Baby Food | 6-8 Months Baby | Food Chart | New Parents Guide

Breastfeeding your baby is the most essential thing you should follow till the age of 1 or more.It provides all the nutrients and immunity your infant requires during the initial phase of life. Till 6 months of age doctor’s strictly recommend exclusive breastfeeding.Studies show that babies who are breastfed till 6 months have more immunity and are less prone to allergies or any illness.

But once your baby completes that period, it's necessary to introduce extra nutrients through solid foods. This is going to be the next exciting milestone for the parents. Introducing solids to an infant can be a bit tricky and messy.You may fail a number of times but you know “ Slow and steady wins the Race !”

Here is everything you need to know about or before introducing solids to your baby for the very first time.

Read the Signs-

Most babies show signs of hunger once they are 6 months old. They cab be in different ways and may vary from one baby to another . Some of them can be -

• Showing interest in food , especially for the ones on your plate.

• Frequently putting their hand in their month.

• Demanding for more breastfeed than before.

• Quickly becoming hungry showing signs of increased appetite.

There is nothing to worry if your baby is not showing any such signs. Every baby is different and so their growth and behaviour. Hence you need not wait for them to show these signs , simply go and make them taste their first solids!

Things to Remember while giving them their first solids -

You might be super excited to give them all sorts of food together to speed up their solid intake. But please do not do that ! Give them time to adapt to new tastes , smell and texture. Other than that you also need to follow certain things like -

1. Start by giving them food in puree or mashed form so that it’s easier for them to swallow and digest.

2. Be patient and go with their age! Give them how much they require. Don’t try to fill their stomach unnecessarily. 6 month babies might have only 3-4 spoons which is more than enough!

3. Introduce one food at a time and continue with it for at least three days.This is to ensure that your baby is not allergic to any newly introduced food.

4. Give them seasonal fruits.

5. Hygiene is a must ! Have separate utensils , dish scrubber , blender and cutting boards or anything you require to prepare their food. Sterilize them regularly to keep them germ free.

6. Try not to give overnight refrigerated food at least during the initial months of having solids.Prepare in small quantities so that you can finish them off without storing them for the next day.

7. In case you need to store them in refrigerator , always use air tight glass containers.

8. Spoon feed your baby by yourself . Don’t take any risk until they are capable of having food by themselves.

9. Use a bib to prevent food from spilling over to their dress. It's also a good cleanliness practice to follow.

10. Always keep an eye on them and avoid giving food that may trigger choking.

6-7 Months Baby Food Guide -

As I mentioned before, by 6 months of age your baby would be ready to take solids. This month is considered to be a testing period as this is when you figure out for any food allergies in your baby. Hence you should follow the “ 1 food at a time for 3 Days” rule. By around 7th month you can mix up 1-2 varieties of food to feed them. Remember those items should be given and tested before.

Offer safe , less allergic , digestible healthy and nutritious food for your baby. The consistency of the food should be in puree form. Here are the list of food items you can start with for a 6 month old baby -

1) Foods for baby -

• Fruits - Apple, Avocado, Banana, Pears, Peaches, Plums, Prune, Chikku, Papaya.

• Vegetables - Carrot, Pumpkin, Sweet Potato, White potato.

• Diary Products - Butter / Ghee in moderate quantities.

• Pulses - Yellow Lentils, Masoor dal. White chickpeas (after 6 months.)

• Grains / Cereals - Rice, Ragi, Barley, Suji/Rava

• Non-Veg - None.

2) Frequency -

Start with one meal per day for a week or two and then increase it to 2 meals a day.

3) Quantity -

Don't expect your babies to eat the 1 whole cup of meal at first. Hence ,prepare small quantities of food as per your baby's requirement. Always try to give freshly prepared foods rather than refrigerated ones.

6 months -

Fruits or vegetable purees- 1-2 tbsp at first then increase it to 4-5 tbsp

Cereals / grains - 3 tbsp at first then increase to ¼ cup.

7 months -

Vegetable/ fruit puree - ¼ th cup . you can increase it to ½ if your baby is demanding more.

Cereals/grains - ½ cup of would be more than enough.

4) Food Recipes and Chart -

Start will purees and gruel. It helps to swallow them easily , perhaps almost similar to breast milk. One food recipe at a time.

Chart for 6 Month Baby -

Chart for 7 Month Baby -

8 Months Baby Food Guide -

Once they are 8 months old they would have got one or two teeth thus helping them gulp down more mashed food or even chew some solid food. At this stage you need to start giving them more varieties of food to enhance their chewing skills and even some spices to trigger the taste buds.Some doctors may even recommend trying out non veg and finger foods.

A wholesome diet that comprises foods rich in carbohydrates, protein, vitamins, and minerals is what you need to offer a 8 month old baby. Breastfeeding should be continued parallely as per demand.

1) Foods for baby -

• Fruits - Apple, Avocado, Banana, Pears, Peaches, Plums, Prune, Chikku, Papaya, Cherries, figs, grapes, kiwi, mangoes.

• Vegetables - Carrot, Pumpkin, Sweet Potato, Beetroot, Bottle gourd, Tomato, Ash gourd, Green beans, White Potato, Broccoli, Onions, Cauliflower, Eggplant.

• Diary Products - Butter , Ghee ( in moderate quantities) , Cheese , Paneer , Yogurt

• Pulses - Yellow Lentils, Masoor dal, Chickpeas (white & black chana), Urad dal, Green gram

• Grains / Cereals - Rice, Ragi, Barley, Suji/Rava, Sago, Wheat, Broken wheat (Dalia), Oats

• Non-Veg - Egg Yolk , Fish

Note - You can also introduce spices like turmeric , pepper powder , asafoetida , cumin powder , garlic and ginger in a very little amount perhaps a pinch.

2) Frequency -

You can now increase the frequency to 3 meals a day. You can also include a mid-day meal in case your kid seems to be more hungry. Mid day meals can be soups or yogurt.

3) Quantity -

• Vegetables - ½ cup is well and good. You can partially smash them after cooking or cut them into long pieces to give as finger food.

• Fruits - ½ cup similar to the vegetables.

• Cereals : 1 cup in the mornings will provide enough nutrients to your baby.

4) Food Recipes and Chart-

At 8 months of age we can try different varieties of recipes together. Porridge can be continued along with mashed or small cut fruits and veggies.

These charts are a sample of what I used to follow for my baby. You are free to customize it as per the availability , preference and your baby’s interest.

Foods to Avoid Before 1 year -

There are certain food which you need to strictly avoid until your baby is one. Your doctor may also suggest you the same.

1. Avoid salt and sugar until he/she turns one.

2. Give steamed or pressure cooked food for babies.

3. Wash fruits and veggies thoroughly before cooking them.

4. Avoid pineapple and citrus fruits as they might be allergic for some kids.

5. No nuts or dry fruits are to be given until recommended by your doctor.

6. Check for allergy symptoms whenever you are introducing something new.

7. Cow milk should be strictly avoided until 1 year old.

8. Avoid non veg foods as they might be difficult to digest in some babies. This is fully optional ! If your baby is okay with it they go ahead !

9. Last but not the least, junk food or bakery stuff are strictly a NO No!.

Inducing solid foods for the very first time might be a bit difficult but gradually you will be able to pull it out. Just don’t fret if your baby does not “finish” the whole meal. It's okay , even they need time and space to love the process of eating good food !