Indian baby food chart along with a list of tried & tested 60 Indian baby food recipes. Thanks to the readers who led me to this post on Indian baby food chart. Before I take you to the details of the food chart and the food recipes, please be informed that this post is based on my experience. I have honestly expressed my views and opinions on easy baby weaning so that it could be helpful to new mothers.
Please read the comments below before posting your queries since similar queries may have been answered.
Well, some of my tips might look like old wives tales since they are based on Ayurveda, but I do trust them in growing healthy and happy babies. However I suggest consulting your elders or pediatrician before you follow any new foods or tip that have been mentioned here.
For the past several years, I have been consistently sharing & updating baby recipes especially for a good weight gain. You can find all the latest recipes or ideas on the baby toddler recipes section.
Readers who have been asking for suggestions on foods to gain weight, please check this detailed post on best foods for weight gain in babies & toddlers.
Is this baby food chart suitable to my Baby?
This Indian baby food chart is a generalized one suitable for most babies. However i suggest you to use your judgement whether to include or not, certain ingredients in your babies diet based on your babies allergies, intolerance, appetite, likes and dislikes.
I have tried to link most Indian baby food recipes that I have posted earlier on this blog. Many were written almost 5 years ago and are updated regularly with new tips based on the readers reviews.
This Indian baby food chart was developed by me based on what i fed my 2 kids, whose birth weight was 3.3 kgs and 3.4 kgs. The ideas were basically drawn from the health and baby weaning booklets that were given to us during our visits to the singapore clinics, hospitals and few from clinics in Bangalore.
This chart is also suitable to babies who were preterm born or were underweight. However I suggest mums with such babies to consult a pediatrician if you are skeptical about these foods.
This post will be updated, to include tips and other information. You can leave a comment here if you want to know anything specific which will be answered. Please feel free to share or discuss your experiences, views, problems that you encounter while weaning your babies in the comment section. It could be helpful to other readers, it’s through sharing we can learn.
When to introduce food to baby – 6 months to 1 year
Here is a brief guide on the right time to introduce foods. But how to introduce them can be found in the recipe posts. Example: Oats or oatmeal – I have mentioned clearly how to choose them and the kind you can use and how to prepare it for a baby.
You can find a a detailed baby food chart for 6 months old baby here along with recipes.
This Indian baby food chart and the baby food recipes have been developed for a good weight gain in babies.
Indian baby food chart for babies above 7 months or from 8 months
| Milk – (skip milk if baby wakes up after 8 am, make a milk based breakfast from breakfast section) |
| One of the following: APPLE RICE CEREAL RICE MILK CEREAL SPROUTS VEGETABLE SOUP MOONG DAL SOUP Egg, (Fully boiled or scrambled in very few drops of oil)(babies above one year) IDLI with rasam or sambar (sambar for babies older than 12 months) SET DOSA ATTA HALWA (WHEAT CEREAL) APPLE OATS PORRIDGE VEGETABLE OATS PORRIDGE(blend it in a blender till smooth) MILK OATS PORRIDGE SAGO CARROT PAYASAM BARLEY KHEER APPLE RAGI HALWA RAGI MALT with badam powder CHICKPEAS SOUP (babies older than 15 months) BARLEY VEGETABLE SOUP (blend till smooth) SWEET CORN VEGETABLE SOUP(blend till smooth) CURD OATS MOONG DAL HALWA (NEW) Quick fix breakfast (for 8 to 18 months): Nestum rice (stage 1) with ALMOND MILK Nestum rice with homemade curd (plain yogurt), add water as needed while mixing |
| One of the following: Steamed apple (raw apple for babies older than 12 months) Banana or steamed kerala banana (if baby has cold) Papaya Chikoo (sapota) Avocado Melon Other fruits like watermelon, pears, oranges or 2 tbsp of fresh HOMEMADE PLAIN CURD / YOGURT (3 times a week, avoid when the baby has cold & phlegm, prefer room temperature. As the baby grows you can increase the quantity) |
| Try using whole grains like RAGI OR FINGER MILLET Broken wheat (daliya). Half basmati brown rice with half white rice. Soak them for about 2 to 4 hours in warm water before cooking. Discard the water. Try one of the following DALIA KHICHDI (vegetable broken wheat food) SWEET PONGAL VENN PONGAL(skip pepper, hing) DAL KHICHDI with one of the vegetables: spinach, methi, pumpkin, carrot, ridge gourd, bottle gourd, tomato METHI KHICHDI TOMATO DAL KHICHDI (no veggies) POTATO RICE SWEET POTATO RICE (make the same way as potato rice, you can add a bit of jaggery instead of salt) PLANTAIN RICE RECIPE (raw cooking banana with rice) URAD DAL KHICHDI VEGETABLE OATS KHICHDI CHICKPEA TODDLER MEAL for toddlers not for babies INDIAN BABY FOOD with chickpeas and methi leaves (11 months, only for babies not having colic) Dal & mashed rice with TOMATO RASAM, RASAM made with RASAM POWDER mashed rice with MOONG DAL RASAM or dal ka paani (bassaru) Soft mashed rice withDRUMSTICK SAMBAR or SAMBAR (15 months and above,mash up the veggies along with the rice, try using homemade sambar powder) For a lighter meal, if the baby has colic mashed rice with dal ka paani with a pinch of ajwain(strained dal soup) Soft Mashed rice with milk Mashed rice with yogurt (avoid this frequently) Soft Mashed rice & banana (if needed puree) Mashed rice with TAMARIND / DANIYA RASAM Soft cooked carrot, mashed rice with daniya rasam sabudana porridge with salt and ajwain (vaamu / carom seeds) powder rice porridge with salt and ajwain powder |
| Fruits or steam cooked mashed veggies |
| One of the following: Large serving of Milk whole grain cereal RAGI MALT WITH MILK (almond powder can be included) Millet porridge (will post the recipe shortly) ALMOND MILK with powdered corn flakes or nestum rice (stage 1) CARROT BABY FOOD (can skip almonds) CARROT MILKSHAKE or CARROT JUICE SMOOTHIE (babies above 1 year) |
| Please Note: Feeding late can cause indigestion and the infant may not sleep due to colic. Avoid feeding heavy foods. Dinner should always be light, nutritious, mostly vegetable based. For babies from 10 to 12 months prefer light foods from breakfast section. Avoid egg & nuts. Babies above 12 months : Any foods mentioned in the breakfast and lunch can also be served for dinner. Other options mashed rice with dal ka paani (strained dal soup) Soft mashed rice with milk Mashed rice, carrot with daniya rasam rice porridge with veggies Rice with dal ka pani (bassaru) and light cooked vegetables. Soft Rice with tomato rasam and light steamed or cooked vegetables. |
| Large serving of Milk. Make sure there is a gap of at least 1 hour 30 mins in between the completion of dinner and milk. For babies above 12 months: If the baby is still hungry after the milk, can feed some light crackers. |
Related post: how to make ragi flour for babies or toddlers’ porridge
Tips to increase the appetite in babies
1. Try to serve fruits 1 ½ to 2 hours before a meal. They tend to make the infant feel hungry naturally. Do not serve fruit with a meal.
2. Do not mix fruits with dairy especially milk. It leads to indigestion.
3. Babies need exercise, let them play and crawl or run around. Don’t confine them to a small area. For toddlers / babies who can walk, a small walk in the neighborhood before a meal can make them hungry.
General Tips:
1. If you have a very fussy baby, avoid milk in the early morning and serve milk based breakfast mentioned in the table.
2. Serving bread or any other baked stuff to babies, leads to colic or bloating due to the ingredients like baking soda, powder, yeast etc.
3. Limit crackers or biscuits to only once a day, avoiding is however better.
Komal says
Hi Swasthi,
I’m a mom of 23 month old girl. How do I regulate her food schedule? She is not eating enough according to her age she is under weight. She just has no appetite. Whatever I offer her she won’t eat. Can I follow this food chart? The recipes would be suitable for her age? She won’t eat on schedule time so I offer food after sometime and that way her schedule is all messed up. Just met Gastroenterologist doc today and he didn’t find anything wrong.
Please help me putting her in back to good eating schedule and increase her appetite
swasthi says
Hi Komal,
Yes you can follow this food chart till she completes 4 years. I used the same for both my kids. When the kid begins to go to a full day school then it is hard to follow this schedule. The recipes are suitable till 4+. I have mentioned details in most posts. You will need to increase the quantities as she grows. Not sure if you have gone through the posts on the blog.
Firstly focus on early to bed, early to rise. This helps a lot in following the schedule. Eating late in the noon and dinner slows down the digestion so they won’t eat well the next day.
Secondly avoid incompatible combinations like – milk & fruit, dal & yogurt or anything of that sort. This results in low appetite.
Thirdly an evening walk, fruits – 45 mins to 1 hour before a meal is a must.
When she is fussy, just let her the skip the meal and give her steamed veggies or fruits.
If you follow the above schedule properly you will begin to see the results in 3 to 4 weeks.
Hope these help.
🙂