WEANING -   Introducing solids to your baby

Introducing solids is important for helping your baby learn to eat, giving him experience of new tastes and textures from a range of foods, developing his teeth and jaws, and building other skills that he’ll need later for language development.

  Solids don’t replace breastfeeding or infant formula. Your baby needs breast milk and/or infant formula along with solids until at least 12 months.

When your baby needs them?

Signs your baby is ready for solids include when your baby

•   Has good head and neck control and can sit upright when supported 
•  Shows an interest in food – for example, looking at what’s on your plate
•   Reaches out for your food  
•    Opens his/her mouth when you offer her food on a spoon.
•  These signs happen at different times for different babies, but most babies    will show signs by around four to six months.
• When you’re first introducing  solids, it’s a good idea to offer solids when you and your baby are both happy  and relaxed. 

How to introduce solids?

Food texture- First foods can be mashed, smoothed, pureed or offered in soft pieces – it’s up to you.

Food types- All new foods are exciting for your baby.You can introduce solids in any order. 

There’s no need to introduce just one food at a time. But if you’re worried about a family history of food allergies, then you can introduce one new food at a time, wait 5 days - then introduce another to make sure you can be aware of any food allergies that come about .This can help with identifying allergic reactions. High allergenic foods include: eggs, wheat, gluten, soya, fish, shellfish, peanuts, tree nuts, seeds etc.

When to introduce?  

    4-6mnths 

•   Breakfast and bedtime should be breast milk or formula milk.
•       Try new food at midmornings and mid-afternoons as this time your baby   is in his best moods both happy and relaxed
•   Start with mashed fruits, daal water, smooth silky watery rice porridge .
•   Start with 1 or 2 tablespoon and gradually increase the quantity.

What to introduce?

  

1.Fruits

•  Mashed bananas: Bananas should be mashed, and then given plain or mixed with cream or milk. Start with quarter banana, and increase it every week until the baby accepts it.
• Boiled and mashed apples: 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. 
•   Other seasonal fruits: Other seasonal fruits like pears (to be prepared like apples), chikoo (simply mashed), papaya (simply mashed), and mango (simply mashed) can also be given. It has been observed that papaya helps soften stools if the baby is constipated.

2.Mashed and well-cooked vegetables:

·         Vegetables should first be boiled, then mashed in a blender.

·         Carrots ,peas and pumpkin are very healthy.

·         Until your baby is seven month stain your vegetable puree as too much fibre can cause bloating in infants less than seven month.

3.Porridge:

There are several ways of offering home-made porridge:

-Oats porridge ,soak oats and boil it with milk .

-Suji kheer (rava kheer) roast semolina add milk cook till done.

-Rice kheer (rice porridge) boil rice with milk and cook till done.

-Dalia from broken wheat-soak and boil dalia add water or milk as u like.

-Raagi (or nachni) with milk

 4.Mashed and well-cooked khichri ( daal and rice)

•  Take equal quantity of rice and masoor or moong daal ,coarse grind and     store in a jar. (easy for your daily  use)
• Heat 1/4teaspoon ghee, roast this  mix , add water and cook till soft
•  Vegetables like carrot,beans,peas ,potato etc  can be added, avoid adding too much salt .
•  Initially, you should put the cooked khichri in a blender so that it is easy for the baby to swallow.

5. 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.

6.Soft boiled egg:

Egg can be added to the baby's diet when the child is about 6-7 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.  The white is very high in proteins, but can also cause allergic reactions in some babies.

7.Fish, minced meat/chicken

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.

Plan your Childs meal:

Breakfast         - 8am

Mid-morning     -11am

Lunch              - 2pm

Mid-afternoon   -5pm

Dinner             -8pm

Bedtime          -10pm

Example of vegetarian food plan

Vegetarian meal plan: six to eight months

Breakfast - breast or formula milk

mid morning - breast or formula milk or stewed apple

lunch - mashed rice mixed with breast or formula milk

mid afternoon - breast or formula milk

dinner - breast or formula milk

bedtime - breast or formula milk

Vegetarian meal plan: eight to ten months

Breakfast - breast or formula milk

mid morning - mashed banana

lunch - mashed khichdi with carrots (gajar) and pumpkin (kaddu)

mid afternoon - breast or formula milk

dinner - mashed vegetable soup with potatoes

bedtime - breast or formula milk

Vegetarian meal plan: ten  to 12 months

Breakfast - breast or formula milk

mid morning - stewed pear

lunch - mashed khichdi with vegetables and fruit or mashed idli with curd and vegetables

mid afternoon - breast or formula milk

dinner - mashed vegetable soup with potatoes or mashed khichdi with vegetables and fruit

bedtime - breast or formula milk

(Gradually increase portion sizes).