Japanese-style weaning menu for 6 months old baby

This is an automatically translated article.

1. What is a Japanese-style weaning menu?

Japanese weaning is known from the Japanese way of feeding children. The dishes according to the Japanese-style weaning menu are prepared separately from each other and placed on the same tray for children to choose and eat. This type of eating comes from the purpose of wanting your baby's meals to be tastier, more fun as well as better for the child's digestive system. Besides, this method also helps children to stimulate independence and thinking to distinguish things.
Watch now: Foods that may not be safe for babies of weaning age

2. Advantages and limitations of the Japanese-style weaning menu for 6-month-old babies

2.1. Advantages of the Japanese-style weaning menu

Ensure food safety for babies: Not adding any spices or additives helps children's dishes stay pure, so it's very good for 6-month-old babies. Help children develop taste: Separating dishes on the tray will help children distinguish the taste of each dish from each other. Support for the formation and development of children's taste buds. Bypassing the raw food phase: When applying the Japanese-style weaning menu for a 6-month-old baby, parents will skip the powdered phase and completely switch to eating thin porridge with vegetables and rice. Forming the habit of independence: The fact that the child sits at the table by himself and chooses the food he likes will help him to form an autonomous thinking in his actions. This helps children develop the habit of being independent at the table without depending on their parents to feed them. Improve children's anorexia: Thanks to making many dishes, children can freely choose what they want to eat, thereby helping to limit their child's skipping meals.

2.2. Limitations of the Japanese-style weaning menu

Preparing different dishes according to the Japanese weaning menu for a 6-month-old baby often takes a lot of time. Must store food in the refrigerator: Each dish on the menu is usually very small, so it is natural to have leftover food and storage. However, storing food through the day easily loses its freshness and taste a little less. Letting children choose their own food makes it easy for picky eaters to choose the same food over and over again. As a result, the amount of nutrients children can absorb is no longer diverse and it is difficult to provide the necessary amount of nutrients. Watch now: Is self-directed weaning really good?

3. Principles of applying Japanese-style weaning menus to 6-month-old babies

3.1. The right period for babies to eat solids

Between the 5th and 6th month after birth, the baby can afford solid foods. But it is still best to use a Japanese-style weaning menu at 6 months because at this time the baby's digestive system has developed and it is very effective to help the baby stimulate the taste buds with solid foods.

3.2. Nutrients and ingredients suitable for a Japanese-style weaning menu for 6-month-old babies

Choosing nutrients and nutritional supplements is also very important in helping to stimulate the child's eating and development. Therefore, it is advisable to determine the foods and nutrients that need to be supplemented for the baby before starting a Japanese-style weaning menu for a 6-month-old baby:
Protein and protein: legumes (soybeans, green beans, .. .), tofu, meat, fish Vitamins and fiber: oranges, carrots, broccoli, avocados, strawberries, bananas,... Starches: white porridge, bread, brown rice, sweet potatoes,...

4. Suggesting dishes to add to the Japanese-style weaning menu for 6-month-old babies

In order to bring into full play the effects of the 6-month Japanese-style weaning menu, mothers need to prepare 2-4 different dishes so that the baby can choose what he/she likes. The foods added to the Japanese-style weaning menu for 6-month-old babies need to be liquid so that the baby can easily swallow and digest.

4.1. Snakehead fish soup

Ingredients: 10g porridge, 10g snakehead fish meat, 15g vegetables. How to cook: Steam the fish until cooked, soft, then remove the bones and puree. Boiled and pureed vegetables. Mix fish, vegetables and porridge together to be able to feed children.

4.2. Fish with pea sauce

Ingredients: 10g fish, 15g peas, vegetable broth or dashi (a recipe for water from vegetables, popular in Japan, with a characteristic salty taste). How to cook: Steam the fish until cooked, soft, then remove the bones and puree. Steam the peas until they are soft and fragrant, then remove and puree. Mixing fish, peas with vegetable broth or dashi water can be used by children.

4.3. Pumpkin porridge

Ingredients: 10g porridge, 15g pumpkin, vegetable broth or dashi water. How to prepare: Cut the pumpkin into thin slices and boil until soft, mash the boiled pumpkin slices until pureed and smooth. Then, mix the pumpkin with vegetable broth or dashi until the mixture is ready for children to eat.

4.4. Potato soup

Ingredients: 5g potatoes, vegetable broth or dashi water. Preparation: Boil potatoes until soft and mash until smooth. Mix potatoes with vegetable broth or dashi water and you have finished potato soup.

4.5. Carrot porridge

Ingredients: 10g porridge, 10g carrots. How to prepare: boil carrots until soft, then remove and puree. You can mix well for children to eat or leave it alone for children to eat.

4.6. Potatoes mixed with milk

Ingredients: Potato 15g, milk 15ml How to cook: Boil potatoes until soft, then remove and puree. Put the milk in and mix it up until it becomes thick, you can feed it to your baby

4.7. Mixed vegetables with tofu

Ingredients: 15 grams of vegetables, 15 grams of tofu. How to prepare: Boil the vegetables and puree them. Tofu does the same thing. Mix vegetables and tofu for children to eat.

4.8. Porridge with yogurt bread

Ingredients: 10g porridge, 10g bread, 10g yogurt. How to prepare: Put the bread in boiling water until cooked, then take it out. Mix bread, porridge and yogurt together to be able to feed the baby. Watch now: Problems with weaning

5. Notes when applying a Japanese-style weaning menu for 6-month-old babies

5.1. Alternate breast milk into the Japanese weaning menu

At this stage of weaning, babies are just getting used to eating raw foods, so mothers should not give up breastfeeding completely. Only 1 meal should be given to the baby in the first 1-2 weeks, depending on the baby. Increase to 2 meals at weeks 3 and 4. For the rest of the day, breast milk should be given to children.

5.2. Schedule Japanese-style weaning for your baby week by week

When determining to let your baby eat a 6-month Japanese-style weaning menu, parents should organize a scientific and reasonable eating schedule. It is recommended to divide specific meals, for example, morning, lunch, afternoon, ... what will the baby eat, what foods will eat, which foods contain nutrients. By detailing the meals, it will help the baby and the mother to limit the lack or excess of essential nutrients for the child.

5.3. How to make dashi when applying the Japanese weaning menu

Dashi juice is mainly made from vegetables, so it is very good for the digestive system of children. Along with that, mothers also need to balance between water and vegetables to ensure that the finished product can be used by children. Dashi juice is very easy to make and can usually be used for about a week, so please keep it safe.
Step 1: Wash vegetables with water and cut into slices. Step 2: Add water about 1 knuckle and chopped vegetables and cook for 30-40 minutes. Step 3: After the cooking is complete, remove the vegetables and remove the water. Place in the refrigerator to preserve.

5.4. Sanitize baby food preparation tools regularly

Should disinfect and disinfect food processing equipment for children regularly to help children avoid bacteria that are harmful to health.
Japanese-style weaning menu for 6-month-old babies is a method of weaning to help babies get used to eating effectively, applied by many mothers in Vietnam, thanks to the advantages of helping babies form good habits such as focusing on eating, independence, flexible reflexes. Besides these advantages, the close monitoring of parents and advice from doctors are also essential to help the baby develop better.
In addition, parents also need to pay attention to supplementing necessary micronutrients for children such as: Selenium, Chromium, Vitamins B1 and B6, Ginger, acerola fruit extract (vitamin C),... Especially zinc biology to improve taste, help children eat well, reach the correct height and weight, and exceed standards, have a good immune system, strengthen resistance to reduce minor illnesses and have fewer digestive problems.
For more nutritional knowledge and child care for each age, parents should regularly visit the website vimec.com and make an appointment with the leading doctors, pediatric and nutrition experts of the National General Hospital. Vinmec when needing advice on children's health.