Hi ,

You mentioned in one of your posts that formula is OK till 13 months . My son is 17 months old and I still give him formula ( Lactogen 2 - supposed to be for 6 - 12 months ) specially if we are going out etc. I am not very sure how long we can keep pasteurized milk in bottle at room temp ( or hotter temp - I live in Chennai !) when we travel outside the house.At home, we give him homogenized pastuerized 3% fat aavin milk ( we tried 4% but he had indigestion so we stopped - cud have been teething too , cudn't it ?)

so my questions is - is formula not sufficient in calories for a 17 mos old ? As I have posted to you earlier, my son is still not taking unmashed food so feeding him solids when we are on the go is difficult. Although he eats biscuits etc properly , he still is in too much of hurry and doesn't chew food properly. But from your suggestions, I try giving him unmashed food everyday at least in one meal and he's at least taking a few mouths of sambar/rasam rice for dinner - so I think he's making progress. But just wanted to clarify on the formula bit ?

What do you other mothers feed your kids on the go ? mine has banana without fuss so I genmerally take some cerelac and mix hand mashed banana with it ( he hates cerelac by itself !) . Also biscuits and formula .

Thanks
Minka Minka replied. Hi ,

Like you said, I am not taking him out everyday !!! In fact , I normally finish his ragi porridge around 5 PM and this is normally quite heavy for him since he refuses to take milk till 9 PM after he takes ragi.

I have to slowly get him used to eating normal foods and we are making great progress actually - he's taking a few bites of soft dosas and sambar, paratha and milk etc. But still not enough by quantity to call it a meal so I am not looking at that as an option to take out with me.

Thanks for your help,

Minka Hetal replied. Hi,
if you are not going out everyday, i am fine :),,otherwise,its not recomnded because you are basically replacing his feeds with this formula that is for upto 12months only,,ask your dr,if at all there is ne formula in india that is for 12-36months or if pediasure is better option...
at 17months your child must be taking milk feeds three or 2 times a day,,so whenever you go out, feed him well, if he eats well he will not need nething for 2-3hours...or make him drink his full feed of milk and then leave your house..then the next turn of milk will be either afternoon or before sleep ! and the next turn of feed will be solid and not milk !! so good to go...

for 17months it will not give enough calories,,and you will be compromising on your child milk intake !
keep trying about texture of foods,feed him 5min before he is hungry or his feeding time,,so that he doesnt GULP food,,,try that see if itworks..

for travels,,,banana, is good option,,parathas are also good to go,,you can pack them in ne small ziplock or say plastic bag or lil lunchbox,,apply a dash of ghee so that it will not become dry esp in corners of the parathas,,make the soft ones,,throw in mix vegies in it while preparing dough itself,,so that your parathas has serving of vegies too..

if your baby is rice baby,,overcook rice,add in mix vegies and make lil balls out of it,,store them as you like,,or make lil pieces of it,,add in ghee so that it doesnt dry...pastas,tofu all are good travel foods,,you can just pack them,,when my toddler meal times is out,,i take along boiled mix vegies with very light sauce, and throw in some nicely boiled pastas or tofu,,good to go..
i tried other options like boiled apples, grapes or sometimes wholegrain roasted bread with lil butter on it or a curry between 2 roasted bread pieces makes a good sandvich,,and by the time its their feeding time(by3-4hours),,the bread has bcome very soft because of wetness of curry(most mix vegie cauliflower curry) and just right for toddler to eat..with parathas you have to pack it differently and parathas dont hold curries that well...
it doesnt spoil..i live in hot place where the temp goes above 80f..,
they are great in travels,,in car or newhere in restaurants and you can feed that even you are in park and she is busy playing ! so
whnever i step out of my house, i will plan her whole days diet in such a way that when we are going out, she eats well or finishes her full feed of milk,,so that i dont have to carry her foods or milk ....
i have known friends who pack idlis,chutneys,dosas with curries when they come to my place and they will just microwave it with damped paper towel on it for some 30 seconds,,,,they become soft by then,,
so you can try that,,i dont take that along with me,,while feeding idlis and stuffs my hands get sticky and purell doesnt help to get rid of stickiness,,,pastas are working great for me, i can feed with disposable spoons or hands and they are not at all messy even if they fall on clothes !
hope this helps. Hetal replied. Hi,
if you are not going out everyday, i am fine :),,otherwise,its not recomnded because you are basically replacing his feeds with this formula that is for upto 12months only,,ask your dr,if at all there is ne formula in india that is for 12-36months or if pediasure is better option...
at 17months your child must be taking milk feeds three or 2 times a day,,so whenever you go out, feed him well, if he eats well he will not need nething for 2-3hours...or make him drink his full feed of milk and then leave your house..then the next turn of milk will be either afternoon or before sleep !
for 17months it will not give enough calories,,and you will be compromising on your child milk intake !
keep trying about texture of foods,feed him 5min before he is hungry or his feeding time,,so that he doesnt GULP food,,,try that see if itworks..
banana, is good option,,parathas are also good to go,,you can pack them in ne small ziplock or say plastic bag or lil lunchbox,,apply a dash of ghee so that it will not become dry,,make the soft ones,,throw in mix vegies in it so that your parathas has serving of vegies too..if your baby is rice baby,,overcook rice,add in mix vegies and make lil balls out of it,,store them as you like,,or make lil pieces of it,,add in ghee so that it doesnt dry...pastas,tofu all are good travel foods,,you can just pack them,,when my toddler meal times is out,,i take along boiled mix vegies with very light sauce, and throw in some nicely boiled pastas,boiled apples, grapes or some wholegrain roasted bread with lil butter on it or a curry between 2 roasted bread pieces makes a good sandvich,,and by the time its their feeding time(by3-4hours),,the bread has bcome very soft because of wetness of curry(most mix vegie cauliflower curry) and just right for toddler to eat..with parathas you have to pack it differently and parathas dont hold curries that well...
it doesnt spoil..i live in hot place where the temp goes above 80f..,
hey are great in travels,,in car or newhere in restaurants and you can feed that even you are in park and she is busy playing ! so
whnever i step out of my house, i will plan her whole days diet in such a way that when we are going out, she eats well or finishes her full feed of milk,,so that i dont have to carry her foods or milk ....
i have known friends who pack idlis,chutneys,dosas with curries when they come to my house and they will just microwave it with damped paper towel on it for some 30 seconds,,,,they become soft by then,,
so you can try that,,i dont take that along with me,,while feeding idlis and stuffs my hands get sticky and purell doesnt help to get rid of stickiness,,pastas are working great for me, i can feed with disposable spoons or hands and they are not at all messy even if they fall on clothes !
hope this helps.