At 6 to 8 months of age, the baby needs to eat two to three times
the baby needs to eat two to three times. It is very important to give children good food in the first two years.
A baby’s stomach is smaller than an adult’s, so a baby can’t eat more than one meal at a time.
It is important to give children frequent meals to meet all their needs.
Below is information on how often and how much to feed a young child:
6 to 8 months:
The baby should be breastfed frequently and given something to eat two to three times a day.
Parents should start with soft or lean foods (such as oatmeal)
The Growth And Weight Of A Young Child Increase Rapidly
and gradually increase the thickness of the food.
Start with two or three tablespoons on each feed, increasing it to 125 ml.
9 to 24 months:
Babies should be given other foods three to four times a day in addition to breastfeeding.
Give 11-9-month-old infants half a cup of 250 ml per feeding. Provide three-quarters
to one-half cup of 250 ml cup per feeding to infants aged 23-12 months.
Give at least one full cup of 250 ml per feeding to children two years of age or older.
Whenever possible you should have as many animal foods as possible, including meat, fish, and eggs.
After six months, the baby needs different things to eat and drink with breast milk.
At six months of age, the baby needs to be given food and drink in addition to breast milk.
Many foods – vegetables and fruits, meat, poultry, fish, eggs, milk, butter, yogurt – help meet a child’s nutritional needs.
Breastfeeding a baby for two years and beyond provides him with all the nutrients that protect him from the disease.
When solid foods are introduced, it is important to start with soft and steamed foods and gradually start using solid foods. The more different foods you give the baby, the more balanced and nutritious the baby’s diet will be.
Children older than 6 months need a nutritious diet:
Raw foods, including oatmeal (rice, wheat, corn, millet, melon seeds), roots (cassava, yam, potatoes), and Elastic fruit (banana and breadfruit).
Nutritious foods, such as red meat, poultry, fish, liver, and eggs (as many as can be given).
Dairy products, such as cheese, yogurt, buttermilk, powdered milk (which can be mixed with other cooked foods, such as cooked porridge).
These are good priorities for the second half of a breastfed baby’s life.
These preferences are better than raw milk which is difficult for the baby to digest.
Green leafy and orange vegetables, such as spinach, broccoli, beets, carrots, pumpkins, and sweet potatoes (which provide vitamins).
Pulses, such as white beans, lentils, guar, peas, red beans, and edible seeds (add variety and provide protein, energy, and some iron).
Oils, especially sesame oil, soybean oil, red palm oil, butter, or margarine.
Seeds, including peanut paste, other cereal oils, and soaked or sterile seeds, such as pumpkin, sunflower, melon, or oily seeds (for energy and some vitamins).