Vegetables for Baby at 6 months
Vegetables are often the first foods Baby discovers. Rich in fibre, they support healthy digestion and help your little one feel full. Hooray!
Which vegetables for my baby at 6 months?
With vegetables, it's simple: all varieties can be offered when Baby is 6 months old. Beetroot, artichoke, sweetcorn, turnip, pepper, courgette, butternut squash, pumpkin, squash… You're spoilt for choice! But to make things easier, always take into account your child's reactions and the stage of weaning:
- If you're only just starting weaning at 6 months, go for the all-time favourite vegetables with little ones, such as pumpkin, courgette, butternut squash or carrot.
- If Baby has already tried several vegetables, introduce new varieties (peppers, turnips, aubergines…). You can also have fun discovering new combinations, original recipes and even adding a few spices. The goal: awakening that little palate. Let their imagination run wild — anything goes!
How to prepare vegetables at 6 months?
- At the start of weaning, we prepare extra-smooth purées to gently get Baby used to new textures, then gradually thicken them. And on those days when timing just doesn't work out, we reach for delicious Popote baby vegetable purées.
- When your child is already used to well-blended purées, prepare less smooth ones, and you can occasionally offer large pieces of soft, melt-in-the-mouth vegetables.
In any case, always start by introducing one food at a time: that's how they'll be able to identify different flavours. After that, you can mix several vegetables together to offer Baby new tastes.
How much vegetables at 6 months?
Quantities really depend on your baby. Previously, around 130g of vegetables per day was the guideline, but it can be less, or more. In fact, the French Association of Ambulatory Paediatrics recommends not limiting the amount of vegetables.
What about BLW or self-feeding?
To start Baby-Led Weaning (BLW), you need to wait until your Baby can sit up well on their own and shows an interest in what's on the plate. This is often around 6 months… but not always!
You can then start with large pieces of soft, melt-in-the-mouth vegetables (broccoli florets, courgette…). Feel free to take a look at our article on baby-led weaning 🙂
Fruit for Baby at 6 months
Fruit is often a big hit with babies, as these little ones absolutely love the sweet taste. So we take the opportunity to introduce a new variety every day, without limiting the quantities.
Which fruits to give to baby at 6 months?
During weaning at 6 months, we continue (or begin) introducing fruits that Baby hasn't yet tasted: strawberry, cherry, mango, raspberry, banana, clementine, pineapple, kiwi… Plenty to awaken Baby's palate!
At first, stick to an extra-smooth texture and well-cooked fruit. Soft pieces will come a little later. As with vegetables, whenever you introduce a new ingredient, offer it on its own first until your child accepts it. You can then mix fruits together, and jazz up Baby's fruit purées with fromage blanc, cinnamon, vanilla or powdered nuts. Ab-so-lute-ly DE-LI-CIOUS!
How much fruit at 6 months?
As with vegetables, it depends on your child's appetite. At 6 months, Baby can eat 120g of fruit purée per day — that's a whole Popote pouch (perfect for days out and about!). But it can be more or less; there's no hard and fast number: as we mentioned above, the amount of fruit to offer is not limited. As always, spread this amount throughout the day however you prefer, going with the flow and following Baby's cues.
Starchy foods for Baby at 6 months
Starchy foods are just as important as vegetables and fruit, as they make up nearly 50% of the total energy provided by Baby's meals at 6 months. In other words, they're what (partly) recharge your child's batteries! And with simple vegetable purées alone, Baby may quickly feel hungry again (especially if they're starting to get around and burning more calories!).
Which starchy foods to give at 6 months?
At 6 months, all starchy foods are on the menu: rice, semolina, pasta (very fine at first, then gradually less so), bread, potato, polenta, sweet potato… Mix them into the vegetable purée, blending very finely at first, then gradually offering soft, melt-in-the-mouth pieces (depending on the starchy food).
How much starchy food at 6 months?
You can add starchy foods to every meal (lunch and dinner), or just one meal — and in that case offer them to your 6-month-old baby at snack time. Sometimes, you can also add a small amount of stage 1 flour to a dairy dish, soup or vegetable purée.
In terms of quantities, go for half vegetables, half starchy foods, or ¼ of the vegetable quantity if you give starchy foods to Baby at both lunch and dinner. And alternate between wholegrain and standard starchy foods.
The Popote tip: 6 months is also the age when Baby can gnaw on a crust of bread or a chunk of crusty bread. Bliss!
What about pulses at 6 months?
Lentils, dried beans, chickpeas, split peas… If Baby digests them well, you can offer a few teaspoons once a week, as a smooth purée or mashed with a fork. They count as both protein and starchy food, and have the added bonus of being rich in iron — so don't hesitate to include them in Baby's diet.
The Popote tip: a portion of pulses partly replaces the day's portion of animal protein (10g of meat = 25g of lentils).
What about nuts at 6 months?
At 6 months, offer your child almonds, peanuts and other nuts to help prevent intolerances and allergies. But always prepare them as a powder or nut butter. Always unsalted, and in very small quantities (half a teaspoon at most). And for parents who need a helping hand with allergen introduction, discover the hazelnut introduction kit by Dalipo.
Protein for Baby at 6 months
At 6 months, Baby can eat a wide variety of meats, fish and seafood (and hard-boiled eggs), but some sources of protein should still be avoided.
Meats Baby can eat at 6 months
Your 6-month-old baby can try all white and red meats, as long as they are very well cooked. We recommend starting with white meats, which are milder in flavour (and lower in fat), though we know some hungry little babies who will absolutely love red meat. That said, offal and processed meats are still off the menu, except for plain cooked ham, without the rind and well blended. Not always time to be at the stove? Our baby meat purées delight little ones' taste buds with delicious organic, French-made products!
Fish Baby can eat at 6 months
If Baby hasn't yet tried fish, start with white fish (hake, cod, sole, whiting, dab, pollock…) such as our delicious Alaskan pollock, then introduce oily fish shortly after (salmon, trout, mackerel, sardine…). Seafood can also be introduced, but always very well cooked.
However, at 6 months, breaded fish is still too early. Also avoid species flagged for methylmercury contamination risk by the French National Food Safety Agency (monkfish, tuna, ray, halibut, sea bream, bonito, shark, swordfish, marlin, lamprey) and freshwater fish (eel, carp, catfish, bream, barbel…).
How much protein at 6 months?
For meats and fish (beef, turkey, chicken, pollock…), go for a protein portion of 10 grams (no more), which in Popote terms is 1/3 of a pouch. This is a daily quantity, but organise it however works best for you, always following Baby's cues.
To provide protein for your 6-month-old baby, you can also give ¼ of a well-cooked egg (yolk and white), or offer a petit suisse, or 50g of fromage blanc (without replacing the day's bottles and/or breastfeeds).
What precautions should be taken with meat and fish at 6 months?
Whether it's fish, meat, eggs or seafood, it ALWAYS needs to be VERY well cooked (think well-done) to avoid any risk of food poisoning or toxoplasmosis. Remember to blend everything thoroughly at first, then mash finely with a fork.
What about fats for Baby at 6 months?
Baby's body needs fat every day to develop properly; you may not have known this, but fat requirements are actually higher in infants than in adults. So add some to every meal, favouring fats of plant origin and avoiding fried foods.
Butter, oil, or both? Both!
Even though oils should be favoured for their DHA content (hello Quintesens oil), don't forget to occasionally give your 6-month-old baby some butter too, as it also has its share of great properties.
A quick reminder of the benefits of oils and butter:
- walnut oil or rapeseed oil: rich in Omega 3
- olive oil: rich in antioxidants
- sunflower oil: rich in vitamin E
- butter (unsalted): rich in calcium and vitamin D as well as vitamin A
The best approach? Rotate between all these oils and switch things up by adding butter from time to time.
How much fat at 6 months?
At 6 months, stick to a teaspoon of oil (or a knob of butter from time to time) in each dish. Remember, don't heat the oil or butter — add them at the end, straight into the purée.
Dairy products at 6 months: which ones and how much?
You can introduce petit suisse, yoghurt or fromage blanc from 6 months, as long as they are plain and unflavoured (hello Popote stirred yoghurts). Give it a try and see if Baby takes to it. But this should never replace a breastfeed or a bottle: at this age, Baby should be drinking between 500 and 800 ml of follow-on milk, or continuing to breastfeed on demand.
What about cheese? At 6 months, we're more in "processed cheese" territory — the kind of soft cream cheese that starts with a K and ends in "iri". Hehe!
What to avoid?
- Raw milk or raw milk cheese (except emmental or comté)
- 0% fat-free or semi-skimmed products, right up until the age of 3.
