Feeding any toddler is not a cake walk affair and one has to have loads of patience and strategies. Also utmost care should be taken that one is giving the right nutrients to the baby. It is in these early ages, one should strive to build the strong foundation for good health and immunity for the baby.
One has to be very careful in choosing the food for your baby. Remember, you baby is in the weaning process and has just developed the taste buds, so it is utmost important that foods that are chosen not only provide health to the baby but also develops the taste buds to different tastes.
Before putting your baby to weaning foods, remember the Health factor and then start jotting down the lists of foods. Below are 5 super foods that you can start for your baby in the weaning stage.
- Porridge: Porridge is very healthy option food for your baby. It can be made with daliya mixed with lentils of your choice. The food is very easy to prepare. One can even add vegetables of their choice. In order to enable the baby can eat the food easily; it is advisable to grind the porridge before serving to the toddler. Choice of vegetables is based on seasons, you can add different vegetables daily so as to enhance the taste and such variations will help the babies to develop their taste buds and make them prone to various tastes.
- Soups: Lentils and vegetable soups are preferred and is the best option to go for during winters. It is one pot meal that contains complete bunch of healthy nutrients that are essential for good health and growth of the baby. It is advisable to bring about variations in the soup and this can be done by adding different vegetables and lentils and then grinding them to make a smooth paste. Soups not only are best for the health of your baby but also they can be fed easily and loved by most toddlers.
- Yogurt: Yogurt is the best source of calcium, protein and phosphorus that are vital for strong, healthy bones and teeth. It is a pro biotic and is a type of good bacteria that aids in digestion and support the immune system of your baby. Babies require fats in their diet so it is advisable to choose whole milk yogurt over fat free ones and low fat options. Never go for the flavored ones that are available in the market as they contain high quantity of sugar. It is better that one sets curd at home; and feed it to the baby. In case one requires flavors, add little fruit puree to it, like add seasonal fruits for taste change like you can add mango puree, strawberry puree etc.
- Mashed fruits: As your baby grows older and continues teething, it is advisable to give mashed fruits like bananas, chickoo, apples etc. These foods not only are healthy and loaded with nutrients but also sooth the gums of your baby. Such foods help your baby in teething process as they contain loads of calcium and other nutrients that are beneficial for strong teeth and gums. Fruits provide bulk in the diet and help in the baby’s bowel movements.
- Millets: Millets are becoming popular baby foods as people are becoming aware of their ultimate health benefits. Millets like ragi, jowar, foxtail etc are traditional foods that are sources of proteins. They are gluten free and are rich in vitamins and minerals. One can prepare porridge or soups using these millets. They are best baby foods and are loaded with health benefits as millets are rich in calcium, B vitamins, iron, potassium, magnesium, zine, magnesium and antioxidants. Apart from these; they contain
Proteins and fibers, thus they form great choice for baby foods.
The greatest challenge is to serve the prepared baby food to the toddler. It is not so easy that you prepare the baby’s food and the baby will readily have it. The food you may find tasty your baby may not like it.
Keep in mind the following points before serving the food to your toddler:
- See that you keep variations in taste as even you will not like to eat same taste food daily.
- See that food is nicely mashed as your baby so that it is soothing to the gums and teeth of the baby and also easy for the baby to eat.
- Keep the favorite toys or other things in front of the baby while feeding the food.