By 11 months, babies start eating the same foods that the rest of the family enjoys. They become more independent and can eat and drink with their own hands. Their taste buds are developing more every day, and they enjoy trying new things. At this time, parents can feed their kids a variety of foods that are healthy and delicious at the same time.
What foods can you give to your 11 months old baby?
Fruits:
Fruits are an excellent source of minerals and vitamins for babies. Pears, banana, papaya, apple, mango, strawberries, plums, peach, apricot, dates, blueberries, kiwi, watermelon, cherries, citrus fruits, and all kind of seasoned fruits are incredibly healthy for kids of this age. Fruits must be an essential part of your baby’s diet plan. Give them every fruit and let them try everything.
Fish and poultry:
Fish is extremely rich in proteins, and chicken is very healthy and nutritious. You can boil chicken or can add it to other foods. Chicken soup is also really healthy for babies.
Pulses and lentils:
All kinds of pulses and lentils such as red lentils, green grams, chickpeas, soybeans, and everything that comes under the category of grains and pulses can be offered to all eleven months old babies. Keep switching among pulses and lentils to have some variety during the diet plan.
Vegetables:
You can steam vegetables or boil them and give them to your baby. Pumpkins, potato, tomato, carrot, sweet potato, spinach, cauliflower, broccoli, cucumber, corn, coconut, turnip, green peas, and all kinds of beans can be boiled and either used as a snack or a meal. All vegetables are extremely healthy for babies of all ages.
Grains and cereals:
Wheat, rice, puffed rice, broken wheat, oats, barley, semolina, beaten rice, pasta, and mixed cereals are all great for an eleven months old baby’s meal. You can mix these with breast milk or formula milk for making it softer. In this way, a baby can chew on food easily without any difficulty or fear of choking.
Dairy products:
Dairy products like cheese, curd, tofu, and yogurt are very nutritious for babies of eleven months of age. Do not feed your baby cow milk until he/she is at least one year old.
How much food should eleven months old baby eat?
An eleven-month-old baby can eat a large portion, around a cup of solid foods. He must have this for at least three to four times every day, which collectively makes six meals a day. It is the minimum amount that your child can eat during mealtime. You can give one or two healthy snacks between the primary meals, in particular, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Meals, along with snacks, ought to be a variety of different foods to give ideal sustenance to the baby.
On the other side, you should keep formula feeding or breastfeeding your baby along with solid foods. An eleven-month-old baby generally feeds three to four times a day. If you are planning on making a diet plan for your baby, then keep in mind to ensure that your baby gets the best nourishment from breastfeeding and other solid foods as well.
Meal plan for an eleven-month-old baby:
Breakfast:
Oats:
Begin with any kind of unsweetened oats. You can make it with water, formula milk, breast milk, or even juice. For adding some more variety, you can jar or stir banana slices or any other home-steamed fruit, such as apples and pears.
Waffles or pancakes:
Try using a whole grain mix. It is healthier. For a health boost, you can add on some wheat germ too. You can decorate it by topping it with fruit puree. Do not use too many sugary and non-nutritious syrups.
Eggs:
Eggs are a very nutritious food. You can feed eggs to your baby in different ways. Also, You can boil them and cut them into smaller chunks or make a fry egg or omelet. You can also add some cheese in it and scramble it. Moreover, you can also feed them to your baby with some vegetable mix.
Lunch:
Grilled cheese sandwich:
You can make a cheesy grilled sandwich to delight your baby’s taste buds. Take a whole-wheat bread, some shredded cheese, which melts easily and a little butter. For adding flavor, you can use two different kinds of cheese, like mozzarella cheese and cheddar cheese. You can also add some thin slices of apples or avocados.
Yogurt:
There is a huge variety of flavored yogurt available in the market. Make sure to feed your baby unsweetened yogurt. Too many sugary foods are not healthy for babies. You can also add small fruit chunks in yogurt for flavor. Every fruit mixed in yogurt gives a different and unique taste.
Sandwich:
Take a very soft bread and cut its outer sides. Use a very small amount of peanut butter and spread it thinly on the bread. You can also use fresh fruits for the inner filling. Cut some fresh apples, avocados, or bananas (or any other fruit you want) and place it nicely between the bread slices. You can also use egg yolk for the centre filling of the sandwich.
Soup:
You can serve some broil broth with some steamed vegetables and noodles as lunch. Soup in which chicken is boiled is also very healthy for babies. You can also add some mashed beans, shredded cheese, or minced meat for developing some new flavor.
Cheese and macaroni:
Boil some whole wheat noodles in broth water. Add some shredded cheese for giving it a cheesy texture. You can add some vegetables like broccoli, spinach, or peas. You can also serve it with shredded meat or mashed beans in it.
Dinner:
Baked potatoes:
You can boil potatoes and peel off their skin. After peeling the skin off, mash them in a mixture of cheese, soft vegetables, and butter. It will soften the potato mixture. You can also blend the potatoes in a mini food processor with butter, cheese and vegetables. For giving some variety, mash white and sweet potatoes in tofu, beans, and meat. It will develop a new different taste.
Couscous/pasta/rice:
You can cook some pasta with sauce or blend some rice in a mini food processor. In case you are using a package, then make sure to use the seasoning sparingly one. Add some steamed vegetables like squash or zucchini or shredded meat for some variety.
Lasagna:
Take some spinach, cheese, sauce, and meat to be used as filling and run it through a food processor. Bottled sauce and no-cooked noodles can speed up the whole process. You can also experiment with different vegetables, cheese, and meat to be used as the filling.
The family supper:
Do not worry or get scared about any kind of choking hazards or potential allergens. Simply just run your baby’s portion of food through a food processor. It will crush your baby’s food, and your baby will eat it quickly. The result does not have to be perfectly smooth.
To know more, Click here