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By Shanti Ghosh;
( Excerpts from You and Your Child ; Published by the
Voluntary Health Association of India)
Semi-solids should be given when you have time and are
not in a hurry. Your impatience is perceived at once by
the baby and he too becomes finicky and difficult.
The baby will make a face and probably put out his
tongue and spit out the food. This is natural because he
is learning to swallow something other than milk and
does not like it. It is really a matter of convenience
and what the baby likes. Only remember that the baby
will not want to eat a new food when he is no longer
hungry.
On the other hand, he will not suck at the breast
vigorously if he is not hungry. Giving semi-solids in
between breast feeds may be most appropriate. If the
baby is on a bottle-feed, then semi-solids can be given
as part of the feed, either before of after the milk
feed.
The baby may lap up one thing one week and not look at
it the next week. He too can get bored with a food just
like we all do. So you must be ingenious and give him
something different.
All babies are different and just because your
neighbour's baby sits placidly while this mother pushes
food into his mouth, there is no reason why your's
should or will do the same.
What food to introduce and when (Four to six months)
As mentioned earlier, four to six months is the time to
introduce semi-solids. It is just as well to remember
that babies can be fed perfectly well with foods
available at home or those which are easy and quick to
cook. Suji makes very good kheer, roast a little in a
saucepan (tawa), add some milk and sugar, and the kheer
is ready. Ordinary wheatflour can be used in a similar
way. Ground rice can be used to make phirni. Start with
one or two teaspoons and gradually increase the amount
till the baby is eating about half a cup.
After a few days, some fruit can be started at another
time of the day. Mashed banana is an excellent food and
most babies love it. Ripe mango, papaya or chikoo can be
given in the same way. Apples and pears can be stewed
and then given to the baby.
Many cereals are available in the market. They are
convenient, do not need cooking, and hence save time.
However, they are expensive, and certainly do not have
any special advantage over home-cooked cereals. Do not
make the cereal too thin or try to give it with a
bottle. The cereal is to be eaten, not drunk.
Six to Eight Months
A variety of foods can be started, such as mashed
vegetables, dal, khichri, egg, etc. start one at a time.
All seasonal vegetables except those with a sharp taste
like radish and turnip can be given. The vegetables
should be boiled or steamed and then mashed in the water
in which they have been cooked. The excess water should
not be thrown away. A pinch of salt and a little butter
improve the flavour and energy density. The vegetable
puree should contain some green vegetables, beans, peas,
etc. These are rich in iron, calcium, and vitamins A, B
and C.
Well-cooked and mashed dals like masur, arhar and moong
can also be given. Many mothers only give the water on
top of the dal. That has no food value. The value is in
the dal. Around this time you can start with egg, but if
it is not customary for the family to eat it, the baby
too can do without it.
Start giving the yolk of half-boiled or a full-boiled
egg and gradually increase the quantity of yolk. The
white portion can then be added. This precaution is
taken because some babies are allergic to the white of
egg. The egg can be given separately or added to the
vegetables, dal or cereal. It can be cooked in any form
which the baby likes.
If the baby develops a rash, or cries as if he has
abdominal pain, or vomits or just turns pale, stop the
egg at once. It is not a common occurrence but it is
good to be on the lookout.
By this time the breast milk has become less or you may
have discontinued it altogether. A cup of milk three to
four times a day can be given along with solid food.
Eight to Ten Months
Several household foods can now be tried such as rice,
dal, chapati softened in dal or gravy, curd, panir and
south Indian foods like idli, dosa, upma, pongal, curd
rice, etc. fruits like apple or apricot can be given
without cooking. The food need no longer be mashed very
fine; and the baby can be given the household food
without chillies or spices. The child will want to eat
by himself and you should encourage him to do so.
In their anxiety to see that the baby gets enough food,
mothers insist on spoon-feeding the child rather than
encouraging the baby's own efforts. Later on, they may
complain that the baby just does not feed himself. To
begin with, it can be a joint effort by the baby and the
mother. He will mess around of course and in the
beginning the food will be more on his hair than in his
mouth. But he has to learn and the sooner he starts, the
better. A good bib (preferably long sleeved to protect
the woollies in winter) is essential to prevent the
clothes from being soiled.
Ten to Twelve Months
If you are a non-vegetarian, you can introduce fish or
minced meat. By one year of age the baby is eating
almost everything that is cooked in the house and no
special cooking is necessary. Tomato skins and seeds as
well as seeds of vegetables like bhindi, pumpkin, etc.,
can cause irritation and may be avoided if they tend to
cause any digestive problems.
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