Hetal and friends
I red Hetal's reply on papaya for 5m baby. I m in delhi.

Short story : My baby is 4 & 3/4 months and i wanted to start banana but she is having little cold.

Long story: Its been 2 weeks now i want to give her banana. I dont know if this problem is medically called \";cold\";, but baby's nose makes sounds (sound somewhere betn nose and throat).
Nose is not running, there is very little mucous formation in the nose daily, she doesnt cough, and no other symptoms of cough or cold.

The nose makes sounds many times (5-6) in a day while the baby breathes, but it is not continuous.

Otherwise, baby is fine and no fussing.

I give her steam daily by sitting infront of electric steamer with baby on my lap. I put drops of olesan oil on her clothes when she sleeps.
The weather here is little cold now so i make her wear full cotton clothes (no woollens).

I give her daily bath with warm water, no daily washing head though.

I want to start banana as she is now well adjusted with other feedings (see below), banana is healthy and can be made easily. I m a working person and it will be easy for the maid too who takes care of my 2 kids.

Is it ok to give banana or shd i wait? I m afraid if banana aggravates her cold.
And what can i do for her little cold?

Thanks
Jasmine

Just in case u need more info about baby
Birth wt 3.3 kg current wt 6.75 kg. Feeds on
daily - bm + Nan1 formula (lukewarm) 1-2 times in day + 2 feeds of any of these : yello moong daal or rice with beans and carrots- all ground in mixie to puree with ghee and salt / suji kheer / apple pie / mausmi or orange or apple juice mixed with water and formula.

jasmine replied. Got some good pointers that i was not doing, and also doing wrong on some others.

Why dont the docs (who take consultation fees) explain like this, wholeheartedly?

Thanks is a smaller word, i know.
God bless you Hetal. Hetal replied. the symptoms show mild cold,,make your baby wear 2-3layers of clothes,thn just one layer,if you are avoiding wool !
make sure to change the diaper everytime you feel a little dampness because most babies catch cold when the intervals of diaper change are more,,so change often esp in winters...! and change it quickly..
avoid exposing your baby to room temperature during cold season( room temp even regulated by heaters does not provide natural warmth to his body,thus might trigger cold )

apply vicks babyrub, without fail,everytime you change his clothes(change his clothes at every solid feed or atleast 2 times a day, so that your baby is fresh all day and stays away from allergens that might just trigger a lil wheezng or cold due to dirt,if your baby is rolling by now),
apply vicks baby rub/baby vicks on his chest, back of chest, feet(after application make him wear wool socks,if you possible or 100% cotton socks that are thick ones for winter),,a lil touch just below the ears,,,so that he feels good and does not end up having stuffy nose,,
remove the mucus, with mucus bulb whenever you hear the sound,so that you avoid the deposit of mucus in sinus passages or nasal passages,,thus it will prevent your baby to get into loop of recurring colds, or infections...

spraying saline drops(suggested by your dr in india),,often helps to thin out mucus and most of the times makes baby sneeze it right out,,your baby at 4/5months might not be able to sneeze or respond so spray and wait for a while, and then remove the mucus with the suction/mucus bulb...

well, about banana, its conflicting reports about triggering cold..most said that it was because the time was offereed and ayurveda says that banana is cold or hot dpending on individual body nature and not same with all people..
ayurveda says,,it Increases Pitta & Kapha, Decreases Vata.and thus might trigger mucus building,,if at all the body nature is already kapha nature or is sensitive to cold...

for me,,considering that you are starting and that you dont know how your baby is going to react to it,,according to his body nature and acceptance,,its worth waiting abit longer for banana.
if at all your baby is suffering from cold that has mucus,,its better to avoid banana,,,,which is proven fact..

please note that ne cough or cold that has mucus,,should b away from banana,pork,sugar and dairy. in runny nose also, avoid banana...
if at all your baby had dry cold or cough,,banana would have been a good start !
if your child was above 6months and that you are offering banana on regular basis,,and tht his body is hot nature body,,thn giving banana should not have been a problem with cold and coughs....right now considering that his body nature is normal, and is too delicate to handle or let me say it is difficult for us to make out the difference between hot and cold nature of his body,,,,banana is not a good option for you !
if you still want to give, give it at room temperature, offer with carrot,peaches,,,make sure to give ripe banana and just couple tsp(chopped or mashed) with more peaches and carrots....offering with saffron/kesar has also been practised during winters !
jasmine replied. Juice is mixed with water and not formula. Aplogy for the typo.