Switching to complementary foods is an important milestone in your baby's growth and development process. Babies between 6 and 12 months begin taking solid foods in addition to breast milk or infant formula. During this period, it is important to encourage healthy eating habits and adopt the right approach to meeting your baby's nutritional needs. In this article, we will share tips and five delicious recipes that you should consider during the complementary feeding process for babies aged 6-12 months.
Great Nutrition Tips
Babies usually become ready for solid foods around 6 months. During this period, it is important for your baby to gain head and neck control, to be able to sit up and to develop swallowing reflexes. You can determine the time to switch to supplementary foods by consulting with your doctor.
Before starting a new complementary food, it is important to introduce your baby to one food at a time. You can monitor possible allergic reactions by following each new food for 3-5 days. During this period, it is recommended to introduce vegetables to your baby first and then add fruits, grains and protein sources.
- Pay Attention to Nutritional Value: There are food groups you need to pay attention to to ensure that your baby grows healthy. These groups include vegetables, fruits, grains, protein sources (chicken, turkey, fish, eggs, yogurt, etc.) and healthy fats. Be careful to offer different food groups at each meal.
- Good Cooking and Pureeing: When preparing food for your babies, it is important to cook the food thoroughly and puree it. The cooking process makes food easily crushable and swallowable. At this stage, you need to cut grain-sized foods into small pieces that the baby can swallow.
- Attention to Hygiene Rules: Since babies' immune systems are not yet fully developed, it is important to be careful about hygiene. Be sure to wash your hands and food thoroughly. Be careful to use fresh and clean ingredients. You can also make the feeding process easier by using a safe and appropriately sized dining chair for your baby.
Five complementary food recipes for babies aged 6-12 months:
Pumpkin Puree:
- Peel and chop the zucchini.
- Add to boiling water and boil until soft.
- Drain the zucchinis and puree them.
- Optionally, you can adjust the consistency by adding a small amount of baby formula or breast milk.
- When feeding pumpkin puree to your baby, offer it slowly and with a small spoon.
Banana and Avocado Puree:
- Mash or puree a banana.
- Remove the flesh of an avocado and mash or puree it.
- Mix banana and avocado.
- Optionally, you can add a small amount of lemon juice.
- When offering it to your baby, you can add a small amount of breast milk or baby formula to bring it to the appropriate consistency.
- Rolled oats:
- Cook oatmeal with some water or milk.
- After cooking, adjust the consistency of the paste according to your baby's preference.
- Optionally, you can add grated apple or banana into the paste.
- Mix well until it reaches the consistency suitable for your baby and serve warm.
- Yogurt and Vegetable Pudding:
- Grate the carrots and zucchini.
- Cook in water or over steam until tender.
- Strain the cooked vegetables and puree them.
- Add a small amount of yoghurt depending on your baby's tolerance.
- Optionally, you can add cereals or oatmeal.
- Mix all the ingredients well and serve warm.
- Chicken soup:
- Chop the chicken breast into small pieces.
- Add water to a pot and bring to a boil.
- Add the chicken pieces to the boiling water and cook thoroughly.
- Drain and mash the cooked chicken pieces.
- Optionally, you can add vegetables (carrots, potatoes, zucchini).
- Mix all the ingredients well and serve warm.
These recipes contain supplements suitable for babies aged 6-12 months. However, each child's nutritional needs may be different, so it is important to determine your baby's nutrition plan by talking to your doctor.
The feeding process of babies represents an important phase with the transition from breast milk or infant formula to complementary foods. During the supplementary feeding process for babies between 6-12 months, it is important to introduce foods one by one, pay attention to their nutritional value, use correct cooking and pureeing methods, comply with hygiene rules and try various recipes. During this period, you can contribute to your baby's healthy growth by offering healthy and delicious foods in accordance with his nutritional needs. Remember, every baby's nutritional needs may be different, so it's important to stay in touch with your doctor as well. The complementary feeding process is a fun journey to discover your baby's eating habits and tastes.