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Can An Infant Be Fed Mashed Rice?

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Posted on Thu, 19 Feb 2015
Question: Hi,
My son is 9 months now. is it good to smash rice a little n feed him? I've heard that smashing food for babys is not good as it allows the worms in his stomach to easily digest it. I'm not sure if this is right as I feel their immature kidneys cannot digest it well if not smashed.
also, please advice on what food would be best for babys from 9 to 12 months. Thanks.
doctor
Answered by Dr. Deepak Kishore Kaltari (54 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
You can smash the rice and feed

Detailed Answer:
Hi
Welcome to Healthcare-Magic
Greetings of the day

Dear Ms XXXXXXX

You can definitely go ahead and smash the rice and give your baby. As adults we have teeth to chew the food, to help in proper absorption. In babies as the number of teeth are less, adequate chewing is not possible, hence smashing the food is good idea. Also do not be worried on overloading the kidney.

It is important that you start introducing a variety of food in your toddler's diet gradually. These will provide the calories, proteins, vitamins and minerals that are essential for his growth. The amount of food eaten would vary from child to child and would also depend on when you introduce a particular food to your toddler. Most of the times it is "Try and Error" method. Lots of patience would be required from your end to find out what is that diet which tickles your toddlers tastebuds which also contains maximum nutrients. You need to try multiple ones and find which your child loves to eat amongst those. Initially it may be difficult from shifting to solid/semi-solid feed from milk based diet, continued perseverance and trying out what the baby likes is the key.






Following are some suggestions

1.Veg soup:
Contents: tomato -2, potato-1small, Onion - 1 small, Carrot-1 small.
Preperation: Wash all veggies properly peel potato, onion and carrot. Boil tomato in water for 5 to 6 mins sothat u can see the skin of tomato cracks. Now gently remove skin of tomato. Add tomato and the peeled veggies to a cooker with 1/2 a glass of water. Add pinch of salt and whistle the cooker for 2 to 3 times (veggies shud be cooked well). Now bring it to room temp and blend them in a mixer. Strain the contents to remove any lumps and now boil the soup with cinammon sticks (1or 2piece very small one) added to it. Boil it till it reaches the required consistency and then feed LO.
Note:You can add any veggie to make this soup including leafy veggies like spinach, amaranthus, cabbage etc.

2.Pumpkin: Take peeled pumpkin. dice the pumpkin and then presure cook it with little salt. mash well with hands and feed it along with rice or as such.

3.Gourds (any ashgourd, rich gourd etc etc): Make it finger size and then pressure cook it or boil in water till it becomes soft. You can either feed as a finger food or you can mash it and feed it along with rice or as such.

4. Boiled potatoes and carrots. Pressure cook well and mash it with hands and add pinch of salt and feed baby as such.

5. Caramalised plums: Peel the plum. Put it on hot tawa and get it caramalised on both sides and then feed it mashed.

6. Poached pear: peel and pit the pear. Take 1/2 glass of water and add cinammon sticks, grated garlic, cloves etc and bring it to boil. Slip the pears into this boiling fluid and cook until its soft and the fluid is just about to disappear. Now remove all the sticks garlic cloves etc from the fluid and mash the pear in the same fluid and can feed the baby

7.Avocado apple puree. Take avocado and peeled and diced apple in equal qty and grind well in blender. Directly feed the baby.

8.Banana: Ripened banana made to thin long slices. Heat tawa add little butter or olive oil and then saute the banana until its soft. mash and feed. If you wish you can add bit of sugar to this

9.Oats and apple breakfast: ground oats and diec apple. Boil apples until its soft and add ground oats cook until oats is done.

10.Daal : Cook daal in cooker with salt and curry leaves added to it. Mash it add few drops of ghee and u can feed it either with rice or as such.

11. Wheat Porridge/dalia/lapsi

12 Home made Ceralac


Do get back to me if you need any further assistance, will be glad to assist you.

Take Care

Best Regards
Dr Deepak Kishore K
MBBS,MS,MCH
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Prasad
doctor
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Follow up: Dr. Deepak Kishore Kaltari (1 hour later)
That's great to know. Thanks for the detailed response. so there's no need to worry about the worms be in able to easily feed on mashed food and giving him a stomach pain? another point here is tat my wife had abscess n cudnt breast feed him wen he was 15 days old. since then we've been feeding him lactogen. is there somethin else we need to consider to ensure he has the right nutrients? mothers milk is not something he received in his 1st month?
doctor
Answered by Dr. Deepak Kishore Kaltari (6 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
No special precautions needed

Detailed Answer:
Dear Mr XXXXXXX


Breast abscess was not a contraindication for breastfeeding baby. As he has not received it during 1st month, if his present weight gain is adequate there is no cause for concern.
continue giving him Lactogen and also initiate new food, So that by 1 year of age he should be able to eat the food normally cooked at home (of course the food should be softer and less spicy and salty ). No other special precautions needed . Also do not be worried about worms getting nutrition ( in fact smashed food feed to baby is better absorbed by the baby ).


Wishing you and your family a very happy and healthy life.


Take care

Best regards
Deepak
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Shanthi.E
doctor
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Follow up: Dr. Deepak Kishore Kaltari (5 hours later)
Thank u Dr. XXXXXXX Very Insightful, this helps alot. One last thing - Is boiled rice or steam rice good for babys? or it doesn't matter?
doctor
Answered by Dr. Deepak Kishore Kaltari (2 hours later)
Brief Answer:
Go according to what baby likes in taste

Detailed Answer:
Hi

Dear Mr Jeffry

Steam rice is much more light and easy to digest. I would suggest you to go by taste of baby, give him whatever he likes. There is no much difference, after all we have to see what the baby likes.


Take care Bro

Regards
Deepak
Note: For further queries related to your child health, Talk to a Pediatrician. Click here to Book a Consultation.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Ashwin Bhandari
doctor
Answered by
Dr.
Dr. Deepak Kishore Kaltari

General Surgeon

Practicing since :2002

Answered : 3195 Questions

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Can An Infant Be Fed Mashed Rice?

Brief Answer: You can smash the rice and feed Detailed Answer: Hi Welcome to Healthcare-Magic Greetings of the day Dear Ms XXXXXXX You can definitely go ahead and smash the rice and give your baby. As adults we have teeth to chew the food, to help in proper absorption. In babies as the number of teeth are less, adequate chewing is not possible, hence smashing the food is good idea. Also do not be worried on overloading the kidney. It is important that you start introducing a variety of food in your toddler's diet gradually. These will provide the calories, proteins, vitamins and minerals that are essential for his growth. The amount of food eaten would vary from child to child and would also depend on when you introduce a particular food to your toddler. Most of the times it is "Try and Error" method. Lots of patience would be required from your end to find out what is that diet which tickles your toddlers tastebuds which also contains maximum nutrients. You need to try multiple ones and find which your child loves to eat amongst those. Initially it may be difficult from shifting to solid/semi-solid feed from milk based diet, continued perseverance and trying out what the baby likes is the key. Following are some suggestions 1.Veg soup: Contents: tomato -2, potato-1small, Onion - 1 small, Carrot-1 small. Preperation: Wash all veggies properly peel potato, onion and carrot. Boil tomato in water for 5 to 6 mins sothat u can see the skin of tomato cracks. Now gently remove skin of tomato. Add tomato and the peeled veggies to a cooker with 1/2 a glass of water. Add pinch of salt and whistle the cooker for 2 to 3 times (veggies shud be cooked well). Now bring it to room temp and blend them in a mixer. Strain the contents to remove any lumps and now boil the soup with cinammon sticks (1or 2piece very small one) added to it. Boil it till it reaches the required consistency and then feed LO. Note:You can add any veggie to make this soup including leafy veggies like spinach, amaranthus, cabbage etc. 2.Pumpkin: Take peeled pumpkin. dice the pumpkin and then presure cook it with little salt. mash well with hands and feed it along with rice or as such. 3.Gourds (any ashgourd, rich gourd etc etc): Make it finger size and then pressure cook it or boil in water till it becomes soft. You can either feed as a finger food or you can mash it and feed it along with rice or as such. 4. Boiled potatoes and carrots. Pressure cook well and mash it with hands and add pinch of salt and feed baby as such. 5. Caramalised plums: Peel the plum. Put it on hot tawa and get it caramalised on both sides and then feed it mashed. 6. Poached pear: peel and pit the pear. Take 1/2 glass of water and add cinammon sticks, grated garlic, cloves etc and bring it to boil. Slip the pears into this boiling fluid and cook until its soft and the fluid is just about to disappear. Now remove all the sticks garlic cloves etc from the fluid and mash the pear in the same fluid and can feed the baby 7.Avocado apple puree. Take avocado and peeled and diced apple in equal qty and grind well in blender. Directly feed the baby. 8.Banana: Ripened banana made to thin long slices. Heat tawa add little butter or olive oil and then saute the banana until its soft. mash and feed. If you wish you can add bit of sugar to this 9.Oats and apple breakfast: ground oats and diec apple. Boil apples until its soft and add ground oats cook until oats is done. 10.Daal : Cook daal in cooker with salt and curry leaves added to it. Mash it add few drops of ghee and u can feed it either with rice or as such. 11. Wheat Porridge/dalia/lapsi 12 Home made Ceralac Do get back to me if you need any further assistance, will be glad to assist you. Take Care Best Regards Dr Deepak Kishore K MBBS,MS,MCH