Answer: The best time to start solids is only after 6 months . Yes in some places people start around 4 months but the enzymes are not completely build at that stage that help the food to digest. And early start of solids may lead to colic, digestive issues etc. So wait till 6 months is a worth. Also baby takes 4-6 months to hold the neck completely . A strong head to neck control helps the baby to accept solids well and can easily swallow. Always start with single food first whether it's cereal, vegetables, or fruits. Wait for next 3 days for introducing next food to check for any allergy. Few tips of feeding the food,
1. Use stainless steel , glass bowl or silver bowl should be used to serve the food. Plastic bowl and spoon should be strictly avoided.
2. Feed the baby is calm and comfortable position and head should be up completely.
3. Start with few tsp of the food and slowly increase the quantity .
4. prefer pureed and mashed foods only baby might have chocking issues.
5. Start with fruit puree first.
6. Give few tsp water after every meal for proper digestion .
Food items that you can feed for 6-7 months .
Ragi or finger millet porridge, ragi kheer, daal water, rice water, khichdi water, oats porridge with Apple and banana, Apple puree, chiku puree, pumpkin puree, carrot puree,broccoli puree, potatoes mash, sweet potatoes puree, potatoes and carrots soup, veggie khichdi, avocado puree, sooji kheer,upma, vegetables soup, makhana kheer, papaya puree, watermelon , Apple kheer,sooji and banana porridge. Etc.
Home made cerelac
White/Brown Rice
Black Urad Dal
Green Gram
Moong Dal
Wheat Dalia
Sago
Almonds
Cashew and other nuts like pistachios, muskmelon seeds, seesame seeds etc.
Ragi flour
Soak all the ingredients in water for 10 minutes, rinse and dry them. Dry roast all the ingredients as follows,
Rice :.
Roast till they become little like puffed rice.
Dal:
Roast them golden brown.
Sago:
Roast them till they are little dry and crispy.
Wheat Daliya:
Roast them golden brown.
Green Gram :
Roast them till the color changes form green to mild brown
Nuts :
Till golden brown and aroma appears.
Let them cool for few minutes.
The roasted ingredients can either be powdered by blender or mixer grinder and flour can be stored in an airtight container for at least 4 to 6 months.
Mix 2 tablespoon of sathu maavu powder with water without lumps. Cook the mixture in medium flame for at least 10 minutes. Fruit Pureescan be added to the porridge to make it sweet.