Hi Hetal,
I love to read your posts in this section. Very useful tips for new moms!
My son will be turning 6 months in another 2 weeks.Currently, I give him Rice/oatmeal with banana Cereals one time in the day and Gerber Stage1 veggies or Gerber Stage1 Fruits for lunch. Also, I feed him bm on demand.
I was wondering if i can start feeding him more of solids like cereal in morning, for lunch some veggies, and then dinner some veggies/fruits.
Also, I am not too keen on continuing gerber foods for long. When can i start home made food like daal paani ,rice, sabji etc. Do you have some good recipes to share? Do we need to use organice vegetables when making food for baby?
Thanks so much,
Ritu

Hetal replied. hi ritu

your target,,by the end of 9months, is to plan your baby diet in such a way that she is able to complete wide range of vegies and fruits by then,,so that after that you are able to start her with proteins,curds,,cheeses,,,multigrains and whole grains..considering one week per new food, this is the right time for you do start doing that.

so introduce your baby with more vegies and fruits and continue the rice and oatmeal...start barley single grain cereal once your baby is 7months.. and then by 8-9th month,give your baby the combinations of these 3 cereals and see how she accept them together in one feed,,,,this wwill give you idea as to how she will accept the mixed grain cereal which you will be starting at 9th month onwards...

also mixed grain cereal contains some wheat flour,,so it meeans that you have to check on your baby apetite for wheat acceptance....
which you will be doing in 7th month n onwrds,,, by soaking roti in dal water/dal soup/,,,or roti soaked in other gravies of vegetables,,,,which your baby prefers..this will give you hint that its ok for you to move ahead with these products wherein wheat is a partially included,,hwoever, the whole wheat is recommended after 1 year onwards by most credited institutions,,but most cultures have been offering and many baby foods includes wheat as an ingrediants from 8-9th monthonwards...like moongdal and cracked wheat khichadi with vegies and our mild spices, boiled cracked wheat with fruits,,and so on...
so you be the best judge dpending on what your baby accepts.

dal paani you can start right now,,as a lunch time or brunch time,,,it will provide good source of protein aas well as a healthy liquid ! boil dal (whole boiled moong water,moong dal, and then toor dal (by 8th month---go by your baby acceptance )..wholemoong water is best to offer at first, ensuring your baby is introduced to lentil and also its great source of fiber,,will keep your baby bowels regular..thats wat i did for my baby ! do a lil tadka of ghee( a namesake), hing( a lil sprinkle, and lil sprinkle of jeera pwder,,with crushed dried curry leaves,, in this water,,add in salt (optional, or in longer run,,moong are sweetish in taste and salt is often not required),,and give that water,,its a great digestive and a great way to start your baby with our indian spices as well. even though babies dont require ne flavourings, you as a mother,, be the best judge as to which type of food/tastes/preferences,,,, you want your baby to adopt.as of now, not much is required in the introduction part. i had given this to my baby during the introduction and since you asked me personally, i am telling you this,,whether or not to follow is your decision.
about organics, if you are not sure about the freshness and quality of the food you are giving,,you can go for it,,visit whole foods or ne good green market to ensure the freshness,,its a personal decision,,drs havent adviced that,,nor there are ne regulations that your baby should be getting organic foods only,,just make sure whatever you give, give it well cooked,,nicely washed with warm water and stored properly,,,check my post on nitrates just a couple post below yours,,,you will know that even gerber foods or other baby foods have them in minimal quantity,,,and its not possible to give your baby 100% pure foods !!
watch for ne discomforts for ne new foods you start,,,a lil is more than enough for your baby to respond if at all he is not ready for it.

then start with moong dal water,,same type of tadka,,add in vegies and try with rocercooked rice,,and start offering,,
subjis you can offer whatever your baby has completed as of now, like considering baby stage 1 foods, carrots, green beans,peas,squash,and sweet potatoes, you must have already finsihed or you must be giving your baby as of now,,,
add in,,spinach(dont go for fresh, because of ecoli outbreak, or rather avoid right now until the FDA approves the new stock as good for consumption,,check for cnn for updates),,you can add zuchini to her diet,its type of squash.,,you can make these purees as the spreads or gravies and offer them,,along with single grain pastas ( make a visit to green markets,for rice pastas,oat flour pastas,barley pastas,,) throw them in cooker with vegies, and mash them with your hands once cooked nicely,,,offer that,,its the stage 2 foods wherein a lil coarse textures are introduced at 7-8th months,,,until then you can blend it well or mesh it to fine puree,,its a whole meal...some cultures also start raagi, you can try that too,,visit nandyala dot org,http(:)//homecooking(.)about(.)com/library/archive/blmisc16(.)htm and yes gerber dot com for great ideas on recipes according to baby age...
also viist my prev post wherein the queries was just as yours,,
http(:)//www(.)indiaparenting(.)com/boards/showmessage(.)cgi?messageid=5989&table_name=dis_feeding
or visit my post to anu,Date: 2006-09-03 with Subject: 6 month old baby food chart..
soon your baby will be 7months,,after 15 days,,so check the below as well :
http(:)//www(.)indiaparenting(.)com/boards/showmessage(.)cgi?messageid=5638&table_name=dis_feeding

in short,, the key for you right now is to offer your baby variety of choices so that he seems to get interested in his foods, and always rem onething avoid using blender,,you dont want your baby to get habituated to soupy texture,,,at the same time, be the best judge in graduating your baby to a level above in textures, flavours and varieties dpending on your baby acceptance,,..expect change in schedules, bowels and texture of bowels dpending on new foods introduced,,ne irregularity that is more than 3 days, report it to your dr...

always respect your baby preferences, meal times and intake quantity,,,but ensure that your baby does not become a picky eater or eats less than his regular intake,,keep introducing the food he didnt like,,again and again !! and never stick to one type of meal, food or texture for days together,,if you want your baby to eat everything you are offering !! make your life easy.
i think m done for the day, you have a wonderful weekend !

good luck,,