A healthy diet is the most important for your child’s growth and development. She will get all the nutrients required for growth from the food she eats. Your baby is used to breast milk. And, thus, she may not accept solid foods easily. Out of the 10 food items you offer her, she is going to accept 2 of them in the first attempt and that’s normal. You need to be patient with her and offer her a variety of foods.
Try and give her as much variety as you can. We have listed down nutritious foods that you can include in the diet:
Fruits & Vegetables
Research says that we naturally reject veggies and accept sugary foods. Learn to accept rejection form your child while weaning. The first time you offer her a potato or broccoli, she may spit it out. But don’t lose hope there. You will have to try being a little pushy and still if she continues to reject it, you will have to try it after a couple of days. The vegetables you give her now will help in developing her habit of having different veggies in the future as well.
- Start by serving up one new vegetable at a time, to add new flavour to your baby’s diet every day. Make the meal look colourful and attractive.
- It can take up to a few days for babies to accept the new food. Keep trying and do not give in to her rejection.
- Offer lots of positive encouragement and praises when your baby tries something new. Add to the fun by having meals with her.
Pulses and Beans
Pulses and beans are easy to cook and a good source of iron and protein. Offer her mashed dal with a pinch of salt and ghee. They can be cooked and mixed with other vegetables to help your baby to absorb essential nutrients.
Poultry and Meat
The baby can be offered a non-vegetarian diet after she turns more than 9 months old. You should offer her very soft and shredded pieces of meat. Meat is a good source of iron, zinc and Vitamin D. You can also offer scrambled eggs.
Milk & Dairy Products
In the beginning, your baby is going to reject most of the solid foods. It is still important to provide her with all the required nutrients. So, don’t reduce milk until she is completely comfortable with solid foods. You can offer her yogurt, ghee and butter once she crosses 7 months. Mixing fruits with fresh homemade cream will make her meal healthy and tasty both.
You can offer her solid foods in between feeds to start with. Once she is comfortable with solid foods, offer her milk in between her solid meals.