DEMONSTRATION ON

WEANING
When it comes to trying solid food every baby is different. So there's no telling how your
baby will take to this new experience. She may need a while to get used to different textures
and tastes or she may tuck in straight away.
Some families swear by baby-led weaning, whereas others find their babies are happier with
spoon-fed pures. We will explain which foods are best to give your baby over the coming
weeks and months, to help her get a good start at mealtimes.
When can I introduce weaning foods to my baby?

The Ministry of Health recommends exclusive breastfeeding until your baby is six months
old. After six months, breastmilk alone doesn't provide your baby with enough nutrients,
particularly iron. For this reason your baby needs other healthy foods.
Waiting until six months to introduce solid foods into your baby's diet will help minimise the
risk of her developing adverse reactions to foods and allergies. This is particularly important
if you have a family history of allergies such as eczema, asthma or food allergies.
If you feel your baby needs to start solid food before six months, do discuss it with your
doctor first. This is particularly important if your baby was born prematurely.
Once your baby is 6 months old, you can in theory give her most foods, and try new ones
quite quickly. Here are some foods you may wish to begin with:

pures of vegetables such as carrots, pumpkin, potato, sweet potato, courgette (tori), ash
gourd (petha kaddu)
pures of fruits, such as ripe cooked apple, pear, or mashed banana
gluten-free baby cereals, such as iron-fortified baby rice cereal mixed with baby's usual milk.
The next stage Pures may be easiest for your baby at first. However, babies can quickly
learn to chew soft, lumpy food even if they have no teeth. Ensure the food is well mashed and
gradually make the food a thicker consistency. Try to limit the number of sweet or cereal
pures to one a day, and always include a vegetable pure.
Don't add salt or sugar, honey or other sweeteners to your baby's food.
Once your baby is happy eating with a spoon you can increase the range of foods you offer.

pures of lean meat or poultry

pures of lentils or split peas
pures of mixed vegetables with potatoes or rice

pures which include green vegetables, such as peas, cabbage, spinach or broccoli.
full cream milk, yoghurt, fromage frais, cream cheese, paneer or custard.
But remember your baby shouldn't have cow's milk (or goat's or sheep's) as her main drink
until she's a year old.
It's best to try foods that are most likely to cause a reaction one at a time. Start with a very
small amount, and don't give any of them to your baby before she's six months old. Foods to
introduce one at a time are:

Cow's milk or milk products such as cheese, yoghurt, fromage frais, cream cheese paneer
Fish and shell fish
Soya beans
Citrus fruit (including orange juice)
Wheat, rye and barley based foods such as bread, flour, pasta, some breakfast cereals and
rusks. These foods could contain gluten which may cause coeliac disease.
Nuts, especially if your family has a history of allergies.
Growing up milk
Baby food from seven to nine months

From now your baby's ability to join in with family meals increases enormously. Offer her a
wide range of foods with different flavours to fulfil her nutritional needs. There are also
fewer foods to avoid.
If you are buying packaged baby food, the ranges normally go from four to seven months and
upwards. In fact, there's no nutritional reason why a baby of six months can't eat jars of food
labelled seven months plus. However, you may need to mash or blend the contents more.
Whenever you buy any pre-packaged food for your baby, check the labels. Choose the
products that are lowest in salt and sugar
Try as best you can to offer your baby home-made fare. It's best to use pre-prepared jars or
packs of baby food as a stop-gap rather than for all your baby's meals.
Now's the time to introduce:

Mashed or minced food, not pures. Be sure to include some lumps.

A wider range of starchy foods such as khichdi , suji upma, suji kheer, sabudaana
kheer, dalia, bread. Baby breadsticks, breakfast cereals, oats, in addition to cornmeal,
potatoes, rice and millet are also good options. Give two to three servings a day of starchy
foods.
Cooled boiled water from a sipper with a soft spout, when she is thirsty. This is in addition to
her daily breastmilk or 500-600 mls of formula. If you do choose to give fruit juice, keep it to
mealtimes only. Dilute it 1 part juice to 10 of cooled boiled water, and use a glass, beaker or
feeding cup, not a bottle. Keeping juice to meal times helps with iron absorption and reduces
the risk of damage to emerging teeth.
Citrus fruits, such as oranges, kinnow and sweetlime (mosambi).
Fish, lean red meat, poultry and lentils. Aim for one serving of protein-rich food a day.
Nut butters as long as there is no family history of allergic diseases. Use unsalted smooth
versions, or make your own.

Dairy products, such as paneer, yoghurt and cheese. You should wait until one year
to introduce cow's milk as a drink. However, it can be used in small amounts for cooking
foods like suji kheer
Follow-on formula, if you wish.
Finger foods such as cooked green beans or carrots, cubes of cheese, slices of banana or soft
pear.
Meals from 10 months

Meals should be more adult-like now. They should be chopped or minced. You may like to
follow a two to three meal a day pattern along with one or two snacks and 500-600mls of
breastmilk or formula milk.
At this stage your baby should be having:

three or four servings of starchy foods, such as khichdi, rice, dal, dalia, or potatoes, a day
one serving of meat, fish, well-cooked eggs, or two of pulses (lentils, peas, beans) or nut
butters
one to two servings of cheese, paneer or yoghurt as well as breastmilk or formula milk.
What foods should I not give my baby if she is under a year?

Salt. Your baby's kidneys can't cope with salt yet. It's best not to encourage a liking for it,
anyway. Don't blend adult ready-meals for your baby. Ready meals contain high levels of
salt.
Honey. Even if she has a cough, your baby shouldn't have honey until she's one.
Sugar. Try sweetening desserts with mashed banana or a pure of stewed dried fruit. Or you
could use expressed breastmilk or formula milk.
Artificial sweeteners. Diet drinks or squashes containing artificial sweeteners are not
suitable for your baby. They are not nutritious and can encourage a sweet tooth.
Whole nuts. These are a choking hazard.
Certain fish. Some types of fish may contain traces of mercury.
Tea or coffee. Don't be tempted to add a little tea to your baby's bottle to warm her milk. The
tannin in tea may prevent her from absorbing the iron in her food properly. Any caffeinated
drink is unsuitable for your baby.
Low-fat foods. Single or double toned milk, yoghurts and reduced-fat cheeses aren't right for
your baby. Always offer your baby the full-fat versions. She needs the calories.
Foods which may carry a risk of food poisoning; such as soft mould-ripened cheeses (brie,
camembert), liver pt, and soft-boiled or raw eggs.
Cow's (or goat's or sheep's) milk as a main drink under one year.
How much low fat should my baby have?

Up to the age of at least two, fat is an important source of energy for your baby, so full-fat
versions of milk, cheese, paneer and yoghurt are important. When she is two, and only if she
is growing well, and eats a well-balanced diet, you can gradually introduce lower-fat
versions. By the time she is five years old, only about a third of her energy should be
provided by fat.

How much fibre should my baby have?

Be cautious about introducing too many wholegrain foods and pulses for your baby. These
tend to be bulky and can fill up a small tummy, leaving little space for other higher energy
foods. So give your baby a mixture of white and wholegrain cereals and breads. If your baby
regularly eats pulses and lentils as part of a vegetarian diet, make sure that she has
some chapatis, rice, bread, and pasta as well.
Moong dhal khichadi
Ingredients
Rice - 1/2 cup
Moong dhal - 1/4 cup
Ghee - 1tbsp
Cumin seeds - 1tsp (optional)
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Salt to taste
Method
1. Pick and wash rice and dhal in water and keep it aside.
2. Heat ghee in a pan and add cumin seeds, turmeric powder, salt, rice, and moong
dhal. Stir-fry for a while.
3. Add water and bring rice to rapid boil and reduce the heat and simmer and cook
till very soft.
Nutritional information
This khichadi will provide proteins, carbohydrates, calories, and little fat for the infant.
This can be given for lunch. When the child gets used to this after two weeks add finely
chopped carrots, cauliflower, and tomato along with rice and dhal. That will provide
vitamins and minerals.
Nutritional value for the total preparation Protein gms Fat gms Fibre gms
Carbohydrate gms Energy kcal 12.5 10.7 0.4 93.9 523
Poshtik porridge
Ingredients
Whole wheat - 50 gm
Groundnut - 50 gm
Roasted and dehulled Bengal gram - 50gm
Milk as required
Ghee - 1tbsp
Jaggery or sugar to taste
Method
1. Soak wheat in about 40 ml of water for 12 to 14 hours.

2. Then dry the soaked wheat in shade ( during the process of drying some of the
wheat may start sprouting)
3. Roast lightly the dried wheat on hot pan.
4. Remove the peels of the roasted Bengal gram by lightly rubbing with hand.
5. Roast and dehull the groundnuts.
6. Grind the wheat, Bengal gram, and groundnut into a course powder and store in
airtight container.
7. Take 3 to 4 tbsp. of this powder and jaggery or sugar as required and add milk
and cook it on slow fire till it start thickening.
8. Remove from fire, add ghee cool it to desired temperature and give it to the child.
Nutritional information
This Poshtik porridge provides proteins, carbohydrates, calories, fat, iron, folic acid,
calcium, and fibre for the infant. This preparation can be given for breakfast. Jaggery is
preferred to sugar since it has more nutrients than sugar. In the same way wheat, ragi
and Bengal gram mix powder can also be made.
Nutritional value for the total preparation
Protein gms
30.36

Fat gms
33.29

Fibre gms
2.65

Carbohydrate gms
115.9

Energy kcal
885.7

Mixed vegetable soup

Ingredients
Onion - 1 medium size
Carrot - 1 medium size
Potato - 1 medium size
Cabbage - 1/4 size
Spinach - A small bunch
French beans - 3 to 4
Tomatoes - 2
Cauliflower florets - 4 to 5 small size
Butter - 1tbsp
Whole meal flour - 2 tbsp
Salt to taste
Water - 2 cups
Milk - 2 cups
Method
1.
2.
3.
4.

Peel onion, potato, carrot and chop them as fine as possible.

Clean and finely chop the cabbage, spinach, French beans, and tomato.
Grate the cauliflower along with the tender part of the stem.
Heat butter in a thick bottomed saucepan and add the chopped onion and saute
for two minutes over medium heat and add all the chopped and grated
vegetables. Stir and cook on high heat for few minutes.
5. Sprinkle the whole meal flour and cook for two minutes. Stirring continuously over
medium heat or till flour starts giving a cooked aroma. Add salt.
6. Stir in the water and bring to boil. Reduce the heat and simmer till the vegetables
are cooked and the soup reaches a fairly thick consistency.

7. Gradually stir in the milk and simmer for few minutes.

8. Cool and can be given it to the child.
Nutritional information
This soup provides carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins especially this soup will give
beta carotene, folic acid, fibre, and small amounts of vitamin C. This can be given any
time or before dinner. First time it should be given during the daytime.
Nutritional value for the total preparation
Nutrients
Protein gms
Fat gms
Minerals gms
Fibre gms
Carbohydrates gms
Energy kcal

Values
19.29
21.81
6.81
4.63
62
521.1