no-calorie sweeteners
  • high-sodium foods
  • honey, until after the first birthday. It can cause botulism in babies.
  • unpasteurized juice, milk, yogurt, or cheese 
  • regular cow's milk or soy beverages before 12 months instead of breast milk or formula. It’s OK to offer pasteurized yogurt and cheese.
  • foods that may cause choking, such as hot dogs, raw carrots, grapes, popcorn, and nuts

Tips for Feeding Your Baby Solid Foods

With the hectic pace of family life, most parents try commercially prepared baby foods at first. They come in small, convenient containers, and manufacturers must meet strict safety and nutrition guidelines.

If you prepare your own baby foods at home, here are some things to keep in mind:

  • Follow the rules for food safety, including washing your hands well and often.
  • To preserve the nutrients in your baby's food, cook it in ways that keep the most vitamins and minerals. Try steaming or baking fruits and vegetables instead of boiling, which washes away the nutrients.
  • Freeze portions that you aren't going to use right away.
  • Whether you buy the baby food or make it yourself, texture and consistency are important. At first, babies should have finely puréed single-ingredient foods. (Just applesauce, for example, not apples and pears mixed together.)
  • After your baby is eating individual foods, it's OK to offer a puréed mix of two foods. As babies get older, they will learn to eat a greater variety of tastes and textures. 
  • If you use prepared baby food in jars, spoon some of the food into a bowl to feed your baby. Do not feed your baby right from the jar — bacteria from the baby's mouth can contaminate the remaining food. If you refrigerate opened jars of baby food, it's best to throw away anything not eaten within a day or two.
  • Around 6 months of age is a good time for your baby to try a cup. You might need to try a few cups to find one that works for your child. Use water at first to avoid messy clean-ups. Do not give juice to infants younger than 12 months.

Over the next few months, introduce a variety of foods from all the food groups. If your baby doesn't seem to like something, don’t give up. It can take 8 to 10 tries or more before babies learn to like new foods.

5 month old feeding schedule: Timings and food types

A general feeding schedule can help parents and caregivers organize their day. However, feeding on demand — when the baby shows signs of being hungry — ensures that the baby gets enough food.

At 5 months old, a baby should get the majority of their nutrition from breastmilk or formula. Most babies do not require solids at this stage. Anyone considering starting a baby on solid food before they are 6 months old should talk to a pediatrician first.

Share on PinterestAll or most of a 5-month-old baby’s diet should comprise of breastmilk or formula.

At 5 months, breastmilk or formula is the most important ingredient in a healthful diet.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommend exclusively breastfeeding for about 6 months. However, for those who are unable or choose not to breastfeed, formula milk is available for babies of all ages.

Most 5-month-old babies should not be eating solids. Even when a baby shows signs of readiness for solids, this should only be a small portion of their diet. Always check with a pediatrician before starting a baby less than 6 months old on solids.

Parents and caregivers should not try to restrict a baby’s food intake, regardless of a baby’s growth. Instead, devise a loose schedule and then feed babies when they are hungry.

According to one source, this means getting to know a baby’s hunger cues, which might include licking their lips, rooting, or sucking hands.

A 2013 analysis of more than 10,000 children compared children whose parents or caregivers fed them on demand with those who received food according to a predetermined schedule.

The analysis found that parents and caregivers who followed a feeding schedule had higher confidence and better sleep. However, the study revealed that schedule-fed babies went on to do less well at school than demand-fed babies.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), most babies need to eat at least every 2–3 hours, which is about five to six times per day. At 5 months, some babies sleep through the night. Others still wake to feed.

Parents and caregivers who follow a schedule should try to remain flexible. A baby who is hungry an hour before snacktime needs to eat, just as a baby who is tired early should go to sleep.

Formula or breastmilk

Formula or breastmilk is the most important ingredient in a 5-month-old’s diet. According to Infant Nutrition and Feeding, babies should get five or more nursing sessions per day or 26 to 39 ounces (oz) of iron-fortified formula.

Some babies nurse more during growth spurts or when they do not feel well. Likewise, people who use a combination of formula and breastmilk may nurse slightly less often and give less formula.

Some research suggests that doing a “dream feed,” which involves the parent or caregiver feeding the baby relatively early in the evening before going to bed, helps babies sleep longer at night.

Other liquids

Do not give 5-month-old babies juice, cow’s milk, or water. Babies get water from formula or breastmilk. The World Health Organization (WHO) explain that giving babies water to drink increases the risk of diarrhea and may cause them to drink less breastmilk or formula.

Solids

Most parents and caregivers should breastfeed or formula-feed the baby for at least 6 months. The CDC indicate that a baby might be ready for solids a little earlier if:

  • they have good control over their head
  • they can sit on their own without support
  • they lean forward or open their mouth when a caregiver offers food

The American Academy of Pediatrics warn against introducing solids before 4 months as this can lead to increased weight gain.

Most babies do not need solids at this age. Some people may use solids as a supplement to formula or breastmilk but never give a baby solids without talking to a pediatrician first.

According to the Sleep Foundation, most 5-month-olds take two to four naps a day. Some naps may be longer than others. For example, a baby might take a short early morning nap, then a longer nap late in the morning and in the mid-afternoon.

Some people feed the baby right before they go to bed, hoping this will help them sleep longer. Others use an eat, play, sleep schedule. Neither is “right.”

Instead, people should choose the approach that works for them. Some babies need to nurse just before sleep. Others are eager to fall asleep after a play session.

Some tips that can help shape a schedule around a baby’s eating and sleeping routines include:

  • Be prepared to feed a baby when they awake. Expect babies to be particularly hungry and need more food after long naps and in the morning.
  • Each person must consider which schedule works best for them and the people around them. Some people choose to play, then feed, then put the baby to sleep, while others adopt a feed, play, sleep approach.
  • Know that a child’s napping needs may change when they are unwell, growing, or stressed. Similarly, many babies nurse for comfort during challenging times. Allowing a baby to nurse when they want, even if it is not feeding time, may help soothe them.
  • Do not put solid foods in a bottle, including before naptime.

All babies and families are different. Most babies eventually develop a rhythm that parents and caregivers can slowly shape into a schedule.

While some people prefer a fairly strict schedule, others take a more relaxed approach. Neither approach is right.

As long as babies get enough food and eat every 2–4 hours, it is fine to experiment with different schedules.

what foods can be given to a child

Reviewer Kovtun Tatyana Anatolievna

47667 views nine0005

Complementary foods are any foods other than breast milk and infant formula. Often they are introduced into the baby's diet after the fourth, fifth or sixth month of life. Is this approach correct and how can I feed a child at 5 months?

When do complementary foods start at five months

Current research shows that the optimal age for introducing complementary foods for all children is four to six months. This period is even called the "critical window". It is then that the foundations of the tolerance of different types of food are laid in the body and the need for new nutrients arises. The baby may already lack the nutrients that he receives from mother's milk or formula. The baby needs vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, additional sources of energy and other important nutrients. It's time to introduce him to a variety of taste sensations and form taste habits for life. And of course, learn important chewing skills. nine0005


The age of 4-6 months for the introduction of complementary foods is also recommended by the European Nutrition Committee ESPGHAN, the Union of Pediatricians of Russia and other specialists in nutrition and health of children. At the same time, the terms are individual, and you should always consult with a specialist. But for a healthy child, in the absence of additional indications, the best age to start complementary foods is four to five to six months.

It used to be thought that exclusive breastfeeding should introduce complementary foods earlier. But recently, scientists have found that at this age, breast milk no longer always fills the need for micronutrients, especially iron. Thus, the age of 4 to 6 months for the start of complementary feeding is now recognized as the “gold standard” for both breastfeeding and formula feeding [1] .

What foods to introduce into the baby's diet

The best first complementary foods that will complement the diet of a child at 5 months, experts consider children's vegetable purees or children's dairy-free cereals. In this case, the choice depends on the characteristics of the child. For children with reduced body weight or frequent stools, porridge is more suitable, and for babies with excess weight and constipation, mashed potatoes.

The first vegetable purees should consist of only one type of vegetable. Frutonyan's assortment includes mashed marrows, cauliflower and broccoli. It is these vegetables that experts recommend because of their delicate fiber. The composition of products is not allowed the presence of flavorings, dyes, preservatives, added starch, sugar and salt. nine0005


The first porridge for feeding should also be one-component. Start with gluten-free cereals: buckwheat, corn or rice. Pediatricians insist on cereals of industrial production, which are enriched with useful components.

Buckwheat, rice and corn porridge "FrutoNyanya" correspond to all recommendations. They contain a complex of vitamins (C, E, PP, pantothenic acid, B2, B1, B6, A, folic acid, D3, biotin, B12) and minerals (iron, zinc, iodine). nine0005

It is far from always possible to supplement the nutrition of a child at 5 months with complementary foods the first time. Sometimes it takes 10-15 attempts for the baby to accept a new product. Parents must be calm and consistent, and then everything will definitely work out. And from six months, you can offer your baby several different cereals or mashed potatoes.

It is best if by the year the child’s diet contains 3-4 types of vegetables and the same number of cereals. And you can not delay the introduction of baby meat puree after six months, as these products supplement the diet with essential nutrients. nine0005

Complementary feeding rules at five months

Understanding how you can feed a child at 5 months, you can move on to how to do it.

  • Use a spoon to feed porridge or puree. Don't give food on your finger.
  • A new product is introduced into the diet gradually. For the first time, the portion should be minimal, no more than 1/5 of the recommended rate. Then the amount is gradually increased and brought to the required level within a week.
    • nine0049 Each time after feeding, closely monitor tolerance. To make it easier to control the possible reaction of the body, complementary foods should be introduced in the morning.
  • Complementary foods should not be introduced during infectious diseases, and should not be combined with vaccination. After the next vaccination, at least 3-5 days should pass.
  • Complementary foods are given to a child who is hungry - that is, before breastfeeding or formula. When breastfeeding, it is important to keep it for the entire duration of the introduction of different types of complementary foods, that is, at least up to a year. nine0050
  • Complementary foods contain less water than breast milk or infant formula. Therefore, babies are offered water in small portions between feedings. In addition to complementary foods, a child needs 150-200 ml of water per day. It is better to use special bottled, but boiled is also suitable.

Sample menu for a 5 month old baby

    Once the complementary foods have stabilized, its tentative five-month schedule looks like this: nine0005

  • Vegetable puree: 150 g daily + 1–3 g vegetable oil;
  • porridge: 150g daily + 1-3g butter.

    • As they grow older, other foods are added to complementary foods: fruit, meat purees, cottage cheese, kefir, yogurts, baby juices, baby cookies, and so on.

How to feed a baby at 5 months: which porridge and puree to choose

Experts advise not to cook cereals on your own, but to start complementary foods with industrial-made cereals. By choosing a responsible brand, parents can be sure of the quality and safety of the product. nine0005


What about puree? In this matter, pediatricians are also on the side of finished products. Purees produced at the factory have a number of advantages:

  • high quality raw material;
  • compliance with strict hygiene requirements;
  • laboratory-tested chemical composition, including vitamin content regardless of the season;
  • optimum degree of grinding.

It hardly makes sense to cook mashed potatoes on your own, which is inferior in quality to the factory one. It is better to devote this time to communication and games with the child, so that he grows up not only healthy, but also the happiest.

List of sources

1. Union of Pediatricians of Russia. The program for optimizing the feeding of children of the first life in the Russian Federation. Guidelines: 2019. // URL: https://www.pediatr-russia.ru/information/dokumenty/other-docs/nacprog1year_2019.pdf#page=46 (Accessed 03.12.2021).

Reviewer Kovtun Tatyana Anatolievna

Scientific adviser to PROGRESS JSC, candidate of medical sciences

All expert articles0001

Published: 07.10.2019

Reading time: 5 min.

Number of reads: 213624

By 5 months the infant reaches a certain maturity of the digestive and immune systems, allowing for non-dairy nutrition. Today, there are many points of view on the timing of the introduction of complementary foods, but there are criteria by which parents can absolutely understand whether their child is ready to change something in their own diet. nine0005

Contents: Hide

  1. When should we start introducing complementary foods?
  2. What to prepare for a new stage in life?
  3. How to start complementary foods at 5 months?
  4. Which products are we introducing first?
  5. What not to give before 1 year
  6. Where to be vigilant?
  7. So all the same PORRIDGE or VEGETABLES?

Of course, the ideal period for the introduction of complementary foods at 6 months, but only on condition that the baby receives the optimal amount of nutrients from breast milk / mixture, has a good increase in height and weight, meets normal criteria for neuropsychic development. nine0005

But in real life, unfortunately, by the age of 5-6 months, children often begin to experience a deficiency in certain nutritional components, which requires parents to correct the child's diet. At the same time, allergists are unanimous in their opinion, who argue that the introduction of complementary foods in the interval of 4-6 months can reduce the risks of developing food allergies in the future, since it is in this age period that the immune system is most tolerant to new food agents.

When to start introducing complementary foods?

There are several signs that a baby is ready to start weaning.

  • One of the first is food interest. If the child is at the table with adults, he actively reaches for his mother's plate and is ready to try the food offered.
  • And the next logical sign is coordination of movements: hand - spoon / food - mouth. The child may pick up pieces of food with his fingers and bring them to his mouth or try to put a spoon in his mouth. And do it consciously, not by accident! nine0050
  • Child can sit. If he does not sit up on his own, but sits with support on an adult's lap, then this can also be considered a sign of maturity and readiness for complementary foods.
  • Extinguishing reflex. The younger the child, the more actively he pushes any object, medicine, food out of his mouth. Gradually, the ejection reflex fades away and the little person is ready to accept other consistency than milk. But in the first days of acquaintance with complementary foods, some children have a gag reflex, which is very scary for parents. Thick porridge or pieces of fruit, when hit on the middle and back of the tongue, lead to a spasm of the larynx, and the person returns the food to the front of the tongue and / or spit out the product. This is also one of the stages of development, and the faster the gag reflex fades, the more often you feed the child with complementary foods and do not take breaks in the new diet. nine0050

What to prepare for a new stage in life?

  • Your baby will definitely need a high chair and a colorful plate (with a rubber bottom or with a suction cup). Comfortable spoon, not too small and not too big, with a comfortable handle that the baby can hold in his hand. Bibs should be exactly at least two, waterproof and with a convenient lock. Lots of paper towels and a huge amount of patience.

How to start complementary foods at 5 months? nine0015

At present, there is no strictness in the sequence of introduction of certain products. The only thing children's nutritionists, pediatricians and other specialists agree on is that the child should receive the foods that are traditionally eaten in his family. If the family lives in Siberia, then the baby should try the apple earlier than the mango or blackberry.

  • The first complementary foods most often are cereals or vegetables. The baby gets acquainted with each product for 1-3 days, and after that, parents can continue to get acquainted with new types of complementary foods or expand the range within the same group. If we stretch the acquaintance with each new dish for 7-10 days, then by the age of 1 we will not have time to introduce into the diet all the food groups that the family eats every day. 3 days is the optimal period for which any parent will understand the reaction to a particular product of their child. Therefore, we boldly begin complementary foods with the appearance of all signs of readiness and teach the little person adult nutrition. nine0050
  • It is better to start acquaintance with new products in the morning or in the afternoon. This rule is conditional, and it is necessary to observe it only so that in the event of a negative food reaction (rash, vomiting, diarrhea, etc.) in response to a new dish, parents can quickly contact a specialist and receive medical assistance if necessary, which is better. do during the day, not late in the evening or at night.
  • Diet when transferring a child to an adult table must be observed. This is done so that the child is psychologically and physiologically ready for a certain interval between meals. Children do not perceive the variability of the environment well, and for harmonious development they need to follow the rituals and the usual sequence of actions of their parents: after sleep, breakfast always follows, and after a walk, lunch. Also, observing the intervals between meals allows the child to feel hunger and satiety, thereby correctly hearing the signals of his body and forming eating behavior. nine0050
  • Snacking before 1 year of age is not necessary, most infants receive on-demand breast milk for a long time, and formula-fed infants have an optimal set of nutrients in formula, which eliminates additional meals outside of the main ones.
  • At the age of 5-6 months of life, the number of non-dairy meals should be at least 2 times a day, by 9 months the number increases to 3 times a day. Most likely it will be breakfast and lunch. Only a mother and her baby can choose the time for complementary foods, because even babies can be larks or owls. Look at the biological rhythm of your baby. If he is very sleepy by 8 in the morning and has no interest in food, then breakfast should be shifted by 9−10 in the morning, and if you have a lark, then it is likely that porridge at 7 in the morning will make it even more active and cheerful.

Which products are we introducing first?

Due to the fact that the need to introduce complementary foods is dictated by the physiological needs of the baby for additional nutrients that the baby can no longer get with breast milk / formula, then products with a high nutritional value should be chosen.

  • One of the earliest deficiencies is iron deficiency in infancy. Based on this, pediatricians recommend the first to introduce cereals, meat, fish or eggs. Previously, meat and fish were offered in complementary feeding regimens after 6-7 months of age, but studies have confirmed the benefit of early introduction of meat into the diet of children under one year old to maintain normal blood hemoglobin levels. nine0050
  • Importantly, for better absorption of iron from animal products, they should be combined with vegetables rich in vitamin C (broccoli, sweet peppers or pumpkin).
  • But most parents, of course, are more accustomed to starting complementary foods with a cereal dish. Therefore, of all cereals, we choose buckwheat, the richest in trace elements and iron (7 mg / 100 g of cereal). The first porridge for the baby should be dairy-free, without additional enrichment with sugar and salt, without gluten (the protein of some cereals). Therefore, buckwheat, as well as rice and corn, are ideal for a first acquaintance. nine0050
  • Thus, porridge, vegetables and meat will be the first complementary foods on the baby's table. By 6-7 months, the child may well become familiar with all these food groups and absorb them well.
  • The volume of the dish should not exceed the conventional norm (the size of the fist of a small person ≈ 80-100 g at the beginning of the journey) and then grow with the child.

Sample menu at 5 months for artificial owl:

6:30 - mixture.

09:30 - dairy-free porridge 80 g + mixture. nine0005

13:00 onwards - mixture.

Sample menu for 6 months for baby-lark:

5:00 - GV.

7:30 - dairy-free porridge + GW/mixture.

10:00 − GV.
13:00 - vegetables with meat + GW / mixture.
16:00 and beyond - GW / mixture.

What not to give before 1 year

ALL food groups must be included in the menu of young children so that it is varied and complete, but a number of adult dishes should not fall on the children's table. It is important for parents to know what should be EXCLUDED from children's diet:

  • Added sugar and salt, which increases the load on the excretory system and increases the risk of developing cardiovascular disease in older age.
  • Honey - due to the risk of botulism.
  • Large varieties of fish (tuna, salmon) due to high mercury content.
  • Seaweed due to its high iodine content, which can disrupt thyroid function.
  • Spinach and beets, because they easily accumulate pesticides, the dose of which is toxic to children. nine0050

Where to be vigilant?

  • There is a group of foods with a high allergenic potential: wheat, fish, eggs, nuts, seafood and cow's milk. These foods are more likely than others to cause food allergies. But studies have shown that the introduction of food allergens in the first year of life reduces the risk of developing food allergies at an older age. Therefore, it is not necessary to sharply limit the introduction of these products, it is necessary to apply a more careful attitude to them. The introduction of any allergenic food should be against the background of the relative health of the baby, outside the day of vaccination and without the combination of other NEW foods. Within 3-5 days, mix small amounts of new into the main dish and observe the reaction. nine0050
  • But red fruits and vegetables are long gone from this list. The presence of moderate redness of the cheeks, chin after eating strawberries is not a cause for excessive concern. It is necessary to repeat the introduction of the berry in a couple of days and make sure that there is no reaction or that it is only a local short-term one.

So is PORRIDGE or VEGETABLES?