After one year, you can slowly start offering your child the same meals you cook at home, keeping them mild and less spicy. I continued the same routine as before and only gave her our food once in a while because I felt our meals had more chilli and pepper than I preferred for her. You do not have to rush this change exactly at one year. It can happen at fifteen, sixteen, or even eighteen months, depending on what feels right for you. You can also remove a small portion for your child before adding extra spices for the family. Slowly shifting works best, and you can choose what is convenient and comfortable for your home.
Buckwheat
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Take about half a glass of buckwheat, wash it two to three times, and soak it for 6 to 8 hours.
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In the morning, put the soaked buckwheat into a pressure cooker and add about three times water and little salt.
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Give two whistles and switch it off. After about 20 minutes, give two more whistles.
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After checking that it is fully cooked and soft, I would add a little milk and boil it again for a few minutes before serving.
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Once she was 18 months I started making pancakes using buckwheat, oats and other millets.
Oats
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Wash the oats well.
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Lightly pulse them in a blender to break them into smaller pieces. Do not powder completely.
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I first cooked the oats with 2–3 times as much water as oats and little salt for around 8 minutes.
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Then I added a little milk and let it cook again briefly.
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You can add mashed banana or grated pear or apple into this.
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Add more water if needed and cook well before serving.
Quinoa
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Porridge
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Wash ½ glass quinoa thoroughly and soak it for 4–6 hours, then drain.
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Add the quinoa to a pressure cooker with 2½ -3 glasses water.
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Cook for 1 whistle, turn off the heat, wait 10 minutes, then cook for 1 more whistle.
Check that the quinoa is soft. Add milk, if preferred, and fruits of your choice, then boil for some time.
Let it cool slightly and serve warm.
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Quinoa Dosa
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Wash ½ glass quinoa thoroughly and soak it for 20 minutes, then drain.
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Blend quinoa into a smooth paste.
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Add 1 tbsp curd, 2 tbsp grated carrot and make a soft batter.
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Heat pan, add ghee, pour the batter, cook on both sides until golden.
Pancakes (Rice Flour, Wheat Flour, Sorghum (Jowar) Flour, Amaranth Flour)
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If egg is not given at night, you can use one egg, one banana, and a little flour.
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Mix well by adding water, a pinch of salt and milk.
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Take a pan, add ghee and make small pancakes.
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If you prefer egg-free, just mash banana with flour and make pancakes.
Millets (Little Millet, Barnyard Millet, Foxtail Millet, Kodo Millet)
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Wash and soak the millet for 3 to 4 hours.
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Add three times water in a pressure cooker and give one whistle and after 15 minutes, give two more whistles.
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After checking that it is fully cooked and soft, I would add a little milk and boil it again for a few minutes before serving.
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You can give it in the form of dosa or idli as well.
Ragi
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Take whole ragi and wash it well about 7 to 8 times. Soak it for around 8 hours.
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In the morning, add the soaked ragi to a blender with enough water and milk, and grind it well.
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Strain the mixture to get ragi milk.
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Pour the strained liquid into a pan and cook it well, stirring continuously, until it thickens and is fully cooked.
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If you want to make it slightly sweet, you can add mashed banana or grated apple or pear. Do not add any artificial sweeteners.
Pulses (Green Peas, Chickpeas, Brown Chickpeas, Green Gram, Black-Eyed Peas)
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Soak the pulses for about 8 hours.
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Add them to a pressure cooker with enough water, half a small onion, half a small tomato, a pinch of turmeric, pepper, salt and cumin powder.
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Give 2 to 3 whistles and let it rest. If not very soft, give one or two more whistles until fully cooked.
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In the beginning, since the skins can be hard and babies may not have enough teeth, I blended it well and served it smooth.
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After around 15 months, I started cooking green gram and black-eyed peas very well, mashing them and serving with a little boiled rice instead of grinding. Some pulses I mashed, and some I still ground depending on texture.
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Along with pulses, I would also give a little boiled rice, and on some days I added fish or a vegetable on the side.
Potato (Mashed or Fritters)
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Wash, peel, and steam the potato until very soft.
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You can mash it and serve it plain.
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Or shape it into small finger-shaped patties and lightly pan-fry in a little ghee until slightly golden.
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I kept it simple and did not mix or hide vegetables in it.
Carrot/ Beetroot/ Pumpkin Rice
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Soak yellow/ red lentils with jeera/ organic sona masuri brown rice for 1 to 2 hours.
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Add it to a pressure cooker with grated carrot/ beetroot/ pumpkin, half an onion, a little turmeric, pepper, salt and cumin powder.
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Give one whistle, wait 10 to 15 minutes, then give another whistle until everything is soft and well cooked.
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While serving, I sometimes added one tablespoon of fresh curd and mixed it well to make curd rice. I did not use sour curd. I kept the curd outside for a few minutes so it was not cold before mixing it into the warm rice.
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You can serve a few soft carrot/ beetroot/ pumpkin strips separately for the baby to hold and mix the rest into the rice.
Cucumber Rice
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Soak jeera rice for 1 to 2 hours.
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Add grated cucumber, little carrot, half an onion, and a little turmeric, pepper, salt and cumin powder into the pressure cooker.
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Give one whistle, wait 15 minutes, then give another whistle until well cooked.
Along with these, I sometimes added vegetables like beans or drumsticks while cooking. You can make it with more dal and less rice, more rice and less dal, only dal, or only rice. The main idea is to offer different vegetables and make sure everything is cooked soft and easy for the baby to eat.
For lunch, I usually alternated meals. One day I would give lentils with rice, and the next day I would give different pulses. I made sure to include some vegetable every single day, changing it regularly so she could try a variety. Before one year, I gave fish only a few times, but after she turned one, I started giving it more often.
Greek Yogurt
Take the Greek yogurt out of the refrigerator and let it sit for about 20 minutes. Transfer it to a small steel bowl and place the bowl over another bowl filled with hot water. Stir gently for a few minutes to bring the yogurt closer to room temperature and remove the chill.
Blueberry Yogurt
Wash the blueberries well. I usually soaked them in water with a little baking soda for 20 minutes and then rinsed them three to four times. Cook the blueberries in a pan with a little water until soft. Let it cool down a little. Blend them with yogurt or probiotic curd. If you notice peel bits, you can strain it before serving.
Thin flattened rice (Avalakki/ Paper Poha)
Soak the thin avalakki (paper poha), grated coconut, and half a date in hot milk. Once the avalakki softens, mash the date well, mix everything together, and serve.
Nendran Banana (Kerala Banana)
Wash the banana well and steam it for about 15 minutes. Mash it lightly and serve.
Papaya
Wash, peel, and cut into small pieces or mash and serve.
Avocado
Wash, cut in half, remove the seed, scoop out the inside with a spoon, mash well, and serve.
Kiwi
Wash and peel. Cut into small or long soft pieces and serve.
Mango
Soak the mango in water for 2 to 3 hours, then peel and cut into small pieces. You can also blend it with a little yogurt and serve.
Muskmelon
Wash, peel, cut into small pieces, and serve.
Dragon Fruit
Wash, peel, cut into small pieces, and serve.
Sweet Potato
Wash, peel, cut into small pieces, steam for about 15 minutes until soft, and serve.
Ragi
After around 14 months, I shifted ragi to the evening. Wash the ragi well and soak for 6 to 8 hours. Blend with a little water, strain to get ragi milk, then cook it well until thick. You can add mashed banana or other fruits before serving.
Dinner was always simple. Most nights I gave egg and rice with some veggies.
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For the egg, I would beat the egg well in a bowl, cook it in a pan with a little oil or ghee on both sides, then cut it into small strips and serve.
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For rice, I used well cooked boiled rice. I cooked it very well and just mashed it lightly with my hands before serving. If I had not added ghee earlier in the day, I would add a little at dinner.
Along with this, I sometimes served boiled vegetables, or a small portion of pulses or curry that was made without spice for her.