What complementary food should a 6-month-old baby eat? Analysis of daily complementary food additions for a 6-month-old baby

Daily recipe calendar for baby food supplement. The essence of the initial supplementary food addition is here! My baby started to add supplementary food at 6 months old. Because I am a new mother, I bought authoritative parenting and supplementary food addition books to start learning. I gradually learned that the first supplementary food added to the baby is nutritious rice flour, and after eating, I need to observe whether there is any allergy, etc. Now I will sort out the essence of my summary, and share the supplementary food added to my baby at 6 months old and the detailed method with mothers, I hope it will be helpful to you!

Most babies between 4 and 6 months old have not yet grown teeth and are in the early stages of the eruption of their deciduous teeth. They have just begun to understand food and like to swallow food, so pureed food is more suitable for babies. When babies like to stare at food, especially when they see adults eating, they will actively ask for and grab it, then it is time to add complementary foods to the baby to meet the requirements of this little taster.

Babies aged 4-6 months should still be fed with breast milk or formula milk. When adding complementary foods, mothers should not rush. Instead, they should let their babies try them and get familiar with the taste of the food. They should mainly be provided with liquid and mashed foods. The amount of food to be added should also be increased slowly, starting with 1-2 spoons and then gradually increasing.

It is recommended to add iron-containing rice flour as the baby’s first complementary food. The nutritional composition of rice flour is relatively simple and can prevent the baby from allergies.

1. Why is rice cereal recommended as the first choice of complementary food for infants?

Because the nutritional ratio of infant rice cereal is relatively balanced, it is very easy to mix into a uniform paste, the amount of preparation can be selected at any time, and the taste is light and close to breast milk or formula powder. After the baby accepts the rice cereal smoothly, gradually mix vegetable puree, egg yolk puree, and meat puree into the rice cereal, and feed it with mixed food to avoid "picky eating".

2. Why do we need to mix vegetable puree with rice flour before feeding it to babies?

Since the taste of rice flour and rice porridge is quite different from that of vegetable puree, if you feed them separately, it is like giving the child a multiple-choice question, stimulating the child to make a choice. Some babies will choose vegetable puree instead of rice flour, or vice versa. This can easily lead to picky eating. In the future, when adding meat puree, egg yolk, etc., you must mix it with rice flour before feeding the baby.

The feeding tools I use

→1. Food supplement machine: SVER food supplement machine

This food processor is highly recommended. It is much more convenient and practical than the all-in-one steamer and cooker I bought before. It is small and exquisite, suitable for making small amounts of baby food, and it has many functions. In addition to complementary food, it can also make juice, milkshakes, minced meat, and ground powder. Even if the baby is not using it, it will not be idle.

→2. Tableware: vital baby suction cup bowl, ceramic bowl

The advantage of the suction bowl is that it can be sucked on the table, which can train the baby to eat by himself without knocking over the bowl. However, I still use ceramic bowls more often in the early stage of complementary feeding. It may be a personal preference!

→3. Grinding bowl: American NUK grinding bowl

It is still necessary to prepare a grinding bowl. It is not expensive and is suitable for grinding soft foods in small quantities. However, a food processor is still needed for vegetables, meat and the like.

→4. Pot: Loray ceramic non-stick pot

I prefer this type of pot. It is originally a soup pot, but it can also be used as a steamer by putting a steaming rack inside. The white ceramic one will not fall off as easily as the coating.

Key points for adding complementary food to 6-month-old babies

First of all, milk should still be the main food, and the daily amount of milk should be 600-800 ml, not more than 1000 ml. Add complementary food 1-2 times a day. Make the food into a fine and thin paste. For foods that are too dry, such as steamed potatoes and yams, add some warm water and use a food processor or grinding bowl to make a fine liquid paste. It should not be too sticky. Let the baby gradually get familiar with the taste and feel of various foods, and exercise the baby's swallowing ability and the ability of the tongue to push food back and forth. After a period of adding a single ingredient, if the baby does not show symptoms such as allergies, diarrhea, and indigestion, two or more foods can be mixed and added.

Detailed reference recipes for the initial stage of complementary feeding

First week of June:

High iron rice noodles

Feeding tips for rice flour:

1. Choose formula rice flour with high nutrient and iron content; do not add sucrose and salt.

2. Add 3-4 spoons of warm formula milk or water to 1 spoon of rice flour (refer to the product's preparation guide for details) and let it sit for a while to fully moisten the rice flour. Feed the baby with a spoon instead of a bottle.

3. Slowly increase the thickness of the rice noodles. The rice noodles should be thin at first, and then gradually increase the thickness after the baby gets used to it.

4. Slowly increase the amount of rice cereal, starting with 1-2 spoons each time, and then slowly increase to 3-4 spoons after the baby gets used to it, 1-2 times a day.

Second week of June:

Mashed potato rice noodles, mashed pumpkin rice noodles, mashed carrot rice noodles, eat each for two days, and switch to the next one if there is no adverse reaction.

→→1. Mashed Potato Rice Noodles

Method: Peel the potatoes, wash them, cut them into small slices, and steam them for about 15 minutes. After steaming, put the potatoes and the prepared rice noodles into a cup, and beat them with the cross blade of a Shangweier food processor for about 20 seconds.

Tips: Potatoes are relatively sticky. To make it easier for babies to swallow, the rice paste must be diluted so that it is liquid and avoids vomiting. In addition, potatoes must be peeled before eating. Sprouting and green potatoes contain alkaloids, which are usually concentrated in the potato skin. They are toxic substances. Do not feed sprouted or green potatoes to babies.

→2. Pumpkin puree rice noodles

Method: Cut the pumpkin into pieces and steam it. Then put the steamed pumpkin into a cup and beat it into fine pumpkin puree. Mix it evenly with the prepared rice flour.

Tips: In addition to containing more carotene, pumpkin also contains pumpkin polysaccharides, pectin and other nutrients. Pumpkin polysaccharides are an immune enhancer that can improve immune function. Pectin has good adsorption properties and can bind and eliminate bacteria, toxins and other harmful substances in the body. Pumpkin is warm in nature and is very suitable for babies. However, pumpkin fibers are relatively long, so they must be broken when feeding the baby, otherwise it will be difficult for the baby to swallow. In addition, pumpkin will promote dampness and heat, so babies with jaundice should not eat too much.

→3. Carrot puree rice noodles

Method: Peel the carrots, cut them into pieces and steam them. Put them into a cup together with the prepared rice paste. Add appropriate amount of warm water and use a food processor to beat them into a fine paste.

Tips: Many parenting books suggest that carrots are fat-soluble foods and need to be fried with oil before adding for easier absorption. Because my baby is in the second week of adding complementary foods, I think steaming is safer. After the complementary foods have been added for a period of time, the baby's stomach has adapted to foods other than milk and rice noodles. You can use a small amount of walnut oil or olive oil to fry the carrots before adding them.

The third week of June:

Avocado rice paste, applesauce rice paste, sweet potato rice paste, banana rice paste, yam rice paste,

→4. Avocado Rice Cereal

Method: Peel and core the avocado, take out the middle flesh, mix it with the prepared rice flour, and put it into a Shangweier food processor. Use the cross knife seat to beat it into a fine paste. Avocado has a light taste and less water. Before beating, be sure to make the rice flour thinner so that the rice paste is liquid.

Tips: Many people praise avocado as the fruit of wisdom. It is said that eating avocado can enhance the memory of babies. As a high-energy, low-sugar fruit, it is rich in unsaturated fatty acids and is also a very suitable ingredient for babies' early complementary foods. In addition, avocado has a light taste, so babies whose taste buds are not very sensitive will not have to worry about being rejected.

→5. Applesauce rice cereal

Method: Peel the apples first and steam them for about 10 minutes (not too long). Put the steamed apples into the low cup of a Shangweier food processor and use the cross knife to beat them into a fine paste. Then mix the beaten apple paste with the prepared rice paste and stir evenly. Of course, you can also puree the prepared rice paste and steamed apple pieces together.

Tips: Apple is the top of the world's four major fruits (apples, grapes, citrus and bananas). The nutrients it contains are easily absorbed by the human body. Apple contains zinc, which is a component of many important enzymes in the human body and can produce antibodies to improve immunity. Cooked apples can treat diarrhea. For babies who are just starting to add complementary foods, cooked apples are easier to absorb and digest in the stomach and intestines. Raw apples, on the contrary, can promote gastric juice secretion, help digestion, and have the effect of eliminating constipation.

→6. Sweet potato rice paste

Method: Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into pieces. Steam them in a steamer until cooked, then use a food processor to make them into a paste. Then mix the mashed sweet potato with the prepared rice flour and stir well.

Tips: After sweet potatoes are steamed and cooked, they can be used as a staple food, and their nutritional value is higher than that of ordinary staple foods. In particular, they contain a high content of lysine, which is relatively lacking in cereal foods and can make up for the nutritional deficiencies in rice and white flour. Lysine can promote human development, enhance immune function, and improve the function of central nervous tissue.

→7. Banana Rice Cereal

Method: Peel the banana and cut it into sections. Mix it with the prepared rice flour and put it into the short cup of a Shangwei food processor. Use the cross blade to beat it into a paste.

Tips: Bananas, like apples, are prone to oxidation and blackening, especially after being mashed in a food processor. In fact, for babies who have been fed complementary foods for three weeks, you can also peel the bananas and scrape the flesh with a small spoon to feed the baby. Bananas are soft and easy to swallow, and are easy to absorb even if they are not mashed into a fine paste. In addition, bananas are afraid of cold and tend to turn black when stored in the refrigerator, so they should not be stored in the refrigerator for a long time.

→8. Yam Rice Paste

Method: Peel the yam, wash it, cut it into small pieces, and steam it in a pot until it is completely soft. If you want it to cook faster, you can cut it thinner. Put the steamed yam and a proper amount of warm water into the short cup of the Shangweier food processor, and use the cross blade to beat it into yam puree. Then mix the beaten yam puree with the prepared rice paste and stir evenly.

Tips: Yam has the effects of nourishing the spleen and stomach, promoting fluid production and benefiting the lungs. It is effective for spleen deficiency, poor appetite, chronic diarrhea, and lung deficiency, wheezing and coughing. Therefore, it also has a certain therapeutic and warming effect on baby diarrhea and cough.

Fourth week of June

Banana and peach rice paste, purple cabbage rice paste, banana and avocado rice paste, green vegetable rice paste, taro and pumpkin rice paste, tomato and egg yolk rice paste.

If the complementary food is added smoothly in the first three weeks and the baby has no adverse reactions such as allergies, anorexia, diarrhea or indigestion, the complementary food in the fourth week can be relatively richer! You can try mixing the two foods together into a paste and then add it to the baby. High-iron rice noodles still need to be added in the fourth week.

→9. How to make banana and peach rice porridge

Peel the bananas and peaches separately and put them in a cooking cup. Use a cross-shaped knife to beat them into a paste. After beating, mix them evenly with the prepared rice flour.

→10. How to make purple cabbage rice paste

Purple cabbage is rich in vitamins, cellulose, iron, anthocyanins and other nutrients. When making purple cabbage rice paste, you need to remove the hard stalks in the middle, leaving only the leaves, soak them in clean water for about 10 minutes and then rinse them. Steam the washed purple cabbage for 15-20 minutes, then use a food processor to beat the steamed purple cabbage into a fine paste, and mix it with the prepared rice flour and stir evenly.

→11. How to make banana avocado rice cereal

Wash, peel and core the avocado, and cut into small pieces; peel and cut the banana into small pieces. Put them into the Shangweier baby food machine, and use the cross knife seat again, and beat for about 30-40 seconds. You can also add a little warm water before beating, or mix the prepared milk powder before beating. Mix the beaten avocado banana puree with the prepared rice flour and stir evenly before adding it to the baby. Banana and avocado are definitely a golden pair. Add some prepared milk powder before beating to make a banana avocado milkshake, which tastes very good!

→12. How to make vegetable rice paste

Keep the leaves of the bok choy, soak them in clean water for more than 10 minutes, then wash them several times with clean water to remove pesticide residues. After washing, put the leaves into boiling water and cook for 1-2 minutes. The time should not be too long to avoid nutrient loss. Put the steamed vegetables into a food processor and beat them into puree. Then mix the fine puree with the prepared rice noodles and stir evenly.

→13. How to make taro and pumpkin rice paste

Cut the taro and pumpkin into pieces separately, try to cut them as small as possible so that they are easier to steam. Rinse the taro with clean water several times to wash off the excess starch. Then steam the washed taro and pumpkin together for about 15-20 minutes. After steaming, mix them together and put them in the low cup of a food processor. Add a small amount of warm water and use a cross blade to beat them into a fine paste. Then mix them with the prepared rice flour and stir evenly.

→14. How to make tomato and egg yolk rice paste

I added egg yolk to my baby's diet for the first time on the last day of the first month of complementary food. Egg yolk has a light salty taste, and the taste of tomato is more delicious than the previous complementary food. In order not to damage the baby's taste buds too early, it is recommended to add salty and sour foods to the baby later. It is best to peel the tomatoes before making them into complementary food. You can cut a cross on the bottom of the tomatoes, and then blanch them in boiling water to easily peel off the skin. Then cut them into small pieces and put them in the pot with cooked egg yolks and stir-fry them with a few drops of walnut oil (tomatoes, like carrots, are fat-soluble foods). After frying, the tomato and egg yolk paste is already very soft, so you can grind it directly in a grinding bowl.

The above is the record of adding complementary food to the baby in the first month that I have summarized. The following are some precautions I have compiled about adding complementary food for mothers’ reference.

Precautions for adding complementary foods

1. Tips for adding complementary foods:

For babies aged 4-6 months, milk and dairy products are still the main food for babies. The daily milk intake is about 600-800 ml, not more than 1000 ml. Mothers can train their babies to breastfeed regularly in advance. Generally, it is advisable to breastfeed 5 times a day with an interval of 4 hours.

The complementary food for babies should be in the form of smooth and soft paste to make it easier for babies to swallow. Do not add any seasonings (such as salt, MSG, chicken essence, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, etc.) to the complementary food, as seasonings will irritate the baby's stomach.

Mothers should choose a small spoon of appropriate size and soft texture for feeding complementary food. When babies know their own spoons, they will have a clearer understanding of food and eating. Take the rice cereal added at the beginning as an example. At the beginning, just scoop a little rice cereal in front of the spoon, gently stretch the spoon flat, place it on the tip of the baby's tongue, and then withdraw the spoon. Avoid inserting the spoon too deep into the mouth or pressing the baby's tongue with the spoon, which will cause the baby to be disgusted. Start with 1 to 2 spoons in the first two days. Mothers should observe the baby's poop. If the baby digests and absorbs well, slowly increase the amount.

Each time you add a new food, you should wait for 3 to 5 days before adding the previous food, and the baby should not show any abnormalities. For 4 to 6 months, you can add complementary food once a day, usually after the baby wakes up from a nap.

Every baby has a different temperament. When you first start adding complementary foods, for babies who don’t like to eat mushy food, you can feed them mushy food first and then breastfeed them; and for babies who particularly like to eat mushy food, you can feed them breastfeed first and then mushy food.

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Second, the method of vegetable puree for complementary food:

1. Before making vegetable puree, put the whole vegetable leaves into boiling water for a few seconds. When the green leaves turn dark green and become slightly soft, you can take them out and make vegetable puree. If you chop the vegetables into puree first and then blanch them in boiling water, many nutrients in the vegetables, especially vitamins, will be lost in the water, reducing the nutritional value of the vegetables. When making vegetable porridge, prepare the vegetable puree and add it to the porridge when it is almost cooked.

2. Why should vegetable puree be mixed with rice flour before feeding the baby? Because the taste of rice flour and rice porridge is quite different from vegetable puree. If you feed the baby separately, it is like giving the child a multiple-choice question, stimulating the child to make a choice. Some babies will choose vegetable puree instead of rice flour, or vice versa. This can easily lead to picky eating. In the future, just like adding meat puree, egg yolk, etc., you must mix it with rice flour before feeding the baby.

3. How to make vegetable puree at home? If you choose root vegetables, you can steam potatoes, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, and carrots, peel them, and make them into a puree. Add the puree to rice noodles or rice porridge to feed the baby. Note: Before steaming carrots, cut the carrots into large pieces, heat them with a little oil, and then steam them. The carotene in the fried carrot puree is easier for the baby to absorb.

4. How to make vegetable puree at home? If it is green vegetables, you can put the green leaves directly into boiling water for a few seconds. When they become soft and dark green, take them out, chop them into vegetable puree and add them to rice noodles, rice porridge, etc. to feed the baby. Put the green leaves directly into boiling water, and the fertilizer, pesticide and other residues attached to the leaves can be filtered out by boiling water; the vegetables can also be heated to facilitate the digestion and absorption of the baby. Note that the leaves must be put into the boiling water whole.

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3. Key points for feeding rice flour:

1. Choose formula rice flour with high nutrient and iron content; do not add sucrose and salt.

2. Add 3-4 spoons of warm formula milk or water to 1 spoon of rice flour (refer to the product's preparation guide for details) and let it sit for a while to fully moisten the rice flour. Feed the baby with a spoon instead of a bottle.

3. Slowly increase the thickness of the rice noodles. The rice noodles should be thin at first, and then gradually increase the thickness after the baby gets used to it.

4. Slowly increase the amount of rice cereal, starting with 1-2 spoons each time, and then slowly increase to 3-4 spoons after the baby gets used to it, 1-2 times a day.