zoey is doing well with veg/fruit puree so far... next now that she would be 6 months,i have started preparing ragi powder at home and soon going to start her on it. she didnt do well with rice, but that was 3 wks ago. later we neve tried...but i know it is a binding food and she tends to get constipated . i know this question has made rounds for like a gazzilion times but i still want to ask, since most of them have said they use cows milk to cook it. 1)whats the best method to make ragi porridge, i dont want to use cows milk on her atleast for now.i am worried if that will make her constipated? ragi cooked in water, wouldnt it taste like mud?how else can i make it slightly palatable for her? can ragi be given during evening? 2) how do u cook oats for your baby? 3) when can i start dalia(bulgar wheat) , at 7+ months?recipe please? 4) whats the best cereal i can give her late evening? 5)when can i safely start using cows milk to make ragi or other porridge? 6) anyone who uses nestum, does it have added sucrose/sugar?
Poonam, 4th Q, I am giving DS - easum around 8pm, its rice+moong dhal, milk-free. I add water, sometimes BM to it. Haven't tried with cow's milk or formula so far. I find my supply down in the evenings, he started sleeping well when we gave cereal in the night, so thats how it works for me I tried in the morning initially, slowly changed it to late evening. 1st Q, ragi, initially for a week, we used to soak, grind, extract milk, cook, add little BM/water to adjust consistency and serve, if baby does well, you can sprout, fry, powder, cook with water, later add very little BM or formula to adjust consistency and serve. I havent started him ragi yet, lazy me :bonk
Hi Poonam, Here are answers to some of your Qs 1) I used to soak whole ragi, grind, extract milk, cook and serve just like Ponlatha has mentioned. Sprouting it would be more nutritious. But powder is good as well and you can dissolve it in water and cook it for 10-15 mins. You can thin it out with water. To make it palatable you can make it sweet by adding lil sugar (dont add honey since your baby is only 7 months). I wouldn't add milk...i believe safe age to start whole milk is 1 year due to possible allergens in it. You can make it interesting by adding some fruit purees may be? i haven't tried it...but you can give it a try. The plain ragi with a pinch of salt doesn't taste that bad either...maybe you can try first and if your baby doesn't like it then you can try other additives. 2) I coarsely powder the dry oats in blender, add water and a pinch of salt and cook it for 10-15 mins. This way the porridge will be somewhat smooth and easy for the lil one to eat. You can also powder finely if your baby has no teeth yet. A variation is adding powdered nuts and milk, but again this is for older babies. 3) I'm not sure about when we can start dalia....i started after 1 year only. Other ILites who started earlier could throw some light on this. I roast dalia in ghee and add 4 times water and pinch of salt and cook it. you can add veggie purees. You can try making this sweet as well. 5) Whole milk or cows milk can be started safely after one year of age due to possible allergens. Maybe you can check with your baby's pead on this. Good luck Regards, Lekha
It is best to give ragi in the morning or before 6 in the evening.It is little bit heavy food and it may take some time to digest I am not sure about the regular oats,but do you have oatmeal variety in Cerelac/nestum in india?Gerber has the oatmeal for supported sitters. Rice cereal/Easum like ponlatha mentioned.My pediatrician suggested to give it at 9.30 p.m here.Ask your pedi too. Safer would be 1 year.
thanks ladies, i have a question, today i tried to grind roasted sprouted ragi, and i am not getting a "talcum powder" like fine powder, its a tad bit coarse. is it okay? i tried several times, but it just wont come to that fine powder ....
Hi Sansmommy, I too am following the traditional method of soaking grinding extracting milk while preparing ragi porridge. Wanted to switch to ragi powder now. Where do we get this 'Nachani satwa' . Would definitely like to try this.Does it have any brand name? Sri
i know this question has made rounds for like a gazzilion times but i still want to ask, since most of them have said they use cows milk to cook it. 1)whats the best method to make ragi porridge, i dont want to use cows milk on her atleast for now.i am worried if that will make her constipated? ragi cooked in water, wouldnt it taste like mud?how else can i make it slightly palatable for her? can ragi be given during evening? Ragi is liked by most of the children. We add a little jaggery to it. I have stopped adding milk to ragi, earlier I did add one a tsp of cow's milk that's it. Ragi tastes like chocolate, other day I was tasting ragi cookies and could not make out the difference, both tasted the same. 2) how do u cook oats for your baby? Oats 1 tsp with water, I add one tsp milk to oats for the sweetness and taste. You can serve it plain too with fruit purees or cut fruits. 3) when can i start dalia(bulgar wheat) , at 7+ months?recipe please? I started DD on dalia after 6 months. One tsp dalia, add veggies - beans and carrot, water and pressure cook upto 4 whistles. Best is to soak dalia atleast one - two hours in advance so that it cooks faster. I have not started with dalia sheera, the recipe is like upma. 4) whats the best cereal i can give her late evening? We give Lenora moong dal and rice with veggies - yellow and white pumpkin, peas, carrot, beans. You can use all the veggies you like here. Rice and Moong Dal in the ration 3:1 - i.e. 3 cups/glasses and 1 cup/ glass of moong dal to be mixed and one tsp to be used initially and increased in some months. Bottle gourd is excellent for digestion. 5)when can i safely start using cows milk to make ragi or other porridge? Leave it upto you. 6) anyone who uses nestum, does it have added sucrose/sugar? Go natural with home made foods Start one food at a time for a week and check for allergies and then continue.
thank u lee!!! just one quick Q.... since u make ragi powder at home, do u get it extremely fine , i tried but its little coarse as compared to the regular wheat atta....so didnt use.what do u do?