To make sure that the infant will be healthy, a pregnant woman must eat a sufficient amount of nutritious food. When the baby is born, his/her food intake is also very important as it will decides how fast the baby grows.
You can easily find a food chart for pregnant women and a food chart for infants which outline what kind of food they should take to receive the nutrition they need.
Food Chart During Pregnancy
It is important for pregnant women to have a sufficient intake of calcium, choline, and chromium. These three minerals can be found in dairy products, peanut butter, chicken, and pork.
To ensure a healthy development or the skeletal and neural system of the baby, the pregnant woman should also eat food that contains folic acid, iodine, and copper. These nutrients can be found in crab meat, cashews, lentils, asparagus, yogurt, and potatoes.
When it comes to food chart for toddlers, it is more complicated as most of the time it is presented as a baby food chart by age.
Baby Food Chart 6 Months
The baby should begin to show readiness in having solid food. Some of the signs include ability to sit up straight, and interest in food. At this time, you can feed your baby grain cereals and semi-solid iron-fortified rice cereal. You will need to feed the baby 3 to 9 tablespoonfuls of cereal in 2 to 3 feedings. You can also start with 1 teaspoon of fruit a day and gradually increase the amount.
Baby Food Chart 8 Months
When your baby is an 8-month old, you can know feed him/her pureed fruits and vegetables, such as avocado, banana, and sweet potato. In addition, you would need to continue feeding the baby breast milk or formula, together with iron-fortified rice cereal. Remember to introduce new food one at a time and feed no more than 1/3 cup of dairy product and 4oz of non-citrus juice.
Baby Food Chart 10 Months
You may notice that the baby begin picking up things with his/her little fingers, and can transfer objects from one hand to another. These are signs to show that they are ready for finger food. In addition to what you have been feeding him before, you can now add in a small amount of protein like pasteurized cheese and yogurt.
You can also begin feeding finger food like well-cooked spiral pasta. The amount of food is approximately the same as what you would feed an eight-month old. However, do not introduce more than one new food within three days to make sure that your baby is not allergic.
Baby Food Chart for One Year Old
Once your baby reaches his/her one year birthday, you can begin adding more solid food to the diet. By this time, your baby should have more teeth, swallow food relatively easily, and have the ability to use a spoon.
Protein and vegetables can be fed in the form of well-cooked and softened carrots, peas, eggs, pureed meat, and boneless fish. In addition, you can also feed the baby mashed tofu. You can feed the baby 1/4 cup of protein food and 1/2 cup of vegetables.
Once your baby is beyond one year of age and you would still like the guidance of food charts, you may find a healthy daily food chart for kids by consulting a pediatrician.
