Anything you want to build, you must start from the base. That is how our digestive system is also built. A baby has been given training from watery puree food to finger foods to develop a strong digestive system. Also, it helps the baby to develop an eating mechanism.Now we will see about stage 3 baby food. At around 9 to 12 months, the baby is ready for stage 3 baby food.
There is no standardized baby food at different stages. You must understand the states of food like liquid, semi-liquid, paste, and solid food that has to feed according to the baby’s development. Baby has to pass on 4 stages of food in the development cycle.
Now we will see about stage 3 baby food. What age is stage 3 baby food? At around 9 to 12 months, the baby is ready for stage 3 baby food. In stage 3, baby food must be the primary food. You should train a baby for that. Breast milk or formula can give as secondary food. You must try to feed different textures and flavors of food as the baby can chew with his growing teeth. The food should be in chewable condition, you can give it as soft cubes or chunks. By moving on to the next stage, you are not only training the baby to taste the foods externally but also internally training the digestive system to work for soft chunks.
What Is Stage 3 Baby Food?
At stage 3, your baby gets transitioned from strained or mashed foods to soft mush with small chewable chunks. You can also give a small piece of finger foods at stage 3. It is the stage to introduce the different textured and flavored foods to your baby. Try a different combination of foods and tastes. Cooked vegetables or cereals are the ideal foods in this stage. You can also add diced fruits to the cereals. The baby will learn new eating skills in this stage. It is the right stage to explore different textures and flavors of foods which will help in developing eating skills.
As the chunks introduce, the baby will learn to roll, chew, and swallow the chunks without choking and gagging in their mouth. At stage 3, a baby will start to sense the taste of foods. By introducing different tastes and textures, you can give the chance of exposing more varieties.
When To Introduce Stage 3 Baby Food?
When your baby has reached about 10 months of age, you can start feeding them stage 3 baby foods like a puree with small chunks to chew. At this stage, the teeth start growing, and the baby is ready to chew the food. You can also share your meals with slightly mashed as they are ready to pick the finger foods. You should feed them a lesser quantity of breast or formula in this stage. Chewing chunky puree may speed up the teething process. You need to provide more calories with a wide variety of textures and tastes.
What Are The Signs That Indicate Your Infant Is Ready For Stage 3 Foods?
How do you know your infant is ready for stage 3 foods? These are the questions you may have in your mind while the transition is happening in the babies. After your baby experienced with pureed, mashed, or soupy vegetables, and squashed dinners, the baby has to move to the next stage. It is stage 3. After about 6 months, the baby will show the sign of becoming independent as he starts to reach out and grasps the things around him.
The pincer grasps skill develops in babies around 9 to 10 months old. During this time, a baby can use his finger and thumb to hold a piece of food and put it into his mouth. This development indicates that the baby is ready to move from pureed foods to thicker mush with chunks. A baby can chew the chunks in stage 3 with his growing teeth.
At stage 3, you can share your family meals with the right texture. Any chunks you have in meals, make sure they are in small pieces and easily chewable. You can train your baby with different varieties of foods with different textures and tastes. Baby will eat 1 to 2 meals at this age. Baby relies on mother’s milk or formula milk until he reaches the age of 1 for all essential nutrients. While giving stage 3 baby foods at this time, make sure it contains nutritious packed. You can try these foods such as well-cooked vegetables, mashed bananas, soft cheese, well-cooked pasta, cooked carrots, soft beans, and more.
Different Between Stage 2 and 3 Baby Food
In stage 2, the baby will eat thickly strained or mashed foods. They can make from legumes, fruits, and vegetables. In stage 3, a baby moves from thicker mashed foods to soft chunky foods. You can feed your baby different textured foods like thick, thin, squishy, and rough in this stage. It is the stage to introduce multiple varieties to train the baby’s chewable ability and tasting skills.
List Of Healthy Stage 3 Foods For Babies
- Apple oatmeal
- Baked oatmeal cups
- Butternut Squash Risotto
- Carrot Cake Oatmeal
- Coconut Chia Pudding
- Cauliflower Mac and Cheese
- Carrot pasta
- Boiled potatoes
- Soft beans
- Green beans
- Oatmeal with beets and carrot
- Vegetarian Lentil Soup
- Spinach Pesto Pasta with Peas
- Green Peas Puree
- Mashed rice
- Boiled soft khichdi
- Carrot Macroni
Try to serve maximum with homemade stage 3 foods. Make sure the food is cooked well and has a texture suitable for babies. Avoid spicy ingredients in the food to avoid any illness. Add ingredients so that they can elevate the taste and texture. Make sure foods contain the essential nutrients for a baby.
Final Words- Stage 3 Baby Food
There are four stages of food for a baby to reach regular food habits. At every stage, you should be careful with the texture and taste of foods you serve to a baby. Stage 3 is the important milestone where the various transitions and challenges happen. You can also give a piece of finger food to prepare the baby for the next stage. You can try foods from the list above for your baby reaching stage 3.
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