Diet for Babies Under 1 year

Raj..I tried chana when he was 18 months.Rajma only recently.I never felt the need for extra protein before a year.Its your choice..lets wait and see what other moms say..

 

We dont eat rajma at home so I have no plans to introduce that at any time. Channa - I wanted to wait because of the choking risk - unless you are planning to mash it up? Also like Supriya I think Aadhu gets enough protein from the usual dals/eggs/non-veg/milk so I'm in no hurry for these foods. I dont know if there is a right age for this Raj - I'll do some research and get back to you if I find anything.

Vanathi.

 

Thanks, Vanathi and Supriya. The main reason that I wanted to introduce was because I make chole and rajma a lot (since legumes are my big source of protein), so I thought it will be so convenient to just feed that to Riya, too. But no big deal, I can wait.

I haven't started her on eggs, milk or cheese yet. Tomorrow is her 9th month appointment, so I'll ask her pedi. Although when it comes to diet, her pedi and I don't see eye to eye. We'll see what she says.

Raj

 

HI to All,
Its so nice to c a thread for babies under 1yr!!
My son is 4 months old now.I have started to give him formula from his 2nd month.And till now im sticking to formula only.BUt nowadays he is slowly refusing n not having enough.I think its time to have a change in his feeding.So my question is....when can i start with solids.....What kind (either biscuits/cererals/porridge)to be given first....the quantity....and at what time intervals?When i start with solids,should i stop with formula?

Lots of things are running in my mind regarding his food.It would be really helpful if i get answers for my Q's.Also any new suggestions are welcome.
Thanks in advance,
Preethi.:wave

 

Today Riya had idli with modified sambar and dahi. She loved it! Today was also the first time I made idlis in my life, and it wasn't great but it wasn't a disaster either. I am so happy.

Preethi, welcome to this forum. I started Riya on solids when she was five and a half months old, once a day, and she's still on solids once a day (I nurse her the rest of the time). I started her out on rice cereal mixed with boiled, mashed sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes are one of the less allergenic foods and have a ton of nutrients and are easy on a baby's tummy, and they are sweet. You can even try it with mashed banana, but too much banana can cause constipation. Another good baby food is avocado, no boiling, no cooking, just mash it up and mix a little rice cereal with water or formula and offer it to him.

Just remember that a baby may or may not like what you're offering right off the bat, so don't give up, but don't push either. Try it again the second day, and the third day. If he still doesn't like it, change it to a different baby friendly food, and offer the first one later on. Secondly, offer only one kind of food for atleast 3 to 4 days so you'll know if there's an allergic reaction to that food and offer it in the morning so if there's an allergic reaction, you can call his pedi and take care of the situation.

Thirdly, offer water in teaspoons after every solid feeding and DON'T add any sweetener like sugar or juice. He will get used to it and won't take water later on.

This website is really good and has a lot of info, check it out Introducing Solids to Your Baby, Solid Food Charts for Introducing Solids to Your Baby and Infant including Starting Fruits, Vegetables and Meat

Good luck and don't hesitate to ask if you have more questions. Oh, lastly and most important, call your pedi and ask before you start him on solids. Your pedi is another good source to give you more info on this since he/she knows your baby.

Raj

 

Hi Preeti

Welcome to this forum.
I started giving my son at abt almost 5 mnths, and i started him with rice cereal once a day and then slowly increased to twice a day and rest of the day with milk. After somedays i started giving him pureed veggies and fruits that are cooked well or steamed well.

Start giving him a spoon of cereal and see if he eagerly eats it, if he s trying to spit out, then u need to wait, which means he is not ready for solids, and try after few days.

Initially i was giving him apples and bananas and then his pooping became difficult and so guessed banana must be the culprit and then stopped giving him bananas. I was also giving him pears.

Hope this helps

 

Sandhya,are you sure Banana causes constipation? I've always heard that banana is good to treat constipation:confused2:

I did give Varun bananas and did not find any problem. Infact,I've heard that uncooked apple causes constipation and that is true too.

 

Aanya is now 6 mth old & here is her diet chart-

1) Morning milk ard 4 oz
2) Then again milk after 3 hrs+Rice cereal/some veg like carrot puree, sweet potatoes etc
3)Again after 4 1/2 hrs milk, sometime lentil water too.
4) Dinner time oat cereal & milk again before bed time.

 

Hi Preethi,
Welcome! What's your son's name? Raj and San have given good advice already. I have nothing more to add. I too started with rice cereal at 4 mnths and added on fruits/veggies slowly. Start with 1-2 teaspoons in the beginning - pick a time about 30 -40 mins before a milk feed is due so he is hungry but not too hungry. It may take a week or more for him to accept solids since he is only 4 mnths old. Dont force-feed and initially make the cereal slightly watery so that texture-wise its more like milk. You can thicken it up in a few days as he gets used to it. It may also help to use your fingers to feed for the first 3-4 days and then switch to a spoon. Increase quantities every 5-6 days and after a month or 2 you can make the solids twice a day and then 3 times/day after he is 7-8 mnths old. Continue with formula throughout - as the quantity of solids increases the amount of milk will automatically reduce but he will still need a lot of formula until he is atleast 10-12 mnths old (depending on how much solids he can take). Do ask if you have any questions.

Sunitha - I think bananas can do both depending on what kind of banana it is. Eg. Poovan banana is a great reliever of constipation whereas Rasthaali causes constipation - no idea abt banana varieties in the US though.

Vanathi.

 

Yes Sunitha, thinking of that banana is good to pevent constipation, i gave him, but then my doctor said it has some binding effect and may cause opposite effect ie create constipation. But as Vanathi says, i don tknow what type of banana s available in US! prob that might create constipation, shd try diff bananas when i go to India!