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.
Hi ,
I need to know sleep time in between solid and also wen to breastfeed or giv formula
Can I follow this recipes to my 2.5years toddler.
Yes You can follow them. I have used these recipes till my kids were 5.
Can you suggest food that can be carried for 24 hours travel in flight
Hi Anuprita,
I assume this is for a baby or toddler. It is good to carry dehydrated food like baby cereal (store-bought or homemade) where you just pour hot/warm water and milk powder to make it instantly. It is also good to check with your airlines if you are allowed to carry precooked baby food.
Hi swathi
My baby is 11 month ad she is not getting any weight even dor she eat too much she don’t add weight ad her skin is so bad
3.5 yrs baby girl, pl suggest kerala food items with quality & quantity
Hi Swathi,
My baby completed 9 month on l want to follow a proper rotunie with different healthy food recipe for her. Plz help me even as how often I have to give her solid and how much minimum should be given. It’s been nearly two months I have started solid for her I give her ganji kind of puree tyo I prepare of all dal mixed powder and I give her cooker rice which I grind n mix cooked veggies . I will be so much confused as wat to give her today like for bf n for lunch n snacks as she sleeps aft her bf for a while n even aft her lunch n evening as well. So I get confused as when to give solid n feed my breast milk n make her sleep ..if she won’t have a nap she won’t eat fully. Plz help me with routine plus recipe and frequency and qty plz
Hi Swasthi,
My baby is 11 months old. She doesn’t like to eat rice at all. I am unable to give a proper food schedule for her. Her day starts at 9AM or late or may be sometimes early. Please help with food timings for her. As she takes an hour to eat a meal. She only likes to eat Dosa, Upma. I am worried about her growth. She is active but i am worried about weight as this is growing age. She likes to drink more of milk, Its my feed. I dnt use formula. I am vegge, so she is not liking to eat non-veg. All other family members eat non-veg at home.
Please help me with the substitue for rice and food timings.
Hi Divya,
Try to follow the schedule I mentioned in this post. If she wakes up late start her schedule late. You can give her dosa everyday. We usually give steamed dosas for babies under 12 months as they are easy to digest since no oil is used. You can check my set dosa recipe for that. Yes milk is still important and is a major food till she turns 1.
Hi Swasthi,
Hope you are doing good.Thanks a lot for your recipes.I have a 8 months old baby and am following the above food chat.So,can you please help me how to give ridge gourd, bottle gourd,Beetroot and Broccoli etc….I mean to say the way we are giving the pumpkin and other veggies or is there any different way do you have? Can you please explain?
Thanks in advance!
Hello Indira,
Yes doing good. Thank you. I would pressure cook ridge gourd and bottle gourd with dal without spices for the entire family. Take out a portion for the baby and then temper the rest with spices. Blend the baby’s portion and add it to mashed rice. Blending is optional but most babies cannot chew the fibers. You can do the same with methi leaves, spinach, gourds, pumpkin, carrots etc. You can steam potatoes and broccoli. Puree and feed. Hope this helps.
Great help! Thank you dear.
Hi my baby is 6 months and he doesn’t gain wait what should I gave herq
Please read the post fully. I have all the details there
Hello mam,my baby turned 1 year, we want to switch to formula milk. Can you pls suggest any brand?
Hi Venkat,
If possible call your local pediatrician and ask. I don’t live in India so I don’t know much about the brands available there. For my babies I used pediasure from 1 year onwards. You can also move to plain cow or buffalo milk. Hope this helps.
Thank you mam
Hi..usually my baby is passing stool once in a day since he started solids but today when I gave him papaya, he passed stool twice and the second motion was little red in colour as if of papaya colour..is it normal?
Hi Anshika
Yes it is normal. Call your pediatrician to confirm that.
Hi mam, my 16 months old baby is not liking raw apple or steamed one so I started to feed with milk. Now I found this is wrong. how to make her eat in other way? Pls help
Hi Sridevi,
Try using fruits with rice, oats and ragi. You can check these links
Apple Ragi
Apple rice
Apple oats
You can use other fruits instead of apple. Note these are too light for 16 months’ meal. So good to give for a breakfast after 2 hours of milk or for evening snack
Thank you so much mam
7 -8 months babies needs 14 hours sleep when shall i make them sleep
Yes they need 14 hours sleep but not at a stretch. A baby wakes up every 2 to 3 hours for a feed
I see 6 meals a day mentioned above. So when do we feed milk? 8 – 9 months old the baby will still need mother’s milk right?
6 meals a day is difficult.
Hi my baby is 6 months and he doesn’t gain wait what should I gave her
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
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.
🙂
Madam i am suma 9 month baby i have. Breast milk completly reduce i am giving moong dal kichdi and ragi malt. Baby not getting a wheight what to do plz tell me madam
Hi Suma,
But have you stopped milk completely? At 9 months baby still needs milk. Which milk are you giving? Are you following the above food chart?
Hi , I have 1 year old daughter and she is under weight, doctor say try giving her formula as she is breast fed baby she refused no matter what I do … I have tried your many recipes. She don’t eat same thing more than two or three days .I am so anxious.please help.
Hello Mimi,
It is very normal for toddlers at this age being too fussy especially when the food is repeated. Some times it is because they have a teething problem, sometimes indigestion and more times for fun or lack of activity. Make sure you don’t repeat the foods with in 3 to 4 days. I know it very difficult to make food that way. Introduce badam milk to her. Since she doesn’t like milk, try giving her milk based solids like powdered poha mixed with badam milk, cooked rice mixed with badam milk, sabudana cooked with badam milk. Give her soaked nuts, dal, kabuli chana,eggs, whole grains, moong dal dosa etc. Hope these help.
hi,
kindly guide me how can i add seasame in my 2.3 yr old boy diet.is it ok to give him?saesame seed or oil?
Hi Zari,
You can add the toasted sesame seeds in ladoos. You can check these dates sesame ladoos, andhra style sesame ladoo and dry fruits ladoo. Sesame seeds generate heat in the body so start with smaller quantities like 1 tbsp per day. Some kids don’t do well with it and turn lean but become fit & stronger. Check how he does. One of my kids cannot tolerate the heat from jaggery, dates and sesame. So I soak the white unhulled sesame seeds for 6 to 8 hours and blend them along with banana and make a shake. This is one of the easiest ways. You should discard the water in which sesame is soaked. Rinse them and add to a blender with some water make a smooth puree then add banana. Also give him lot of water. Hope this helps.
thnx alot for info and which time shd i give that shake?
Welcome Zari.
Preferably 3 hours after a meal & 2 hours before a meal. I usually give in the evening 4.30 to 5
Hii maam
My 1yr old baby…eats everything what i give..but in between and after each meal..he passes poop. Is this normal??is he has any digestion issues?
Hi Zameena,
Yes this is a common thing with most babies and may stay till they turn 4 to 5 years. But you need to check with your doctor once as this can also happen due to worms in the stomach. Deworming is needed for some babies, every 6 months. It is just a natural thing but you have to follow the deworming process after consulting your pediatrician.
It could be due to indigestion problem as well. Elders in my family say we should not feed babies the food cooked for the family (that is for the grown ups). As our food is made with more oil, salt, spices etc. So we always cook separately for babies at least till they finish 2 yrs.Just check if this is the reason. Hope this helps
My baby is 2.4year old. She is 12kg.she doesn’t like rice and veggies. So I smash it together and feeds her for lunch. Is it ok for her health. Please give me advice.
Hi Meera,
Yes it is fine to mash the rice and feed. For a good weight gain give her dal regularly along with ragi, soaked nuts, badam milk, boiled eggs & boiled sweet potatoes.
Hello,
my baby is 13mnth old .he wakes up at 9.30 i feed him cow milk 11.am i gave hm brkfst like upma,daliya,poha n lunch at 1.30 like khichdi of gren dal sum tyms moong dal khichdi, my baby dnt eat fruit what to do i have tried giving many tym mashd n gvn but not eating .i have statrd cows milk 15 days bck
Hi Heer,
Which fruits did you try? Fruits should be started after 6 months. Since it is easy to get the baby used to the taste of fruits at an early age. Did you try after 6 months? Have you tried flavoring porridge or rice with fruits? You can easily mash the fruits and add to the plain rice or oats, daliya or even to wheat cereal. Upma and poha is not a healthy food for 13 months baby.Please check the fruit flavoured recipes mentioned in the above table.Please cook food separately for the baby. It has to be soft, mashed or slightly coarse and moist – porridge like. At 13 months not all babies can eat food made for the family. Hope this helps.
Very innovative and nutritious recipes .Keep it up. Mainly it’s very useful for mothers who want their children to have healthy food habits since childhood. Looking forward for new recipes
Thank you so much Foram.