Start weaning the mashed foods to your baby after 7th or 8th month of life. It is hard to eat solid foods before you have teeth, which is one of the reasons why baby start with semi solid foods. Baby can mash these with his soft gums. By this time, baby has mastered with some liquid foods. Time to level up! Move on to lumpier and more textured baby foods.

1. Train to have ‘grain’

The baby is growing at a very fast rate. So, the need for calories and protein increases in the baby. These can be met by introduction of well cooked mashed cereals such as rice, ragi, rice flour, ragi flour etc. mixed with milk and sugar. Also, adding a small amount of vegetable oil to it, will increase the calories and make the porridge less glutinous.

Malted cereals such as wheat and ragi are also the best for your baby as these are amylase-rich. Basically, starch gets converted to maltose by the enzyme amylase. This makes the gruel thin. So this way infant can consume more gruel. This increases the calorie consumed.

How to prepare a malted cereal?

1. Soak the cereal overnight.

2. Remove the water and tie the cereal in a moist cloth.

3. Keep it in a warm place.

4. It sprouts after around 48 hours or so.

5. Sun dry it or roast it.

6. Remove the sprouts and powder it.

2. Coloury ‘veggies’

The vegetables serve as an important source of vitamins and minerals. Begin the introduction of well cooked and mashed veggies such as starchy vegetables which include potato and sweet potato, green leafy vegetables and carrot. These also add colour to the plate which attracts the baby.

3. Boost with ‘fruits’

Banana is the only fruit that can be given to the baby after mashing. Rest, all the fruits have to be stewed and sieved for the baby that is 12 months old. Also, add sugar to it or lime juice for flavour.

4. Grab the ‘egg’

Talking about egg, start by giving the hard boiled yellow ‘yolk’ to the baby in a small amount. If it is tolerated by the baby, increase the amount gradually to a complete yolk of egg. Yolk is a good source of iron, protein and vitamin A. Introduction can also be made by an egg yolk custard. But the white of egg should be avoided until the baby is 8-10 months old and has to be given with caution as the egg white causes allergies. By the time baby is one year of age, introduce whole egg- poached or soft boiled.

5. Meet the ‘meat’

After the baby has been introduced to whole egg, its the time to add some minced and cooked meat or boiled fish to his plate. Flavour it with salt and consume 3-4 times a week.

6. Impulse the ‘pulse’

Khichdi is one of the most common traditional weaning food. Make a pongal/ khichdi/ porridge with well cooked pulses along with cereals. Give meat and pulse preparations on alternate days.

The final word

There is no specific order to introduce foods. Just wait two to three days in between new foods. Don’t be surprised if your baby has his likes and dislikes. He is just like you, a human! Continue to offer those foods that he turn up his nose to at first. Take home message? Be patient!