Raising a Baby - 1

There is a saying in Kannada – Maduve maadi nodu, Mane katti nodu (perform a wedding and build a house) – to experience life. They need to add – Magu belasi nodu (Raise a child) – also to that :) :D

There are so many ways of raising babies. Each parent does it in a different way. And I have realized that there is no right or wrong way of doing if its not hurting the baby in any way.

After taking and getting lot of advice from family and friends, A and I opted for “our” way of raising our baby :) I just want to put everything we do for our kid in words.  

I am a herbal freak. I try to follow the natural way for myself. So everything for my son has been the natural way as much as possible.

A very important need of a baby is the feeding. Everyone knows breast milk is the BEST. But the next best thing is the formula milk. Our pediatrician suggested Nan Pro formula powder. Nan Pro 1 till 6months and Nan Pro 2 after 6months. Its working well for our son. And research shows that Nan Pro is good, though it doesn't taste very good.

Feeding is a wide topic.

For an infant, most of the nutrients are fulfilled by milk till the baby turns 1 year old. Our parents fed us solids mostly after we turned a year old. But now, the doctors suggest that solids can be introduced during the age of 4-6 months.

I started feeding his first solid food – ragi after he turned 5 months – once a day. He loves ragi. His first ragi was prepared by our doctor aunty. Plain ragi, soaked overnight and sprouted, dried, roasted and ground to powder in the mill. This lasted for 2 months. I used to mix 1 spoon ragi , a tiny pinch of jaggery and ghee in pre-boiled and cooled water. Stirred it well till it became a smooth watery paste, and then kept on the stove on low flame. Have to keep stirring continuosly for 5 minutes. Then turn it off and cool the ragi by keeping it in a vessel filled with cold water/ice. Feed him.

After 7 months, mom has prepared a more nutritious ragi. So I add one spoon of ragi, and 1 spoon of the nutritious powder which contains the following:

Sprouted Hesar kalu

Sprouted Kadle kalu

Wheat

Almonds

A pinch of elaichi powder

-All the above washed, dried, roasted and powdered.

Ragi for infants can be bought at the store as well. Just ask for "Ragi Sari". A good store I know of is called the "Subbamma store" located in Gandhi bazar and jayanagar.

  

Started giving him elakki banana (small one) around the age of 5 months on a daily basis. Just remove the edges and mash the banana with a spoon, and fed him with hands (so that i could mash it more with my hand before feeding).

Once a week we give him steamed apple.

Peel apple skin and cut into small pieces, put it in a small vessel. Pour a glass of water in a small cooker, keep a vessel inside the cooker with 1 glass water and cover it. Place the vessel with the apple on top of this and close the lid with the whistle on. Let the cooker whistle 10 times. The apple would have become soft. Just mash it more with a spoon and feed.

After our son turned 6 months, we did “Anna Shastra” in front of the God. Gave his first rice. He loved the sweet pongal :)

Wash 1 spoon rice and 1 spoon moong dhal.

Peel and cut vegetables and wash.

Put 1 sprig of Nela basale soppu

Mix all the above in a small vessel and add little water. Pour a glass of water in a small cooker, keep a vessel inside the cooker with 1 glass water and cover it. Place the vessel with the above mix on top of this and close the lid with the whistle on. Let the cooker whistle 15 times. After it cools, put the content in a blender (I use an Avent/Philips blender which is awesome). I feed him the puree in the night around 7 – 7.30.

I add a combination of different vegetables every day.

Carrots/Beans – almost everyday

Beetroot

Sweet potato

Squash

Pumpkin (Add little, as it can cause cold)

Potato (for carbohydrate)

Dill leaves – sabsige soppu

I sometimes add mint leaves also.

The above vegetables are good to start off with for a baby as its easy to digest. Its better to wait till the baby is at least 10 months before starting on other vegetables (and fruits as well)

As I mentioned earlier an infant gets his share of nutrients mainly from breast milk or formula milk. So one has to continue feeding the baby milk. Below is the schedule I try to follow:

7am/8am - Milk

10am/11am – Ragi

Water from the sipper

1.30pm – Milk

3.30pm – Banana/Apple

5.30pm – Milk

7.30pm - Rice

Many people and the doctor suggested that the baby needs variety – change in taste everyday. So now I have started adding a fruit in his ragi. So I don't have to add jaggery to sweeten it. And I realized after many weeks that our son loves sweet in everything. He eats rice happily when I add jaggery :) So sometimes I have 2 bowls in front of me while feeding him rice - one with rice/veggies and the other with a fruit (either a banana or a steamed apple or chiku). After 3 spoons of rice, I give him 1 spoon of fruit. That way he gets the sweet taste, and he finishes the rice.

Burping after feeding liquids and solids is a must.

We carry a burp cloth wherever we go in case he brings up (which is very common in babies, and there is nothing to worry about).

Regarding the quantity of milk/food to be served, just feed the amount the baby asks for. The first thing our pediatric told us is not to worry about how much/how often the baby is drinking/eating. Babies drink/eat when they are hungry and they stop when they are full. There is no other rule. I have realized that there is no way we can forcefully feed the child. Our son just locks his lips when he doesn't want to eat/drink :) But he eats/drinks when he is hungry. So I don't sweat too much about the quantity.

That covers the feeding part.

One of the most important things when a baby comes to our lives is to deal with the baby's toilet demand. I have been using cotton nappies instead of the diapers at home. So I use a rubber sheet (Quick dry bought from 'mom n me' – small, medium, large) and a cotton saree cut into smaller size on top of the rubber sheet. Each time he pees, I change the nappy and the saree cloth. We use a small rubbersheet when we have to carry him, a medium/large rubbersheet when hes on the bed or on the floor.

Till about a month ago, we used to use diaper for night and when we took him outside. Now we have found this great cotton diaper called Sunbaby diaper, that has soft microfiber (with a bamboo insert) on the inside and a waterproof material on the outside. So we use this in the night and when we go out. I love this diaper :)

One more thing related to a baby's toilet demands is the poop cleaning. We have a very close family friend aunty who is a doctor. She had been our guide for anything medical and otherwise. She suggested that we clean the baby's bum with plain water. So every time my son poops, I lift his legs and wash his bum with my hands in the bathroom sink, using the tap water. It works the best – clean and safe. I wipe him with a towel later. And every time he pees, I change the nappy and saree cloth below him. 

 

Bathing a baby:

I believe in the traditional oil massage and bath. I keep everything ready before I get my son inside the bathroom – hot water in 3 buckets, towel, oil etc. I sit on a mane (a wooden plank) on the floor and put him on my legs. I used to use olive oil, but now switched to almond oil. I feel that almond oil makes the skin really smooth and glow. I pour oil in my palms and rub it to make it warm. Then apply it all over his body and head. I use slight pressure while applying oil on his body, and massage. I think I take around 10-15 minutes to massage. Then I pour hot water on his body. I lay him on his back first, and then on his tummy to wash his head. Have to hold the baby's head down while pouring water on the head. Hot water helps relieve body ache, stomach pain. I use basin flour to wash off the oil and clean him. And it works very well. I do not use soap/shampoo.

After the bath, I wrap him up in a towel, and dry his head first. I apply powder on his head as it helps in absorbing the remaining water from the hair/scalp. I use Himalaya herbal powder.

Its better to feed milk or water after bath, as the babies get thirsty after the hot water bath.

In the winter I used to put warm clothes especially after the bath – a cap, full sleeves clothes, sweater, pants, socks, mittens. In the summer, I just put a cotton shirt.

These are the important activities for a baby according to me.

Other than this, there are 1000s of other things related to raising a baby :)

Cleaning -

Bottles/vessels:

We use an Avent/Philips sterilizer. And we love it. Its so easy to use, just keep the bottles and accessories inside the sterilizer after washing them with soap (I use a regular adult dishwashing soap liquid called pril). Add water in the lower compartment, and turn on the switch. It turns off after its done. It takes 6 minutes. Bottles are ready to use after it cools down. I don't even let the bottles dry, I use it as it is.

Once I started solids, I did not sterilize the steel vessels or the blender. Till 6months I used to sterilize everything. Now slowly I am using non-sterilized vessels. Everything he can catch hold of goes to his mouth anyways, so there is no point in sterilizing :)

Clothes:

I have 2 laundry baskets – one for toilet clothes another for his regular clothes.

I usually wash all the pee/poop clothes (nappies/bedsheets etc) once a day. I rinse the poop clothes immediately in water and put it in the laundry basket and wash it along with other pee clothes in the washing machine. I use a regular adult detergent soap – surf excel or arial.

I wash his regular clothes separately in the washing machine. I don't mix it with our clothes.

I am not too finicky about washing/cleaning his toys. I wash the toys in plain water or sometimes soap the first time. He puts everything in his mouth. I want him to build immunity now itself :)

As I mentioned earlier, I try to give our baby everything natural. We have been giving him a paste of “baje” and jaikayi for proper digestion. This is a natural remedy for infants. We get it in gandhige shops (shops that sell pooja ingredients). It is like a stick that is rubbed on a stone (the one we use to produce gandha) along with water to get a paste. We give a pinch of the paste.

For cold and cough, I give him home-grown Tulsi leaf juice. Just pluck the leaves, wash them with water, beat them up a little and then squeeze the leaves to get the juice – a few drops. It works like magic. If the cough is too much, add “Doddpatre” leaf juice to the above and feed the baby. Just one leaf Doddapatre is enough. We also get a ayurvedic tablet called “Kasturi Matre” for cough. Dosage is half a tablet, powder it and add it with the above juice.

I guess I will have to keep adding on to the above, as the list of things will only keep increasing :)

June 1

My kid is 9 months now, and there are lot changes (obviously :))

Feeding:

I gave in and started adding salt to his rice/veggies. I wanted to avoid till he turned 1, but he refuses to open his mouth if the food is not tasty. So I add ghee and salt. Sometimes I add a little pepper powder also. When he is at his grandmom's place, he eats rice/veggies with rasam or sambhar. We have slowly started feeding him home-made adult food in very very less quantity, so that he gets used to the taste. He loves the food that has salt and spice. We give him idli, dosa, sweets etc (all made at home), while we are eating. These are not part of his main food.

Potty training:

Very important and challenging. But if the parents are patient, its easy. Somewhere between 8-9 months, we started taking A to the loo, whenever we could sense he would pee. We started off by taking him to the loo every time he woke up. Sometimes it takes a while before he does, so the key is to be patient. He still has to figure out what it means, but its a start.

We bought a potty seat for A. Every time we feel he is about to do potty, we make him sit on it and he is very happy and comfortable sitting on it. Potty seat has been a success so far :) 

September

My son is one year old now. I definitely can't believe it!

I changed his formula powder to Nan Pro 3 once he turned one. I prefer continuing with formula milk as this has better nutrients compared to regular milk.

Now he has 3 meals a day and milk, twice a day (like a big boy :-)). He has started sleeping thru the night. I give him milk as soon as he wakes up around 6.30am. Then between 9-10, he has idli/dosa (if we are having the same for breakfast at our house), ragi for lunch, milk in the evening and rice/dhal/veg for dinner. On the days when our breakfast is not idli/dosa, I give him ragi for breakfast and rice/rasam or rice/dhal or cerelac for lunch.

I have started using organic vegetables. But I also use non-organic vegetables.

I receive lot of criticism about not feeding him outside food. My theory is that he is going to eat a lot of outside food in the future, so I want to avoid it now. I try my best to give him healthy food.

Have stopped sterilizing completely.

Here is one more recipe for cold – tulsi juice and betel leaf juice (1/4 leaf). This can be mixed with a drop of honey.

Our boy is now 13 months :)

 

I stopped mom-made ragi/sprouts and bought ragi cheri from a store called “Subbamma store” (which is an old store famous for all kinds of home-made snacks/powders etc located in Gandhi Bazar). This ragi cheri includes lot of other sprouts/dryfruits etc. I boil this with regular milk and ghee.

I make him sit on a high-chair and feed him.

When we travel, or step out of the house for a longer time, I give him FirstBites organic cerelac and gerber food. Gerber has lot of variety – vegetables and fruits.

I started giving him egg from today. Best way is to give boiled egg, and it HAS to be fully boiled. I started with quarter egg today. Plan to increase it to half day after tomorrow, if he doesn't show any reaction. Babies can be sensitive to egg, so they have to be watched when they are first given eggs.

He loves music. So we try to play music all the time hes awake. He LOVES the rhymes, and likes when we sing with actions. Music is soothing for kids. Since the beginning, we have been playing him songs of different kinds. He goes to sleep by listening to M.D.Pallavi/Anuradha's kannada lullaby songs. I have stored all his songs in my cell phone so that I can play it whenever he wants.

I give him oil massage twice a week, and regular bath daily.

If the baby is constipated following should help – hot bath with circular oil massage on the tummy, pear, apricot, apple juice, big size banana (not the small variety) and in general adding lot of greens in the daily diet.


December 2013

The tricky part of feeding has started now. I have to invent new taste almost on a daily basis. His daily diet is usually ragi around 10, rice dhal vegetables for lunch and dinner, a fruit in between. I keep rice/moong dhal/vegetables in rice cooker with rice/dhal in one vessel and vegetables in another. After its nicely pressure cooked, I mix both and mash them well. To this I add ghee, salt and one of the following :
little rasam
little curry
pepper and ginger powder

I sometimes make kichdi - mix rice, dhal, vegetables, salt, pepper powder, ginger powder, ghee, turmeric, jeera powder, dhania powder, red chillies - and cook in pressure cooker.

Adding onion gives a very good flavor and sweetness to the dish. And it has lot of health benefits. So I add onion everyday.

I add tomato also on a dialy basis.

I sometimes add mint leaves or dill leaves to give a different flavor.


December 10 

As I mentioned earlier, I have to keep changing the taste. Since last couple of days, I have been adding sprouts to his mix of veggies. Sprouts are difficult to mash even after boiling. So I put the veggies and sprouts in the mixer, mash rice/dhal using hands, mix everything and feed him. I plan to do this once in a while since my boy doesn't have molar teeth to chew the vegetables well. This way I can be certain that all the vegetables are getting digested :)

I made a powder of the dry fruits - cashew, almonds, pista, walnuts - yesterday. I first roasted them and put them in the mixer individually. Now I just mix this powder to his ragi and other meals on a daily basis.


February 2014

My little one will soon be 1 1/2 years old! He is growing up fast. We see so many changes in him on a daily basis. He understands EVERYTHING we say. He says 2 letter words, loves rhymes and sings few songs. I try to play music all the time when he is around. He makes me change songs, if I am playing adult music instead of rhymes :)

The only way to make him eat his meal is by distracting him, and each day I need to be creative. If I am lucky, just a few toys in front of him works. A different toy each day of course. I use ice cubes, water in a vessel, remotes etc., to distract him. The last and desperate weapon to feed him is by showing him videos. I do not want him to watch video/tv till he turns 2, but if nothing works, I give in. I usually let him watch the videos that I have recorded of him playing on my cell phone. Sometimes I play the rhymes on youtube. He sits on his high-chair while eating.

Have started giving him curds on a daily basis, except when he has a cold. I give him all kinds of fruits, and depending on his mood he decides what to eat :)

I have started giving him outside food. He gets to eat everything. 

He loves to pick and eat with his hands. His favorites are sprouts, cornflakes and orange. He loves boiled egg whites. So I give him egg twice a week.

Potty training has been going well. He poops in the toilet on his potty seat most of the time. Sometimes he tells us before peeing, and I take him to the bathroom and make him sit on his potty chair.