Introducing Solids - A reference table for 4-12 month old babies

Hello latha,

I have made some changes in my child s diet after seeing this diet chart. Let me give u now and say whether to follow it.

9.30 a.m raagi or oats
12.30p.m dhal rice with little rasam but not much spicy with only tomatoes
4.00p.m vegetable puree
7.00p.m fruits puree with cerelac
rest of the time bm and formula milk. I am giving him vegetables like beans, carrot,potato and i have planned to start beetroot and cabbage coming week. I am giving him fruits like apple, peach, pear and banana. He is now 7months and 10days old. Shall we try the vegetables and fruits one after another should we wait for the allergy even now? Shall we introduce spinach now.

A friend of mine is feeding her child who is 1 year dhal rice and everything only in semi solid state. But i have started him solid like paruppu sadam how will we eat but mashed well. Who is right?

Hi Pragadha,

It seems fine to me... well actually for my daugther the same age as your child's I give only twice a day solids. But I know the history so i'm keeping that in mind. Right now i too don't wait that much to watch out for any allergy, atleast with veggies and fruits. Spincach, i am sure, you can start. Just see if the stools change dramatically and then decide.

I too think you are right in giving textures to the baby now. Ananya is also able to chew chunks of well cooked carrots and also bananas (not cooked). Giving puree-texture after 1 year isn't advisable at all. Vanathi had mentioned in another thread that the baby's gums are strong enough to chew food now... we don't need to wait until the teeth erupt.

Just wanted to ask... what dhal do you give?

Latha

I am giving him moong dal(split yellow colour) and a little toor dal. Thanks for your reply latha. This is the first time i am happy with my child s diet. I told my friend 1000 s of times but she is not at all ready to introduce textures but that boy is eating chip,biscuits and other snacks. So she says he can eat textures but his stomach will not get filled if he eat like this and also he will have difficulty in passing stool, and that will be thick. How to make her to understand it please tell me.

I am giving him moong dal(split yellow colour) and a little toor dal. Thanks for your reply latha. This is the first time i am happy with my child s diet. I told my friend 1000 s of times but she is not at all ready to introduce textures but that boy is eating chip,biscuits and other snacks. So she says he can eat textures but his stomach will not get filled if he eat like this and also he will have difficulty in passing stool, and that will be thick. How to make her to understand it please tell me.

Thanks Pragadha. I'm going to introduce dhal from next week for my girl.

Well try this trick. My son's classmate in kindergarden... this girl is now 5 and her mom told me she introduced texture very late for her. I don't know clearly if the girl had problems chewing or just that the mother didn't start textured food early on. But she told me the girl also had problems with speaking and she takes her to speech therapist now. The girl speaks clearly now though some words like 'r','l' eludes her.... so may be you can tell your friend that you read somewhere that biting food helps in speech development!!

Latha

Another one.... this lists the food items that are safe for babies until 1 year.

1 to 4 months

Breastmilk or formula milk (on demand)
boiled, cooled water and unsweetened baby tea (i don't subscribe to either of these, personally!)

5 and 6th months

Breastmilk or formula milk
Vegetables : Carrots, Pumpkin (red), Kohlrabi, cucumber, potatoes, sweet potatoes
Meat : Fat-free meat from Lamb, Pork, Chicken, Beef
Dairy: Butter and cow's milk (only for cooking cereals)
Any germ oil (like wheat germ etc.,)
Fruits: Apple, Pear, Banana and Melons
Fruit juice (unsweetened and diluted) :Orange, Pear and Apple
Whole corn cereals, oats, rice

7th and 8th month

Breastmilk or formula milk
Coscous
Vegetables: cauliflower, Fennel, Asparagus, Spinach, Zucchini (courgette), Brokkoli, Pak-choi, Cabbage
Fruit: Mango

9th and 10th months

Breastmilk or formula milk
Vegetables: Tomatoes, Peas, Corn, Chinese cabbage, Herbs
Fruits: Strawberry, blueberry (all berries), Kiwi, Apricot
Dairy: Pasteurised, mild cheese, Eggs
Bread, Noodles (or pasta)
Fish

11th and 12th months

Try food that is eaten by the family. Spices can be introduced but the food must still be well cooked. Avoid honey atleast till end of 11th month.

Latha

Pragadha,my personal opinion is semi solid or fully solid(but mashed well) is almost the same.For my eldest (who is 6 yrs old now),I would say for well over a yr,I used to mash his food in the mixie only(not grind fully,but do one or two rounds to just break the rice and veggie,almost similar to mashing by hand but more finer).He used to speak so clearly all tamil words by the time he was 3 yrs old(even sounds like 'zh' etc.)My nephew on the other hand could not speak very clearly even at age 6 or so(he started solid food quite early in hand mashed form).

I don't think the texture has much to do with speaking,sorry Latha,no offence meant to you,just my observation and opinion.Some children just won't accept food in pure solid form(hand mashed )even at age 1 like my eldest.Now my younger one (who is now almost 1 yr old ) eats very slowly when I hand mash food and does not eat the normal quantity he eats when I mash the same thing in the mixie to the same extent,wonder why?But if I offer any food from my plate in any form,he is ready to eat

I think it is left to the mother.What can she do if the child is just spitting up or not willing to eat the food as it is.It will come to a stage where she starts thinking,ok,let him eat his food mashed well itself,atleast he is eating something.

Latha,

This reference table you provided here is really great and sure'll help lots of moms like me. Though my LO is not ready for solid foods,I always think abt how to start and when to start and what to and wat not. This table is of great help.

Thanks for sharing.I took a Print out too.

Pinky.

Hai Sunitha,

I raised this question to latha because the boy is 1year and still she use to make him lie down by resting his head on the pillow and used to give him very fine puree food that too like water. I had a fear wether he will know to chew the foods in future, will he become a healthy eater and though i said several times she does not accept me. To just change her latha gave me that idea.

hey not at all Sunitha. Now Pragadha has also explained. She's trying to get some sense into her friend. Why I said so was also because my boy's classmate's mom told me that the pedi warned her not to repeat the mistake with her 2nd child. I'm not sure if eating mashed or chunky food at the appropriate age has anything to do with the girl's speech delay but atleast the doctor told so. May be she too wanted to kind of trick the mom into introducing chunky food for the 2nd one:)

Thanks Pinky. I'm glad you find it useful. I borrow books from the library, refer and then forget about it. Now I'm thankful that i could store these information in IL. I too look up once a week:)

Latha