Dietary Guidelines to Wean your infant Wisely

The first few months of feeding our infants is simple as it is basically about milk, breast milk or formula milk and cereals. After 6 months the new mother is so confused as everyone is making some suggestion and promising good health or great growth with that one particular food. Here are some guidelines and tips. Breakfast can be a commercial cereal like Cerelac, Nestum, etc.,or ragi porridge and milk may be introduced. Fruits like mashed banana or scraped apple may be given as a snack at 11am or 5pm. Please note fruits are not to be given as a meal or at the meal times. They must be introduced only as a snack between the meals.

Egg yolk may be introduced after 7 months. It must be fully cooked and mashed. Half boiled or raw egg cannot be digested and is just thrown out of the body. Idli, dosa and upma can be given for breakfast from the 8th month. Please note egg alone does not constitute breakfast. Egg must be given along with a carbohydrate food like ragi porridge plus a little, well cooked egg yolk. Later when idli, etc., is introduced egg yolk may be given along with idli.

Lunch must be a balanced meal of rice, dhal and vegetables well cooked and mashed together. This too can be started from 6th month. Dinner can be a cereal meal till the 9 months and then changed to a meal similar to lunch.

Boiled chicken and fish may be added to the lunch after 9 months. Egg white can be introduced in the diet in the 10 month. Butter and Ghee can be introduced only in the 10 month. Before this it is taxing for the digestive system to digest these fats. By 10 month small pieces of fruits and boiled vegetables may be given as finger foods cut into finger shaped sticks, which they can hold and eat on their own. Biscuits also may be eaten on their own, under supervision.

Caution!
Great care should be taken to keep all utensils and one's hands very clean and to use properly boiled and cooled water while preparing juices. Please wash hands and fruits thoroughly before preparing and feeding the child. Do not get into the habit of grinding food in a mixi. After 6 months of age, the food should be very well cooked and soft and can be mashed with a fork and fed in a semisolid consistency.

Diet plan for Infants 1-2 years of age

Morning 1 glass milk,
Breakfast Idli 2 + Sambar; or
Dosa 1-2 + Sambar; or
Ragi / Oats porridge with milk, or
Bread 1-2 slice + Egg cooked 1 no

11 am: Banana 1 small or Mosambi juice 1 glass
Lunch: Rice ½-3/4 C + Dhal ¼ C + Veg ¼ C + Curd ¼ C, or Non-veg 1 piece

3-4 PM: Milk 1 glass + Biscuit 1-2 nos.
5pm: Apple ½

Dinner: Rice ½ C / Chapati 1 + Dal ¼ C + Veg ¼ C, + Curd ¼ C
Bedtime: Milk ½ - ¾ C
1 Cup= 250 ml or 8 oz

What is the Ideal Weight range for Infants?