Preparing homemade baby cereal-feed fussy eater.

It is recommended by most doctors that there is nothing like mother’s milk for the first six months of life. After that you can try some of our baby cereal recipes given below. Till then mother's milk not only increases a child’s immunity but also is easy to digest for the baby. On the other hand bottle feeding can easily expose the child to infections . Formula milk if not mixed in the right proportion can also either led to over dilution or concentration of feed. A baby fed on mother’s milk does not need any water till it starts weaning. It is good habit to start weaning the baby at the age of six months though some mothers start at the age of 4 months. As mother’s milk is reduced water should be given to the baby. Boiled and mashed fruits like apple, banana, mango and chickoo and vegetables like carrots, potato, beetroot and gourd can be introduced. You can now try the banana baby cereal. They will have to be mashed and strained till the child is 7 months. It is preferable to introduce onions and tomatoes after 7 months. At 7 months the child is ready to move onto cereals and pulses. The ragi baby cereal given below can be tried. This is a very nutritious and wholesome cereal fro your baby. You can boil all dals and rice and mash and give them to your baby. Curds can also be introduced. Juices can also be introduced. Food like chapatti and dahlia (wheat mash) can be introduced at 8 months. By the child is 1 year old he should be eating the food that you eat. You should try and breast-feed your child at least till 1 year. The frequency after 6 months can be reduced. Cow’s milk should mostly be given after 1 year.

No one food provides all the nutrients that we need hence it is recommended to eat a wide variety of food such as fruits, vegetables, whole grain breads and cereals and low fat dairy products. Maintain a desirable weight in your child. Avoid too much sugar. Excess sugar causes tooth decay and is high in fat and calories and low in vitamins and minerals. Eat foods that are rich in starch and fiber. Avoid excess sodium and fats. But remember these are needed in limited quantity.

Choose wholegrain cereal for your baby and bread, since many nutrients are lost in refining. If you buy refined products shop for the ones that that enriched with the vitamins that are lost.
Wrap cut and cooked foods well. Exposure to oxygen can destroy Vitamin C.
Use light resistant containers for storing milk and bread as some vitamins are destroyed with light.
Do not overcook food. A number of vitamins are lost because of overcooking.
Cook with as little water as possible. Water soluble vitamins can leach out into the cooking water and be lost.
Like vitamin supplements. Some foods when eaten together bring out the best in each other. Like iron and Vitamin C complement each other. For example a good choice would be to eat wholegrain cereal with orange juice.
Similarly some eating habits can hinder the work of supplements. For example while taking calcium supplements do not take it with soft drinks as they have high calcium inhibiting phosphorus.

Vitamin A – Drumsticks, Cod Liver Oil, Fish, Papaya, Rice, Mango, Carrot, Spinach.

Vitamin D - Fish, Egg, Butter.

Vitamin C – Leafy Vegetables, Citrus fruits, Tomato, Potato, Banana.

B-Complex – Cereals, Leafy vegetables, Legumes, Nuts, Fruits.

Proteins – cereals, pulses, milk, eggs.

Carbohydrates - Cereals, sugar, jaggery, honey, fruits, and vegetables like potatoes.

Fats- Butter, Ghee, oil.

Cereals - Rice, Bread, Rava, Chapatti, Bajra, Wheat, Puri.

Home made Baby cereal (these baby cereals can also be stored for a few months)

8 semi ripe Nendran banana
The banana should not be fully ripe it should have the greenish yellow skin.

Peel the skin from the bananas. Cut each banana into 4 in the middle. Remove the seed portion from the middle. Then cut into small cubes. Wash the cut pieces and drain well. Spread on a large plate and cover with a thin muslin cloth. Dry in the hot sun for 3 days. Once dry, powder the banana in a mixie. Store powder in an airtight container. The powder can be stored upto 3 months.

To prepare banana baby cereal:
Banana powder
Boiled and cooled water
Ghee
Milk (optional)
sugar

Add 3 teaspoons of Banana powder 1/2 tsp. of sugar with 1/4 glass of water and mix to a smooth consistency. Add 1/2 a glass of milk or water and mix it well. Place on a stove and low heat. While boiling, you have to stir, until it becomes pasty, and add one teaspoon of ghee.

Wash the ragi well and drain. Soak ragi in boiled and cooled water for 2 hours and grind it in a mixie with 3/4 glass water. Filter this through a thin cloth. Cook the filtered liquid on a low flame till it becomes thick adding one tsp ghee and 1/2 tsp sugar. Milk/water can also be added while stirring to dilute the baby cereal.

Ingredients:

mustard and cumin seeds
1 cup semolina
1 onion, sliced finely
ginger to taste
curry leaves
Salt, to taste
2 cups water

Proceedure:

Fry the semolina in ghee stirring continuously till it is golden colour and set aside.
Toss in the mustard seeds in ghee followed by the cumin seeds and fry till the seeds splutter fully. Add the onions and ginger and stir-fry over medium heat till the onions are transparent and soft.
Mix in the semolina, curry leaves and salt. Add water to this and mix well. Cook till the mixture is almost dry.

4 tomatoes
1 onion
1 teaspoon oregano

Proceedure:

Saute the well-diced onion in butter. Mash the tomatoes and ad them to the onions. When it is well cooked mix one tablespoon of maida in water and ad it to the mixture. Ad additional water and cook for 5 minutes ad salt, oregano powder and a bit of tomato ketchup to the mixture. Keep aside. When serving ad this mixture on ready made pizza base and garnish with chopped capsicums and onions. Finally ad grated cheese. Bake this in a pre heated oven till the cheese melts and your pizza is ready.

These recipes above are not only delicious they also provide a wholesome diet, specially the baby cereals. You can put these baby cereals in an air tight container and store them in the refrigerator.

When should I start giving my baby cereal?