Weaning at 6 Months...

My little niece is turning 6 months this week! So I've dedicated this entry to my cutie pie! Happy 6 months Little One!

When you start off weaning, you will need to get prepared with: bibs, wipes, silicone spoons and bowls. You might need a bumbo or a high chair to put baby in. Keep some water in a sippy cup so she can get used to having sips of water and ultimately transitioning towards using a cup rather than a bottle.

For cooking, I found a steamer or a double boiler pan essential. Steaming holds all the nutrients in and it is much better than boiling food. A small pressure cooker (handy to stick in the dishwasher) was a godsend for me too! Dals, chicken curry and even soups were made in it. Once the food is cooked, use a blender till finely pulped and add some water or baby's milk depending on the recipe to thin out.

You will need some small storage containers to store the food and may want to use ice trays to keep small quantities and pop out and reheat the food when you need to.

I would recommend offering the first meal in the day so you can keep an eye on allergies which tend to appear 24 hours after baby has digested the meal. So 11 am is a good time to offer, as is 2 pm and of course milk feeds continue as normal. Baby will barely take a few spoons, but this will soon increase to 10 spoons or more. By 7 months, you need to aim to offer a range of foods and flavours.

Here are 3 first recipes that babies love, using a hint of spices for flavour will get baby going on its journey of Indian spices!

1. Steamed Pear with Cloves and Cinnamon

Cut half a pear, de core and leave the skin on. Take a clove and stick it in to the pear. Do the same with a small piece of cinnamon. Place in steamer or a double boiler with the lid on. When the pear is very soft, remove from the pan. Now, remove the skin, clove and cinnamon stick. Cut up and put in the blender with a tablespoon of water. Blend through and serve baby.

2. Butternut squash with Cumin

Take half a cup of deskinned and chopped butternut squash and put in steamer or double boiler with the lid on. While the squash is cooking, take a separate pan and turn up the heat. Once hot add a pinch of cumin seeds. The seeds will start to toast and you will get a lovely fragrance! Now check that the squash is ready by poking it with a fork. It should break up easily. Add to the blender along with the cumin seeds. Add some water if you need to thin further.

3. Duo of Melon

Take 1/4 cup of chopped honeydew melon and 1/4 cup of galia melon and blend. You may want to strain the melon if you feel its very pulpy in texture, else add some water.

Happy Weaning!