Starting Solids and Meal Plans for 6-month-old baby (with meal charts)

Congratulations, firstly on bravely taking on the role of Motherhood and second on your baby completing 6 months. It’s now time for your baby to graduate to their first solid food experience.It’s natural for new parents to go through a mix bag of emotions in the form of excitement, anxiety and curiosity on what lies ahead in the world of a baby’s first solid food.How do you know If your baby is ready to eat their first solid food?Your baby sitting upright, is most likely to be your first sign. Look out for signs of them getting interested in foods around them. They will gesture their interest in food by licking their tongue or bringing food or objects close to their mouth. Stay vigil about these signs and then slowly start the weaning process.However, be mindful, that it is absolutely necessary to continue with breast-milk or formula. At 6 months, a baby’s immune system is still not completely strong. Milk plays a vital role in healing and preventing many illnesses a baby could catch at this time. Please also note, you should not feed your baby with any form of animal or plant milk below 1 year!Here is a list of precautions to take before starting solid foods for your baby:1) Make sure your baby is in the upright position: Ensuring the baby is in the upright position, will making chewing down food easy and prevent any incident of choking.2 ) All vessels like bowl, spoon etc. should be sterilized with hot water:  Safety measures needs to kept in place with all baby items, especially with the items used to feed the baby. Just like you have been sterilizing their milk bottles, you need to continue this practice with all utensils that go into the baby’s food. There is always a higher risk of viruses and germs spreading and thus sterilizing will allow you to prevent this.3) Use soft, curved spoon that is BPA free:  Since your baby is trying their first solids, they are not used to rough textures. Making sure they are eating with a clean and soft spoon will help prevent any injuries and ease them into the process of eating soft food.4) Food prepared for a baby should be consumed within 2 hours:  When it comes to young infants, it’s best to prepare and consume food within 2 hours. There is a risk of food getting spoilt or contaminated if it is left for more than 2 hours. Also ensure the temperature of the food is right for your baby to consume it comfortably.Now that we have gained an understanding of what to do and what not to do, we can move towards learning about the foods suitable for a 6-month-old baby. Here is a list of mindful tips to follow when introducing your baby to their first solid food: 1)  Always introduce your baby first to single ingredients .These should include:

1. a) Cereals
2. b) Fruits
3. c) Vegetables
4. d) Lentils

2) Introduce a combination of foods after your baby is used to single ingredient foods. These could be in the form of:

1. a) vegetables and cereals
2. b) cereals and lentils

3) Always use the 3-day rule:  When introducing a new food, always wait for 3 days to start something new. This will allow you to check for allergies and other digestive issues.4) Re-try foods after 4-6 weeks : Don’t give up if your baby does not like a certain food and has refused to consume it. Retry after 4-6 weeks to see how your baby reacts.5) Avoid diluting the food too much:  Baby’s eat very little to begin with. Thus, the focus should be on filling them up with adequate nutrients. Too much of liquid in the food will fill up the baby and leave them deficient in essential minerals and vitamins.6) No Salt and sugar rule:  Babies do not require salt and sugar in their diet. Stay away from these until the baby is 1 year old.Pat your back, now you are ready to embark on this beautiful and memorable milestone in your baby’s life. To make things easy for you, we have listed out a BONUS meal plan chart for your 6-month old baby. This will help you further ease into this process of learning about the best food suitable for early foods as well as assist you with meal planning.BONUS: Meal Plan Chart for 6-month-old baby:  Week 1:  While you continue with breast milk/formula- you can now start including soft solids 2 times a day.You can use our meal plan to create a routine for your baby. Tweak it to your baby’s food preferences and taste. Week 2: Having a routine helps the baby settle down faster and with ease. Introducing a variety of soft foods will allow them to get the benefits of all recommended soft foods.Bookmark this page to come to this in future. Week 3: Including a mix of soft foods that has fruits, vegetables and cereals are highly recommended. These meet the nutritional requirements needed for a growing baby.It’s important to continue with breast milk or formula during this time. Week 4: By the time it’s the 4th week, your baby has been on their first solid food for close to a month. Their taste palettes are getting adjusted to new flavours, taste and textures.Observe what they are enjoying the most and continue with soft foods.Whenever you think your baby needs milk continue with breast milk or formula only.Stay tuned for more meal plans. Share this with someone who will appreciate this and bookmark this post for future use.Follow us on Instagram to not miss our daily updates and tips: https://www.instagram.com/num_num_babyfood/  Num Num Foods is an vegan and preservative free company. We prepare our meals in clean and hygienic facility taking all safety measures in consideration.    Our baby food is free of salt, sugar, MSGs and all other harmful ingredients. We are certified clean and safe baby food brand that is proven to increase weight and immunity in babies.For hassle- free clean, healthy, nutritious and delicious baby food Shop here    Shop Now