What to feed your baby

Most babies are inadequately fed during the second half of the first year due to our ignorance of nutritional requirements. All of us have certain beliefs regarding food for children. Often, many mothers feel that bananas cause phlegm, that cereals are bad for the liver, that orange juice makes the child prone to coughs and colds, etc.

All these beliefs are baseless and wrong. No item of food is bad for the child unless he is sick or has an allergy to a particular type of food. There are a variety of foods to choose from and an appetizing meal can be made by the blending different kinds of food to suit your baby’s palate.

Baby’s solid foods

Once your baby has settled into a good breast-feeding, or bottle feeding, routine, thee is no need to introduce him to any solid food till he is four months old. By then, his nutritional needs would have grown and you will find it difficult to sustain him on milk alone. At this stage start him off gradually on solid foods. Being fed solid food is a whole new kind of experience for a baby. It is also a major step towards eventual independence. And you will be filled with a new joy when baby takes his first tiny teaspoonful of kheer or Khichadi.

Try to introduce various tastes to baby because his taste buds are pure (i.e.) unsullied. To the baby salt is saltier and sugar is sweeter. So keep them away, for the eating habits, you are preparing in the early part of baby’s life will stay with him forever.