NUTRITION For the Age 6 to 12 months Child

There were some enquiries for diet of children below 12 months old. So here it is everything you need (I hope…) Till the age of 6 months there is no need to add any extra outside food apart from their Mother’s Milk. (If the flow is sufficient)

The activity level of a child after the age of 6 months is increasing. They start to move around in the house. Thus their food intake should be increased. Only mother’s milk cannot fulfill their daily recommended calories intake.

Start adding mashed foods in their diet slowly, small quantities in the beginning, and one new food at a time after 5 to 6 months. Initially give solid foods of very thin consistency. It should be lightly seasoned. Maintain Variety in choice of food in colour, flavour, texture and shape. The person who is feeding the child should never show dislike to any particular food.

Cereals and Starchy Gruel: To meet the increasing demands of calories and protein, well cooked mashed cereals mixed with milk and sugar can be given. Calorie dense cereals can be prepared using malted wheat or ragi.
Preparation of Malted Cereal: Soak the cereal overnight. Remove the water and tie in a moist cloth and keep in warm place. After 48 hours when sprouts come out, dry in the sun or roast it and make into flour.
Vegetables: Cooked, mashed vegetables like potato, green leafy vegs, beetroot and carrots can be introduced to get vitamins and minerals and colors in the diet.
Fruits: All fruits, with the exception of banana which is mashed must be stewed and sieved.
Non vegetarian foods: A small amount of hard boiled yolk egg is given to start with and if the child tolerates, the amount may be gradually increased to a complete egg yolk. Soft custard can also be given.
Pulse: Well cooked pulses along with cereals in the form of khichdi or with porridge can be given.

Recipe for porridge / Khimti

When adding first time in child’s diet at 5 to 6 months old-

For the flour

Ingredients

Rice 2 cups
Moong Dal (split green gram ). 1 cup
Soak in water for 4 hrs
Drain the water and let it dry.
Roast them till lightly pink
Grind them to make coarse powder

Preparation of porridge

Start with 1 tsp of the above mix.
Add 150 ml of water, a pinch of salt and cumin powder
cook till it becomes very soft.
add few drops of pure ghee
Add milk as required

Increase the quantity slowly to 2 to 3 tsp. also increase the quantity of pure ghee(desi-homemade ghee prepared from cow’s milk) You can add any one mashed vegetable in this porridge every day.

After 7 – 8 months

Ingredients

Nachani ( finger millet) 1 Cup
Bajra (pearl millet) 1 Cup
Jowar (Sorghum) 1 Cup
Wheat 1/4 Cup
Moong ( green gram) 1 Cup
Udit (Black gram) 1/4 Cup
Masoor (Lentils – Red Gram) 1/4 Cup
Matki (Moth bean) !/4 Cup

Preparation

Soak all the above ingredients overnight separately.
Drain all the water
Tie them in a cloth (separately) for 12 to 24 hrs let them sprout( millets and wheat will require more time to sprout)
Soak the rice for 4 hrs. Drain the water and let it dry on cloth
Roast them till they turn lightly pink colour.
Make them into coarse flour
Use this flour with the above rice and dal flour while preparing Khimti
Increase the quantity of this flour slowly into the above rice and dal mix