Months 6-7 | Mamalogue

You can follow any order that works for you based on what’s easily available and in season, and introduce one simple food at a time for the first 20 days. After that, you can offer a new food in the morning and repeat a familiar food later in the day, so it becomes two foods per day. Once your baby has tried a good variety of fruits, vegetables, grains/millets and common allergens (usually after about 20–25 days), you can start mixing and matching based on your preference, like pairing beans with egg or green gram with vegetables. In the beginning, your baby’s main nutrition still comes from breast milk, so solids are mostly for exploring new tastes and textures. If you want quick guidance, the Solid Starts app has a 'Foods' section with age-wise serving ideas and pictures. And just a heads-up, baby-led weaning can be messy in the start, food will fall on clothes and the floor, so it helps to be mentally prepared and keep it relaxed. Another important point is never force feed your baby. If your baby shows signs of being full, stop. Babies know how much they need.

Chose carrot as her first solid.
Peeled the carrot.
Used a crinkle cutter to cut it into pieces about the length and thickness of my little finger (easy for her to grip).
Steamed the pieces for around 8 minutes, checking in between.
Cooked it until it was soft enough to squish between my fingers, but still firm enough for her to hold.
Let the pieces cool down.
Seated her in the high chair and placed the suction plate on the tray.
Put the carrot pieces on the plate.
Tried a bib, but she kept biting it, so I removed it and continued without one.
She took her time, picked up a piece, brought it to her mouth, and explored it slowly.
The meal took around 40 minutes.
She ate roughly half, which was fine because the goal at this stage is exploration, not filling the tummy.

Chose sapota (chikku) as her next solid.
Washed it well, peeled it, and removed the seeds and any hard bits.
Cut it into small pieces that were easy for her to hold.
Placed the pieces on the suction plate on her high chair tray.
She took her time, picked up a piece, and ate slowly.
It took around the same time as Day 1, and she ate about half.

Chose pumpkin for the day and washed it well.
Cut it into small pieces and kept the peel on a few pieces so she could hold them easily.
Steamed it until soft (around 8–12 minutes), checking in between.
Kept a little portion mashed in the bowl for spoon practice, and served the rest as soft pieces on her suction plate.

Wash the oats well. Lightly pulse them in a blender to break them into smaller pieces. Do not powder completely.
Take the oats in a bowl, add 2–3 times as much water as oats and cook for about 15 to 20 minutes until very soft.
Later on, I started using a pressure cooker to make it faster.
Served it in the high chair, and she ate using both a spoon and her hands.

Chose sweet potato for the day.
Washed it well, peeled it, and used a crinkle cutter to cut it into finger-sized sticks (about the length/thickness of my little finger).
Steamed until it was soft enough to squish, but still firm enough to hold without breaking.
Let it cool down, then served it on her suction plate in the high chair for her to explore and eat.

Chose a ripe avocado for the day.
Cut it open, removed the seed, peeled it, and cut it into small pieces.
Offered the pieces first for her to hold and eat.
Then mashed a little and she ate some with her hands and a little with a spoon.

Chose beetroot for the day.
Peeled it and cut it into large halves.
Steamed it until it was soft for her to eat but still easy to hold.
Let it cool down and served it on a suction plate in the high chair.

Chose banana for the day and picked a ripe one (soft and easy to mash with gums).
Option 1: Cut it into finger-length pieces so it’s easy for the baby to grip.
Option 2: Peel only the top half, keep the bottom peel on like a handle.
Stay close and watch while eating, and offer pieces that are soft enough to squish easily.

Chose egg for the day and cracked one egg into a bowl, then beat it well (no salt or spices).
Heated a pan and added a little ghee and poured in the egg and cooked it well on both sides until set.
Let it cool down a little, then cut into finger-sized strips and served it.

Chose a ripe papaya for the day.
Peeled it and removed the seeds.
Cut it into little finger-sized pieces using a crinkle cutter.
Served it to her on the suction plate in the high chair for her to pick up and eat.

Chose green gram for the day.
Soaked it for around 6–8 hours.
Added enough water and cooked it in a pressure cooker until it was very soft.
Placed it on a suction plate, and she explored it mostly with her hands.

Chose a ripe potato for the day.
Washed it well, peeled it, and used a crinkle cutter to cut it into finger-sized sticks
Steamed until it was soft enough to squish, but still firm enough to hold without breaking.
Let it cool down and served it on a suction plate in the high chair.

I chose a ripe mango for the day and soaked it in water for around 4 hours.
Peeled it and cut it into small pieces and I also blended a small portion.
Served both the small pieces and the mashed mango, so she could try eating it in both ways.

Chose buckwheat for the day.
Soaked it for around 6 hours.
Cooked it in a pressure cooker with enough water (for ½ glass buckwheat, added about (2-2½ glasses water).
Gave 2–3 whistles, switched off, and let it rest for 15 minutes.
Gave one more whistle, then checked if it was soft and well-cooked before serving.

Chose fresh probiotic curd for the day (soft, smooth, and not sour).
Kept it out for a bit, then warmed it gently using a steel bowl placed inside warm water, stirring in between.
Served it in her suction bowl and offered a spoon.
She ate it with both a spoon and her hands.

Chose broccoli and cut it into small florets keeping stem long (easy for baby to hold).
Soaked in salt water for 10 minutes, then washed well 2–3 times, checking the florets.
Steamed for 6–8 minutes (a little longer, 8–10 minutes, if the stem is thick) until it’s soft enough to squish between your fingers but still holds its shape.
Let it cool and served it on the suction plate so she could pick it up by the stem and eat.

Chose a silver pomfret and cleaned it well.
Cut it into pieces and seasoned it lightly with turmeric and cumin seeds (jeera).
Heated a pan, added a little ghee, and pan-fried it until fully cooked.
Removed any bones, shredded the fish, and served it on her plate.

Chose kiwi for the day, washed it well, and peeled it.
You can serve it as a whole piece or half, keeping a little peel on as a grip so it’s easier for the baby to hold.
Kiwi is slippery, so bigger pieces are usually easier than tiny pieces.

Chose brinjal (eggplant) for the day and washed it well.
Cut off the top, sliced it in half, and steamed it until soft.
Peeled the skin after steaming, then cut it into finger-sized pieces.
Lightly pan-fried it in a little ghee and served it to her.
This became one of her favorites until she turned one year old.

Chose muskmelon (cantaloupe) for the day and washed it well.
Peeled it and removed the seeds.
Used a crinkle cutter to cut it into little finger-sized pieces.
Served it to her on the suction plate in the high chair.

After she had explored single foods for about 20 days, I started offering solids twice a day.

For this day, I made a simple soup with red lentils and red amaranth.
Soaked the red lentils for around 2 hours.
In a pressure cooker, added the soaked lentils, red amaranth, and a little onion, then cooked until everything was soft and well-cooked.
Served it in a bowl for her to try.
For the second meal, I repeated a familiar food she had already tried.
That day, I offered sapota as the second meal.

Chose green gram, beans, and egg for the day.
Soaked and cooked the green gram (same as before), and added cleaned, chopped beans so everything cooked until very soft.
Made a simple omelette, cut it into finger-sized strips, and served it to her to pick up and eat.
For the second meal, I repeated a familiar food and gave sweet potato.

For the coming days, you can choose any foods that are easy to get and convenient for you. You don’t need to give a new food every day. You can mix 2–3 foods (like green peas, broccoli and papaya) or keep it simple with just one or two. You can keep adding well-cooked pulses (soaked and cooked until very soft), vegetables (carrot, beetroot, cucumber, spinach, pumpkin, tomato, bell pepper), fruits (orange, apple, peach, plum, berries, watermelon, figs) and pancake (flour, egg and banana/fruits). You can repeat foods often, and add one new food alongside an already tried food in either meal.

Continue to Months 8-12

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