What Are Different Food Groups I Need To Keep In Mind While Weaning!

The transition from breastfeeding to solid foods is called weaning. The majority of babies undergo weaning around the age of six months.

What is the right time to start weaning your baby?

1. From the time of birth to six months of age, doctors recommend new mothers feed their babies only breast milk so that they receive all the necessary nutrients from their mothers.
2. In simpler words, the transition of a baby from a liquid diet to semi-solid and solid foods is called weaning.
3. There are two major kinds of weaning, baby-led weaning, and mother-led weaning.
4. The former has a lot of benefits and helps the baby in a more positive direction compared to the latter.
5. Since weaning is a major change in every baby’s life, here are the major foods groups which you need to keep in mind while you start weaning your baby.

Food groups to keep in mind during weaning

There are four major food groups that you need to remember while weaning your baby.

1. Starchy foods
2. Protein foods
3. Fruits and vegetables
4. Dairy products

• You have to remember to not give your baby any foods which contain salts or sugar.
• Regardless of the content, avoid adding salts and sugars to your baby’s meal.
• Note that fruit juices are a strict no and so are sweetened desserts.
• Also, remember to not feed your baby any processed or store-bought purees

What can you feed your baby which includes starchy foods while weaning?

1. Steamed and mashed potatoes are the perfect starchy food that you can incorporate into your baby’s meal.
2. You can even cook rice and serve it alongside veggies. Rice is another starchy food that is inexpensive and feasible.
3. You can cook oats with either water and veggies or make porridge by adding milk to it.
4. You can even cook wheat or oats pasta with vegetables like broccoli.
5. Cereals with milk or water are the perfect breakfast meal for your weaning baby.
6. If you are a working parent, then it is also one of the easiest meals which will keep your baby full in addition to provide all the necessary nutrients.

What to provide your baby with protein-rich foods?

1. Meats, eggs, fishes are the perfect food items that you can serve your weaning baby.
2. Make sure to cook the proteins thoroughly so that they are not raw. Avoid giving uncooked or raw proteins to your weaning baby. It could result in food poisoning and could cause serious disruptions.
3. For vegetarian parents, you can use an alternative of animal products and instead provide your weaning baby with cooked lentils and pulses.
4. You can feed your baby different types of cooked lentils and pulses.
5. Even if you are not a vegetarian, then you can practice feeding your baby lentils and pulses as protein-rich food items.
6. Hummus which is made with pureed chickpea is also another protein-rich food that can be easily digested by your growing and weaning baby.

How to incorporate vegetables and fruits into your weaning baby’s diet?

1. You can steam, boil and mash the vegetables while you begin weaning your baby.
2. After a while, you semi-mash the vegetables to add some more texture to your baby’s plate.
3. As far as fruits are considered, you can give watermelons as they are.
4. Apples, pears, and peaches can be steamed and mashed with a fork.
5. While muskmelons and sapots can be mashed with a fork raw and added alongside starchy foods.
6. You can add carrots, broccoli, beans, and other green and leafy vegetables into your baby’s diet by boiling them and mashing them so that your baby doesn’t have difficulty ingesting and digesting.

When to feed your baby dairy products?

1. You can feed your baby milk with cereals like rice, oats, and baby cereals.
2. You can also feed cottage cheese and hard cheeses to your baby.

You May Like

I Am Scared About Choking And Allergies While Weaning. What Should I Do?

When you are preparing for weaning your baby, it is both daunting and exciting. Allergies are a big concern during the initial weaning phase. How to identify what foods are ... READ MORE

Top 100 Babies Weaning Food In India

if you have started weaning your baby or thinking to start the weaning process then this article should help you to go about it. but before we get onto the ... READ MORE

Parenting tips: 7 questions you should ask about weaning your baby

Confused about when to stop breastfeeding your baby and whether or not your baby is weaning? New mothers undergo a lot of tension when it comes to their newborn babies ... READ MORE

How much food should I give my baby while Weaning?

Any kind of change around your baby could be scary, be it the first time the baby sat up or the first time you are trying to feed the baby ... READ MORE