It’s best for parents to introduce infants to nutritious home-cooked foods, free from artificial flavours, preservatives and excess sugar and salt that packaged foods usually contain, writes Anitha Bennet

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends children be introduced to foods other than breast milk when they are six months old. But parents are often confused about the type of solid foods to feed infants, especially with several packaged baby foods and cereals promising miraculous growth benefits. The advice of child nutrition experts and pediatricians is that it’s best for parents to introduce infants to home-cooked foods, free from artificial flavours, preservatives and excess sugar and salt that packaged foods usually contain.
Here are some easily made infant foods recipes:

Fruit puree
Apples, bananas and pears are highly recommended for infants. To make apple puree, peel the skin and cut the apple into rough chunks. Steam-cook chunks for 10 minutes and you will have mashed apple puree. Serve warm for a delightful morning meal. You can do the same with pears. As your child grows, feed fruit directly. Banana, mangoes, plums, chikoos and papayas can be fed by simply mashing them with a fork; no cooking is required.

Soupy treat
To make soup of all types, all you need is a cup of diced mixed vegetables. Start off with standard veggies — carrots and peas. Pressure cook the two in equal measure until well done. Mash and strain for a thin soup or blend in a mixer for a thicker version. Serve warm. As your child adjusts to the taste, add potatoes, spinach, cauliflower, pumpkin and if you wish, pieces of meat to the soup.

Five grain porridge
Take one measure of rice and roast it. Roast ½ measure of fried gram dal , ½ broken green gram, ½ wheat, ½ ragi, and ½ nuts together. Blend all ingredients in a mixer. Store in an airtight container. For preparing porridge, take a tablespoon of this powder, add water, a pinch of salt and cook on a low flame, stirring constantly. Serve warm with a dollop of ghee.

Rice kichdi
Pressure-cook three tablespoons of rice and one tablespoon of broken moong dal until soft. Add your baby’s favourite vegetable and cook. Add salt and make a smooth puree and mash coarsely for your toddler. This is a good transitional food to prepare your child for eating traditional Indian rice and dal.

Ragi and rice porridge
Boil ragi powder with water, stirring continuously. Toss in some cooked rice for an older child, getting used to textured food. Ragi is nutrient-dense, and easy to cook. Add a little salt or sugar if you wish. But remember, infants have very sensitive tastebuds, and if they are not habituated to sugar and salt, they can enjoy food without sugar and salt until they are a year old.

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