Which Solids to Introduce in the First Year

Introduction of fruits, vegetables, rice, cereals and juices

Introduction of outside food should be after 5 to 6 months of age. As the items below are added, do not stop or reduce the ones already started. The object is to foster more tastes and increase the quantity of food to the amount accepted.

Fruits
Mashed fruits are a good first weaning food. They are easy to digest and palatable to the baby. Mashed bananas: Bananas should be mashed, and then given plain or mixed with malai (cream) . Start with quarter banana, and increase it every week until the baby accepts it. Boiled and mashed apples: You can also offer apples instead of bananas to your baby. Take an apple and cut it into pieces, taking care to remove the center core. Boil it and then mash it either with a spoon or in a mixer. Start with half an apple and increase it to the limit accepted by the child. It has been observed that apples causes constipation in many babies. In this case, try other fruits like papaya. Other seasonal fruits: Other seasonal fruits like pears (to be prepared like apples), chikoo (simply mashed), papaya (simply mashed), mango (simply mashed) can also be given. It has been observed that papaya helps soften stools if the baby is constipated.

Mashed and well-cooked vegetables:

Vegetables can be added to the baby's diet a week or so after introducing fruits. Vegetables should first be boiled, then mashed in a blender, and then strained. (It is important to strain the vegetables until the baby is about 7 months old. After the baby is 7 months, straining is not required because vegetable fiber is very nutritious and good to avoid constipation). Begin with a couple of spoons and then gradually increase the quantity every succeeding week to the limit accepted by the baby. Dark green leafy vegetables, carrots and pumpkin are very healthy. There is no need to add salt to the vegetables, since there is enough sodium in the vegetables. The baby's system is not ready to handle too much salt in the first few months of life. Ghee, butter or cooking oil can also be added for flavor as well as for calories. Vegetables like spinach are high in iron. In order to improve the absorption of iron into the baby's system, you need to give vitamin C. Vegetables like tomato and cauliflower contain vitamin C and therefore can be a good complement to spinach.

Porridge
This can be added to the baby's diet a week after starting mashed vegetables. One to two teaspoons should be given twice a day, between two feeds around 8 am and 7 pm. Keep increasing every 3-4 days to the amount accepted by the baby. Homemade preparations are preferred to ready-made cereals. There are several ways of offering home-made porridge: suji kheer (rava kheer), thin seera with ghee, dalia from broken wheat, ragi (or nachni), soaked bread in milk, mashed boiled rice etc.

Mashed and well-cooked khichri or dal and rice

Introduce khichri to the baby's diet after a couple of weeks. You can add half a teaspoon of ghee, butter or cooking oil to the final preparation. Initially, you should put the cooked khichri in a blender so that it is easy for the baby to swallow. Then you can gradually increase the consistency to a semi-solid state so that the child's palate starts getting used to regular foods. You can also add vegetables like carrots or spinach to the khichri.

Curds/yogurt
When the child is about 6 months old, curds can be introduced in the child's diet. Start with about 2 teaspoons and then gradually increase. Avoid adding sugar or other sweeteners to the curds.

Soft boiled egg

Egg can be added to the baby's diet when the child is about 9 months. The egg should be boiled in water for three minutes, and then cooled in running water. First begin with one teaspoon of the yolk (yellow portion), and then gradually introduce the white portion of the egg after one year. The white is very high in proteins, but can also cause allergic reactions in some babies.

Juices
Juices made of fruits high in vitamin C, like orange and pineapple, can be added at around 7 months. The reason for not adding them earlier is that they often do not suit very young babies.

Milk
After the tenth month, as the baby takes less of your milk, she needs to start getting external milk. Either cow's milk or buffalo's milk can be given. Do not dilute the milk with water. If the milk contains too much fat, remove the cream. External milk does not suit many babies initially. They either get diarrhoea or start vomiting. They may also develop allergies like eczema (if there is a strong family history of allergies). Breastfeeding should be continued at least until 1 1/2 years.

Chapati
Gradually introduce chapati in the child's diet around 8 months of age. One can do so either by adding one chapati in the blender with the child's vegetables, or by soaking it in dal.

Fish, minced meat

In the case of non-vegetarians, these foods can also be introduced, in the soup form initially. It can later be steamed, minced and offered to the child after 10 to 12 months.

Salt, Sugar and other Additives

Should sugar be added to the baby's food?
Sugar and other artificial sweeteners should not be added to the child's diet unnecessarily (such as in juices). It may be added to food preparations like seera, but jaggery is definitely better than sugar, since jaggery is rich in iron.

When should salt be introduced?

Since the baby's system is not geared to handle too much salt in the early months, it is better to keep the baby's salt intake to a minimum. Most vegetables already contain a sufficient amount of salt (or sodium), therefore additional salt is not required. As the child grows, additional salt can be added so that when the child reaches one year of age, he is having regular food prepared for the whole family.

Should ghee, butter or oil be added to the child's food?

These substances are high in calories, that are essential for the baby's growth. Since the child can only eat a limited amount at a time, if ghee or butter has been added to his food, he gets a lot more calories. Ghee is preferred over butter because butter

contains salt.

Foods causing Adverse Reactions

Which foods could cause adverse reactions when they are first introduced?
In families with history of allergy (asthma, eczema) foods such as artificial milk, egg, cocoa preparations (like chocolate), juices and wheat preparations are likely to cause allergies in children. Therefore, avoid these foods at least until the completion of 6 months. In cases where there is a strong family history of allergy, it may be advisable to avoid all foods other than breast milk until the age of 6 months.

Baby's Diet after One Year

After the child is a year old, you should gradually let the child start getting used to foods made for the family, in terms of taste as well as consistency.

Milk
Start giving cow or buffalo's milk from a glass 2 times a day. If the child does not like milk, milk preparations like fruit salad in milk, curds and cheese should be given.

Fruits
Inexpensive seasonal fruits should be given in abundance. Whenever possible, avoid peeling the fruit's skin. Fruit skins are rich in vitamins and minerals Encourage the child to have fresh fruit juices, but avoid sweetening it with sugar. Avoid canned fruits and fruit juices; they have excessive sugar and contain preservatives.

Rice and Chapati

Chapatis should be made from whole wheat. Polished rice is not as healthy as unpolished or par-boiled rice.

Vegetables
Green, orange, red and yellow vegetables are essential. Scrape vegetables like potatoes instead of peeling them.

Use the water in which rice or vegetables have been boiled; it contains essential vitamins and minerals. Do not overcook vegetables. If you want to make the vegetables soft, gently mash them with a spoon.

Dals, Eggs and other high protein foods

Make sure foods high in protein (such as pulses or dals, gram, peanuts, peas, beans, eggs, fish, mutton, liver) are given. Sprouted gram or moong is very nutritious.

Chocolates, cold drinks, coffee, etc

Chocolates, cold drinks, flavoring agents, tea, coffee, etc. should be avoided as far as possible because they contain chemicals and caffeine that can be harmful to the child. These filler foods can also ruin the child's appetite for nutritious meals.

Baby food recipes

Cereals
Suji Upma (rava upma):
You will require cup of suji, 1 tablespoon on oil, mustard seeds, onions (optional), boiled and diced vegetables (optional) and buttermilk (optional). You can also add other vegetables for taste and nutrition, such as onions, peas and carrots. First saute mustard seeds, onions and boiled vegetables (optional) in oil. Then add suji and lightly fry for a few minutes. Once brown, you can add either 1 glass of water or 1 glass of butter milk (make sure it is not very sour) and keep stirring. Once well cooked, remove from gas, season with corriander leaves and serve warm. Remember that upma becomes lumpy very quickly, so make only when the child is ready to eat. Reheating upma ruins the consistency.

Suji kheer (rava kheer):

You will require cup of suji, 3-4 tablespoons of sugar and 3 cups of milk. First boil the milk and then add suji. Cook it on slow fire, and keep stirring (to prevent lumps) until the consistency is semi-solid. Then add sugar to the suji. Garnish with powdered badaam or elaichi. Cool and serve warm.

Dalia (from broken wheat):

Dalia can be made with vegetables or without vegetables. The advantage of making it with vegetables is that the child also gets some essential vitamins and minerals. Dalia without vegetables Start with equal quantities of wheat dalia and lentil. Add dalia to boiling water and cook it for some time (until half-cooked). Then add lentil until both the dalia and lentil are well-cooked. You can add salt and butter to taste. Dalia with vegetables Dalia is prepared in the same fashion as above. Except instead of cooking only dalia, you can also cook other vegetables like potatoes, onions, peas and any other green vegetables with it. You can also season it with sauted garlic or ginger.

Rice Preparations
Khichri (moong dal)
You will require 4 tablespoons of rice and 2 tablespoons of dehusked moong dal. Prepare khichri by cooking rice and dal together, with a pinch of salt (added to taste). Once khichri is cooked, you can add 2 teaspoons of ghee, butter or cooking oil to the final preparation. You can also add vegetables like carrots or spinach to the khichri and then mash the mixture. If you want to add spinach, first boil, mash and strain it, and then add this puree to the khichri and stir it. Cool the khichri and serve lukewarm. When the baby is still young, you should mash the entire mixture in a blender so that it is easy for the baby to swallow. You can gradually increase the consistency to a semi-solid state so that the child's palate starts getting used to regular foods.

Mashed boiled rice with milk (similar to kheer):

This is a simple recipe to ensure that the child gets rice (for carbohydrates) and milk (for calcium). Mix 1 cup of boiled rice with 1 cup of milk and 3 tablespoons of sugar. Cook it on the gas for 10 minutes (keep stirring) and allow the mixture to thicken. Cool and serve lukewarm. You can also add badaam (almonds) scrapings and elaichi powder for taste.

Pulav
First prepare the base for the pulav by sauting onions, cumin and mustard seeds in oil. Then add onions, potatoes, peas, carrots and any other vegetables and cook them with a little water until they are tender. Once the vegetables are cooked, add boiled rice and heat mixture for a couple of minutes. Cool and serve warm.

Other Preparations
Pumpkin Malagutal (south Indian dish):
You will require equal quantities (say 4 tablespoons) of white pumpkin and either tur dal or moong dal. First peel the pumpkin and dice it into small pieces. Then lightly roast the dal of your choice. Next, take both the diced pumpkin and the roasted dal and cook them in boiling water; you should also add a pinch of turmeric powder and salt to taste. Once cooked, add ghee or butter for flavour. Malagutal can be served with rice, and is a very nutritious dish for an expectant mother as well as the baby.

Spinach Malagutal (south Indian dish):

The recipe for this dish is similar to the recipe for a pumpkin malagutal. Except instead of pumpkin use spinach. Although a blender is optional for the pumpkin malagutal, it will be required for the spinach malagutal, since the baby will find it difficult to eat spinach in the original form.

Home-Made Babyfoods for Diarrhoea

Rice Kanji
Boil little water and add 30 grams (or a handful) of rice powder to make the solution into a thin liquid. Add one level teaspoon of salt and water to this liquid to make it up to 1 litre.

Water, Sugar and Salt solution

This solution is an essential medicine for diarrhoea. It is necessary for adults as well as children and infants. After preparing the solution, make sure that you taste it. The solution should not taste too salty. Add lime juice (sour/sweet) or orange juice to taste. Some children prefer to have this solution without orange juice. Keep this solution in a refrigerator or cold place. Make fresh solution after 24 hours. Wherever possible, boil the water and cool it before adding salt and sugar. Once the solution is ready, do not boil it. Infants For 1 liter of water, add teaspoon of salt and 5 teaspoon of sugar. Mix and taste Children For 1 litre of water, add teaspoon of salt and 8 level teaspoons of sugar. Mix and taste. .