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Suggest Healthy Solid Diet For An Infant

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Posted on Wed, 4 Feb 2015
Question: Hello, my baby boy is now 6 months 15 days old and I have started solids for him. I feed him solids thrice a day and I include 2 cereals, 1 fruit or 1 vegetable per day. Please suggest if I need to feed him only one item the whole day(thrice) or what I am doing at present is correct ? And one more question I have is my baby passes tool 2-3 times a day after starting solids, whereas he used to pass tool only once when exclusively breastfed. Please let me know if this is normal ?
doctor
Answered by Dr. Deepak Kishore Kaltari (13 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
It is normal for stool frequency to increase

Detailed Answer:
Hi
Welcome to Healthcare-Magic
Greetings of the day

Dear Mr XXXXXXX

It is important to go slow with weaning, introducing one feed at a time, when the baby gets used to the feed you can introduce next recipe based on taste.
It is important that you start introducing a variety of food in your toddler's diet gradually. These will provide the calories, proteins, vitamins and minerals that are essential for his growth. The amount of food eaten would vary from child to child and would also depend on when you introduce a particular food to your toddler. Most of the times it is "Try and Error" method. Lots of patience would be required from your end to find out what is that diet which tickles your toddlers tastebuds which also contains maximum nutrients. You need to try multiple ones and find which your child loves to eat amongst those. Initially it may be difficult from shifting to solid/semi-solid feed from milk based diet, continued perseverance and trying out what the baby likes is the key.


The stool frequency may increase on starting new feeds, if there is no faming of stools and redness in anal region then there is no cause for concern.

Other suggestions are

1.Veg soup:
Contents: tomato -2, potato-1small, Onion - 1 small, Carrot-1 small.
Preperation: Wash all veggies properly peel potato, onion and carrot. Boil tomato in water for 5 to 6 mins sothat u can see the skin of tomato cracks. Now gently remove skin of tomato. Add tomato and the peeled veggies to a cooker with 1/2 a glass of water. Add pinch of salt and whistle the cooker for 2 to 3 times (veggies shud be cooked well). Now bring it to room temp and blend them in a mixer. Strain the contents to remove any lumps and now boil the soup with cinammon sticks (1or 2piece very small one) added to it. Boil it till it reaches the required consistency and then feed LO.
Note:You can add any veggie to make this soup including leafy veggies like spinach, amaranthus, cabbage etc.

2.Pumpkin: Take peeled pumpkin. dice the pumpkin and then presure cook it with little salt. mash well with hands and feed it along with rice or as such.

3.Gourds (any ashgourd, rich gourd etc etc): Make it finger size and then pressure cook it or boil in water till it becomes soft. You can either feed as a finger food or you can mash it and feed it along with rice or as such.

4. Boiled potatos and carrots. Pressure cook well and mash it with hands and add pinch of salt and feed baby as such.

5. Caramalised plums: Peel the plum. Put it on hot tawa and get it caramalised on both sides and then feed it mashed. Apple also u acn do the same way.

6. Poached pear: peel and pit the pear. Take 1/2 glass of water and add cinammon sticks, grated garlic, cloves etc and bring it to boil. Slip the pears into this boiling fluid and cook until its soft and the fluid is just about to disappear. Now remove all the sticks garlic cloves etc from the fluid and mash the pear in the same fluid and can feed the lo. Its really yumm. And for elders you can add sugar and honey while boiling which makes it a decent desert.

7.Avocado apple puree. Take avocado and peeled and diced apple in equal qty and grind well in blender. Directly feed the baby.

8.Banana: Ripened banana made to thin long slices. Heat tawa add little butter or olive oil and then saute the banana until its soft. mash and feed. If you wish you can add bit of sugar or honey to this

9.Oats and apple breakfast: ground oats and diec apple. Boil apples until its soft and add ground oats cook until oats is done and a yumm breakfast is raedy.

10.Daal : Cook daal in cooker with salt and curry leaves added to it. Mash it add few drops of ghee and u can feed it either with rice or as such.

11. Wheat Porridge/dalia/lapsi

12 Home made Ceralac


Do get back to me if you need any further assistance, will be glad to assist you.

Take Care

Best Regards
Dr Deepak Kishore K
MBBS,MS,MCH
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
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Follow up: Dr. Deepak Kishore Kaltari (2 days later)
Hello Dr XXXXXXX

I hae one query, can you please advise from when I can start feeding by baby ghee, butter etc ? And also, I have heard that its not good to feed sugar, salt, honey to babies until they are 1 year old, is that correct ? As you have advised to add salt, sugar in few recipes, is it fine to do that ?
Even after boiling and mashing, the veggies/fruits, do not mash completely, I mean tiny lumps remain, is it ok to feed the baby with those tiny lumps ?
doctor
Answered by Dr. Deepak Kishore Kaltari (1 hour later)
Brief Answer:
Avoid honey till 1 year of age

Detailed Answer:
Hi

Dear Mr XXXXXXX

Sugar and salt can be added as it makes food more palatable and enjoyable by a baby. Also sugar adds on to calories and helps in weight gain. Honey is usually avoided till 1 year of age got fear of SIDS and Botulism.

You can safely add butter and ghee in baby recipe restricting quantity to 1/2 spoon every feed. For veggies and fruits you can crush it into electric grinder to make it thin paste like consistency which will more acceptable to baby.

Take care

Best regards
Dr Deepak
Note: For further queries related to your child health, Talk to a Pediatrician. Click here to Book a Consultation.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Vaishalee Punj
doctor
Answered by
Dr.
Dr. Deepak Kishore Kaltari

General Surgeon

Practicing since :2002

Answered : 3195 Questions

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Suggest Healthy Solid Diet For An Infant

Brief Answer: It is normal for stool frequency to increase Detailed Answer: Hi Welcome to Healthcare-Magic Greetings of the day Dear Mr XXXXXXX It is important to go slow with weaning, introducing one feed at a time, when the baby gets used to the feed you can introduce next recipe based on taste. It is important that you start introducing a variety of food in your toddler's diet gradually. These will provide the calories, proteins, vitamins and minerals that are essential for his growth. The amount of food eaten would vary from child to child and would also depend on when you introduce a particular food to your toddler. Most of the times it is "Try and Error" method. Lots of patience would be required from your end to find out what is that diet which tickles your toddlers tastebuds which also contains maximum nutrients. You need to try multiple ones and find which your child loves to eat amongst those. Initially it may be difficult from shifting to solid/semi-solid feed from milk based diet, continued perseverance and trying out what the baby likes is the key. The stool frequency may increase on starting new feeds, if there is no faming of stools and redness in anal region then there is no cause for concern. Other suggestions are 1.Veg soup: Contents: tomato -2, potato-1small, Onion - 1 small, Carrot-1 small. Preperation: Wash all veggies properly peel potato, onion and carrot. Boil tomato in water for 5 to 6 mins sothat u can see the skin of tomato cracks. Now gently remove skin of tomato. Add tomato and the peeled veggies to a cooker with 1/2 a glass of water. Add pinch of salt and whistle the cooker for 2 to 3 times (veggies shud be cooked well). Now bring it to room temp and blend them in a mixer. Strain the contents to remove any lumps and now boil the soup with cinammon sticks (1or 2piece very small one) added to it. Boil it till it reaches the required consistency and then feed LO. Note:You can add any veggie to make this soup including leafy veggies like spinach, amaranthus, cabbage etc. 2.Pumpkin: Take peeled pumpkin. dice the pumpkin and then presure cook it with little salt. mash well with hands and feed it along with rice or as such. 3.Gourds (any ashgourd, rich gourd etc etc): Make it finger size and then pressure cook it or boil in water till it becomes soft. You can either feed as a finger food or you can mash it and feed it along with rice or as such. 4. Boiled potatos and carrots. Pressure cook well and mash it with hands and add pinch of salt and feed baby as such. 5. Caramalised plums: Peel the plum. Put it on hot tawa and get it caramalised on both sides and then feed it mashed. Apple also u acn do the same way. 6. Poached pear: peel and pit the pear. Take 1/2 glass of water and add cinammon sticks, grated garlic, cloves etc and bring it to boil. Slip the pears into this boiling fluid and cook until its soft and the fluid is just about to disappear. Now remove all the sticks garlic cloves etc from the fluid and mash the pear in the same fluid and can feed the lo. Its really yumm. And for elders you can add sugar and honey while boiling which makes it a decent desert. 7.Avocado apple puree. Take avocado and peeled and diced apple in equal qty and grind well in blender. Directly feed the baby. 8.Banana: Ripened banana made to thin long slices. Heat tawa add little butter or olive oil and then saute the banana until its soft. mash and feed. If you wish you can add bit of sugar or honey to this 9.Oats and apple breakfast: ground oats and diec apple. Boil apples until its soft and add ground oats cook until oats is done and a yumm breakfast is raedy. 10.Daal : Cook daal in cooker with salt and curry leaves added to it. Mash it add few drops of ghee and u can feed it either with rice or as such. 11. Wheat Porridge/dalia/lapsi 12 Home made Ceralac Do get back to me if you need any further assistance, will be glad to assist you. Take Care Best Regards Dr Deepak Kishore K MBBS,MS,MCH