What does a 5 month old baby need?
A 5 month old baby needs energy and therefore calories to grow! It needs energy nutrients (proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates) and non-energy nutrients (vitamins and minerals). From 4 months for babies who are not breastfed and between 4 and 6 months for those who are, the introduction of foods with high allergenic potential is beneficial: it reduces the risk of future allergy to these same food. Getting your baby used to it early, in small quantities, allows the gradual acquisition of food tolerance.
What foods should be favored for a 5 month old baby?
Of course everyone is different, has their own tastes and appetites and that, even at 5 months. The important thing is to meet the nutritional needs of babies by varying the foods and respecting each major food group. We explain how it works!
They include meat, fish, eggs and charcuterie. They provide vitamin B12 and heme iron which are necessary for the child’s growth, immune defenses and brain development.
Vegetables (butternut, cabbage, tomatoes, etc.) will provide vitamins, minerals and fibers that are sometimes more difficult to digest.
To consider introducing vegetables with confidence:
- Avoid starting with those that taste too strong.
- Avoid starting with those responsible for colonic fermentation (artichoke, leaf cabbage, celery, turnips, salsify, peas, green leeks, etc.).
- Take advantage of this period to discover all the different varieties of vegetables and develop the infant’s taste.
- Cook the vegetables well and mix them finely to limit colonic fermentation and “reduce” the fibres.
- Preferably choose vegetables from your garden or organic to avoid pesticides.
The fruits
Like vegetables, they will provide vitamins and fiber. For a 5 month old baby, we can give them all cooked and mixed; certain very ripe fruits (banana, peach, pear, grape) can be given raw, peeled, grated or crushed.
Dairy products
Follow-on milk must remain the main dairy product ; cheese, yoghurt or petit-suisse should not replace the snack bottle. Raw milk cheese should not be offered before 3 years. In addition, fresh cream and butter will provide vitamins A and D beneficial for children’s vision and bones. Occasionally, you can also give fruit juice or flavored water to your baby.
To approach the baby’s diversified diet, you can either introduce food gradually into the bottle or directly with a teaspoon. You can choose to start with vegetables or fruit, it doesn’t matter. Traditionally, we start with the vegetables and then introduce the fish, meat and eggs.
For foods and even more so for those reputed to be allergenic (eggs, meat, fish, certain exotic fruits, nuts, peanuts, etc.), they are introduced one at a time, leaving a few days between each, to detect a possible allergy. .
Guide to introducing foods at the right time:
- Fruits and vegetables: from 4 months.
- Wheat: between 4 and 6 months.
- Fish, egg (always cooked) and meat: between 4 and 6 months.
- Infant cereals: between 4 and 6 months.
- Gluten: between 4 and 12 months, in small increasing quantities.
Typical day to properly feed your 5 month old baby
Five months is a pivotal age and every child is different: some will start their diversification earlier than others. However, overall, we can start tending towards this type of diet from 5 months:
Bottle: 180 ml of water + 6 measures of follow-on milk + 3 to 5 tbsp. infant cereal with gluten
Puree made from 1.5 to 3 tbsp. tablespoons of vegetables + 1 small to medium potato + 1 to 2 tbsp. coffee of first cold-pressed organic vegetable oil + 100 ml follow-on milk + 1 to 2 tbsp. coffee meat or fish (boiled or grilled) or ¼ hard-boiled egg
½ to 1 homemade fruit compote
Bottle: 180 ml of water + 5 to 6 measures of follow-on milk
Bottle: 180 to 210 ml of water + 6 to 7 measures of follow-on milk + 4 to 5 tbsp. infant cereal with gluten and preferably vegetables.
Read also:
The Fodmap diet, food for irritable bowels