Hello dear MoMsters, is your baby now 8 months old? Then it is important to maintain the growth and development of the body tissues, organs, and metabolic system for proper functioning right from infancy. Provide a healthy diet such as cereals, pulses, vegetables, and fruits.
At this stage, slowly increase other feeds and decrease the frequency of breastfeeding. Per day, the calorie intake of your baby would be 750–900 kcal. About 400 to 500 calories should come from the mother’s breast milk.
Few points to be taken care of while feeding semi-solid food.
Use stainless steel or silver cup for feeding; do not use any plastic product.
Make sure that your baby’s feeding utensils are clean and sterilized with hot water, because your baby’s immune system is still weak and the baby is vulnerable to infection, hence maintain hygiene.
Prefer homemade foods over buying packaged or ready-made foods available in the market, because homemade is the safest and the healthiest.
While feeding avoids giving gadgets like mobile or other radiation-emitting substances, which is not good for the baby’s overall development.
All about food tips:
You should introduce one new food at a time for your baby, and wait for a minimum of 2 to 3 days before starting another item. This will also help you to understand any food item that is causing allergy/indigestion in your baby.
Everything should be made in a form of paste.
You can start adding ghee to foods in small quantities.
Non-veg should be given only after 11 months.
Don’t let her eat alone. Encourage eating with family members. Do not distract her while she’s eating by showing her toys etc., she should concentrate on her food.
Avoid biscuits, sugar, salt, honey, and cow milk till 1 year.
Do not mix 2 fruits or 2 veggies.
After feeding food, give warm water; do not give water from feeding bottles. Use a small cup or glass.
How do you know that your baby has an allergy to a particular food?
If a food doesn’t suit your baby, your baby may show the following symptoms:
Diarrhea
Runny nose
Rashes
Constipation
Vomiting
Colic (stomach pain)
If any of the above symptoms are seen, stop using that food and consult your child’s doctor.
At the age of 8 months, your baby will let you know that he or she is ready for finger foods. (What are finger foods? Any pieces of food that the baby can pick up quickly and eat by themselves are called finger foods.) Finger foods encourage the baby to self-feed, and they understand different textures while touching the food! But supervise the baby when they eat finger food, to avoid the risk of choking! Hence, you should include finger foods such as soft-cooked carrots, peeled apples, papaya pieces, bananas, and boiled potatoes.
And don’t force the baby to eat finger food, as each baby is unique and adopts eating habits at its own pace. Just keep trying your best to encourage his or her eating habits.
Quantity of food:
Fruit or veg puree – 1/2 cup.
Cereals – 1/2 cup.
It’s always better to be guided with your baby’s hunger, as appetite varies from day to day
“Dear MoMsters these are just guidelines that might give you an idea about introducing solid food, when & what to feed. And these are hourly routines, check the appetite of your baby and feed accordingly.
If the baby doesn’t like food, wait for a few weeks before introducing it again. Don’t force your baby to complete the entire cup.
Go through our tips, Stay healthy and Stay Happy.!!
How many times should Children drink milk in a day? What are the Benefits and disadvantages of drinking milk?
Dear Moms the above questions flash in the mind of every parent. Let us help you with the proper details.
According to my research, Children (Age group – above 2 years) should consume 2 cups of whole milk per day; that is morning when they wake up – one cup and evening between 4.30 – 5.30 PM.
Children who drink milk more than 3 cups per day often have a very limited intake of solid foods, which ultimately leads to an imbalance in nutrition and they fall anemic.
Note: Do not give cow milk or buffalo milk till 1 year; they feel hard to digest this milk. From birth to till 12 months strictly follow breast milk or formula milk. And avoid bottle feeding, the bottle is the root cause of infection because the microorganisms may stick on the neck and teat of the bottle and these microorganisms transmit to the infant. (Feeding bottles require perfect sterilization and regular cleaning.)
Pediatricians generally do not recommend bottles instead they advise giving top milk with the help of a cup and spoon.
And my personal suggestion is to adopt our elder’s method of feeding top milk i.e. our Indian feeding device, the Paladai.
Milk is a wholesome drink packed with essential nutrients like calcium, riboflavin, phosphorous, potassium, Vitamins A, and B12.
Milk helps us to maintain normal vision, increases red blood cell count, supplies proteins for body repair, builds healthy bone & teeth, may prevent bone fractures, and help to maintain a healthy weight.
The disadvantage of drinking milk more than 3 cups:
Imbalance in nutrition (Nutritional deficiency).
Vomiting after eating solid food.
Stomach pain.
Loss of interest in solid foods.
Gassiness.
Fussiness.
Constipation.
Dear MoMsters hope this post might have helped in some way to say bye-bye to your confusion, kindly follow our tips, and have happy parenting. 🙂
“My Baby won’t sleep at night and I need some rest”, it’s the common complaint that we hear from every new parent. Dear MoMsters cool down it’s quite normal; most of the parents have faced this.
With my experience, I have tried to list down a few solutions. Remember each baby is different and what works for me may not work for you. Find a solution that helps your present situation. If one doesn’t work, move on to another. At last, you’ll find something that works and you will get enough time to understand your baby’s sleep pattern!
“Generally a baby gets adapted to sleep well during nights from 3rd month onwards. But dear moms, some babies take a longer time to adjust to night-time sleep, which might be 6 months or even more.
Understanding sleep pattern, Month Wise:
Newborn – 5 Months.
A newborn will not sleep throughout the night anyway. They generally wake up every 3-4 hours for a feed. And during night time it’s your duty to feed him every 2- 3 hours for 20 mins. After 3 months some babies can be fed even when they are in deep sleep. If baby’s tummy is full, they don’t cry or disturb you at least for 3 hours
Feeding during nighttime should be followed for 6 months at least and don’t forget to burp after every feed.
Tips: Some babies start crying by sucking their hands. In that case, you need to feed him/her frequently, he/she might not be getting adequate milk, that’s the reason they suck hands and crying.
6 month – 11 Month:
Check whether the baby is feeling uncomfortable due to the wet diaper.
If the baby is having gas in the stomach; in that case try the cycling exercise before bedtime.
If the baby is not able to sleep due to heat, then create a suitable environment and switch to a ventilated room.
Other reasons for disturbed sleep could be teething or having a growth spurt.
What is a growth spurt?
During a growth spurt, your baby may be more restless and you may notice that he/she wants to be held all the time and they will cry when you put them on the bed. Also sometimes you may find sudden wake up from sleep and start weeping for a longer time. Don’t worry it’s normal.
What should you do during a growth spurt?
Respond to your baby’s cues and try to give her what she needs, such as extra feeds, a short nap on your lap, a soft lullaby, and cuddles.
Talk to your doctor if you’re concerned that his/ her symptoms might be something more.
If the one-year baby is not sleeping:
Then check does he/she feels hungry?
Diapers are wet?
Does he/she oversleep during the daytime?
If the child is on medication that can disturb her/his sleep.
Provide deworming syrup. (Note: Only once per year)
General Tips:
Before bedtime breastfeeds your infant full and burp for 20 mins after each feed and also make sure he is not suffering from colic, if so do cycling exercise or give Himalaya bonnisan drops / colicaid drops only when necessary and during the day Massage babies body with warm coconut oil and give a bath – (which relieves his body pain and helps in good sleep).
Always feed your baby by holding an upright position (so that they don’t swallow air).
Before breastfeeding mom should drink plenty of water.
Make a regular schedule for sleeping and establish a bedtime routine such as reading books, rocking, and creating a soothing environment with soft lullaby music also make sure to comfort your baby when he or she is afraid.
Usually, babies refuse to go to sleep without a parent nearby. Babies are comfortable sleeping in mothers lap, but it’s always better to practice to make them sleep in the comfortable cradle, I know it’s tough to shift from mother’s lap to cradle; definitely, it will take some time, but have patience they will get habituated with cradle slowly.
If the baby is suffering from a cold, then avoid bottle feeding which is the root cause for infection. Continue breastfeeding and if find a blocked nose try to use Nasoclear Saline Nasal Drops- 2 drops in each nostril half an hour before feeding or sleeping.
Avoid mobile or TV before bedtime.
Suppose at night when baby wakes up, maintain to keep the lights and noise low. He should figure out night time is for sleeping, if they are cranky try to soothe them by rocking are singing a lullaby.
Interact and play with your toddler during day time. Keep house bright and well lighted on the day.
A good feeding and more playing will help your toddler. Give them rich food such as fruits and vegetables. Afternoon short sleep will be fine, but do not make them oversleep during the day.
Signs of sleep readiness
Yawning
Rubbing eyes
Looking away
Fussing
Health advice for parents:
Take breaks whenever possible, sleep when your baby sleeps and doesn’t matter whether it is day or night.
Keep away mobile phones from you and your baby, in order to avoid radiation.
Try to keep your life simple at least till the baby reaches 1 year old.
Get help from your relatives or friends whenever necessary.
Eat Healthy foods and do some simple exercise such as walking or climbing stairs.
Meditation helps to overcome postpartum depression.
Join discussion forums to understand parenting tips.
Dear MoMsters, I hope this content helps all New MoMS! Kindly drop your comments.
My baby is fussy and refuses to feed, when checked, white patches were there on the tongue and inner cheeks; this was the common issue faced by many parents.
First of all, what is Oral thrush?
Oral thrush is a yeast infection of the tongue and mouth, which is common in babies, children, and older adults. This thrush is caused by a type of fungus called Candida.
Do you want to know the appearance of oral thrush? Let’s check out: Usually it is white or yellowish-white patches on the tongue, inner cheeks, and top palate of the mouth. Those white patches cannot be removed or loosen when wiped or rinsed with water.
Do not panic, know the causes of oral thrush:
Generally, in younger babies, the infection can be passed between a mother and baby during breastfeeding.
Candida growth can happen if the baby is given antibiotics for a bacterial infection recently or if the mother has had antibiotics and has been breastfeeding the baby. Antibiotics can harm the good bacterium which leads to the development of yeast infection.
Frequent uses of a pacifier.
If a child has a weaker immune system
Use of steroid medicines.
Thrush passes through the birth canal of a mother, the vagina often has small amounts of candida naturally.
Symptoms of Oral Thrush:
As I earlier mentioned it is white or yellowish-white patches on the tongue, inner cheeks, and top palate of the mouth.
Some babies have pain and some don’t.
Babies find it difficult to swallow and refuses to feed.
Younger babies show fussiness and colic due to discomfort caused by thrush.
Children report soreness or burning in their mouth.
Toddlers or children experience bad taste or develop loss of taste.
Sometimes slight bleeding is visible.
What are the symptoms faced by breastfeeding mother:
If the baby or mother get infected, the cycle of transmission is possible. In that case, both you and your baby should get treated.
You may feel your nipples are sore and red.
Burning sensation in or around your nipples.
Flaking skin around your nipples.
Pain in your breasts, during and after breastfeeding.
Consult a doctor if your child:
Is younger and has a fever of more than 100°F.
Has symptoms that don’t get better.
Stops eating or drinking.
Any other symptoms which are bothering the child.
The white patches in the mouth can be like other health conditions too. Make sure you check with the doctor for further diagnosis.
Remedies:
Generally, doctors suggest an antifungal solution, which is applied by painting it on the inside of the mouth and tongue.
For breastfeeding, mother antifungal ointment is provided to apply on your nipples.
For toddlers or children, adding yogurt to their diet helps. Yogurt which generally contains lactobacilli is beneficial. Usually, a healthy immune system and some good bacteria control the amount of fungus in the body.
With doctors’ consultation provide immunity-boosting syrup depending on the child’s age.
Prevention:
If you are giving formula feed or giving a pacifier, thoroughly clean the nipples and pacifiers in hot water or a dishwasher after each use. And also toys to be sterilized which they generally puts in mouth. This helps, if there’s yeast on the nipple, toys, or pacifier, your baby won’t be reinfected.
Do not store used milk, discard, and prepare freshly each time.
Older children provide a nutritious diet.
Practice good oral hygiene by brushing teeth twice a day.
Replace toothbrush after the treatment of oral thrush.
Check whether your child washes his or her hands often.
Wash drinking bottles and cups using warm water and soap after each use.
For breastfeeding mother, wipe your nipple with warm water before and after feeding and keep your nipples clean and dry between feedings. Usually, moisture creates favorable conditions for fungus to grow, hence wear breathable inner wear.
Dear MoMsters I hope after reading this article, you can handle the symptoms of oral thrush and please do prevent before it affects your child.
Hello dear MoMsters your baby is 6 months old? Wohoooo 🙂 🙂 Congratulations for achieving this milestone, now this is the right time for your baby to start semi-solid foods!
For all nuclear families, who are a little bit confused about how to introduce solids to a 6-month baby, then keep calm, and read this blog.
Few tips to be taken care of while starting Solids for the first time.
Make sure you are not stopping the breastfed as it is still the major diet for 6 months old.
Use stainless steel or silver cup for feeding; do not use any plastic product.
Make sure that your baby’s feeding utensils are clean and sterilized with hot water, because your baby’s immune system is still weak and baby is vulnerable to infection, hence maintain hygiene.
Prefer homemade foods over buying packaged or ready-made foods available in the market, because homemade is the safest and the healthiest.
While feeding avoids giving gadgets like mobile or other radiation-emitting substances, which is not good for the baby’s overall development.
All about food tips:
Baby’s first food should be semi-liquid, gradually move to a thick consistency as your baby learned to eat.
At 6 months, do not introduce non-veg and dairy products.
Avoid biscuits, sugar, salt, honey, cow milk till 1 year.
Do not mix 2 fruits or 2 veggies.
Initially, the purees must be in flowing consistency.
After feeding food, give warm water; do not give water from feeding bottles. Use a small cup or glass.
You should introduce one new food at a time for your baby, and wait for a minimum of 2 to 3 days before starting another item. This will also help you to understand about any food item that is causing allergy/indigestion in your baby.
How do you know that your baby has an allergy to a particular food?
If a food doesn’t suit your baby, your baby may show the following symptoms:
Diarrhea
Runny nose
Rashes
Constipation
Vomiting
Colic (stomach pain)
If any of the above symptoms are seen, stop using that food and consult your child’s doctor.
Quantity of food:
2 tbsp. of fruit or veg puree, you can gradually increase to 3 tbsp. in the second week.
2 tbsp. of cereal, you can gradually increase to 1/4 cup.
It’s always better to be guided with your baby’s hunger, as appetite varies from day to day.
First 2 weeks just stick to Breakfast and Lunch. Observe how does his digestive system react and 3rd week onwards start adding semi-solid food for dinner too.
Slowly by 7th month you will get a little idea of his hunger pattern.
Food Plan:
After baby wakes up in the morning, breastfeeding is necessary and provides breakfast only after 1 and half hour gap.
Breakfast: 8 AM fruit Puree or veg puree
You can give mashed banana [Banana variety: I usually give baby (Nino) banana variety which is short chubby banana, because elders say bigger thick-skinned banana can cause wheezing and phlegm problem in babies], / steamed and peeled apple puree / steamed & mashed chikku / steamed pear puree / mashed papaya / ripen avocado mashed / carrot puree.
After 2 – 3 hours gap breastfeeding.
Lunch: 1 PM.
1st week – Rice porridge (the consistency of food should be flowing type not thicker one).
2nd week – clear moong dal soup.
3rd week – ragi porridge.
4th week – Semolina/Suji/Rava + banana porridge.
After 2 – 3 hours gap breastfed.
4th week onwards repeat any of these recipes for dinner, but do not give moong dal soup for dinner in order to avoid digestion issues.
Suggested Daily Milk Intakes for Babies:
0-3 Months of age: breastfeed every 1-2 hours once.
4-5 Months of age: breastfeed every 2 hours once.
6-8 Months of age: breastfeed or formula feed every 3-4 hours.
9-12 Months of age: breastfeed or formula feed every 4-5 hours once.
“Dear MoMsters these are just guidelines that might give you an idea about introducing solid food, when & what to feed. And these are hourly routines, check the appetite of your baby and feed accordingly.
If the baby doesn’t like food, wait for a few weeks before introducing it again. Don’t force your baby to complete the entire cup; it will take some couple of months to adjust with the food.”
Semolina/Suji/Rava + banana porridge:
Ingredients:
Roasted fine rava/suji – 2 tbsp.
Hot Water – ½ cup.
Banana – ¼ pieces.
Method:
(If your baby doesn’t like the texture of suji, make it to a powder by grinding in a blender.)
Sterilize the feeding bowl and spoon in a hot water for 5 mins.
Take 2 tbsp. of roasted suji in a saucepan to add the required amount of hot water to the suji and mix slowly. Make sure that there are no lumps formed. Cook the suji in medium flame until cooked completely.
At last step, you can add a natural sweetener like mashed banana, to the porridge. Mix well and feed the baby.
Ragi porridge:
Ragi is a rich source of iron and calcium. It is one of the best baby foods which is easily digestible and enhances immunity.
Ingredients:
The required amount of Ragi seeds to make powder.
Formula milk as needed.
½ cup of water.
Method:
Take ragi seeds, wash them thoroughly, and put them under sun dry.
Roast the dried seeds in a medium flame, cool them, and then grind it finely to make a powder.
In a cooking pan add 2 tbsp. of ragi powder and sauté for about one minute.
Then pour a half cup of water and break the lumps by continuously stirring.
Cook till it reaches semi-thick consistency.
Cool and mix formula milk as needed.
Serve immediately as formula milk mixed.
You can also skip formula milk, just prepare with the help of water for consistency.
Hope, this information might have given you all some idea about introducing solid to your baby.
These are very exciting phases. Make it more memorable by adding more delicious food for your baby.
we know many of you come across the term tonsils and also looking for safe home remediesfor your little wonders.
Here we go, what is tonsil? And how to manage?
Tonsils are part of the lymphatic system which helps to fight infection by filtering bacteria and viruses from the air and food, but sometimes the tonsils itself get infected which leads to tonsillitis.
Tonsils can become enlarged because they become infected with a virus or bacteria that cause throat infections. In addition, allergies such as seasonal allergies, dust, pollen grains also can cause the tonsils to enlarge.
Usually, tonsils return to normal size once the infection is over, so don’t worry…
But sometimes they remain enlarged, particularly in children who have chronic infections.
What are the Symptoms?
Sore throat
Difficulty swallowing
Bad breath
Runny nose
Vomiting
Fatigue
Swelling of lymph nodes
Headaches
Fever
Home remedies:
Start giving your child– Turmeric milk at night or early morning, which works like a magic.
Take half spoon of turmeric powder, ¼ teaspoon powdered black pepper and half a teaspoon of palm sugar in a glass of warm milk. Give this drink to your child before they go to bed or early morning. (Turmeric is a natural antibiotic…)
Ginger milk with honeyhelps to get rid of throat pain and inflammation. (Honey is rich in antioxidants)
Preparation: Boil half –inch grated ginger with a cup of water, get the ginger extract and mix with warm milk with a drop of honey. You can give this remedy early morning, the child may even feel hungry because of ginger effect.
You can also try this –Squeeze ½ a lemon into a glass of warm water also add 1 tbsp honey and pinch of salt. Mix well, let the child drink this mixture 2 times a day.
Teach your child to gargle with a salt water solution twice every day.
Make sure the child consumes sufficient water (preferably warm water) to prevent dehydration
Humidifier or steam inhalation will help to relieve the sore throat.
Give Vitamin C rich food, which helps to fight the microorganism.
Try all the above mentioned remedies.
Avoid crowded place
Keep home dust free.
Maintain hygiene.
Take a good care so that baby should not suffer from severe cold, cold will trigger throat pain.
If doctor prescribes antibiotics, then use it. Antibiotic helps to remove bacterial infection.
And also help your child to take the antibiotic exactly as directed and follow the same timing schedule for medication. This helps clear up symptoms quickly.
Even if your child feels better please complete antibiotic course as directed by doctor. I’m saying this because irregular medication leads to welcoming back the infection again.
Things to remember- For few days
Avoid spicy food.
Do not give junk food and chocolates.
Avoid cold water, chilled juices, ice creams, curd and buttermilk.
Give warm water for drinking
Give freshly made food.
Give liquid type food, which helps who have difficulty in swallowing.
And dear MoMsters if child has high fever and feeling very uncomfortable please consult doctor.
After recovery give your child a new toothbrush so that previous infection should not pass.
Hoping for speedy recovery. Take care.
If any doubts or needed more clarification, kindly leave a comment.
Vitamins A, and B12.
repair, builds healthy bone & teeth, may prevent bone fractures, and help to maintain a healthy weight.
