When introducing complementary feeding, there are key principles you should prioritize including:
Timeliness-It is recommended that complementary feeding be started at 6 months, while continuing to breast-feed.
Proper feeding -The foods should be well-prepared and stored while maintaining good hygiene and sanitation.
Small, frequent meals -You can feed the child 6-8 times a day but in small amounts.
Introduction of foods should be done gradually –at least one food at a time. This can allow the easy detection of foods that may present allergies or sensitivities. Moreover, it allows to determine the reception of a food and whether it is preferred or not, and what you can do to make it more likeable or appealing.
Foods should be energy dense– At around this age, the energy requirements are higher thus foods with high energy density should be introduced i.e. sugars, oils, margarine.
Foods should be available and locally available-Select foods that you can easily access and afford. Do not go for expensive foods that cause you to over-stretch your budget while you can find more affordable alternatives. Also, choose foods you can access and are readily available making it easier for you to restock once they are depleted.
As for variety, choose foods with different textures and colours .Make the plate appear presentable- this will likely be appealing to the child. Perhaps, have some green vegetables, pumpkin, some beans and milk on the side or maybe a fruit i.e. banana, oranges etc.
Also, employ different cooking methods to allow for the different textures i.e. mash the potatoes or pumpkin, stew the vegetables boil the meat, beans etc.
If allergies present then the causal foods ingested should be excluded then opt for alternatives within the food group