Solid Food For your Baby

Thinking up healthy,nutritious recipes for less then 8 months old is really tough.I mean they are going through transition from liquid to solid.Most of food products containing allergens are restricted.You are left with vegetables ,fruits and pulses.It does take a lot of imagination to think up of tasty recipes that you can use to make delicious paste your baby would love.

Today I will share some recipes that I have tried and baby loves them.  

Here is a list of permitted/ recommended food products according to baby’s age.

	4 to 6 months	6 to 9 months	10 to 12 months	12 months+
Fruit	☺ banana               ☺ pear ☺ avocado ☺ plum ☺ apple ☺ peach ☺ nectarin	same as 4 to 6 months PLUS: ☺ blueberry ☺ papaya ☺ melon ☺ apricot ☺ raisins and grapes (chopped or pureed) THEN ☺ kiwi fruit ( 8 months)	same as 6 to 9 months PLUS: ☺ mango ☺ pineapp	same as 10 to 12 months PLUS: ☺ citrus ☺ berries (including strawberries and raspberries but NOT including blueberries, which can be introduced earlier)*
Cereal and Grains	☺ white rice ☺ brown rice	same as 4 to 6 months PLUS: ☺ wheat* ☺ wheat germ* ☺ rye ☺ barley ☺ oats ☺ quinoa ☺ pasta
Veggies	☺ sweet potato ☺ white potato ☺ carrots ☺ butternut squash ☺ pumpkin ☺ swede/rutabaga ☺ parsnip	same as 4 to 6 months PLUS: ☺ peas ☺ green beans ☺ zucchini or courgette ☺ bell pepper THEN ☺ broccoli ☺ eggplant ☺ cauliflower ☺ beets/beetroot ☺ lentils/dried beans ☺ onions ☺ asparagus ☺ turnips ☺ soy (inc tofu)*	same as 6 to 9 months PLUS: ☺ tomatoes ☺ spinach  ☺ okra	same as 10 to 12 months PLUS: ☺ corn*
Dairy	☺ yogurt/fromage frais (some pediatricians advise waiting until at least 6 months)	same as 4 to 6 months PLUS: ☺ cheese  ☺ yogurt ☺ yogurt cheese	same as 6 to 9 months	same as 10 to 12 months PLUS: ☺ cow's milk (as a main drink)
Eggs		☺ cooked egg yolk ☺ cooked egg white (with caution)*
Fish		☺ white fish (eg cod, haddock, pollock) ☺ light tuna ☺ salmon ☺ sardines ☺ mackerel
Meat		☺ chicken ☺ beef ☺ pork ☺ lamb ☺ turkey

All the above instruction are good but how to follow them in daily life with household 

chores  and other kids?

Well to keep it simple,choose a food vehicle(a base puree) and keep on adding other 

food ingredients to it.This saves up time and is efficient too.   
                      

 First off you need a vehicle…a bland tasting food item. 

Rice,banana,potatoe

 RICE PUREE RECIPE:

soft tip spoon to ease teething pain

1.Boil a cup of rice with 2.5 cups of water.

2.let cool.

3.Boil some chicken to make two  to three cups of broth.

4.Put boiled rice and broth in blender. Blend until you get a thick puree.

 That’s it.

You can change the consistency by changing the amount of broth you use.

Baby love the chickened flavor. NO salt or spices required.

 ALTERATION: 

1.Boil a cup of lentil(moong and masoor),in cup of water.

 Put this boiled daal with rice and broth.

 Tasty purree in no time J 

2.Add boiled peas, carrots to rice and broth. (you can add a variety of boiled veggies in 

the rice mix).


YUMMY  POTATOES PUREE:

1.Boil a potatoe.

2.Mash to make paste or blend for a softer thinner paste. 

3.Add a pinch of salt(or less),add boiled rice and broth. 

4.Blend and serve. You can add veggies just like with the rice recipes.

 Sweet potatoes can be used too.


FRUIT MIX:

1. Take 3 apples…medium size

Boil for 10 minutes.Let cool. 

Peel.Blend to make puree and serve. 


2.Take an apple.

Peel.Cut in cubes.

Put in the blender.

Add a banana.Blend to make paste.Serve.

 You can give banana only,if you are short on time, but mixing with apple makes the 

paste more nutritious,appetizing and less tangy for baby. 


TIPS:

1. Always make sure the mix is Luke warm. 

Babies (especially breast fed ones) don’t like cool or cold food. 


2.Buy two or three small airtight jars. You can put the boiled Rice broth paste in those

 jars at the start of day and use it all day long. Just take few table spoon out of the jar, 

microwave for 10 seconds and serve.

3.Keep changing the recipe. Introduce variety while keeping the base ingredient same 

(for example rice paste or banana paste)Babies love changing flavor but they are not 

adventurous in matters of taste.


4.To prevent allergies use the four days rule.When introducing new food keep feeding 

that recipe for at least four days before introducing anything new.This is because 

allergy takes four days at least to develop.Make it 7 days rule for babies older than 8 months.