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Are you sure you’re feeding your baby enough & correct? Newborns are either breastfed or formula-fed depending upon the choice. However, the quantity of milk increases as your baby grows. As babies are ready to start with solid food items from 4 to 6 months of age, you must study in detail what to include in your baby’s diet to maintain a good weight gain.
The following Indian baby food chart is uniquely designed keeping in view the necessary nutrients & healthy food items for your newborn’s better growth. Even so, there’s no ideal time to feed your baby in a day but it’s important to regulate between different time intervals & food quantities. Likewise, there are no clear-cut rules to set the perfect schedule for your baby, yet your prime focus should be to match your little one’s appetite completely.
However, if your baby’s appetite isn’t always the same, there’s not much here to worry about. As long as you’re offering a diet rich in multiple nutrients, your little one will be fine. Just keep in mind, the maximum proportion of the nutrients would flow from the breast milk or formula feeding itself. Whereas, the other part shall be normally transitioned through different meals.
This being said, let’s get into the details of a classic baby food chart for different age groups. Moreover, if you're up for a great mother-child bonding experience, get access to blissful baby & post-natal massages right away.
Table of Contents
Baby Food Chart For 0 - 3 Months Child
A 0 - 3 months baby’s diet only constitutes breastfeeding milk or formula. This alone imparts the right nutrients & energy to a newborn child. However, in between 4 - 6 months of your baby’s age, introducing solid food items to your baby is a reasonable decision, but not before that age bar. At about 6 months, your child can begin eating solid foods but some babies are ready sooner.
However, starting before 4 months is strictly prohibited. The better choice, in this case, would be to introduce food items at 6 months of age. So make sure to augment your baby’s diet at the right time with single food grains to avoid any risks in the future.
Do you think your baby requires a breastfeeding or formula-feeding schedule? Of course, they do but at this age, it is not possible to follow a strict schedule & stick to it all day long. However, what’s possible is to educate yourself about the schedule & get your baby into a feeding routine. It will get you to follow their cues & understand their hunger. Besides, this will also help predict their behavior & identify patterns in their sleeping cycle.
So, check out the breastfeeding & formula-feeding schedule for a 0 - 3 months baby & understand your baby’s dietary requirements. In addition to it, get access to really helpful breastfeeding tips.
What’s The Best Time To Introduce Solid Food Items?
Introducing solid food items must be an affair of joy for you! However, you must remember, as per The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), a child should be fed solid food items at about 6 months of age. Whereas, no solid food items should be introduced before 4 months of your baby’s age.
Here are some of the signs you can look for to identify when your baby’s ready to consume solids -
When your baby can sit upright & can control the neck & head movements.
When your baby seems more curious or expresses interest in the food.
In case your baby reacts or leans forward when offered food.
When your baby still seems hungry after consuming a day’s meal.
Therefore, by the time your baby is 4 months old, you must not encourage solid food items. A wiser choice for futuristic development shall be to abide by good breastfeeding or formula feeding schedule. Whereas, to help with the initiation of the solid food items, the best time is when your baby’s cheerful & calm.
It's also important to support your child with the right breastfeeding position. There are various such positions but what's necessary is to get comfortable with the best one!
Baby Food Chart For 4 - 6 Months Child
Given below is the baby food chart for a 4 to 6 months child. Give it a read and get answers to your questions.
Baby Food Chart For 6 - 8 Months Child
Next, you see below the baby food chart for a 6 to 8 months child. Take note of this dietary chart for the healthy development of your baby.
Baby Food Chart For 8 - 12 Months Child
If your child's age ranges from 8 to 12 months, given below is the exclusive food chart for your little one. Make sure you read it for a better understanding.
Bonus: 8 Tips To Increase Your Child’s Appetite
A baby’s low appetite is a concern that sometimes requires attention & most often not. If your baby’s battling any illness or recovering from it, in that case, it takes time to return to the normal food schedule. Similarly, zinc is the most important factor for maintaining the production of hydrochloric acid. This acid is mainly responsible for the digestion process. So, if your child has zinc deficiency, it can also lower their appetite.
Following this, here’s the list of some wholesome tips to increase your child’s appetite for healthy growth & weight gain.
Baby massage techniques - like paddling, I Love U, moonwalking, & fulling are recommended solutions for gas problems. Your baby might be crying a lot because of the pain. However, the objective is to trigger the trapped air to move out & to make sure that your baby is relieved and is eating properly again.
Stay hydrated - Your baby must consume water after waking up and even before the consumption of milk. Make sure that your baby gets into the habit of this practice at least 30 minutes before every meal.
Let your baby play - around & be greatly energized before the meals. It’s not a great idea to confine them in a small space.
Serve fruits - to your baby before the meal. Give them smaller meals to stimulate their appetite.
Offer Yoghurt - to your child. It is very important and is extremely healthy. It's jammed with nutrients like protein, calcium, & probiotics that make it a perfect food for your toddler.
Quantify the meals - Look out for your baby. If the standard meal is not working for your little one, augment the quantity of the meal or introduce more meals to develop a habit and thereby, boosting their diet enough.
Milk is not a meal - If your baby has a low appetite, don’t consider milk as a full meal. It’s important to introduce other food items too at the right time. As milk alone might kill their appetite for other food elements.
Avoid serving milk - in the morning, if your baby gets cranky about it. Too much milk in the morning might kill their appetite for other nutrient food items.
FAQs
1. What Baby Food Do You Start With?
Choosing your baby’s first food correctly is important. You must offer single-ingredient meals. It is done to observe the baby’s reaction to a particular food item. Try beans or iron-fortified cereals and stir it well with 2 tbsp of breast milk of formula. You can also opt for single-grain cereals like rice or oatmeal.
Moreover, make your baby sit upright and then offer the food instead of pulling it directly from a bottle. This is how you’ll harbor this habit in your child. Most importantly, you must wait for at least 3 - 5 days before introducing another meal.
2. Can You Give Cerelac To 6 Months Old Baby?
Cerelac is a food item introduced to your baby after 6 months of age. It comes in different flavors and is highly recommended by The American Paediatric Society as well. However, it is always advisable to take a yes from your doctor. Moreover, it is a perfect amalgamation of nutrients like Vitamin D, Protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Calcium, and others.
3. What Food Is Given To Baby After 6 Months?
For a 6-month-old baby, you can include the following food items for a healthy diet intake. These food items will also keep your baby away from allergies -
Mashed fruits (such as apple, banana, avocado, pears)
Steamed vegetables (sweet potato, pumpkin, potato, carrot)
Fish (without bones)
Cereals - Wheat, ragi, barley, oats
Rice porridge - Mix broken bits of rice with breast milk or formula
Vegetable soup
Pulses soup
4. What Can A Baby Eat To Gain Weight?
For a baby who is under 6 months, increasing the number of feeds is a good option in hand. Whether it is breast milk or formula, maximizing the feedings per day will ensure the intake of the right nutrients naturally. Additionally, at a later stage (4 - 6 months of baby’s age), you can supplement the diet with single-ingredient meals for healthy weight gain.
Subsequently, for a baby who ranges between 6 - 9 months of age, you can complement your baby’s diet with food items such as oatmeal, avocado, eggs, and others along with the above-mentioned diet.
5. Is Banana Everyday Good For Baby?
The answer is a big yes! Bananas include essential nutrients like vitamin B6, vitamin C, and are a rich source of potassium. It is also a great food element to include in your baby’s diet. Its soft & mushy formula is easier to digest and offers several health benefits to your baby. It not only supports the development of your baby’s brain but is also rich in fibers. So, your newborn baby can eat bananas as soon as he/she turns 6 months old.
Takeaway
If you are looking for a perfectly safe & nutritious baby food chart for your little one, we hope you got your answer right there! The introduction of solid food items at the right time is always a greatly informed decision. However, in most cases, looking out for your kid in this way is the basis for substantial growth, so let's take care of your child together!