Baby’s first foods at 6 months

When your baby is 6 months old, she is just learning to chew. Her first foods need to be soft so they’re very easy to swallow, such as porridge or well mashed fruits and vegetables. Did you know that when porridge is diluted, it does not provide all essential nutrients the child needs for growth? To make it more nutritious, cook it until it’s thick enough not to run off the spoon and consider using expressed breastmilk in place of water.

• After 6 months, breastmilk is still your baby’s main source of energy and nutrients so continue breastfeeding on demand, both day and night. Whenever the baby wants to feed please enable this to happen, breastfeeding should not be scheduled. Complementary to breastmilk, solid foods should now be added.

• Your baby has a small stomach and needs small amounts of soft nutritious food frequently throughout the day.

• In addition to grains and tubers, feed your baby a variety of foods – especially animal foods (dairy, eggs, meat, fish and poultry), fruits and vegetables – every day.

Feed your baby when you see her give signs that she's hungry – such as putting her hands to her mouth. After washing hands, start by giving your baby just two to three spoonfuls of soft food, two to three times a day.

Give her time to get used to these new foods and flavours. Be patient and don’t force your baby to eat. As your baby grows, her stomach also grows and she can eat more food with each meal.