Diet for 6 Month Old Baby

The diet for 6 month old baby depends on the baby and her health as well as her development too. Read on to know what are the food items that your child is ready or getting ready to take. Also find out what suits your baby and whether she is allergic to certain food items or not. You will come to know all this and more after reading the article.

There is no hard and fast rule as to what should be the exact diet of a 6 month old baby. Each baby is different and responds to different foods and tastes differently. The basic thing is that solid food can be introduced after 6 months but if your baby does not want to try this, do not worry. Let a week or so pass and then you can try again.

The taste buds develop at this stage and you will find that the food the baby refuses today, she will readily have it the other day. So, there is no such thing that you have to completely forget about a food item if your baby refuses it even for two days.

Food Items when your Baby is of 6 Months

• Always try to give her nutritious, soft and mashed food because she is not ready to chew things right now.
• Check with your doctor before introducing any food item.
• The baby gets ready to eat, taste and digest solid food within 6 – 9 months. You can start offering different tastes to know the taste of your child. Consult your doctor first because it also depends on the development of the baby and the doctor will give you right advice.
• Avoid giving honey to babies below one year. Try other sweeteners.
• Yogurt is very safe and good and should be included in the diet for 6 month old baby.
• You can introduce cheese safely to your baby. Cottage cheese is the best and you can find lots of recipes especially created keeping in mind the age of the baby.
• You can add mashed egg yokes, as they are high in protein. They will help in mental and physical development of your child. Avoid giving egg whites until your child is one year old.
• Legumes are high in vitamins, protein, and minerals and will prove to be a great addition in your 6 month old baby’s diet.
• Makes sure you never overfeed your child with food items especially proteins.

Start Solid Foods

When your doctor advises you to introduce solid foods to your baby’s diet and she is ready to take them, start trying when your baby is fresh and not tired at all. Give some time and let her enjoy the food. Let your baby be a little hungry but never wait too long so that she is left starving. This will not help you rather it will be difficult for you to handle the situation as well.

Since your baby is now 6 month old, she can sit straight. Make her sit on your lap with complete support on her back and then feed her slowly and in small portions. Also see whether she likes the food or not. When you are just starting, do not mix too much of things. Simply prepare soft cereal with milk and make it almost like a fluid. 

Along with the taste you also have to look after the digestion of the child. The food should be soft and well cooked. You can also mash it to be sure enough that there is no solid part in the food. Remember the infant is not completely ready for the food because she was only fed with liquid food till now. This is simply an introduction. Do not expect your baby to finish the entire dish.