Weaning

Liya has been strictly following a food and nutrients time table till now. Although I am not a nutrition expert and having least knowledge on medical field, I had sort of bizarre ideas of investing time and learning about nutrients needed for each step of growth and availability in each food item. Here is a brief overview of her main food time table over months.


» Birth to 6 months

Only Breast feeding –
                   
                 NO droplets/fruit juices/nectar/water/honey/formula/baby juice...

* Liya's doc in Hyd Dr Aparna Reddy (Rainbow hospital) also supported and insisted me that DO NOT to give anything other than mom's milk until she is 6 months old. She even added, all recent studies prove that baby doesn't actually need any solids or semi-solids during this period.        
                           
» 6th month                                                        

•  Started off with Podiyari Kanji (brown broken rice prepared and served along with water). This contains good amount of bran and carbo-hydrate which is essential for baby's growth. For a week she was given Kanji once in a day. Initially she was given a spoon and later on I increased the quantity.

After few days she began to spit and refuse to have it. That's the only time she had Kanji in her life, never after! 

• Exactly after a week I introduced Banana powder. We bought banana from a neighbor farmer and my mom chopped it thin, and dried in sunlight. Later she powdered it in a clean blender. 
• Steamed apples -  I started with 1/6 of an apple, gradually she started eating a full apple. She was given steamed apples until 10 months. 
•  By end of the month, I began giving her mangos, chickoo (Zapota), steamed vegetables etc.   (NO SUGAR, NO SALT, NO OIL, NO MILK, NO CANNED FOOD)

 » 7th month  

• Country (organic) Chicken soup, 
• Beetroot - carrot soup
• organic egg yolk- hard boiled
• white rice and yogurt
• rice cooked along with lentils and vegetables etc. 
• Added Raagi (Finger Millet) - which is a good source of Calcium, Navara rice (a special Ayurvedic medicinal rice available in Kerala), green gram powder, wheat, almonds and nuts powders, barley, arrowroot powder... etc ONE by ONE (to ensure than she is allergic to none of them) to her banana powder recipe.
•  Once in a day, she was given normal (not baby food) oatmeals, cooked in pure water.

 (NO SUGAR, NO SALT, NO OIL, NO COW MILK, NO CANNED FOOD)

 » 8th month 

• Eats almost all fruits (except oranges and grapes)
• Doc suggested to give egg white as well (hard boiled)
• Sprouts, lots of veggies, green veggie soups 
• Sabudana kheer (opaque, pearly tapioca), very little oil/butter, rice with sprouts
• Chapatis with little bit of ghee. 
• I tried to stop giving steamed apple but fresh ones. Liya did not like the taste of it. 
• One banana every day. 

(NO SUGAR, NO SALT, NO MILK,  NO TINNED FOOD)


» 9th month 

• All of above, with a rise in quantity and frequency. 
• Begun with salt (slightly) especially in soups. 
• Pathiris, dosa, noolputtu etc as well.

 (NO SUGAR, NO MILK, NO TINNED FOOD)

» 10th month

• Began with 1-2 spoons of whole milk, only for cooking, not for drinking.... and nursing continues. 
• All other items remain. 
• Added 3 almonds and 3-4 cashew nuts into everyday oatmeals. 
• One cup musk melon pulp every day.

 (NO SUGAR, NURSING CONTINUES)


» 11th month

•  Oranges, fresh carrot juice.
•  Everything else remains same. 
• She became a fan of pomegranate but didn't like watermelon. (NO SUGAR, NURSING CONTINUES, MILK only FOR COOKING)

» 12th month


She was given 'test dose' of some tinned food. I did not want it but we were preparing to fly to USA in the same month and the travel all together was almost 30 hours. So I wanted to 'test' if she is allergic to canned food, just in case I am forced to give in the flight. (NO SUGAR, NURSING CONTINUES)

» 13th month

• Began with whole milk for drinking. 
• Stopped chicken soup (as I was not getting organic chicken here in US).
• Begun to give normal chicken curries, but less spicy; 
• more rice and less spicy veggie curries, 
• dinner - rice cooked along with sprouts, veggies and peas.  

» 14th month onwards 


Almost the same food as we eat, no spice added, no sugar, more lentils and sprouts in dinner, more Indian breakfast items, bagels and breads, more fruits like pomegranate, grapes etc etc.

 (NO SUGAR, NO CANNED ITEMS, NURSING CONTINUES)


Disclaimer: I am NOT an expert in childcare- these are my findings by reading articles (written by docs, child nutritionists) or by discussing with my doctor or was advised by my mom and MIL. This may be clinging to my culture that many things won't be available at different parts of the world. I may not be right or I may be completely wrong, as well.