Your Baby’s First Taste of Solids

As your baby is growing up you need to introduce suitable food at the right time in addition to mother’s milk to provide required nutrition to keep your baby bubbly and active. The systematic process of change in food is known as weaning.

It is recommended to start with semi solid foods after baby is 4 months old. Depending upon the baby’s health and nutritional needs,  doctor may suggest to begin at 6 months also. Consult your Pediatrician prior to making any change.

• Go slow… when you start new food.
• Pick a time of the day when the baby is active. You need to ensure that the baby is hungry, there is a good time gap for the next frequency of meal. If the baby is fed with formula or breast milk and the gap is less she will refuse to taste even.
• Make the baby sit in a comfortable position i.e in your lap or the baby chair, with good support.
• Normally the baby’s first food is a cereal cooked along with formula or milk. Initially the baby is given very little quantity and gradually based on acceptance level and appetite the quantity is increased.
• You can start with vegetable soups.
• When a baby is on breast milk additional water will not be required. If the baby is on formula milk additional water should be given in small quantities. Try to slowly stop the baby having from a milk bottle as the upper and lower teeth will be protruding forward as baby grows.
• You can give fruit juices, filter all fibrous material and seeds as it may choke and baby will vomit what she had previously also. It is painful to see the little one cough and the eyes become watery.
• Burp the baby after feeds . A good practice for ensuring baby food will not be wasted.
• Keep a towel handy for cleaning all spills. The baby’s lips should be wiped with wet cloth to avoid darkening. The baby should be wet sponged after meals. If baby is not cleaned, the food substances will dry up and could be chance for attracting insects. In India we observe a trail of ants on the baby’s cot due to the sweet smell.
• Dip all baby clothes in Dettol antiseptic liquid (follow label instructions for dilution). This will prevent rashes and foul smell from the clothes.
• Preferably dry baby clothes in sunlight.
• While feeding the baby be close by , do not leave the baby unattended.

General watch outs based on my experience:

• When you are planning to go out with the baby take extra set of diapers, towel, formula milk, water, poly bags to dump in soiled items.
• If weather is cold ensure baby is nicely tucked in warm clothes. Cover ear, head, legs and hands as baby will catch cold if exposed to cold
• If you are out on a hot day, be extremely careful of the scorching heat. Use an umbrella or a nice sunlight protection.
• Ensure medication of baby is kept in a cool place, away from sunlight. Ensure proper labeling.
• I’ve observed mothers carrying small babies and sipping hot tea, the baby will be attracted to the cup or coffee mug in your hand and will want to grab it. Accidently  it may spill also. Beware of such incidents.
• Do not carry baby in the midst of your home chores. For example if you are chopping onion and carry the baby with the same hands, gradually baby will develop a nausea feeling to the smell. I know children who have grown up and detest onions in the food they eat.

Bringing up a baby is a huge responsibility and you can manage it wonderfully with the support of your family.

Recipes for Baby food

Your child is four months old and is crying often as she craves for more . Only Breast feeding will not be sufficient now. It’s time you introduce semi solid food like porridge made out of wheat, rice etc. This process of change in food is known as weaning.

You have to be extremely cautious to observe the baby’s response to a different food. For example if you introduce wheat then you need to watch out for the changes in baby’s skin, stools to understand if the baby’s digestion is OK. In few cases, the baby may be prone to allergy of wheat or any particular vegetable then the problems will be severe.

Indians usually start semi solid food after a ceremony of Annaprasana.  Annaprasana is conducted usually when the baby is six months to one year old . The ceremony is conducted in a temple or at home by the priest . Annaprasana means change from liquid to solid food. Odd month is selected for a girl child i.e 7^th or 9^th month and an even month for a male child i.e 6^th or 8^th month. An auspicious date and time is selected for the occasion. The ceremony is attended by relatives and friends.The baby is dressed in traditional clothes.

There are fun games associated with this ceremony. Items like books, jewels, pen, clay and food items are arranged on a plate or banana leaf and placed in front of the child. Each item has a significance and symbolizes learning, wealth, wisdom, property and a love for food. The gathering encourages the child to pick an item. Based on the item the child picks, the profession is decided. For example if the child picks a pen he becomes a writer or officer in the future. These are typically fun games now.

Consult your pediatrician prior to making the changes. Introduce one food after another with a gap of 2 to 3 days. Few recipes from my collection are mentioned for the benefit of new moms.

 Rice and Moong dhal khichdi

You need to do pre-work for this baby food recipe.

• Rice: 1 cup
• Moong dhal (split Green gram with outer cover stripped) : ½ cup

Fry Moong dhal on a low flame. When hot remove from flame. Ensure the dhal does not become deep brown. Leave it for cooling.

Wash rice and moong dhal , drain water completely. Spread the washed rice and moong dhal onto a clean cotton cloth and place it for drying under hot sun. Do not plan this activity on a cloudy day.

Repeat drying in hot sun for 2 to 3 days. Powder the grains coarsely and transfer it into a dry air tight container.

Procedure:

• 2 spoons of the grain powdered
• 1 glass water
• Pinch of salt

Cook the khichdi 30 mins prior to the baby’s meal time. Take 2 spoons of the powder and mix it in 1 glass water. Ensure there are no lumps. Place the vessel for boiling on a low flame. Add a pinch of salt to this. It will take approximately 8 to10 mins for cooking. When cooked and soft put off the flame. Leave it for cooling. Initially you can serve in liquid consistency. After the seventh month you can make this thick consistency .

You can add ¼ tsp ghee when the porridge is hot . Serve it with a spoon. You will notice the baby is refusing and pushing out of his month. After a few fussy attempts the baby will start to enjoy the meal. It also depends upon baby’s appetite too. If there is a gap of 2 hrs from the last feed , baby will consume the entire quantity.

You need to keep a bib and soft towel handy. Clean baby thoroughly after feed to avoid sticky feeling and also food smell. As it is filling the baby will go for a nice sleep.

Week by week gradually increase the quantity of powder too. You can introduce vegetables like carrot, potato, green leaf- spinach, bottle gourd etc while cooking. Grate the vegetables and mash it thoroughly prior to feeding . The baby should not choke due to bigger particles.

If you are a non vegetarian and your baby is settled with weaning ,  you can add approximately 2 spoons of mashed chicken , scrambled egg or soft mashed portions of fish.

If baby is having watery motions, vomiting, crying too much you need to consult the doctor. Sometimes baby may have colic pain due to indigestion. Do not delay as situation can worsen and baby will become weak.

Variations along with rice will be thuvar dhal. You can directly add rice and dhal and cook into a cooker . If baby likes sweet food cook it with little quantity of sugar or jaggery too. Your baby will enjoy the change and appreciates mom’s dishes with a big smile. … Hope you got the message ‘ Thank you’

My eyes are brimming with tears of joy remembering the very old times.

Wishing you good luck…enjoy your baby growing and adapting to small changes in life.