The second stage of weaning is the time when your baby will learn how to chew foods. So, you can gradually make the shift from mashed and pureed foods to slightly lumpier foods. This is a great stage for introducing different textures and tastes of foods from various groups such as fruits, vegetables, proteins, starch and the like.
What does your baby need at this stage?
This happens when the proteins in the milk are too strong for your baby’s immune system. Here, you have to take note of an important point. If your baby doesn’t show any allergic reactions, it doesn’t always mean that he is not allergic to milk. We would recommend you to wait for anywhere between 2 hours and a few days to see if he is showing the following symptoms:
You can also add nicely cooked eggs, pasta and yoghurt at this stage to your babies so that he gets introduced to the different flavours and textures. Mostly, he may give a rousing welcome to the new foods that you give him. However, certain times, he may spit the food. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t like the textures. It may be because they’re still learning to eat. You should try it again as they’ll gradually accept it.
Good food choices you can try at this stage
- Boiled fish with very soft lumps
- Mashed or minced meat
- Well-cooked eggs
- Pasta and bread
- Pasteurised cheese and yoghurt (if he doesn’t have a milk allergy)
- Iron-fortified breakfast cereals (please don’t add any salt or sugar in it)
Some important points to note
You should continue to nurse your baby because he would need around 600ml of your breast milk every day for his overall immunity and development.
Please ensure that you give only full fat milk or dairy products to your baby so that he gets the desired nutrients from it. It is highly recommended that you don’t give him cow’s milk at this stage. This is because only when your baby completes 1 year, his digestive system and kidneys can react properly to the strong nutrients in cow’s milk.
Starchy foods are important for your baby as he gets his calories, vitamin, calcium, iron and folic acid from them. Therefore, you should include starchy foods such as potatoes, rice, fortified breakfast cereals and pasta in his diet regularly.
Proteins are very important for your baby’s growth. Eggs, meat, pulses and nuts can be included at least once a week in his diet. However, before including any nuts in his diet, you should check with your paediatrician if your baby has any nut allergies.
Once you have prepared your baby’s meals, try to heat it as much as possible so that the heat removes bacteria completely from his diet. Then, allow the meal to cool down well before feeding your baby. When you taste his meal, it may appear bland for you. Please don’t add any spices or salt in this stage, as the textures of the meal would be perfect for your baby.
