This Article is From Mar 22, 2023

Kid's Health: Healthy Weaning Options For Infants

Nutritionist Lovneet Batra helps us navigate what foods are appropriate for weaning and which foods should be avoided.

Kid's Health: Healthy Weaning Options For Infants

Weaning is essential for the healthy functioning and development of a baby

Since breast milk or formula alone can no longer meet the nutritional needs of the quickly developing newborn, weaning onto solid meals is required. Infants' bodily stocks of iron and vitamin D start to decline about six months along with their growing requirements for these and other nutrients. Infants can learn new abilities through weaning that are necessary for them to go through critical speech and self-feeding developmental phases. 

A healthy diet, iron insufficiency, particular nutritional deficiencies, dental cavities, obesity, and developmental delays are just a few of the health and development issues that can be avoided by weaning properly in infants, children, and adults. It is crucial to support parents and carers in making the most of this significant chance to affect the potential and future health of their kid.

In order to teach a baby to eat a varied and balanced diet and prevent problems with fad eating in the future, it is crucial to introduce a range of tastes and textures at this early age. Nutritionist Lovneet Batra helps us navigate what foods should be fed to babies and which ones should be avoided.

She writes, Weaning is the process of gradually transitioning your baby from breastfeeding to other foods. Because you are the one who knows your kid best, the decision to wean your baby is absolutely personal. When considering weaning, it's crucial to consult with the pediatrician to determine whether or not they're ready."

Here are 5 foods options for healthy weaning, as per the nutritionist:

  1. Rice and Dal water
  2. Ragi
  3. Khichdi
  4. Sooji
  5. Dalia

Here are some other tips to follow, according to the nutritionist:

At 6 months of age

  • Only change one meal of a baby initially & try to introduce new foods at lunchtime.
  • Start with rice water. Barley water, thin dals can be given.
  • Start with single vegetables and fruits. Ground, cooked, single-grain cereal or infant cereal with breast milk or formula.

At 8 - 9 months

  • Babies will gradually move towards eating 3 meals a day, in addition to their usual milk feeds. Gradually increase the amount and variety of food.

10-12 months of age

  • By now, babies should be enjoying a wide range of tastes and textures.
  • Small pieces of fruit and cooked vegetables/ mixed food dishes the family is eating in appropriately sized pieces. A child may also need 2 healthy snacks in between meals.

Foods To Avoid When Weaning

  1. Salt
  2. Honey
  3. Sugar
  4. Whole nuts
  5. Certain fish
  6. Tea/coffee
  7. Uncooked eggs

Look at her reel:

Make sure to follow these tips when planning to start weaning for the healthy development of your baby.

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for a qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.

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