New mothers are always conscious about the diet of their kids. It is very important that you feed your baby the right way. A proper balanced diet will not only provide the baby with all the nutritional requirements but also develop the immunity system of the body. During the growing years of a child, it is very important to stick to a proper diet plan. So, here is our ultimate guide on ‘6 months baby food chart’.
Why you need this 6 months baby diet chart
- To meet the requirement of calories according to the age and weight of the baby.
- To customize the menu according to the nutritional status of the baby.
- To introduce the baby to new foods.
- To build a strong immunity system of the baby
- To specially emphasize on the proportion of protein in the diet. Proteins are the building blocks of body and extremely essential for the development of the baby.
- To create a good food habits of the baby. It should be kept in mind, that the kind of food that you shall feed the baby at this time will determine the future food habits of the baby. So, this is a matter of utmost importance.
Nutritional requirement of a 6 months old baby
- The calorific requirement of a 6 months old baby is about 100 calories per kilogram of body weight.
- Out of the total calorific requirement, 40 percent should come from essential carbohydrates.
- Micronutrients such as zinc, iron, and folic acid should be included in the diet.
- Even if the baby depends on baby milk from mother, it is important to develop weaning habits and also let a share of the nutrition come from solid food.
- Along with food, administering the kid with adequate amount of fluid is utmost necessary. At this age, children suffer from frequent dehydration. It is important to keep the electrolytic balance in proper condition. If you cannot remember, then set alarms for giving water to your kid every time.
- The baby at the age of 6 months needs a good proportion o9f fat in the diet. The fat will help to grow adipocytes in the body. It is essential for the proper functioning and the myelination of neural cells.
- All types of fat soluble vitamins, that are vitamin A, D, E, K must be included in the diet to bring around an all round development of the baby.
The Indian context of diet for 6 months old baby
In India, mostly the normal food consists of a well-balanced diet. Rice or roti with daal, vegetables, fruits is the normal food in common Indian houses.
This food will not be very appropriate if given to kids of 6 months. But they can be fed with little modification. Like you can smash the rice thoroughly and feed the baby. Very dilute daal can also be administered to the kid.
Feeding timings
For a 6 months old baby, you can feed the kid for 6 to 7 times a day.
- Breakfast
- Mid-morning snacks
- Lunch
- Evening snacks
- Dinner
- Late night (if needed)
6 months baby food chart with time/days
This is a simple proposed diet plan that is formulated keeping in mind the Indian food habits and the availability of ingredients in the Indian market.
This food chart is highly flexible and you can always include or exclude things from this chart. It just gives you a fair idea regarding the type of food that you should administer your kid.
Things to remember while following the weaning diet chart
- Formulated milk can be used instead of breast milk but better avoid it.
- Use only toor or moong dal.
- Do not feed your baby very complex protein like meat or fish at this time. The gut of the baby is yet not ready to digest all those stuff.
- Choose vegetables that are easy to digest.
- Wash all ingredients properly before cooking.
- Avoid usage of salt or sugar as it stresses the kidney unnecessarily.
Indications that your child is having a proper food or diet
It is very important that you look for certain signs and symptoms that will indicate that the food you are giving to your kid is being right both qualitatively and quantitatively.
The first indication is that whether the weight of the child is increasing at proper proportions according to the age of the kid. You should also observe whether your kid is having any type of digestive issues with the kind of food that you are giving.
Childhood obesity is a common problem these days. Remember that if a silent killer like obesity victimizes your kid right from childhood, there is a really bad future waiting from him or her. Follow the pattern of growth and actions of the baby.
Always remember one thing that the child cannot speak for itself. A six months old baby is bound to suffer from number of problems. All the digestive enzymes and functions are not properly developed in the kid.
There will always be problems, but what is the most important part is you understand the problems. Panicking hardly solves anything. To solve the issues, you need to have good observational skills.
It will help you to understand the food that your child likes and the ones which are causing discomfort in his or her body. Moreover, do not ignore the child’s reaction to a particular food.
Through the unwillingness towards consumption of a particular type of food, the child might be indicating something. Try to pick up the signs and modify the diet accordingly.
Look out properly if your child is being allergic to some kind of food. Preferably avoid that food in the diet.
Things to avoid while planning your baby’s diet
- Do not think that feeding more will make your baby’s health better. It is the balance of food that will bring about the actual growth.
- Not only increase in height and weight, growth is a much more holistic approach. It involves how the fine tunings and social capabilities of your kid is developing. These growth factors are also highly dependent on the food that your child consumes.
- It is a wrong concept that expensive food will give proper nutrition to the baby and simple homely foods are not proper. Anything that is unadulterated and full of nutrients is good for the baby. Very simple food cooked at home can also be the best for the kid.
- Do not avoid the quantities of micronutrients in the diet of the kid.
- Don’t skip the meals and then overfeed at once. It is very important to space the meals properly and feed your kid.
- Do not give cow milk to your 6 months old baby. At this time, their gut is still not well equipped to digest cow milk. Breast milk is best for them. However, the mother should always try and encourage the weaning of the kid and shift the habits.
- Stop administering digestive medicines too often.
6 months baby food recipes
1. Apple puree recipe
- Slice the apples properly after peeling them.
- Take water in a pan and let it come to the boil.
- Add the apple slices and let it boil till the apple becomes soft.
- Take out the apples and put them in a mixer grinder.
- After blending, sieve it to get a proper consistency. You can also boil the apple in a pressure cooker by giving two whistles.
- Add a pinch of cinnamon to bring a good flavor as the smell of boiled apple is not very nice.
2. Banana puree recipe
- Peel the banana and put it in a blender.
- Dilute the mashed banana and sieve it thoroughly.
- You are done with banana puree for your kid.
3. Carrot puree recipe
- Peel off the carrot.
- Let some water boil in a pan.
- Add the slices of peeled carrots.
- Let it boil properly.
- Mash the carrots in a blender and strain the blended mixture.
4. Potato or sweet potato puree recipe
- Boil some water in a pan. Do not peel the potatoes.
- Just cut it into halves and add it in the boiling water.
- After taking the potato out from the boiling water, peel it and mash it with a spoon.
- Potatoes are soft enough and you don’t really need to blend them separately. Simple mashing will do.
- You can also bake the potatoes directly using your microwave oven.
5. Pumpkin puree recipe
- Pumpkins are naturally sweet and the babies love that taste.
- De-seed and peel the pumpkin. Cut it into small cubes.
- Boil a cup of water in a pan. Add the diced pumpkins. Pumpkins are also soft; hence no extra blending is needed.
- Just mash it with spoon and it is ready.
6. Rice porridge recipe
- Powder the rice into a fine dry powder mix. You can do it simply by dry grinding the rice in a blender.
- Take those types of rice which are easy to digest.
- Now boil some milk and water in a pan. You can add both in equal proportion or greater proportion of any one as per your baby’s choice.
- Slowly add the rice powder to the liquid mixture.
- Keep on stirring continuously to avoid any lumps.
- Take it off the stove once the rice is cooked enough.
- Cool down and then feed your baby.
7. Oats meal recipe
- Boil some water and milk in a kettle/pan.
- Slowly add powdered oatmeal into it.
- Stir constantly to avoid lumping. Cook on slow heart.
- Once the oat is cooked, turn off the flame.
- Cool down to room temperature before feeding.
- You can buy powdered oatmeal from market or grind dry whole oatmeal in a blender.
8. Khichdi recipe
- Take some rice and whole moong daal in a pressure cooker.
- Dry stir it for a few minutes.
- Add sufficient water and a pinch of salt to it. Close the lid and pressure cook the mix for 3 whistles.
- This is really awesome and a wholesome food for your baby. You can try adding some vegetables into it as well like potato or pumpkin.
9. Daal soup recipe
- Boil some raw split moong daal in a pan.
- After it completely softens, take it off and feed the baby with only the dilute watery part that is on the top.
- Do not give the heavy boiled sedimented part at the beginning. It is difficult to digest.
10. Barley cereal recipe
- Cook it as a stew or soup just like the oats or rice porridge.
- Homemade barley powder is extremely nutritious for the baby.
4 healthy practices while feeding your baby
- Sit down in a calm and quiet place while feeding your baby. It is very difficult to feed in a very noisy area. The child gets distracted and does not concentrate on eating and this leads to vomiting and indigestion.
- First try to feed one spoon of the food and check the mood of the baby. If the baby is not willing to eat, then do not force repeatedly.
- Don’t let the baby sleep or lie down immediately after consumption of the food. Let the baby sit for a few minutes after eating.
- Feed your baby at proper intervals to develop good food habits.
Closing thought
This ‘6 Months Baby Food Chart India’ is just a sample based on our experiences. You can switch the food items according to the taste or preferences of your baby. For example, if your baby loves apple puree more than carrot puree or spinach puree, then you can simply feed him/her apple puree.