Oats as First Foods for babies....

Oatmeal or Oats makes a yummy & nutritious food for babies. Infact, its goodness makes it amongst the better first food (grains) too.Oats are high in fiber, calcium, protein & even traits of Vitamin B, B6, magnesium & phosphorus reducing an chances of constipation and is also one of the least allergic foods. However never to forget the Four-Day Rule before serving anything new to our lil angels.

I usually use instant Quaker Oats for our house and do not get into other details of another hundred type of oats available in the market.

For Nevan, he is a man of variety so I have to innovate myself and make his food with different flavors for him to eat them on a daily basis.Oats to babies 6m+, personally I started with them when he was around  6 1/2 months.


Oatmeal for Babies (Basic Preparations):

1. Dry roast oats in a small quantity over the gas. ( However you can roast them in 3-4 drops of ghee once your baby is 8m+).
2. Grind them to make 'Oats Powder'
3. Make this powder once a week and keep it handy for quick recipes (Extremely important for working moms).

Oatmeal for Babies in Formula Milk:

1. Add oats powder & water and cook over the gas for a couple of minutes.
2. You can make the oats as per the desired consistency by adding water.
3. Remove from fire & add formula powder.

Oatmeal for Babies in Regular Toned Milk:

1. Add oats & milk and cook for a couple of minutes.
2. Attain desired consistency by adding milk.

Oats with Fruits: Nevan loved banana's & pear's; and I did not want to take the risk of rejection of oats from him so I cleverly introduced oats to him with his favorite fruits for good 10 days before he developed a flavor for them. Additionally this also helped me give him a fruit per day along with oats.

So you can add Oats with Mashed fruits like banana, chickoo, avocado or with Pureed fruits like Apple Puree, Pear Puree, or with other fruits like Blueberry's, Peach, Apricot, etc.

Oats & Prunes: On days when Nevan is constipated, I add mashed Prunes to his oats too (do read the post on Constipation).

Oats Vegetable Upma: Add boiled vegetables to oats and cook over gas. Add coriander leaves, roasted jeera, salt for taste. Vegetable like Bottle Gaurd, Ridge Gaurd, Potato, Sweet Pumpkin, Carrot should be started with; then tomato, brocalli, beans, peas, etc should be followed as the latter are difficult to digest.

Oats Kheer: Cook Oats in milk or water as desired and add little cardamom & cinnamon for flavor. Keep consistency in check.

Oats with Egg (for 9m+): Heat a little oil in pan, add oats along with veggies or fruits of your desire. Then add two egg yolks (whisked separately in a bowl). Gently scramble & fry the mixture until the yolks are fully cooked. The Scramble can either be cut into small pieces for the baby to have it easily, you can even serve it with a fruit puree as a dip. Else can be made in a pureed form for easy gulp down.

Hope this helps you guys to feed oats to your lil one's !!!

LIST OF FIRST FOODS for your BABY....Introducing Semi-solids Part 2

I don’t believe there is any magic age when babies are ready to start solids. Being ready is an individual thing and it happens at different ages for all babies. Plus I also took into consideration when I was ready to start on this journey....coz in the end it's me who has to manage the affair's on a daily basis.

To begin with, do read the Four-day rule before introducing any external food for your baby. And for the first few months, you might end up finding yourself WEARING more of baby's first foods than he actually eats....so enjoy that too!

Also note no matter what's on the menu, the texture of your baby's first foods should be super smooth and practically dripping off the spoon. As your baby becomes a more experienced eater (usually within a month of starting), gradually reduce the liquid you add and thicken the texture.

A handy list of the FIRST FOODS (in the order to serve) is as follows:

1. Lentil Soup (Dal ka Pani): Refer here for recipe here
2. Mashed Banana/ Chickoo: The easiest to serve & feed as they can simply be mashed (with a fork or hand) and served without any cooking. Also the easiest to carry in your diaper bag as they can be served as instant snack to the baby even while your shopping in the mall!
3. Mashed or Pureed Avocado: Avocado is high in water content, proteins & mineral. It can be scooped out & mashed & served; they too do not require any cooking.
4. Lentil & Rice water: After Lentil soup, its next in line. Rice makes it rick in protein & starch.
5. Apple / Pear Puree: These fruits are great for introducing flavor to the baby's bland (taste) life....They need to be peeled & cut into small pieces before steaming them and making a puree of a desired consistency by adding boiled & cooled water.
6. Mixed Vegetable Clear Soup: Start by giving clear soup & gradually move on to giving boiled & mashed vegetables. You can start with vegetables like - carrot, beetroot, bottle gourd, sweet pumpkin, ridge gourd. And in a second phase add- peas, beans, capsicum, tomato, onion.
7. Sweet Pumpkin Puree: Simply pressure cook pumpkin & attain a desired consistency & feed.
8. Sweet Potato & Carrot Soup: Pressure cook & blend to attain the desired consistency before feeding.
9. Curd: Curd can be served to all babies 6m+; it should be home-made curd & at room temperature. It can be served as it is or by adding some fruit flavor. Do not mix any sugar/jaggery to the curd & serve.

Also, simultaneously introduce water as introduction of semi solids might lead to constipation. You can begin with 2- 4 spoons of boiled & cooled water & gradually increase quantity according to requirement & weather conditions.

If your baby rejects what you've got, try again tomorrow and the next day and the next. Some babies need to be introduced to a new food four or five (or more!) times before they'll accept it, so perseverance is key.

Bon appétit!

King of the fruits.....MANGO

MANGO........

For me, the love for this fruit is like AAM-SUTRA (and I am sure there are many who are already imagining it with the read)

(Source: Watsapp)

And I wanted Nevan too, to be equally passionate and maddened about Mango as I am. But unfortunately babies do not run around our whims & fancies....when Nevan was served the mashed Mango Puree for the first time he rejected it out-rightly & I was super sad!!!

But then I remembered the little spider's story from my childhood & followed his learning's "Try, Try & Try till you Succeed" so I kept on giving him mangoes to play rather than to eat till one fine day he started liking it & EUREKA EUREKA EUREKA......

                   

"Mumma....I will take a Mango Spa, Eat my bowl but not your favorite fruit"

The above pictures are of one of the trial sessions, which finally led to him liking the king of the fruits. And now he has Mango Shake/Smoothie in the evenings on a few days.

But now I follow this for all New Foods, I do not get defeated by his initial rejection but give it at attempt till he likes it....well that doesn't mean I always win...as I am still trying to make him like 'Watermelon' and he is continuously rejecting it trial after trial.

What about your little ones & their liking for new fruits???