"My baby isn't gaining weight"....Top weight gaining foods for babies

Have you guys faced a situation, when you are spending some happy time with your baby on the swings in the park & a neighbors comments, "Your child looks so weak, he has lost weight?".....Oh I wish I could tell her to mind her own business but life isn't so easy always.

Well, not getting affected by the crap about what people think about our babies, I have written this post for a list of weight-gaining foods which could be increased in the diet of the baby to maintain a good weight. My pediatrician always suggests that if the baby is active & healthy, you should not count the numbers.

I once read in a Pediatric book the following about the Weight gain according to Age (For your ref):

Doubles the birth weight by 5 months
Triples the birth weight by 1 year
Five times the birth weight by 3 years

For all babies less than 6 months or who have not begin with semi-solids; formula could assist in gaining weight. This does not mean we should replace breast milk with formula but it refers to adding formula milk to babies diet once or twice a day. Along with it, the mother should have a calorie rich diet to in turn help the baby gain weight through breast milk.

For babies more than 6 months there are a bunch of options which could be added to a child's diet for a healthy weight gain. But don't forget to follow the Four-Day Rule for the same. Also go slow upon the food as it will help in a gradual increase in weight & not Magic!

1. Banana: Banana is a energy dense food; rich in carbs, potassium, Vit C & B6. It's a great source of dietary fiber & can be given to the babies in a mashed form.
2. Chikoo: It is a Sugar Fruit; so the name explains it all. It is another no-cook fruit and can be given to the baby as a hand blended puree or even as a milk shake.
3. Avocado: Avocado is low in saturated fats & also good in the dietary fiber. It can be mashed and served, fed as a milk shake and even added with jaggery flavor for sweetness or a lil spices for the savory version.
4. Potato: Potatoes are excellent first foods & also a great way to increase weight. Though they are amongst the least allergenic food but may lead to gas in a few babies. It is rich in minerals, vitamins, a host of phytochemicals along with a high carbohydrate content in them. They can be boiled, peeled & mashed. I personally started by adding a little milk in the boiled potatoes for easy gulping down. They ca be mixed in the khichadi or served with egg yolk in potato soup, potato mash with grated cheese also gives a great flavor.
5. Sweet Potato: They are again a great first food and a sugar food too. Being rich in magnesium, potassium, vitamin B6, vitamin A, vitamin C,dietary fiber along with beta carotene. It can be served in similar way as potato (Various options given in the above point no.4)
6. Oats: Oats are high in fibre, calcium, protein along with traits of Vit B, B6, magnesium & phosphorus, It is one of the least allergenic food reducing chances of constipation. A detailed post on Oats & various recipes is a part of my blog.
7. Ragi: Ragi or finger millet is also a very good source of food for weight gain. However a word of caution here is that it might not suit all babies. Otherwise, Ragi is rich in dietary fiber, protein, Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2 & Vitamin B6. Ragi can be served as Ragi Kheer, Ragi Dosa, Ragi Porridge, etc
8. Ghee: I am a Punjabi & there is a saying in Punjabi's, "Jo kare na Ma na Pyo, au kare Desi Ghee" for translation Desi Ghee does the wonders which even parents cant do for their children!!!               Though Ghee is the best weight gain source but it also contains 62% of Saturated Fats; thus it shall be used in moderation. It becomes very heave for the baby to digest it so begin with a few drops of ghee in baby's food like khichadi, to roast suji or ragi or oats and then increase it to around 1 spoon of ghee in a day. I personally started ghee only at 7.5 months.
9. Butter: The above rule of Ghee also applies for butter too. It is 95% saturated fat.
10. Egg: Eggs are protein packed. Egg yolk should be started at 8 months & the whole egg including egg white to 1yr+ A detailed post on Eggs was done by me which one can look at for all the Egg Yolk related recipes. 
11. Chicken: Chicken was introduced to Nevan when he was 8 months old."Punjabi's = Butter Chicken" Well I had to start training my kid to be one......Chicken is rich in phosphorous, magnesium, Vit B6, Vitamin B12. It is on the higher side on cholestrol hence should be avoided as an everyday serving. Only fresh & cleaned chicken should be used for babies; It ca be boiled & served as soup, stew, mixed with pre cooked rice or even as chicken khichadi with some veggies. Nevan's fav are chicken & peas; I am yet to try Chicken with sweet potato & apple mash which was recommended by a fellow mom.
12. Cheese: High on phosphorous, calcium & selenium it promotes weight gain. It can be either given as a finger food or mixed with egg yolk for a cheese omelette or grated & mixed with some fruits & boiled veggies. Nevan was served cheese at 10 months.
13. Dry Fruits: Mixed nuts are enriched with Vitamin E, proteins and fat. You can add a small teaspoon of the mixture to milkshakes, porridge, etc to your 8m+ baby. DO make sure that the nuts are grounded well to avoid and possibility of choking. Dry fruits could include almond, pistachio, fig, cashew - which are energy dense. Please take an initial extra precaution while starting dry fruits as they are high allergic elements. 
14. Full (Whole) Cream Milk - Whole creme milk can be given to baby in various forms like milk shakes, in porridge, kheer, curd, smoothies, fruit yogurts, etc It is power packed with calcium & calories. Well, I am following my pedia and recommend starting whole creme milk only for 1 year + babies.

The extra chubby babies might seem cute but they might not be healthy, as they tend to be less active & have a tendency of being obese in future so please refrain yourself from over feeding your child.

Hope this one is useful and helps your baby gain some good weight!

"Egg-licious"

I started Egg for Nevan as per everyone's advise post his 9-month-Measles vaccine. But I have begun only with Egg Yolk & not the Egg Whites & will start Egg White only when he is 1+. 

As a reminder, please follow the Four-Day rule for your baby when you introduce egg yolks.

Before the recipes, Benefits of Yolk are as follows:

Egg yolk supplies essential nutrients for the brain development, it has all of an egg's Vitamin A, D, E, B3 and B12; along with Choline, Good Cholestrol & Iron & Folic Acid

After a look out over the internet, advise from experienced moms & personal experiments I hereby present to all you mommies some recipes for EGG YOLK for your babies. As one of my old posts said, I love giving variety to Nevan so giving only a boiled egg to him seemed killing to me so I found my way out...

So let's come to some Egg Yolk recipes:

1. BOILED EGG: Boil one or two eggs (Hard-Boiled) & simply separate the egg yolk from white after de-shelling. Mix it with some formula milk or normal milk you use to make it of a lil sticky consistency & give your lil one to relish it. Personally, haven't added any flavor or seasonings in it as I wanted Nevan to get the actual flavor of egg & relish it.

2. SCRAMBLED EGG with MILK: Separate one or two egg yolk from white. Mix 2 spoons of Milk to the yolks & blend. Heat a non-stick pan & put a spoon of ghee/butter. Put the blended mixture on the pan & mash it to cook completely. Serve the yummy scrambled egg to your baby. It will be soft & easy to eat

P.S.: Pls ensure that the yolk is fully cooked.

3. BANANA SCRAMBLE: Mash half a banana with a fork. Mix the mashed banana to two egg yolks & blend. Heat a non-stick pan & add a teaspoon of ghee. Cook the mixture until completely cooked. Serve the fluffy  egg to your baby. It will be soft & easy to eat

4. OATMEAL SCRAMBLE: Heat one teaspoon of ghee/butter in a frying pan. Add roasted oatmeal along with some (mashed or pureed) vegetable & fruits of your child's choice of flavor. Whisk two egg yellow's in a bowl separately. As the oatmeal+veegie/fruit mixture is stirred, add the whisked egg yolks & keep cooking till the yolk is fully cooked. It can be made in any consistency according to your baby's eating habits. The cooked scramble can also be served with some fruit/veggie dip to make it a more softer.

5. CHEESE OMELETTE: Mix two egg yolks with a small piece of cheese & make a fluffy omelette out of it on a non-stick frying pan. Serve with some boiled vegetables as finger food to complete the meal.

6. EGG FRIED RICE: Warm a pan with some ghee or olive oil. Mix egg yolks with milk & prepare as in point 2 above. Mix some pre cooked rice & pureed or diced soft cooked veggies to the above egg scramble. Cook untill the yolks are fully done.
P.S: All the veggies can be used as per babies flavor & liking. If needed puree or mash the veggies to baby's preferred texture or consistency.  

7. EGG & VEGETABLE SOUP: Make vegetable soup by boiling blending and straining all veggies that your child takes. Do add some salt for flavor. Boil two eggs and mix the egg yolk (post de-shelling) in the soup. Ensure that your soup initially is not very thick as the yolk makes the dish more thickened.

8. FRENCH TOAST: Break two egg yolks and mix it with some milk. Take some soft & fresh brown bread and cut the corners further making small four squares out of each piece. Dip the bread in the egg & milk mixture and cook over a shallow pan from both sides. 
This should be served to your baby who chews well, else can be served with a vegetable soup or vegetable/fruit puree as dip.

If there are any other innovative recipes which I have missed......pls do leave your comments!!!