Introducing solid food to babies – Dos and don'ts for baby’s first food


Deprecated: strlen(): Passing null to parameter #1 ($string) of type string is deprecated in /home/medicircle/public_html/script_newsdetails.php on line 75
An adequate well-balanced diet is crucial for child survival, health, growth, and development. Healthy eating in childhood means they will have less chance of developing chronic diseases like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and some cancers. Here is the detailed information on the baby’s food chart directly from the experts.

Dr. Saheli Dasgupta is a Consultant Pediatrician at Amri Hospital, Mukundapur, Kolkata. For the past 12 years, she has been working in this field.

An adequate well-balanced diet is crucial for child survival, health, growth, and development. Healthy eating in childhood means they will have less chance of developing chronic diseases like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and some cancers. Well-nourished children are more likely to be healthy, productive, and ready to learn. It also means they feel better and enjoy life more.

Breastfeeding babies

Doctors and experts generally advised babies should be given exclusively breastfeeding till six months of age. But we should always keep in our mind that from six months onwards breastfeeding will not produce enough nutrition and immunity for the baby. For that, there is a need to start some complementary food. One can start with rice, pulses, and grains as complementary food. Along with this, the mother should continue breastfeeding the baby. 

Solid foods for a 6-month-old baby

“Along with the mother’s milk, you can start with single cereals. Initially, you can start with rice, mashed potato, some pulses, and in fruits Chiku, mashed banana, and boiled apples. You should take care of one thing whenever you start any solid food, start one by one, and don’t give everything together. This is in case the baby is having an allergy to any food; it can be sorted out. So, start with these foods and gradually increase them,” adds Dr. Saheli. 

Homemade food for baby

Dr. Saheli emphasizes, “Homemade food has all the essential nutrients, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, and minerals. Homemade food is good for the baby. Outside food may contain some sort of preservatives, or an excess amount of sugar, which is not good for the baby. Doctors recommend homemade food for babies.” 

Constipation in babies

Dr. Saheli explains, “Whenever we start solid food for the baby, they have the tendency to get constipated or bloated. But that is very normal. The family shouldn’t stop giving solid food and rather should consult a Pediatrician. Talking about vomiting, a baby might vomit 1-2 times, it is normal. But if the baby is vomiting 4-5 times or after every feed, then you should always consult the Child Specialists.” 

Foods to be avoided to 6-month-old babies

  • Salt – Salt is not needed up to 1 year of age, it adds loads to the kidneys.
  • Sugar – Not needed up to 12 months of age
  • Raw eggs or improperly boiled eggs (saturated fat)
  • Cheese
  • Honey
  • Any food containing preservatives

How to know if the baby got full?

Initially, the baby doesn’t take much, 1-2 spoons is enough. Then gradually increase the portion. But if the baby refuses, starts crying, or moves away from the food, it means the baby is not liking the food or does not want to have the food. One more thing should be taken care of, don’t give any milk or water 2 hours before offering food. 

FAQs

1. Does a baby cry mean they are hungry?

Not at all, there may be other reasons why babies cry. Any kind of body pain or discomfort may also make them cry. 

2. Solid food and fever

No, during fever babies generally do not like to eat solid food. They like more liquid foods. You can give them soup, and coconut water but don’t force your baby to eat. 

3. Non-veg food for babies

Nonveg foods are recommended after 1 year of age because they may contain some protein that one might be allergic to the baby. 

(Edited by Renu Gupta)

 

Contributed By: Dr. Saheli Dasgupta, Consultant Pediatrician, Amri Hospital
Tags : #Healthcare-Trending-Topics #ChildrenHealth #DrSaheliDasgupta #AmriHospital #Babyhealth #Toddlerhealth #Babyfood #Babyfoodchart #Babyfoodplanning #Babydietchart #Babydietplan #Newbornhealthissues #Newbornfood #Healthyeatingfortoddlers #Healthyeatingforbabies #medicircle #SmitaKumar

Related Stories

Loading Please wait...

-Advertisements-




Trending Now

Fighting back against superbugs- A joint initiative by UK and India ResearchersMay 23, 2025
Archish Fertility & IVF Launches #RainbowBaby Campaign to Raise Miscarriage Awareness and Inspire HopeMay 22, 2025
Asian Hospital, Faridabad Becomes the First in the City to Launch Total Lab Automation with QuidelOrthoMay 22, 2025
Sharda Care Healthcity appoints Dr. Chirag Tandon as Director of Internal MedicineMay 22, 2025
Global Milestone in the Field of Robotic SurgeryMay 22, 2025
Medanta conducts advanced first aid training for Gurugram Traffic PoliceMay 22, 2025
When to Consult a Fertility Expert: Not Just After MarriageMay 22, 2025
Ovulation Tracking: A Doctor’s Guide to Doing It RightMay 22, 2025
Debunking IVF Myths: What Doctors SayMay 22, 2025
Aster CMI Hospital Becomes India’s Largest Pediatric Liver Transplant Program Under Affordable Transplant InitiativeMay 21, 2025
Point-of-care health technologies make a difference when deployed at point-of-needMay 21, 2025
Remidio Launches its new device ‘Pristine’, Innovating AI-Powered Eye Diagnostics with Dual Brand Strategy May 21, 2025
HCGMCC & SunAct Launch North Maharashtra’s 1st Centre Of Excellence In Cell & Gene TherapyMay 21, 2025
Transforming dementia support through technology networkMay 21, 2025
Endometriosis: The Pain You Shouldn’t IgnoreMay 21, 2025
The Best Age to Freeze Your Eggs — Doctor’s AdviceMay 21, 2025
Managing PCOS Without Birth Control: Fact or Fiction?May 21, 2025
Hormonal Acne in Women: It’s Not Just CosmeticMay 21, 2025
Is Spotting Between Periods Normal?May 21, 2025
QNET India Launches #BuzzForEarth Campaign on World Bee DayMay 20, 2025