Feeding is the toughest task. You never understand what runs through babies mind. Sometimes they eat well, sometimes they just neglect to eat even their favourite food even if the routine is followed. One thing i have understood from feeding my baby is if she is hungry she will eat what ever i give. So always remember not to force your child. But i make sure that what ever little she eats is nutritious. So right from she started her solids, i made the habbit of feeding her fruits and veggies. So now she never says no to them atleast. Another important thing i noticed from my daughter is she wants to keep playing all the time, and she does not want to waste her time in eating food, so feeding her has to be like a play, these are the ones she loves to play during her meal time, peek a boo, watching and dancing with the rhymes,reading her story book etc. That way she ends up finishing her bowl.Well there lies lot of excerscise for me too which helped be shed those extra calories :)
Here are few recipes for babies and toddlers
Apple Puree :
For 6 months to 2 years
Wash and Boil one large apple in a pressure cooker until its soft and you are able to peel the skin.Blend the boiled apple in the blender and make it a puree.You can even store this in a air tight container and keep refrigirated for 2 to 3 days.
Banana Puree :
Slice the banana and blend it in a blender and make it a puree. You cannot store banana, as the colour of the puree will change as banana is rich in iron.
Banana is also rich in carbohydrates and fiber. And is a great source of energy. My baby just loves bananas.
Mango Puree :
Remove the skin of Mango, and blend them in to puree. Mango contains essential vitamins and minerals. You can also make puree of pear, musk melon, and guava. Try not to add sugar to any of the puree as far as possible.
Vegetable Puree
For six months up to 2 years
Similarly one can also make puree with vegetables like pumpkin, carrot, potatoes , sweet potatoes, beans.
you can feed them separetely or in combination with either of the vegetables. Wash and boil the vegetable until soft, blend them in to puree. Add little salt to taste. Serve along with a teaspoon of butter or ghee.
Vegetable Soup:
For 10 months and above
Ingredients:
Onion - chopped 2 tablespoon
Cabbage - chopped 2 tablespoon
Carrot - chopped 2 tablespoon
Beans - chopped 2 tablespoon
Tomatoes - chopped 2 tablespoon
Water - 11/2 cups
Salt to taste
Method :
Boil all the vegetables along with little salt in 11/2 cups of water untill soft. Let it cool . Now blend the vegetables along with the water in to a puree.Am sure no baby will say no to this yummy soup !!
Boiled Vegetables :
For Toddlers - 1 year and above
One can choose any vegetable of choice like French beans , carrot, pumpkin, Ladies finger,potatoes, sweet potatoes, beetroot, brinjal etc etc.
Method:
Wash and cut vegetable in to small squares. Heat a pan, add a spoon of oil. Add the cut vegetables, if u take one cup vegetables, add one cup of water .Let the vegetable cook until soft in low flame. Once they become soft sprinkle some salt and very little pepper. Turn of the flame.Its ready to serve. This is a very nutritious snack for toddlers. You can give them at any time of the day as its good for health. You can also mix two to three vegetable to make it little colorful.
