"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!!!

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!

Introducing Semi Solids.....Part 1... Dal ka Pani (Lentil Soup)

Exclusive breastfeed for babies until 6 months from their birth is the ideal thing as per medical sciences, health veterans, etc. I too agree to it but then every child and every mother are different, the situations are different, the requirements of each child differ and the produce of every mother varies.....so in a simple line,   "Heaven won't come down, if you do not abide by it".

I did not believe in exclusive breastfeed concept since the time of my pregnancy. I had various reasons for it (which we shall discuss some other time!) but however Nevan was on a single bottle feed (more for habit & less for the need)since his early days. Not that I did not want to feed him, coz even today after completing 9 months too he is on a few breastfeed sessions in a day and I plan to wean him only when he wants to.

However, I began semi-solids for him at 5.5 months. A little earlier than the benchmark, because he wanted some thing more, I am a working  mom and could not fulfill his complete needs, he was a big baby.....so I began with Dal ka Pani.

And out little duckling, moved on from the world of milk, milk and more milk to the new and wonderful world of food!!!

Split yellow mong dal (Mong-Dhuli) Dal ka Pani

Ingredients:
2 table spoons split yellow mong dal, washed properly
Water to wash & cook
Turmeric - a pinch
Cooker to steam
Salt - a pinch (Optional)
Ghee- a pinch (Optional)

Method:
1. Wash the dal properly with drinking water
2. Put the dal in cooker with some water.
3. Add Turmeric & ghee & salt
4. Steam the dal by giving around three-four whistles.
5. Mash the dal once its steam and cool
6. The consistency can be maintained by adding boiled water

For the first timer's, give your little one 4-5 spoons for Dal ka Pani and keep your camera's ready to capture the first reaction :)

Other pointers:

• The consistency can be a thicken-d as the baby grows
• Gradually, steamed & mashed vegetables can also be added to dal to make it more filling for the baby
• Lastly, I personally did not add Ghee & Salt till 8 months as I did not want him to develop any flavor.

Your baby's First High Fever....

Your baby's first high fever might not be as traumatic for your little one as for you as a parent. I mean, definitely the baby is the sufferer and he/she will have to bear the brunt of a high fever but the trauma with which the parent goes through is at a different level altogether.

Nevan had his share of fevers post vaccinations, during common cold, etc but he had his first high fever on Friday (4th July); I don't know if you
all will believe into it or not but when I got ready for work on Friday morning there was something stopping me to go to work that day. I just didn't feel like leaving my room, so I pinged my boss I'll be a little late and made Nevan ready, fed him and then left. May be the motherly instinct was knocking me but with a job, it mostly gets curbed instantly!!!

I called his babysitter thrice between 10am-12noon and she was also wondering if I have gone nuts. And then I got a call from her around 3pm saying that Nevan has 101 fever. Thankfully my in-laws were around and they gave him the initial Crocin-drops dose. I moved out of office as soon as possible just to reach home to a cranky baby with a hot body and a crying face. The look on his face made my heart sink but now that I am a mother I had to be strong. My hubby was busy that evening and the whole of Saturday (having his 24 hours emergency duty, he is a doc at a govt. hospital) so I knew I will have to handle it all....

So I took him to the doctor immediately, who said it most probably is an airborne viral/flu and nothing serious to worry as he was not showing any other symptom. By the time I got home and fed him and checked his fever, I panicked by seeing my digital thermometer just not stopping....finally it stopped at 102.4......like 102.4 fever, are you serious, he is not even 9 months and how is he gonna cope up with it???

Anyways, again I got myself together and took off his clothes and just gave him a quick shower. That helped in cooling him down a degree or two and then I changed him and started sponging him. The temperature didn't go down, even after couple of hours and his body has started aching with pains. We gave another dose of crocin on a four hourly interval but the temp didn't go below 100. We then called his pedia who prescribed 'Meftal - drops' (they are sepearte from Meftal-Spas drops for kids) as an add on as the temp was too high to be controlled only by Crocin-drops. The whole night passed by sponging and giving him a body massage and finally on Sat morning at 6am the the temp finally went down.

But Sat again was tough as the temp was coming every 5 hourly and Nevan had zero energy and was lethargic to even sit. I made him sit in between to give him water and as I turned to get the bottle he fell on his side on the bed....it was so painful to see that my lil pumpkin couldn't even manage sitting by himself.

The fever went down by Sunday morning but Sunday morning he developed loosies coz of medicine. Ufff..... then started home remedies for that and till evening they got under control.

All in all, it was a very tough weekend and I thank God that it just passed!!!

Three things I learnt during this fever trauma were:

• The armpit temperature measuring thermometers are better than all others devices including the forehead & ear thermometer.
  
• Sponging is an instant help in case baby has high fever.
• Make your child drink as much liquids as possible to flush out the effects of medicines.

(Pictures Courtesy: Google Images/Corbis)

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???