WHAT SHOULD SHE EAT?

In India most mothers still prefer giving their baby freshly cooked food, hot from the kitchen, to buying commercial foods from over the shelf. Unlike western countries where supermarkets sell everything packaged, from cereal to pureed fruit to mashed portions, our Indian mother still relies on her instincts and cooks her baby’s food herself. Now that your baby is nearing 6 months, your doctor will advise you to start her on solids, if you haven’t already. Try mashed potatoes, pureed fruit-deseeded, of course, and every mother’s perennial favorite- a mashed version of pulses or dal and rice. Try not to introduce too many foods all at once, let your baby get used to one food at a time.

WHAT WILL SHE DO AT THIS TIME?

You could be pleasantly surprised! She might just get up on her fours and start crawling around. And that is sure to get you all excited, and so will your baby, as she will discover that she is able to move around on her own now! So make sure your house is adequately ‘baby-proofed’, so that even if she happens to bump into anything, she will not be harmed.

HOW MUCH WILL SHE SLEEP?

AT 23 weeks, a lot of water has flown under the bridge. Both you and your baby must have gotten comfortable with the routine, your baby must not be waking up all that often, and on most nights, sleeping through them. Be careful that she sleeps on her back and not on her stomach, as there could be the danger of her choking. Also keep away pillows, soft toys or any toys from her crib or bed. These could cause her injury.

WHAT YOU COULD HELP HER DO!
Your baby could be encouraged to sit. Place her in an upright position, and try leaving her there by herself, ever so gently. She might topple down on her side once or twice, but she will soon learn to sit on her own. You might observe that your baby too is trying to prop herself up on her own, first using one hand, and then both to sit up. She may need you to help her initially, but soon she will be sitting up independently.


HOW MUCH SHOULD SHE WEIGH?

Keep checking her weight ever so often. Usually, her weight nearing 6 months should be double her birth weight, so if was a 3 kg baby she will now be anything between 5.5 kg and 6 kg.

Soon it will be time for her regular round of vaccinations. So next time you go to the doctor  to get her weight checked, remember, it could be vaccination time.