Selection of complementary foods for babies over five months old
Babies who are more than five months old begin to enter the complementary feeding stage, and gradually shift from a single breast milk or formula milk to a diversified diet. How to choose nutritious complementary foods suitable for your baby? Next, we will elaborate on it from four aspects.
1. Fruits and vegetables
Babies over five months old can try a variety of fruits and vegetables, such as carrots, pumpkins, broccoli, sweet potatoes, etc. These foods are rich in vitamins, minerals and fiber, which can effectively promote your baby\’s digestion and nutrient absorption. Mixing fruit and vegetable puree with rice cereal or formula milk can make your baby feel fuller and provide more energy.
1.1. How to choose fresh fruits and vegetables
When purchasing fresh fruits and vegetables, try to choose organically grown or pesticide-free products. In addition, you must also ensure the freshness of fruits and vegetables. It is best to choose fresh fruits and vegetables picked on the same day and use them as early as possible.
1.2. How to make fruit and vegetable puree
Making vegetable and fruit puree is very simple. Just peel and cook fresh fruits and vegetables and put them into a blender to puree. If your baby is not used to the taste of vegetable and fruit puree, you can add some apples or bananas to adjust the taste.
1.3. Notes
When trying vegetable and fruit complementary foods in the early stages, do not add any seasonings or flavors so that your baby can gradually accept these new flavors. Additionally, cooked fruits and vegetables should be slightly softened so that your baby can digest them easily.
2. Meat
Meat is an important source of protein, iron, zinc and other nutrients for babies. For babies over five months old, lean pork soup or cooked vegetables and minced meat mixed into minced meat are good choices.
2.1. How to choose fresh lean meat
When purchasing lean meat, you should choose high-quality lean meat such as pork or chicken and avoid fatty meat. Chop it into small minced meat or cut into thin strips. You can add vegetables such as cabbage or carrots to make soup. It has a light taste and is very suitable for your baby\’s taste.
2.2. How to make minced meat
The method of making minced meat is also very simple. The cooked minced meat can be pureed with vegetables. If you are not used to adding milk powder, you can add some rice juice or water to adjust the texture.
2.3. Notes
When cooking meat, remove all fat to avoid affecting your baby\’s digestion. In addition, the minced meat should be prepared lightly and avoid adding salt and other condiments, so that the baby can gradually experience the original flavor of meat food.
3. Fish
Fish, which is rich in nutrients and protein, is one of the essential nutritional sources for your baby’s healthy growth. Babies over five months old can try some age-appropriate deep-sea ingredients such as small fish and shrimp. Fish contains a large amount of DHA and EPA fatty acids, which are very helpful for the brain and vision development of babies.
3.1. How to choose fresh fish
When purchasing fresh fish, you should choose deep-sea fish, such as mackerel, saury, etc. Fresh and fishy fish is suitable for steaming, frying, etc..
3.2. How to make fish paste
The method of making fish paste is also very simple. First, remove the bones and cook the fish, then mash it into a small paste, and add rice juice or formula milk to adjust the texture.
3.3. Notes
When sharing fish food, be sure to crush the fish bones to prevent your baby from getting stuck on the bones. If your child has allergic symptoms, you should try a small amount first and pay attention to the body\’s reaction.
4. Fruit purees
Pureed fruits are another nutrient-dense food that your baby can try after five months. All kinds of fruits are good choices for babies, such as bananas, apples, pears, etc. They all contain a variety of vitamins and other minerals, which can effectively enhance the baby\’s immunity and digestive function and ensure the healthy growth of the baby.
4.1. How to choose fresh fruits
When purchasing fresh fruits, please pay attention to choose fresh, ripe fruits that do not contain harmful substances. It is best to avoid industrial products such as additives and pigments.
4.2. How to make fruit puree
Making fruit puree is very simple. Generally, you can peel and core fresh fruits and put them into a blender to make a puree.
4.3. Notes
Be sure to disinfect when making purees to avoid spreading bacteria. In addition, do not pick out the outer skin and fiber of fresh fruits, which not only increases the content of dietary fiber, but also helps promote the baby\’s digestion and absorption.
Summary
Babies over five months old need a diversified diet. Fruits and vegetables, meat, fish, and fruit purees are all good choices. When choosing food, you should pay attention to the freshness and nutritional content of the ingredients. At the same time, you should also pay attention to the combination and cooking methods of the food during the production process. Children can grow up healthily through scientific equipment, and patient parents must guide their children step by step to establish good eating habits.
