Meal planning for your baby is not that tough: Know How

Blog Submitted by Urvashi Newar

Photo by Tina Dawson on Unsplash

Becoming a mother is the most beautiful feeling in the world. The whole idea of a tiny life growing in your womb is priceless. The moment I conceived my daughter, I was concerned about each and every thing related to her. I think this feeling of being responsible comes naturally to every woman when she starts her journey of motherhood. 

My daughter was exclusively breastfed for four months, post that I had to include formula milk in her diet plan as she was not gaining the required weight. Once she was six months old, I wanted to introduce solids to her. With the help of my paediatrician and online research, I made a meal plan for her. In this piece of information, I would like to share some tips with all new moms who are worried about meal planning for their infants. Here you go:

1. Five meals a day: I followed this rule for my daughter from day one. So you need to plan for breakfast, mid morning meal, lunch, snacks plus dinner. Wheat and ragi porridge are great options for breakfast. My daughter who is almost three now still loves her morning milk porridge. Around 11 am, you can give any fruit. My daughter loved mashed banana and grated apple. I would suggest introduce one fruit at a time and let the taste develop. Dal or vegetable stock can also be given at this time. Khichdi with lots of mashed vegetables is what I gave my daughter for lunch. She liked her khichdi with a dash of clarified butter and curd. You can give some fruit shake or soup as a snack in evening. For dinner, I made upma with some veggies for my little one. On some days, I added jaggery to sooji and made it sweet. 

2. Introduce a variety of foods and textures: I was told by my paediatrician that my daughter must eat everything I eat by the time she turns one. So, I tried and introduced an array of food items and this helped in developing her taste buds.

3. Patience is the key: You will need a lot of patience when you start with solids. Don't worry if your child is not eating that mashed banana happily. You can give them some other fruit and reintroduce banana after a few days. Never force your child to eat because it can cause vomiting and even choking which can be very dangerous. Feed your little one with lots of love and patience and not just for the heck of it. Trust me you will notice the difference.

4. Encourage self feeding: Once my little one turned eight months, I started with finger foods and encouraged self feeding. It is recommended that you switch from pureed and mashed foods to chopped and minced foods asap.

I hope these tips will help you in the process of meal planning for your little one. Happy Parenting!

Urvashi Newar has a great passion for writing. She has been into this line for almost 7 years. Mom to a 3 year old girl, she loves penning down her thoughts on motherhood. She believes in sharing her motherhood journey to help new moms
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