Are you familiar with the Japanese style weaning stages for babies, Mom?

Japanese style weaning is an extremely scientific and effective method applied to babies from 5 to 18 months old, researched and summarized by leading nutrition experts in Japan, bringing many contributions to the comprehensive development both physically and mentally of young children. However, for babies to eat properly, mothers need to understand the Japanese weaning stages to help babies absorb nutrients in the best way possible. Let's explore the information below:

Notes when feeding babies Japanese weaning

Many mothers have failed either when they first approached or after many days of trying to feed their babies Japanese-style weaning. Therefore, to be able to apply this scientific and successful weaning method correctly, mothers need to pay attention to the following issues:

The baby weaning process can start when the baby is 5 months old and end when the baby is 15 months old. The weaning process for the baby is carried out step by step throughout the weaning process. The baby will be fed with gradually thickened food, from thin to coarse over a reasonable period of time.

Each weaning stage is not too long so that the baby does not get bored when having to eat a diet for too long. This simple fact helps the baby maintain a liking for eating and enjoying food.

During the weaning process, besides learning to eat food, babies also learn the skill of chewing. This is an important skill that helps babies eat solid food and digest food well. Additionally, babies also learn skills such as picking up food with their hands, skewering food with a fork, and scooping food with a spoon. All of these skills will help babies learn to eat independently. When babies can pick up, skewer, and scoop food themselves, enjoy their food, and taste the flavors, they will find their meals very interesting.

Because they are gradually introduced to eating in a scientific step-by-step manner, babies can eat a variety of foods from fish, chicken, beef, pork, eggs, shrimp to various vegetables, roots, and fruits. Babies are introduced to plain rice porridge with separate food items so they can distinguish the flavors of each type of food. From there, babies know which foods they like and dislike clearly. At the age of 1, babies start eating mashed rice and then rice. At 15 months old, babies can eat rice and food almost like adults. At 18 months old, babies can handle a portion of their meal by themselves. At this point, the role of the mother is only to provide a little support. Therefore, Japanese mothers do not struggle too much with their child's eating habits.

Japanese weaning stages and essential notes

Stage 1 (5~6 months old) – Introduction to spoon

This is the stage when babies start weaning, so in the first week, only feed babies finely mashed white porridge, strained through a sieve (no seasoning; cooked at a ratio of 1:10 (5 ml rice + 50 ml water), similar to thin porridge for easy swallowing without chewing. From the second week onwards, you can add a little vegetables, roots, and fruits. Bina greens (also known as water spinach or swamp cabbage) are a type of green vegetable rich in vitamins and easy to digest, so Japanese people often use it to prepare weaning food for babies (only using the leaves, discarding the stem). Since this stage is mainly about getting babies to swallow powdered food, getting used to different flavors other than milk, and getting used to eating with a spoon. Therefore, initially, feed babies from less to more: the first 2 days feed babies 1 spoonful (15 ml), the next 3 days feed babies 2 spoonfuls (30 ml), the following 3 days feed babies 3 spoonfuls (45 ml), the next 7 days feed babies 4 spoonfuls (60 ml) … For sensitive babies, if they don't eat, do not force them, but stop for about 2~3 days. Then, continue to prepare smoother food and try feeding the baby again.

Cooking porridge for weaning will be adjusted by Japanese mothers to suit each month of the baby's age, as follows:

– 5-6 months: 1 part rice : 10 parts water – after cooking the porridge, strain it through a sieve to make it smooth almost like a paste before feeding the baby.

– 7-8 months: 1 part rice : 7 parts water – no longer straining, feed the baby whole grain porridge.

– 9-11 months: 1 part rice : 5 parts water – whole grain porridge.

– 12-15 months: 1 part rice : 2 parts water – mashed rice.

Moreover, when starting solid foods, Japanese people often limit the use of oily, salty, or sugary seasonings, or salt seasoning, so that babies can understand the natural taste of food, thereby making choices (like or dislike, eat little or eat much). Solid meals should be separate from the baby's milk feedings. One reason is for the baby to recognize that it is solid food, and another important reason is to prevent the possibility of digestive disorders that may occur if combining certain foods with milk. The recommended feeding time is usually 9 - 10 a.m., when the baby is alert and cooperative. However, feeding times can be adjusted to fit each family's schedule.

Stage 2 (7 – 8 months old) – Introduction to chewing

This is the stage where babies learn to chew vigorously, they can push their tongues against their upper palate to break down food, so steam-cooked dishes with soft texture like porridge don't need to be finely mashed for babies to eat.

Stage 3 (9 – 11 months old) – Introduction to self-feeding

During this stage, feed the baby 3 main meals a day. Babies can chew food well with their gums. Therefore, food should be cooked to a soft texture that babies can chew with their gums (the softness should be like bananas). You can introduce slightly harder foods to the baby. Cut the baby's food into pieces about 0.5 cm thick and 2 ~ 3 cm long so the baby can self-feed or use a fork to bring food to their mouth. Babies can eat most types of vegetables. You can even feed the baby the stems of bina greens (cut into small pieces). Babies can eat both egg yolks and egg whites. However, feed the baby fully cooked eggs. Babies can eat most types of well-cooked fish. You can also feed the baby chicken liver, red meats, beans, and tofu to supplement iron. During this stage, feed the baby whole grain porridge at a ratio of 1:5 (20 ml rice + 100 ml water).

Stage 4 (12 – 15 months old) – Introduction to eating rice

Feed the baby 3 main meals a day, synchronized with adult meal times. During this stage, babies can eat larger and harder foods compared to the previous stage. You can feed the baby mashed rice and then move on to rice. Additionally, encourage self-feeding with spoon and fork. The goal of this stage is to provide the baby with nutrient-rich foods aiming to stop formula milk intake. At this point, babies can eat almost like adults, so ensure a balanced diet with various foods for the baby. However, the baby's food should still be bland. The amount of salt added to the baby's food should be 1/4 teaspoon (1 small teaspoon equals 2.5 g). To encourage self-feeding, prepare dishes that the baby can pick up by themselves such as dishes made from sliced bread or rice balls. Create visually appealing foods with attractive shapes and colors to make the baby enjoy eating more.

Feeding Schedule for Baby's Solid Food

Food Quantity Chart per Meal

Summary