So… your little munchkin is now gradually becoming a nibbler and we know you can’t contain your happiness seeing them grow up each day… It’s hardly 6 months and you’re already imagining them trying to stand on their two’s, blabbering mumma and dada, taking those crooked baby steps towards you, running to their school bus… The bliss of watching the little life take a unique form and growth is unsurmountable… and all of these growth is highly dependent on their nourishment
In order to give the best nourishment to your baby , let’s first understand the behavioural and physiological changes a 6 months old goes through or reflect-
- Your child’s exploration and pleasurable source is their mouth during the weaning stage. Whatever the child sees, their immediate reflex is to explore the object through their mouth.
- Their pattern of chewing their hazards-free soft toys shifts from the front side to the back side.
Do you know…? Your child is signalling you for their need to explore the world of foods and flavours through these behavioural changes. The back-end of their jaws too need stimulation for further growth of their brand new set of molars and pre-molars which will be ready to come out soon anytime around.
- Rapid psychomotor development- During the weaning stage, development takes place in two phases “Proximodistal” (body growing outwards from the center) and “Cephaulocaudal” (top to bottom).. To simplify, you’ll see that not only your child is growing in size but also learning to use movements in their daily lives. The sweet little explorers will learn to crawl on their fours and use fingers to set on their own independent adventures.
If you observe these changes, you’re sure to realize the following important facts-
- Significance of spine and bone development to ace up the child’s overall growth.
- Expansion in their needs of exploration.
- Need for improvisation in their daily nourishment.
- Need for more physical stimulation.
From the above observed changes, we can identify what kind of nourishment does the child needs to achieve the developmental milestones-
- IRON- Blood is thicker than water… Oh sure it is and why not? It not only carries water but also life supporting nutrients, gasses, immunity warrior cells and hormones in too… Imagine the power a single drop of healthy blood holds.. But what gives power to the blood? It’s Iron! So your child needs adequate Iron to get that Bahubali Although breast-milk/formula-milk do consists Iron, however it becomes insufficient as your baby grows… Thus, the best Iron source for your baby could be: fortified breakfast cereals, smooth nut butters (make sure they do not contain preservatives), dark- leafy green vegetables, beans and lentils.
- You can start with a delicious vegetable soup (plain-boiled) or puree of spinach or kale, carrot potato and beetroot puree, sweet potato puree, etc
- You can feed your child eggs as they’re soft in texture.
- You can feed your child porridge rich of fortified cereals as well. ( you can also opt for Burpease’s Pratham Aahaar which consists of lentils, cereals and nuts without any preservatives to provide your child with adequate Iron component in their daily nourishment. Follow the link- https://theburpease.com/products/pratham-aahaar
- Zinc- Proteins alone in the baby’s diet cannot help them with growth of cells, it needs a little bit of Zinc too to add zing to their body and growth. Nuts, pulses, lentils, whole grains are rich in these trace mineral. You can feed your baby –
- Porridge made of nuts and whole grains. (The first delicacy that strikes our mind is the famous suji ka halwa, however, at the cost of much infamous sugar)
- Or, you can go for easily available instant cereal porridge available in market, but again, with loads of preservativesi in them. However, we exist here to help you….. We provide your baby much needed nourishment with a dash of cashews and almonds rich in Zinc without any preservatives- https://theburpease.com/products/pratham-aahaar
- Omega3 fatty acids- Did you know, that brain is not made of muscles…? It’s actually made up of fats! Yes, that’s true. Omega3 fatty acids plays a vital role in your child’s eye and brain health. Cod liver oil is a good source of Omega3 fatty acids, however, if you want to opt for vegan alternatives, you can go for Walnuts, Walnuts’ oil, chia seeds, soya beans, etc.
( Burpease’s Pratham Aahaar, millet- based porridge contains the goodness of Walnuts to improve your child’s cognitive development as it is rich in omega3 https://theburpease.com/products/pratham-aahaar)
- Calcium- The breast-milk or formula-milk consisted of approximately 200g of calcium which was sufficient for your child earlier. However, with weaning stage, their bone mass starts developing due to which they require an additional 60g of calcium. Which means they need external nourishment along with mother’s milk or formula milk. Some suitable sources are- fortified plant milk such as soy milk, almonds, spinach, tofu, etc.
(Burpease’s Pratham Aahaar has just the right proportion of calcium and other minerals as it’s loaded with the goodness of Almonds, Cashews, Walnuts, Oats and many other superfoods- https://theburpease.com/products/pratham-aahaar )
- Energy- Your little explorers, now crawling on fours, will soon need a lot of energy for pushing themselves forward to stand on twos, walk, jump and run. It is essential that their diet has a good composition of carbohydrates and fats to get them going through their adventures. Following are a few healthy choices to make while choosing your child’s source of energy-
- Your toddlers are sure to love this apple carrot puree –
- Yogurt and nut butters
- You can also opt for hassle free Burpease’s Pratham Aahaar millet based baby food supplement, for the mothers who struggle with striking a balance between all her chores and her babies all-round nourishment. Pratham Aahaar serves 69.26 carbohydrates and 13.19 gms per 100gms of servings. -https://theburpease.com/products/pratham-aahaar