GENERAL GUIDELINES
- Continue breastfeeding till 2 years of age.
- If bottle-fed, be careful about preventing aerophagia and ear infections.
- Keep all preparing and feeding utensils clean. Wash hands thoroughly while preparing and feeding.
- Make the feed semisolid – it should be thick but pourable.
- Start with one semisolid feed in a day and introduce another new feed after every 7-10 days.
- Start with a few spoons of the feed and gradually increase to a full small bowl (approx. 150 ml) per feed.
- Target: About 4 cereal feeds/day at end of 7th month; about 6 cereal feeds/day at end of 9th month.
- Feed 2-3 teaspoons of water after every 2-3 spoons of semisolid.
- Burp your child halfway if required and again at the end of the meal.
- Feed your child in a propped-up position, ideally in a feeding chair. Keep child in this position for at least one hour after feed.
- Salt: There is NO adequate reliable scientific evidence to say that salt needs to be omitted in homemade weaning foods.
- Warning: There is NO adequate reliable scientific evidence to support "baby-led weaning" and it may increase the risk of choking.
SCHEDULE: 6 MONTHS
Breastfeeds / Formula Feeds + The following solids:
| Time | Food Items |
|---|---|
| 8 AM | Soft fruits – banana / papaya / muskmelon – pureed – about 50-75 ml |
| 10 AM |
Porridge of rice if not completed 6 months Or Porridge of pounded wheat / semolina / home-made multigrain mix if completed 6 months Or Readymade cereal – rice-based if not completed 6 months, rice- or wheat-based if completed 6 months |
| 1 PM | Indian – Gruel of rice and lentils (Khichdi) (6 months recipe) OR Readymade rice + lentils cereal below and above 6 months |
| 4 PM |
Porridge of rice if not completed 6 months Or Porridge of pounded wheat / semolina / home-made multigrain mix if completed 6 months Or Readymade cereal – rice-based if not completed 6 months, rice- or wheat-based if completed 6 months |
| 8 PM | Indian – Gruel of rice and lentils (Khichdi) (6 months recipe) OR Readymade rice + lentils cereal below and above 6 months |
SCHEDULE: 8 MONTHS
| Time | Food Items |
|---|---|
| 8 AM | Soft fruits (pureed) – banana / papaya / muskmelon – about 100 ml |
| 10 AM | Semolina sweet/savory porridge / homemade multigrain mix / broken wheat porridge OR Readymade wheat cereal |
| 1 PM | Indian – Gruel of rice and lentils (Khichdi) (8 months recipe) OR Readymade rice + lentils cereal |
| 5 PM | Same options as 10 AM (Porridge or Cereal) |
| 9 PM | Indian – Gruel of rice and lentils (Khichdi) (8 months recipe) OR Readymade rice + lentils cereal |
SCHEDULE: 10 MONTHS
| Time | Indian Options | International Options |
|---|---|---|
| 8:00 AM | 1 Idli or ½ dosa or 1 cup upma/pongal (pureed/mashed) with sambhar/yogurt. Optionally, 150 ml milk with a sippy cup | Porridge of semolina with milk – 1 bowl (200-250 ml) Soft brown bread (½–1 slice) + 1 whole egg + 3-4 tsp steamed vegetables (pureed/hand-mashed) 6 tbsp rice/pasta/noodles + 1 whole egg + 3-4 tsp vegetables (pureed/hand-mashed) |
| 11:00 AM | ¼ roti soaked in ¾ cup (100 ml) dal/meat in gravy and 3-4 tsp vegetables (pureed/hand-mashed). | Wheat pasta/wheat noodles (¾ cup or 100 ml) with ½ cup (75 ml) meat in gravy and 3-4 tsp vegetables (pureed/hand-mashed). |
| 2:00 PM | 6 tbsp cooked rice + ¾ cup (100 ml) dal/meat in gravy + 3-4 tsp vegetables (pureed/hand-mashed together). | 6 tbsp cooked rice/rice noodles + ¾ cup (100 ml) beans/sprouts in gravy + 3-4 tsp vegetables (pureed/hand-mashed together). OR 6 tbsp cooked rice/rice noodles + ¾ cup (100 ml) meat in gravy + 3-4 tsp vegetables (pureed/hand-mashed together). |
| 5:00 PM | Soft fruits (banana, papaya, muskmelon) pureed – about 100 ml | |
| 6:30 PM | Same as 8:00 AM Indian options. | Same as 8:00 AM International options. |
| 9:30 PM | Same as 2:00 PM Indian options. | Same as 2:00 PM International options. |
HOMEMADE RECIPES
Rice & Lentils Gruel (Khichdi) - 6 Months
Ingredients:2 tsp rice + 2 tsp green gram (moong dal) or lentils (tur dal) + 1 pinch turmeric powder + ½ tsp chopped fresh coriander + 150 ml water (1 tea cup) – pressure cook till soft – season this with cumin seeds and asafetida fried in ¼ tsp of refined oil. Adding a pinch of salt to taste (optional). Now puree the whole preparation in the mixer. This should be adequate for 1-2 feeds. Do not feed if kept at room temperature for more than 45 minutes without use.
Rice Porridge (Sweet) - 6 Months
Grind together 2 soaked and peeled almonds, 2 washed and cleaned raisins or dried apricot or dates. Peel one cardamom and powder it. Add all these to one cup water (150 ml), 5 tblsp cooked rice and sugar/jaggery to taste and cook for a few minutes. Blend well before feeding. Optionally, 3-5 scoops of formula milk powder may be added to it after it cools, just before feeding. Do not feed if kept at room temperature for more than 45 minutes without use.
Rice Porridge (Savory) - 6 Months
Heat 1 tsp of refined oil in a frying pan and roast ¼ medium sized chopped onion till pink. Now add some cumin seeds till they splutter. Next add chopped ¼ medium sized chopped potato and 3-5 tsp of uncooked rice. Stir for 1-2 minutes over medium flame. Add I cup (150 ml) of water, cover the pan and cook on a low flame till it’s done. Add a few drops of lemon juice and a pinch of salt (optional). Now puree in the mixer for feeding. Do not feed if kept at room temperature for more than 45 minutes without use.
SEMOLINA / POUNDED WHEAT GRUEL (SAVORY, INDIAN) 6 MONTHS
Roast 6-7 grains of split black gram (urad dal) in refined oil on medium flame until they are light brown. Add a finely chopped ¼ medium sized onion and roast till soft and pink – now keep the flame low and add 1 pinch of asafetida powder, 2-3 curry leaves and stir for 1-2 minutes. Next add 5-6 heaped tsp of semolina / pounded wheat and roast on low flame till aroma. Now add 150-200 ml water, a pinch of salt (optional) and ½ tsp chopped fresh coriander and stir continuously till desired semisolid consistency is obtained. Lower from the fire and after cooling, puree in the mixer for feeding. Do not feed if kept at room temperature for more than 45 minutes without use.
SEMOLINA / POUNDED WHEAT PORRIDGE (SWEET) 6 MONTHS
Grind together 2 soaked and peeled almonds, 2 washed and cleaned raisins or dried apricot or dates and keep aside. Peel one cardamom and powder it. Roast 5-6 tsp semolina / pounded wheat on a low flame in refined oil till aroma – add one cup (150 ml) water, sugar/jaggery, and add ground paste of dried fruits and cardamom and cook till desired consistency is obtained. After it is completely cooled, optionally add 3-5 scoops of formula milk powder and mix together well just before feeding. Do not feed if kept at room temperature for more than 45 minutes without use.
READY MADE CEREALS – CERELAC / BEBELAC ETC. 6 MONTHS ONWARD
Start with 4 scoops in 120 ml water per feed and gradually increase to 6-8 scoops in 180-240 ml water per feed by the end of 8-10 months. Do not feed if kept at room temperature for more than 30 minutes without use.
RICE & GRAM GRUEL: (KHICHDI, INDIAN) 8 MONTHS
2 tblsp rice + 2 tblsp yellow lentil (toor dal) + 1 pinch turmeric powder + ¼ tsp chopped fresh coriander + grated carrot 1 tblsp + chopped French beans or spinach leaves 1 tblsp + sprouted green gram 1 tblsp + 200 ml water (approx 1½ tea cup) + chopped ginger ¼ tsp – pressure cook till soft – add salt – season this with cumin seeds and asafetida in refined oil. Add a pinch of salt (optional). Now puree the whole preparation in the mixer. This should be adequate for 1-2 feeds. Do not feed if kept at room temperature for more than 45 minutes without use.
YELLOW LENTILS DAL (SAVORY, INDIAN) WITH ROTI
3-5 tblsp yellow lentil (toor dal) + chopped fresh coriander ½ tsp + a pinch of turmeric powder + 1 cup water + ¼ tsp ginger-garlic paste – pressure cook – add a pinch of salt (optional)– season with cumin seeds + asafetida in refined oil – puree the whole preparation in the mixer. The roti should be broken to small pieces and soaked in this for about 10 min till soft and the two can be pureed in the mixer.
Rice & Chicken Gruel
Marinate 75-100g boneless chicken with ginger-garlic, turmeric, salt, yogurt for ½ hr. Add to 5-6 tbsp uncooked rice + 200ml water. Pressure cook and puree.