7 Indian Porridges For Babies Consuming Solids For The First Time

Indian porridge for babies: At the age of six months, a baby starts weaning which means it is physically ready to consume solids apart from breast milk/formula milk. Since the babies’ body is being introduced to food for the first time, the choice of food should follow certain rules.

The food should semi-solid, safe, easily digestible, healthy, nutritious and less allergic. You can read more about it here. Widely recommended food for babies is mashed fruit and vegetable or their purees. Moreover, porridges are also healthy food for the weaning babies because they are soft, easily digestible, nutritious and yummy too. So here is a list of Indian home-made porridges for babies who are six months old.

1. Rice Porridge

Rice Porridge is one of the best baby foods. It is healthy, easy to digest, non-allergic, soft and provides instant energy to the baby. It is prepared at home using the rice cereals which is roasted, crushed into powder and then cooked with water. Porridges should be served warm and fresh and in stainless bowls. "I started with rice porridge, but it has to be completely in puree form. Fine puree. Your baby is too small and the food the baby consumes should be entirely smooth. Blend finely for early foods for little babies," Radhika Bhalla, a mom to a 7 month old. She also says, it's best avoided to put sugar or salt as doctors generally recommended to wait a while before either of the two are put in the foods.

2. Rice Porridge with Moong Dal

Moong Dal contains proteins and carbohydrates which are important intakes for the growing baby. So Rice and Moong Dal porridge is often recommended as baby food for six-month-old onwards after your baby has got the doctor's go-ahead for solids. Having said that, as Radhika Bhalla mentioned above, the main idea is to make a thin smooth puree.

Additionally, it is recommended, that before feeding the mixture of rice and dal, make sure that for few days the baby is fed with rice porridge only so that its body can get comfortable with it. Dals, relative to rice, can be a little heavy on the tummy as first time foods. For some it may lead to tummy gas as well.

Important suggestion to moms of  little babies : Don't think your baby is look for variety. They want routine and predictability. So try one food item in puree form and repeat the same every day for a few week till they get used to it. That said, if your baby doesn't take to it, pause and not give that item again soon. Go back to milk and come back to solids again in a few days.

3. Ragi Porridge

Ragi or finger millet is rich in calcium and iron and hence it is good to serve its porridge to small babies. The porridge is prepared using ragi flour which is mixed with water and milk and stirred on low flame. However, remember to avoid adding milk if your baby is less than 1 year old. You can also serve Ragi porridge made of Ragi seeds. This white porridge is prepared by soaking and grinding the seeds and extracting milk out of it which is husk free and healthy. Ragi porridge is next best baby food after rice porridge. 

However it's important to puree this well and explore it and see how your baby feels about having ragi porridge. Since it's rich in iron, sometimes for some babies, it can lead to constipation. Feeding solids to your baby is often an experiment that needs to be done slowly and carefully.

4. Suji Porridge

Suji Porridge is easily digestible, soft and tasty. It is widely prepared in northern India to serve the six months old babies as their first food. It is prepared using roasted suji and water with a little amount of ghee. You can add jaggery syrup or cow milk to it once your baby is above 1-year-old. Many parents avoid white sugar for a long period of time.

5. Sabudana Porridge

Sabudana Porridge is a wait-gaining food for the babies is recommended by many nutritionists. During diarrhoea as it provides instant energy. It is prepared using sabudana pearls and warm water. You can remove the pearls and offer the water alone or you can blend the pearls into powder and feed. It's also a porridge not all kids enjoy, so try and see how it works for your child.

6. Barley Porridge

Barley is another very healthy food choice for babies above six months. It is smooth, nutritious and easy to digest. It can be prepared by mixing barley with apples and bananas. However, before intruding Barley, apple and banana porridge, make sure your baby has consumed rice porridge or singles grain porridges. Or else you can also choose to feed barley water to weaning babies.

7. Apple Rice Porridge

Apple Rice Porridge is healthy food to feed babies of six months. It is healthy, nutritious, smooth, easily digestible and tasty too. The recipe for this porridge is similar to rice porridge except for the additional sweetener and nutrition in the form of crushed apples.