i know this topic has been discussed endlessly on this board. but i hv a few questions abt it. i am going to start weaning my second baby son soon, once he completes 6 months at the end of this month. i didn' t know abt ragi when i weaned my older son. although i started giving him arnd when he was a yr old when i read abt ragi and its benefits.
1. when to start with ragi? i mean can i give it as soon as he had tasted baby rice/few other purees..etc?
2. how much qty and in what form? i hv got ragi flour? i do make ragi pudding for myself post delivery..can somebody tell me how runny the ragi porridge should be and if i hv to make it what measurements should i take?

thanks in advance. all help appreciated. megha replied. thanks Mel and chetana. i will surely follow the advice. I am in the UK and i hv only seen ragi flour here.
take care
megha chetana replied. hi Megha
Ragi is surely one of the best breakfast cereal for infants. I started my son on ragi first instead of the regular rice cereal(as it was strongly recommended by my doc). I am putting up in bangalore and here ragi is very easily available in the stores. I started with ragi halwa(cerelac consistency). Took a spoon or two of ragi powder, roast it a bit, then put in water and milk...4:1 ratio(initially). let it simmer and add some jaggery powder. Thats it.Once your kid gets used to it, u can make it completely in milk. Make sure you cook it on low gas flame and no lumps are left. When my baby turned abt 8 months old i started him on Ragi Malt. Here in i added some dry fruits(roasted and powdered) and again cook it with milk. Add one dry fruit at a time leaving a week' s gap to see how the baby takes it.
About the quantity thing..your baby is the best judge let her have as much as she wants.She would let you know when she doesn' t want any more.
take care
chetana
Mel replied. I started giving my son Ragi when he was 6 months old. Initially, I didn' t know that you got Ragi flour, so I bought Ragi (the grain). I' ll give you both methods. About what quantity / measurements, don' t worry about that. Give your son anything between 3 - 9 tablespoons of Ragi porridge... as much as he wants. As for you, you can have a standard bowl full of Ragi for breakfast once or twice a week. It has tremendous health benefits. But, as with all foods, consume it once or twice a week and eat other food items on other days of the week. First start your son on rice cereal, once he takes that well, then after a week or so, you can introduce Ragi porridge.

To cook with ragi flour... Sift the flour, then add water and bring to a boil. Allow to cook, while stirring continuously. It will thicken into a fudge like consistency. Add milk and a little sugar.

To cook with Ragi whole. Soak the grains in the morning, for about 5 - 6 hours. In the evening, discard the water and grind the grains to a fine paste. Then strain it and add a little water to it. Let it stand. The next morning, there will be a white sediment at the bottom of the bowl and only clear water will be there on top. Discard the water and use the white paste to make ragi porridge following the instructions above.