"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!

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 !!!