Hey all...
Can I introduce bajra cereal to my kid....
She is 7 months now...

Also if you all can tell me what is the right time to introduce sugar and salt. Is Jaggery also not recommended medically??
Can i use jaggery now as its also su[pposed to be rich in iron??

Thanks and Regards
Ruchi

Regards
Ruchi Hetal replied. bajra/millet/pearl millet is good to offer if and only if your baby has completed successful feeds of rice,oatmeal,barley cereals without ne discomforts, allergies..please note, barley and bajra/millet are abit hard to digest so watch out for no of bowels.offer more fibre fruits or vegies like pears,spinach with these kinds of foods.

There have been skeptical points about sugar n salt, esp sugar. some babies have shown overstimulation or bein hyperactive resulting in negative growth in longerr run with namesake sugar in their normal diet. considering that they were started sugar as early as the day 1 from their solids..

and salt was mostly consumed by 60-75% of kids/babis by the time they were 9-10months, without ne problems of taste intros and development.however it all also depends on family history related to diabetes & kids health individually..so you be the best judge to decide.

however aap (american academy of pediatrics) says that babies until 1 year dont require nething except for natural fresh cooked food.
which also means no sugar or salt.this was based on explanation that they have to develop or rather learn to taste the actual flavours of each foods and fresh produce,, its all about developing your baby taste and giving him different robust tastes/natural flavours for his tongue to be mature enough to handle all kinds of food without ne support of spices.in short,giving them a good and easier transition.
But india being land of spice, often majority of drs recommend & so do our elders suggests offering mild spices by 8months onwards so that our kids get used to our food and styles.its also the case with italian and native american or mexican cultures where the variety of spices are used in cooking.and for early introduction, it has proved and beneficial to those kids who were started at 8-9months onwards with mild spices like turmeric(antibiotic),oregano(gas reliever),cumin pwder(provides digestive aids), coriander pwder(prevents stomach upset),italian seasonings(consist, all mixed dried herbs often improves digestive and stomach upsets),parsley,coriander leaves(great flavour and cools body & source of iron,curry leaves(relieves gas and a source of iron) and hing(regulated bowels). also note this was some observation by group of people and not a professional surveyors.
so its totally upto you to practise giving salt and sugar or spices,, all at namesake amounts,,,nething in adequate qty(for us and a little less than wat is normal for us) does not prove harmful to babies,,however, always watch babies with a doubt for a couple days, when it comes to introducing nething, even salt or sugar.

at 7months its not advisable to use jaggery, however, there are people who have practised giving jaggery with raagi and with kheer or even with rice malt- in differnt parts of country(india).
jaggery is better than sugar, because (Gur) jaggery is mainly obtained from sugar cane. Gur is also obtained from palmyra, date palm, and coconut. Jaggery has more nutrients than sugar especially calcium, phosphorous, iron and other minerals. The calorific value of jaggery from cane sugar is 383kcal and sesame seeds are 563kcal for 100 gm. thats y its said its better to give jaggery as sweetness than sugar ! now about whether or not it can be given to 7month old,,well some have practised giving so their culture accepts it,so you might want to give it a shot..
i would not recommend giving it because 1. its one of those food which has high calorie value which might be not good for babies at this point of time to digest. also, they wont be able to get 100% of those minerals thats in jaggery as their digestive system is not mature enough to do so.also, getting a purest form of jaggery that is not industrial processes and contains more than 90% of sugar cane only,,is hard to find !!

2. its considered as food that has strong flavour and has shown cases where body heat was increased after taking jaggery.. which babies dont need to have, at this point of time.

thats the reason why in cold winters, there is saying to eat ghee and jaggery to make you feel strong, actually its to make you feel warm :))so you dont get cold,,so you are strong :))
also, some babies have shown problems associated with its consumption because of high levels of sweet content & calorie,,,like worms, and stomach upset and mild rashes like prickly heat, heat bumps and rashes associated with increase in body heat..
so you might want to consider all these point !
its upto you to decide whether or not to give..all goodness as well as bad to my knowledge is here !

hope you have a nice time, and njoy your weekend !