Hello dear MoMsters, is your baby now 8 months old? Then it is important to maintain the growth and development of the body tissues, organs, and metabolic system for proper functioning right from infancy. Provide a healthy diet such as cereals, pulses, vegetables, and fruits.
At this stage, slowly increase other feeds and decrease the frequency of breastfeeding. Per day, the calorie intake of your baby would be 750–900 kcal. About 400 to 500 calories should come from the mother’s breast milk.
Few points to be taken care of while feeding semi-solid food.
- Use stainless steel or silver cup for feeding; do not use any plastic product.
- Make sure that your baby’s feeding utensils are clean and sterilized with hot water, because your baby’s immune system is still weak and the baby is vulnerable to infection, hence maintain hygiene.
- Prefer homemade foods over buying packaged or ready-made foods available in the market, because homemade is the safest and the healthiest.
- While feeding avoids giving gadgets like mobile or other radiation-emitting substances, which is not good for the baby’s overall development.
All about food tips:
- You should introduce one new food at a time for your baby, and wait for a minimum of 2 to 3 days before starting another item. This will also help you to understand any food item that is causing allergy/indigestion in your baby.
- Everything should be made in a form of paste.
- You can start adding ghee to foods in small quantities.
- Non-veg should be given only after 11 months.
- Don’t let her eat alone. Encourage eating with family members. Do not distract her while she’s eating by showing her toys etc., she should concentrate on her food.
- Avoid biscuits, sugar, salt, honey, and cow milk till 1 year.
- Do not mix 2 fruits or 2 veggies.
- After feeding food, give warm water; do not give water from feeding bottles. Use a small cup or glass.
How do you know that your baby has an allergy to a particular food?
If a food doesn’t suit your baby, your baby may show the following symptoms:
- Diarrhea
- Runny nose
- Rashes
- Constipation
- Vomiting
- Colic (stomach pain)
If any of the above symptoms are seen, stop using that food and consult your child’s doctor.
At the age of 8 months, your baby will let you know that he or she is ready for finger foods. (What are finger foods? Any pieces of food that the baby can pick up quickly and eat by themselves are called finger foods.) Finger foods encourage the baby to self-feed, and they understand different textures while touching the food! But supervise the baby when they eat finger food, to avoid the risk of choking! Hence, you should include finger foods such as soft-cooked carrots, peeled apples, papaya pieces, bananas, and boiled potatoes.
And don’t force the baby to eat finger food, as each baby is unique and adopts eating habits at its own pace. Just keep trying your best to encourage his or her eating habits.
Quantity of food:
- Fruit or veg puree – 1/2 cup.
- Cereals – 1/2 cup.
It’s always better to be guided with your baby’s hunger, as appetite varies from day to day
“Dear MoMsters these are just guidelines that might give you an idea about introducing solid food, when & what to feed. And these are hourly routines, check the appetite of your baby and feed accordingly.
If the baby doesn’t like food, wait for a few weeks before introducing it again. Don’t force your baby to complete the entire cup.
Go through our tips, Stay healthy and Stay Happy.!!
Happy Parenting.