Most kids are ready to start off with solid food when they are around 6 months old. You can tell from the unusually long breastfeeding sessions, frequent hunger tantrums or hunger right after breastfeeding. Once you’ve made these observations, slowly introduce solid foods in your baby’s diet while still breastfeeding. Breast milk will still remain the highest source of nutrition at this point.
Start off with simple purees and mash-ups and move on to different combinations of fruits and vegetables mashed together. Here are a few baby food recipes I have tried and stand by:
7 baby food recipes for a 7-month-old baby
You can get a variety of baby foods in the market which promises high nutrition value. I did give my older kid Cerelac when he was a baby but I prefer making home-made baby foods – kids love them and you can introduce variety in their diet from time to time.
I’ve penned down a few of these recipes. Hope this helps!
1. Pea puree
This is usually one of the first few solid foods I gave both my kids and advised a few friends and new mothers too. All you have to do is boil some water, add 3 cups of frozen peas and steam it for about 15-20 minutes. Then blend the steamed peas with about half a cup of breast milk in a food processor. Use a strainer to remove any lumps in the mixture. You can pour the excess mixture into ice trays and heat them as and when necessary.
2. Oats porridge
Oats are highly nutritious food items with high protein and fibre content. To make oats porridge for your 7-month-old baby, add oats to boiling water and allow them to cook. Once they are well cooked, switch off the stove and transfer it to a bowl.
3. Mango puree
You should make it a point to introduce seasonal fruits in your baby’s diet gradually as it forms an integral part of the nutrition plan of babies. Making a mango puree is very simple. You need to just peel the fruit, separate the seed and blend the fruit content.
If you notice that your baby gets bored of food too easily and prefers playing with food, chances are he or she is bored of the taste – which gives you the opportunity to go ahead and concoct your own recipes using a combination of fruits and vegetables you have already given your baby separately.
It is usually advised to steer clear of sugar and salt until the child turns a year old. So keep that in mind.
Here are a few more recipes I have fed my kids when they were around 7 months old:
4. Carrot oats porridge
As your baby gets used to solids and yearns for different tastes, you can make simple baby food dishes such as this one. It’s basically like the oats porridge procedure mentioned above where you cook oats in water. When the oats are nearly cooked, you will need to add some carrot puree. Also, add a pinch of jeera powder, pepper powder, and turmeric powder. As your baby gets older, you can start adding grated carrots too.
5. Beetroot potato puree
Potato puree makes a yummy baby dish but can affect the baby’s digestive system due to its gaseous tendency. The beetroot in this recipe will balance out its effect as it has high fibre content along with many minerals.
To make the beetroot potato puree, peel half a potato and half a beetroot. Cook chopped pieces of the potato and beetroot in a cooker. Once it cools, either mash them using a spoon or blend them, depending on the consistency. You can also add jeera powder to the mixture.
6. Apple pear cinnamon puree
Similar to the beetroot, potato puree, you will have to peel the apple and pear. Remove the seeds, chop them and cook them. You can then blend it or mash them using a spoon. Add a pinch of cinnamon to introduce a new taste to your baby.
7. Apple khichdi
To prepare the baby version of khichdi with a tinge of apple flavour, you will first have to soak dal and rice for about 15 minutes. Then, rinse the rice and dal, add some water and cook it in a pressure cooker. Next, make an apple puree by cooking chopped pieces of an apple in a steamer or cooker. Mix the puree with the rice and dal, and add some cinnamon powder.
Feeding rules for a 7-month-old baby
You have to be careful when you introduce solid foods to your baby. Here are a few rules you should bear in mind so that your baby does not have any difficulty in eating or digesting food.
Take time before you introduce a new dish
Wait for 3-7 days from the day you give your baby a new vegetable or fruit until you give the next one.
Try ingredients separately before you mix them up
If you’re making, say a carrot oats porridge, first, feed your baby plain oats porridge and then carrots puree – after which you can combine the two and make the carrot oats porridge. This way you will know if you’re baby is allergic to any of the ingredients.
Don’t force-feed
Ease in the new dishes to your baby’s diet. Don’t force-feed because you think it’s time to move on to solid foods. Start with feeding only 1 tablespoon a day and gradually increase the quantity. If he or she does not swallow, try another dish. If your baby is not willing to have solid food, don’t panic. Some babies take time to move on to solid foods.
Make your baby sit upright while eating
If your baby is 7 months old, it means he or she can most probably sit upright. So, make the baby sit upright so that he or she does not choke on the food.
Always remember to sterilize all utensils you use while making the baby food.
If you have any new home-made baby food recipes for 7-month-old babies, share them below for the new moms here!
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