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5-months Baby Food Chart: Indian Food Chart for Your 5-month-old Baby

Team AckoFeb 9, 2024

Is your little one 5-months-old? Are you planning to start solids for your baby? You need to follow a food plan for your 5-months-old baby, with certain precautions and tips.

Contents

Signs your 5-month old baby is ready for solid food
What can be included in a 5-months-old baby's food chart?
Few homemade recipes for 5-months-old baby food
Feeding tips for your 5-month-old baby

Most parents are not sure about when to start giving solids to their little one. As your baby reaches the 5-month age mark, you may remain concerned about feeding solids to her. Most of the experienced parents will advise you to wait for another month to start a solid diet for your child, while some will suggest you start solids beginning from the 5th month. The pediatrics society suggests keeping babies exclusively on breastmilk till the age of 6 months. However, there is no watertight rule that you need to follow. Some pediatricians advise you to start introducing your child to solids from 5 months.

If your child is happy with the milk and not giving any cues for starting solids, then it is recommended to keep him on breast milk until 6 months of age. Before introducing solids to your baby, you must consult your pediatrician. In some situations, your pediatrician may feel that introducing 5-month baby food is necessary for your child’s healthy development. Your baby will also give you cues that he is ready for some delicious 5-month baby food.

Signs your 5-month old baby is ready for solid food

1. Your baby seems unsatisfied after milk feeds and asks for more to cure his hunger.

2. Your baby has good head control and can sit with less or no support.

3. Your baby has lost the tongue thrust reflex and opens mouth easily for a spoon.

4. Your baby looks on your plate out of curiosity and indicates to you that he too wants to eat the same.

If your baby shows these traits, he is surely ready for the introduction of nutritious solid food in his diet. Do make sure though that you never compromise on breast milk or formula milk in order to serve solids to your baby. Breast milk should remain the main ingredient of your child’s diet until the age of 6 months. You can serve packaged 5-month baby food, but it is better to start with homemade and natural food.

There isn’t a fixed set or meal plan that you can consider apt. for your child, rather, you have to try and test from the list of meals you can offer to your 5-month old baby at this point.

What can be included in a 5-months-old baby's food chart?

You must be wondering what should be served as the first food for your baby at 5 months of age. Here is a list of food items that can be included in a 5-months baby's food chart. These food items are known as stage 1 food for babies.

• Breast milk or formula milk

• Mashed banana, mashed avocado, pear sauce, and apple puree

• Well cooked, pureed and strained carrot, peas, sweet potato or pumpkin

• Pulse soup or daal ka paani, after boiling pulse in adequate water (preferably moong daal water)

• Rice water after boiling rice in sufficient water

• Sago water

• Single grain cerelac, preferably start with rice or oatmeal as they are least allergenic food items for babies.

Check out: Tasty homemade recipes for your baby, including homemade cerelac

Few homemade recipes for 5-months-old baby food

Single grain cerelac

• Dry roast clean rice and blend it into a blender to make a fine powder.

• Bring formula milk or breastmilk to boil and add a spoon of rice powder in it. Stir constantly.

• Simmer for 5 minutes and cook properly. Make sure it should have a liquid or paste consistency. Serve little warm.

You can replace the rice with oatmeal. Do not add any sugar to the cerelac.

Apple or Pear sauce

• Peel, deseed and cut the apple or pear.

• Boil it until tender. Add water for boiling them.

• Once boiled, mash the apples or pear to achieve a smooth consistency. Sieve, if required. Serve the 5-month baby food to your little one.

Banana or Avocado Mash

• Peel the ripe banana or avocado, take out the flesh - do not cook.

• Mash the desired fruit with a fork or blend it in the grinder.

• Serve the puree or you can add milk to it before serving.

Bananas are the best ingredient of 5-month baby foods. You can avoid the single grain cerelac for one more month and start with potassium-enriched bananas.

Peas

• Boil and mash the peas.

• Make sure you mash them properly leaving behind only puree and no chunks.

These homemade 5-month baby foods are good to start with.

IMPORTANT: Common food allergies in babies and how to cure them

Feeding tips for your 5-month-old baby

• Watch out for any type of allergy with the specific food item. Consult your pediatrician if you see any allergy. Test with small quantities.

• Don’t fret if your baby doesn’t finish the meal. Let him develop his taste first.

• Do not compromise on breastmilk or formula milk. Breast milk is considered as the main source of nutrition for your baby in 5-month baby food chart.

• Use your finger or baby cutlery to feed him.

Remember, do not start giving solids to your baby without your doctor’s consultation. This 5-month baby food chart is just a reference, follow your instinct and your doctor’s advice before starting 5-month baby food.

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Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only, based on industry experience and secondary sources. It is not a substitute for professional advice. Please consult a qualified expert for health or insurance-related decisions. Content is subject to change, refer to current policy wordings for specific ACKO details.

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