Menu For Babies From 6 Months: The First Baby Foods
The porridges are excellent preparations with a high nutritional density. They are a great way to introduce different foods into your baby’s diet. In addition, they allow to hide the flavors of strong foods, which generates great acceptance among the little ones.
In fact, it is very common for complementary feeding to start with the consumption of baby food. Although other methods of letting the baby handle food have become fashionable now, these preparations can continue to be part of the routines.
What should you take into account in the first porridges?
The first thing to be clear about when preparing a porridge is that the pediatrician’s recommendations regarding food inclusion times must be respected. In this sense, it would not be appropriate to introduce products that can increase the risk of developing allergies at this time, such as nuts.
Likewise, it is important to prioritize the presence of vegetables in the porridge. You should always have a portion of protein, but the inclusion of vegetables is essential. Now, it is key to avoid added sugar or ultra-processed ones. This could negatively impact the baby’s metabolic health and future development.
Menu for a 6 month old baby
We are going to explain how to make the menu for a 6-month-old baby using baby food as the main elements, in addition to breast milk, of course.
Breakfast: breastfeeding or bottle
At this time, the administration of breast milk is recommended, either from the breast or in the form of a bottle. This food has proven to be the best quality food for the baby’s health. This is confirmed by research published in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics .
Anyway, there are women who cannot resort to this feeding method due to different factors. In this case, the use of a formula milk is possible. However, its nutritional composition must be assessed, and the absence of added sugars must be essential.
Lunch: fruit porridge allowed
Mid-morning is an ideal time to introduce the first porridge in the baby’s diet. In this case, fruits will be used mainly, but those that can be consumed at 6 months of life. One of the most common is apple, peach and banana. The 3 elements are combined with 3 measures of starting milk and with 2 measures of cereals, along with a glass of water, crushing everything.
Thanks to this food the child gets a good amount of vitamin C and potassium. This last element is essential to keep blood pressure controlled in the medium term, according to research published in the Journal of Clinical Hypertension .
Food: vegetable and meat porridge
At noon it is important to include a good portion of proteins of high biological value to promote tissue growth. To do this, you can add meat to the porridge.
The optimum is to boil 50 grams of potato with the same amount of carrot and beans. In the pot, add 100 grams of chicken, veal, hake or monkfish and a little salt. It is important to ensure that all food is properly cooked. Once they are ready, they are crushed and the porridge will be ready for consumption.
Snack: fruit porridge
In the snack, a fruit porridge is reintroduced to increase the supply of vitamins and minerals. These are also accompanied by formula milk and cereals to generate a higher energy density.
An optimal option is the use of pear, apple and orange for the preparation of this preparation. It is important to guarantee a good bite, so that there are no stumbling blocks that could favor choking.
Dinner: vegetable puree or breastfeeding
The last meal of the day can be satisfied by breastfeeding, thus providing high-quality nutrients. Another option is to prepare a vegetable puree with leek, tomato, carrot and beans. You can even add cooked chicken to improve the protein content of the recipe.
Recommendations for spoon-feeding your baby
Keep in mind that when feeding the baby with a spoon it will be necessary to have some patience. You should not force the intake if he is not hungry. Likewise, it will be necessary to guarantee the use of a bib, since the stains are insured.
It is important to gently insert the spoon into the baby’s mouth so as not to create discomfort. During the first months of life baby teeth come out and the contact of the spoon with them could be annoying.
Create a healthy baby menu based on baby food
As you have seen, it is possible to prepare different porridges in order to meet the nutritional needs of the baby. It is important to offer a certain variety in food. In this way, the risk of nutrient deficiency is reduced and contributes to a better nutritional education, accustoming the child to different flavors.
