Guidelines for the Most Ideal 6-Month MPASI Schedule
Exclusive breastfeeding is the single best food for babies until they are six months old. Entering the age of 6 months, your little one can eat complementary foods. So, starting from here, of course you need to set a schedule for eating complementary foods (solids) for babies for 6 months.
This is because the 6 month baby’s complementary feeding schedule will indirectly affect or shape his diet later.
In order not to be careless, it is better to plan your little one’s mealtime by knowing their daily MPASI meal schedule from the age of 6 months.
It is important to set a schedule for 6 months baby complementary foods
The nutritional needs of infants must be met properly to support their growth and development. Infants aged zero to six months only get food and drink from breast milk or it is known as exclusive breastfeeding.
Breast milk is the best food for babies because it contains all the nutrients that are easily digested and according to their needs.
By the time the baby is 6 months old, his digestive system is ready to process food other than breast milk. Therefore, babies are allowed to eat complementary foods (solids).
This 6 month baby solid food schedule needs to be made so that the baby can adapt to changing types of food.
So, babies will not be surprised when they are just starting to learn to eat so they don’t interfere with their digestive system. On the other hand, following a regular 6 month baby meal schedule will also make it easier for babies to understand the signs of hunger and fullness.
With this feeding schedule for babies for 6 months, your baby will also start to get used to reducing habits snacking the child too often.
Basically, giving snacks for babies is certainly not a problem as long as it fits the complementary meal schedule at the age of 6 months.
If the provision of snacks for babies does not match the time of eating complementary foods, babies who are now 6 months old may not be hungry when their schedule is to eat the main meal.
In fact, the main food contains a variety of nutrients that can help meet the daily needs of the baby.
The main food can consist of carbohydrate intake for babies, protein for babies, fat for babies, fiber intake, to minerals and vitamins for babies.
In addition, making a 6 month baby solid food schedule also familiarizes parents to provide food on time.
Schedule of infant complementary foods since 6 months
It is not always easy to get your baby to start implementing a feeding schedule at the age of 6 months, but it’s actually not that difficult either.
You just need to be more painstaking to help babies learn to eat according to the complementary feeding schedule from 6 months of age onwards.
Guidelines for baby feeding schedules from 6 months of age are as follows:
Schedule of complementary foods for babies aged 6-8 months
In order for the baby to be more excited, you can try giving him a varied 6-month solid food menu. The following is a guide to the schedule for 6 months of solid food for babies who are just starting to learn to eat:
- 06.00 o’clock: ASI
- Punch08.00: Breakfast with foods that are crushed
- 10:00 a.m.: Breast milk or snack, such as soft fruit
- Punch12.00: Lunch with soft food
- 14.00: ASI
- 16.00 o’clock: Snack
- 18.00 o’clock: Dinner with foods that are crushed
- 20.00 o’clock: ASI, which can be given hourly in an amount depending on the baby’s needs
- 22.00: ASI
- 24.00 o’clock: ASI
- 03.00 o’clock: ASI
The breast milk given should be tailored to the needs of each baby. Apart from starting to learn to eat solid foods on schedule, babies aged 6 to 24 months of age will still need breast milk whenever possible.
For babies who are 6 months old, aka just starting to learn to eat solid foods, you can continue to provide breast milk as scheduled at 22.00, 24.00, and 03.00.
However, breastfeeding at 24.00 and 03.00 may or may not be given. If the baby is fast asleep, breastfeeding at night and early in the morning may not be done.
On the other hand, if you see signs of a hungry baby and still want to breastfeed, you can give breast milk according to the 6 month baby solids schedule.
Schedule of solid foods for babies aged 9-11 months
The schedule for eating complementary foods (complementary foods) for babies aged 6 months is actually not much different when they are over 6 months old.
However, there are still some differences that need to be considered in the baby’s complementary feeding schedule.
Here is the complementary meal schedule that you can apply for babies aged 9-11 months:
- 06.00 o’clock: ASI
- 08.00 o’clock: Breakfast with solids, finely chopped, coarsely or finger food
- 10:00 a.m.: Breast milk or snack, for example fruit that has been roughly chopped and small
- 12.00 o’clock: Lunch with finely chopped, coarse, or complementary foods finger food
- 14.00: ASI
- 16.00 o’clock: Snacks, such as small, roughly chopped fruit
- 18.00 o’clock: Dinner with finely chopped solids, coarsely or finger food
- 20.00 o’clock: ASI
- 22.00: ASI
- 24.00 o’clock: ASI
If your baby is no longer getting breast milk, you can give infant formula milk as a substitute.
The rules for eating complementary foods for babies from 6 months of age
Even though they are no longer getting breast milk all the time, babies who are six months old and over still need breast milk in their daily intake.
With a note, mother’s milk production is still going well to meet the daily needs of the baby. Breastfeeding must be accompanied by other foods when the baby is six months, because there is an increase in the baby’s daily needs.
As they get older, which has reached six months, the baby’s daily nutritional needs are increasing.
If breastfeeding is continued without complementary food, it is feared that it will not be able to meet the daily nutritional needs of the little one.
That is why complementary foods (complementary foods) should be introduced when the baby is 6 months old according to schedule.
In addition, feeding complementary foods according to schedule also aims to train the development of the baby’s ability to receive a variety of foods.
Babies’ skills in chewing and swallowing food are also trained by providing the MPASI schedule since 6 months.
In addition to understanding the complementary feeding schedule for babies from 6 months, you also need to know the portion, frequency, and texture of food that is good according to their current age.
Here are the rules for eating babies on the MPASI schedule according to age according to WHO:
Know the portions and frequency of baby food
Differences in the portion and frequency of baby food according to age development, namely:
Age 6-8 months
At the beginning of baby feeding, try to do it gradually.
You can start feeding solids with a schedule of 2-3 times per day for babies aged 6 to 8 months.
The portion of food for babies aged 6-8 months, namely 2-3 tablespoons for main meals according to schedule. Gradually increase the intake of the baby to ½ cup sized size 250 milliliter (ml).
The rest, try to give around 1-2 times a snack or snack according to the MPASI meal schedule and the baby’s desires.
9-11 months of age
The frequency of eating complementary foods for babies according to schedule in the 9-11 months age range has generally increased up to 3-4 times a day for main meals.
In addition to the main meal, you can also provide a snack or snack on the sidelines of your baby’s MPASI meal schedule with a frequency of 1-2 times according to their appetite.
Unlike the previous age, at the age of 9-11 months, the baby’s food portion is ½-¾ bowl measuring 250 ml with a meal time of no more than 30 minutes.
Age 12-24 months
When the baby reaches 12-24 months of age, the schedule for eating complementary foods every day remains the same as at the age of 9-11 months, namely 3-4 times a day for main food.
Likewise, for snacks or snacks at 12-24 months of age, which can reach 1-2 times a day depending on the baby’s appetite.
The increased portion of food for infants aged 12-24 months ¾-1 cup measuring 250 ml. The meal schedule for babies aged 12-24 months is 3-4 times a day for main meals with 1-2 times a day for snacks or snacks.
Gradually introduce babies to different textures of food
For babies aged 6 to 8 months, the variety of complementary foods in each feeding schedule should have a soft and creamy texture. Also pay attention to the different types of food you serve your baby.
We recommend that you introduce various types of food gradually, from carbohydrates, fiber, protein, fat, to vitamins and minerals.
Sources of carbohydrates that you can introduce to your little one include rice, potatoes, pasta, sweet potatoes, and others.
Combine carbohydrate foods with protein and fat sources such as beef, chicken, beef liver, chicken liver, eggs, cheese, and others.
While sources of vitamins and minerals can come from vegetables and fruit.
As the baby gets older, he can begin to eat foods that are finely chopped, coarsely chopped, or finger food (finger food).
Launching from the Indonesian Pediatrician Association (IDAI), the texture of these foods is usually given when the baby is 9-11 months old.
Until finally babies can actually eat family texture foods mixed with mashed and chopped textures starting at 12 months of age.
Apply the baby’s diet from an early age
On the 6 month solid food schedule, make sure your little one sits upright in the baby dining chair. Pay attention to every spoonful of food given, not too much because it will fall apart and be wasted.
We recommend that you give food a little, but enough can be swallowed by the baby. When you hold the spoon in your baby’s mouth, see how it responds.
If the baby does not open his mouth, it means that the baby is not ready to taste food, you may need tactics to open the baby’s mouth.
Don’t force the spoon into the baby’s mouth. Babies who have difficulty eating and choke or vomit easily, should consult a doctor.
This is because it can lead to nutritional problems in the baby. Avoid eating while playing and watching TV and try to eat no more than 30 minutes.
