Baby’s First Food –  Feeding your baby from six months to one year

For the first six months of life, all your baby needs is breast milk. Breast milk provides all the nutrients your baby needs, protects against infection, is easily digested and changes to suit the needs of your baby. No other milks, food or drinks are needed. Breastfeeding is the normal way to feed babies. If you give your baby any other food, including infant formula, you will make less breast milk. If you stop breastfeeding, it can be hard to start breastfeeding again. Your baby will not get all of the benefits of breastfeeding.Continue to breastfeed until your baby is two years old or more. The longer you breastfeed, the more benefits you and your baby get. If you are thinking about using infant formula, get all the facts first. Breast milk protects your baby’s health in ways that infant formula does not.

• Breastfeeding is healthy, natural, convenient, and free. It is a good way to bond with your baby.
• Breast milk contains antibodies that lower the chance of your baby getting infections.
• Mothers who breastfeed have less risk of breast cancer, and ovarian cancer.
• Breastfed babies need 10 micrograms (400 IU) of vitamin D each day. Continue to give a vitamin D supplement until your baby is at least one year old

When to start solid food for babies?

Most babies are ready for solid foods around six months of age. Around this time babies need more nutrients than they receive from breast milk or infant formula alone, especially iron.

How should I start my baby on a new food?

Start with small amounts of iron-enriched infant cereal and/or cooked pureed meat,poultry, fish, plain tofu or legumes (e.g.
lentils, chickpeas and red kidney beans).Then offer your baby a variety of foods from the five food groups that include a range of flavours, for example different types of cereals,rice cereals,pureed vegetables and fruit

What types of infant cereal should I feed my baby?

• Start with an iron-fortified, single grain infant cereal, such as rice,ragi. Gradually try other single grain cereals, such as oats, barley, and wheat.
• Use mixed grain cereals only after your baby has tried each of the single grain cereals.
• Use banana powder or arrowroot powder (koovapodi ),navadhanya powder
• Mix the dry cereal with breast milk. At first make the cereal thin. As your baby becomes better at eating, add less breast milk to make the cereal thicker.

Infants home made health mixes

Arrowroot powder or Koovapodi – How Koova podi (arrowroot) more acceptable for infants and children

How Koova podi (arrowroot) more acceptable for infants and children

Koova podi (aroowroot powder) is an energy drink for children Because of its soft and easily digestible qualities,it contains several vitamins, minerals and electrolytes creates a healthy balance in  stomach.  It cures the urinary  infection in children. During summer season infants and children get urinary infections, give arrowroot porridge to them ,this gives an amazing relief to the children.

How to prepare a delicious food for babies using arrowroot powder

Buy fresh natural koovapodi arrowroot powder from natureloc.com

Read Infants health articles -Nature’s way of nurturing the child – Importance of complementary feeding for infants and young children

Banana powder (Ethakka Podi)- Complete Natural Food For Your Babies.  Ethakka Podi – Raw Banana powder is a traditional baby food

Banana powder -Ethakka podi is a typical baby food.An Easily home made natural super food for babies.This powder is made from processed bananas, (Raw Kannan Kaya or Nendra Kaya )is formed by using banana’s a soft, wet, shapeless mass of material (pulp), which is mechanically chopped and then processed with hydraulic shear using a colloid mill, turning it into a paste.

How to prepare banana powder porridge for babies

Kannan Kaya Powder (Kunnankaya podi – Raw Banana Powder)

Kannan Kaya Powder -Kunnankaya podi – The ancestral baby food of Kerala..Food given to babies should be 100% pure and natural. Banana porridge prepared from natural Kannan kaya powder is believed to be an ideal food for the babies.Raw banana powder is power packed with carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins. It is a source of energy required for babies, toddlers and even adults.

How can I make Kannan Kaya porridge at home?

Navadhanyam Podi Navadhanyam Powder  Home made health mix for babies

Navadhanyam Navadhanya Powder

Traditional Health Mix – Navadhanya Powder -Navadhanya Podi It is a mixture of rice, pulses, nuts, cereals…. 9 grains such as Green Gram ,Wheat, Horse Gram, White beans, , Black Gram, Bengal Gram, Rice,  Black Sesame seeds and Chic Peas It contains the majority of the health beneficial components

How to prepare Navadhanyam Podi – Navadhanyam Powder Porridge