Food for children with allergies

[Anoushka]

My son has milk, egg and peanut allergy and I never realised it would be so tough to find stuff without milk and nuts in the market.

It is specially difficult when we travel as he lives on fruits and bread without milk most of the time. As a result I have started making my own recipes for everything, replacing dairy with soya, and modifying recipes to suit my wee man.

It would be interesting to know if there are other parents who go through the same process and if they have any special recipes.

I will start posting recipes very soon :)

[pavalamani pragasam]

What a tough time it must be! Let us hope he outgrows these allergies! Do the doctors give such a hope?

[Anoushka]

pp madam... it is tough. At this stage we even check ingredients in mineral water :sigh: Most doctors and parents we have met so far say that he should out grow these allergies by the time he is 5. Though I do know of cases where the children haven't.

I am keeping my fingers crossed and am hoping for the best.

At the moment there is no cure for this in allopathy, at least at this very young age. So I am giving him homeo medicines.

[bingleguy]

I think there are non-milk products ... as there are many ppl who are lacto-intolerant ..... may be we might have to search something like that ... Adults kku irukkalaam ... but kida :shock: :( indha vayasula pAl nirayA sAppidanum nnu solluvAnga ... but if hes allergic to it .... kodumai :(

[Anoushka]

Vasanth: There is a difference between lactose intolerance and dairy allergy! You can live the lactose intolerance and dairy allergy can be fatal!

lactose intolerance is the inability of our digestive system to digest the sugars where as in dairy allergy, the body thinks that any dairy protien is its enemy and starts attacking.

The replacement is soya or rice milk. The sad part is that there are various opinions on this too. They say soya is not good as it is processed too much and there was something on the net about minute levels of arsenic in rice milk!

At the moment I am using soya though. There is soya milk, cream, custard, yoghurt, ice cream and a whole pile of things available.

[bingleguy]

oh is it ? i was thinking they were the same .... :(

[Anoushka]

Vasanth: I did not even know about allergies till Abhi got it. His allergies are so bad that he just needs to touch milk for him to start reacting!

[bingleguy]

:omg:

idhu eppo terinjudhu ? and any reason why ?

[Anoushka]

Vasanth found about his allergies when he was six months old. They say there must have been some one in the family with allergies. But it is also said that US, UK & Ireland are among the top three countries with allergies. It might have to do with the food, the fertilizers they use for veggies, the food that they give for cows (from which we get milk), etc. Also they say the weather, the mould, the heating, the carpeting, etc contributes to this!

[bingleguy]

Vasanth found about his allergies when he was six months old. They say there must have been some one in the family with allergies. But it is also said that US, UK & Ireland are among the top three countries with allergies. It might have to do with the food, the fertilizers they use for veggies, the food that they give for cows (from which we get milk), etc. Also they say the weather, the mould, the heating, the carpeting, etc contributes to this!

:omg: idhellAm indha countries la thavirka mudiyAdha onnu aachE .... inga mannulendhu thondi eduthu market la vechu vikkardha korai solrAnga ..... too very different method la panra vishayangal vera mAdiri problems tharudhu :( enna panradhu ?

[Anoushka]

thavirkka mudiyaathu thaan Vasanth. But things like heating can be reduced and more ventilation can be provided. Carpets can be reduced and wooden flooring can be used.....

[bingleguy]

thavirkka mudiyaathu thaan Vasanth. But things like heating can be reduced and more ventilation can be provided. Carpets can be reduced and wooden flooring can be used.....

Extreme climatic conditions Anou :shock: eppadi thavirkka mudiyum ?

[Anoushka]

Vasanth: heating can be reduced and you can wear warm clothes. vEra vazhi kidayaathu. Actually reducing the heating by even one degree seems to make a major difference in lots of things including electricity bills.

[bingleguy]

:shock: hmn ..... warm clothes oru alavukku Ok ...

[pavalamani pragasam]

Anouska, I can perfectly understand as this allergy problem is a family inheritance with us!!! I am the 'leader' now! In teens it started as just sneezing and running nose with high sensitiveness to thermal changes. After marriage and pregnancy, it 'improved' to wheezing for anything and everything, house dust, sweat, even mood swings. At one stage I used to run away when anybody took a brrom in the hand to sweep! My mom used to rue it my being a woman how I can 'afford' to be like that. Hubby darling used to clean the cobwebs when I go to my mom's for kids' hols and wash the house thoroughly. But after days I return and start wheezing and start fighting with him for having dusted the house!!! He couldn't understand my assertion that the unseen dust particles still lie in the air! Buying a vaccuum cleaner- 3 decades ago it was a new, unheard of gadget for the household - solved the problem to a great extent. Then after menopause I thought I had outgrown my allergic reactions. But alas, a couple of months my visit to B'lore has flared up mu ailment from which I am still limping back. My 3 children share this inheritance to varying levels. Now, out of 6 grandchildren 2 have started wheezing. My 1st son even has food allergy occassionally resulting in severe rashes and itching. It is very difficult to identify the culprit. He took tests for it preventing him from all his favourite items!
Fortunately you detected the allergen for your little man. In college I had a friend who was allergic to sesame. She used to say one inadverdent episode of biting a bit of murukku with sesame will result in instant fiddling!
Well, the stories are endless.. One thing I learnt from experience is when one is with a good level of resistance the attacks are rare. The immunity level is vital. So a growing child has all the chances of increasing his stamina as he grows and getting rid of this nuisance.

[Anoushka]

Dear PP madam, typed a response for this twice and my silly laptop crashed twice so have to type this over again now...

It is interesting to know about your allergies. My husband can travel the world without any problems, but the minute he lands in Bangalore he will start sneezing and fall sick! I tell him that he is allergic to Bangalore :lol:

I know the allergies for my wee man because I got a skin prick test done for him when he was six months. This time I gave his blood test for RAST and Ige tests. I know RAST is available in Delhi, not sure where else it is available.

I was talking to a Indian doctor friend of mine today and she was saying there are immunologists in India who do immunotherapy and treat allergies.

I met a immunotherapist in Bangalore who spoke about sublingual immunotherapy. He says it works wonders but the child must be minimum five years of age as his immune system is still under construction.

Most of the times the allergies do vanish by then, if not then we can treat him is what this doctor thinks. Let us see how it works out.

[pavalamani pragasam]

Anoushka, I am sorry to know about your hubby's 'relationship' with B'lore! I thought I was the only one at loggerhaeds with a place acclaimed as a pensioner's paradise and what not! But later I came to know the place is notorious for asthamatic people with allergy caused by the presence of excessive pollen in the 'garden city', and mould fungi! My daughter's co-sister(also living there) declared no house in B'lore is free from mould. The houses, however posh they look have no proper ventilation, air circulation to boast of! The curtains are necessary for privacy, preventing free air circulation, the chill and dampness in the air breeds mould and an unhealthy 'atmosphere' At least I can never can come to terms with any of its seasons being used to my airy, hot Madurai climate!

Ever since my daughter went to live there a few years back after her marriage my visits to the place are unavoidable and with another son's family also having moved to that infamous place my visits have increased , and so my owes. I pack my medicines along with other things and gear myself mentally to face my ordeals with grit!!! :lol:

The chances of your kid growing out of the problem is very bright. Even if he doesn't it is easy to get adapted to the special pattern/precaution to be followed. My wise policy has been 'what cannot be cured must be endured'!!! It is important to maintain a certain level of good health! :yes:

[Anoushka]

PP madam: you are right about Blore houses. I also think the pollution is fairly high there. And yes, the weather is horrible (according to me atleast), I love the Chennai weather where our skins glow.

Even going from the station to home in an auto is enough to dry up our skin in Bangalore!

[Anoushka]

Coming back to the main topic of food... any suggestion for food rich in Calcium, and protiens (veg) as dairy / egg/ nut allergy means all the main and easy sources of protiens and calcium are ruled out!.

At the moment I am sticking to paruppu payasams (kadalai paruppu, siru paruppu) with soya milk and spinach in everything! Also paruppu vadai.

I hope to get more suggestions. :)

[dev]

Anou, Ragi is good source of calcium, iron as well as protein...

[Anoushka]

Thanks dev. Should ask amma to get ragi powder when she comes end of this month so that I can make ragi dosa, etc for Abhi. :)

[Anoushka]

I make this aloo paratha for my son. It is the healthy and easy version and is full of carbs, proteins and vitamins :)

boil two small baby potatoes. (for two chappathis)

mash them up and add to it grated carrot, cabbage, spinach, corriander leaves, turmeric powder, salt and a paste of green chillies, jeera powder, ginger and garlic. mash all this up well and to this add chappathi maavu and mix well. The maavu should come up to normal chappathi consistency. Use this to make chappathis / parathas. The parathas come out real soft and is easy to eat for kids and also very healthy!

PS: Adults love it too :)

[dev]

try panni paarunga Anou... u can also make ragi khool, ragi halwa using ragi milk... just like how we make godhumal halwa from godhumai paal... ragi saapitaal kutti nalla weight yeruvaan...

[Anoushka]

thanks dev... ragi milk eppadi paNNurathunu instructions kEtaal othaikka maateengaLe? :)

[dsath]

[tscii:ed2a446965]Anou, is your little one allergic to sesame seeds, if not then tahini paste is a very good source of calcium. I used to give it to my children when I was faced with a similar situation.
Also cabbage is a good source of calcium. Steam the cabbage and mix it with split moong lentils - it will taste good and a good source for proteins and calcium.
Try red rice (the Kerala variety) - this is par-boiled plus unpolished and hence has more nutrients.
Get calcium fortified cereals - you will find this in the gluten free/diary free area of all major super markets.
The most important bit is to get the little one as much Vitamin D as possible as it helps absorb calcium into the body more efficiently. So if you get a chance for outdoor activities don’t miss it.
Good luck. :) Most of them grow out of it. My older son has grown out of his milk allergy now.
[/tscii:ed2a446965]

[dev]

anou, soak ragi overnight & grind it ... strain using a muslin cloth... avalo thaan... ragi milk ready... u can use this to make ragi khool or ragi halwa... u can also let it stand for a couple of hours so tht the water seperates from the milk... drain the water & spread the thick milk onto a cloth& dry it in the sun... 80% dry aanadhum, break it into smaller pieces & dry again... grind it in the mixie... cool & store... says good for a 2 months or so... if u want to, u can sun dry it once again after u powder it... to make khool, mix it in lil water... boil lil water & add this to the boiling water... keep stirring until it starts boiling again & the liquids looks translucent...

U can also use this for ur next one to make khool once the baby completes 3 months...;)

[Anoushka]

[tscii:18c7054182]Anou, is your little one allergic to sesame seeds, if not then tahini paste is a very good source of calcium. I used to give it to my children when I was faced with a similar situation.
Also cabbage is a good source of calcium. Steam the cabbage and mix it with split moong lentils - it will taste good and a good source for proteins and calcium.
Try red rice (the Kerala variety) - this is par-boiled plus unpolished and hence has more nutrients.
Get calcium fortified cereals - you will find this in the gluten free/diary free area of all major super markets.
The most important bit is to get the little one as much Vitamin D as possible as it helps absorb calcium into the body more efficiently. So if you get a chance for outdoor activities don’t miss it.
Good luck. :) Most of them grow out of it. My older son has grown out of his milk allergy now.
[/tscii:18c7054182]

Thanks dsath :)

I add cabbage to his food regularly (including oothappams, cutlets, paNiaaram, etc).

He is not allergic to sesame seeds so I should lay my hands on tahini paste. That should be a good one, I am sure I can replace the sauce he has with dosa/idly with tahini paste.

At the moment I am using tanjavore ponni boiled rice, I must try and get the red rice (my husband might be against it though!)...

I do give him cereals once in a while. So should try the fortified cereals.

I am giving him soya milk at the moment and most of the time, by the time I go to the local super market, they run out of unsweetened soya milk fortified with calcium... my public health nurse though is not impressed by soya milk in the first place (and I do see warnings in the carton that soya milk should not be used as the main source of milk for children under 2)!

And yes, he spends all his time out in the garden if it is nice and sunny! :) He loves it outside so he gets his quota of Vitamin D! :)

And I am sure he will get out of his allergies very soon! He had the advantage of being breast fed till he was 19 months old! :) And he is on homeo medicines at the moment, and he eats plenty of fruits and veg which are helping him build his immunity naturally! :)

My main problem at the moment is that his weight is not up to what it should be. He should have been thrice his birth weight at one. He is 21 months old and still no where close to 9 kgs (he was 3.02 kgs at birth). And most of this is attributed to less protien content in food.

He eats his fish and chicken when he is in a mood, when he is bored though he says no to everything! And I have to start getting very creative. Most of the days he lives on fruits (fresh and dried)! That is one reason for me starting this thread.

[Anoushka]

anou, soak ragi overnight & grind it ... strain using a muslin cloth... avalo thaan... ragi milk ready... u can use this to make ragi khool or ragi halwa... u can also let it stand for a couple of hours so tht the water seperates from the milk... drain the water & spread the thick milk onto a cloth& dry it in the sun... 80% dry aanadhum, break it into smaller pieces & dry again... grind it in the mixie... cool & store... says good for a 2 months or so... if u want to, u can sun dry it once again after u powder it... to make khool, mix it in lil water... boil lil water & add this to the boiling water... keep stirring until it starts boiling again & the liquids looks translucent...

U can also use this for ur next one to make khool once the baby completes 3 months...;) thanks a million dev. Will try this one. I tried making ragi khool for Abhi when he was little using the readymade ragi powder available in shops, he did not like it one bit then! Should try this now :) hopefully he will like this one!

[dev]

Anou, the khool prepared from ragi milk pwd tastes diff from the ones prepared from readymade ragi pwd... so he might like it if prepared this way...U can make it spicy or sweet depending on his liking...

[Anoushka]

thanks dev... no sweets for us, only spicy :D he is somehow not fond of very sweet stuff! :)

[dev]

oh...ok... :)

[dsath]

[tscii:e1ea83b8c2]Anou, if Abhi likes dried fruits try making a flapjack that has lots of dried fruits. Substitute the butter with sunflower or vegetable oil. he might like that.
I use the following recipe
Butter or oil - 125 ml
Golden syrup or honey - 75ml
Oats - 150 gms
Mixed dried fruits - 150 gms
Flour - 150 gms
Unrefined sugar - 100 gms
baking powder - 1tsp

Melt the oil and golden syrup/honey on a stove stop. Dissolve the baking powder in 1Tbsp boiling water and add it to the melted butter. It will foam quite a bit so be sure to use a big utensil.
Combine the rest of the ingredients in another bowl. Pour over the foamed liquid on the dry ingredients and mix well. Mix it and put the mixture in a baking tin and press it down. bake at 170C for 30 mins.
Cool and then cut into bars. It is a very healthy and nutritious snack. Plus the recipe is incredibly flexible. You could reduce the flour and add more oat or dried fruits. Some time I even add coconut gratings. You could take out the things your little one doesn’t like and put in the things he likes more.

I have started using wholegrain Spelt flour for cookies, muffins and flapjacks and it is simply great. Its has lots of nutrients and a great flavour. It tastes better than whole grain wheat. The children enjoy them a lot, may be you can try it as an alternate to wheat flour for a different flavour.

Have you tried making pancakes for Abhi, substitute the eggs with some cornflour dissolved in water. You could make savoury or sweet pancakes and add things he prefers like bananas, blueberries, apples and strawberries. I tried filling the pancakes with fruits. My daughter ate only the fillings and my son only the pancake !!! So I add the fruits to the pancake batter, that way they can’t leave out anything.

If he likes savoury stuff try fish cakes for main meals. It never fails, well almost.
The recipe is quite simple. Boil and mash potatoes. Season the mashed potatoes and if your little one likes spice add some spices (do avoid cumin powder, for some reason it doesn’t go well with fish cakes). If you want you can add steamed vegetables to this mix. Add steamed fish (I add any fish starting from king fish to salmon) to the potatoes, mix and make balls. Flatten them a little and you could roll them in eggs and then bread crumbs or only in bread crumbs or dust some flour on both sides and bake or fry them on a pan with a spoon or 2 of oil until it browns on both sides.
I like this recipe as I can freeze the balls and dish one out whenever required.

And there is always the panniyams. Both sweet and savoury. Since these are small round balls the children like them to eat as a finger food.
When ever sweet syrup is required I make a jaggery syrup. I might be wrong, but I think jaggery has more iron and use it as dip for panniyarams and pancakes.

Enjoy the cooking and don't worry too much about his weight now. Once he starts growing up, he will be okay. :) [/tscii:e1ea83b8c2]

[Anoushka]

Thanks for this recipe dsath, he loves dried fruits - specially apricots, raisins and prunes.

I can use soya butter instead of regular butter (high in calories too).

Will try this flapjack out tomorrow :)

I never realised that I could use cornflour instead of eggs for pancakes. He loves his fruits so I should try that too.

I used to give him a lot of fish/chicken cakes and at the moment he is off them.. (probably I gave too much, and he is taking a break :) )

Like you, I use jaggery too, no sugar for him. It is either jagger or palm sugar.

[Anoushka]

I have tried spelt pasta in my friend's place and both Abhi & myself loved it, so another reason to shift to spelt from wheat I suppose.

Thanks for all those lovely tips dsath :)

[dev]

my lil one refuses to drink cow's milk & baby formula... neither does she like curds... any idea how to get her used to milk & curds... can I add coco pwd to milk for a 9 month old?...

also, any idea on how to make godhumai kanji?...

//Anou, sry to post this Q here...couldn't find any other apt thread to post it...//

[Anoushka]

dev, no problem... we can make this a "cooking for children / children's food " thread

[Anoushka]

my lil one refuses to drink cow's milk & baby formula... neither does she like curds... any idea how to get her used to milk & curds... can I add coco pwd to milk for a 9 month old?...

also, any idea on how to make godhumai kanji?...

//Anou, sry to post this Q here...couldn't find any other apt thread to post it...//

dev, they say here not to start on cow's milk till the children are a year old...

Abhi also does't like plain curds, I tend to flavour them with fruits for him. I am not sure what fruits you can use there. I chop up the different berries and add them to soya curd/yoghurt.

Now sometimes he eats plain curd with paratha, dosa, idli, etc. I still can't get him to eat curd rice....

Is it one particular formula that she does'nt like or all formula? most breastfed babies seem to go through this phase of not liking formula. I am not sure about cocoa powder, though my friend here says we can start adding it in 9 months...

good luck :)

[dev]

Thanks a lot Anou...

here the pediatrician is asking me to give her atleast 2 cups of milk or curds as I've started weaning... she sometimes eats dosa dipped in milk but not all the time...inga they prefer cow's milk to formula... I tried a couple of formula & baby foods... she doesn't like any of those tinned stuffs...As u suggest, I'll try with some other brand of formula ... today she ate a lil bit of curd rice... I guess I need to be a lil more patient with this and give her sometime to get used to this change!!!...

[dsath]

[tscii:5f036dea56]Dev, in my experience the trick in getting children to eat food they don’t like is by mixing it with the food they like. Like if your daughter likes fish, dip the fish in curd a little bit and give it to her. Gradually move on to dipping it a lot and then to reducing the fish and increasing the curd and eventually she will get used to the taste of curd.
This is what I did with my older child.
My younger one took to curd very easily like a fish to water. She wants curd in everything, so I use curds to get her to try things she doesn’t like. Like beans and peas (she has something against green vegetables), I mix it in curd and make it more palatable to her. For my older one, I mix the veggies with fish or chicken or mash it.

Anou,
I wish I had the, ‘been there done that feeling’, but unfortunately I am still there trying to get my children to eat healthily. They have both turned out to be fussy eaters, so it’s an everyday challenge. Forums and blogs are a good space to share our tricks that worked.
To prevent children from getting the too much of this, so I-don’t-want-it-anymore effect, try having a meal plan (it sort of works for me for evening meals even though my organization skills are next to nil). Nothing organized, but something like fish on Wednesday, pasta on Friday. This way you would project the effect of variety.
I have this problem with breakfasts as I give them nothing but idli/doasi/panniyaram day in and day out. The evening meals are better received as I cook pasta every Thursday and each time I try different sauces or bake them. One day a week I do idlies for dinner and let them have some junk food like pizza once on month on a Friday (this would give me a break from cooking as well).

The recipe of the pasta sauce I tried yesterday - it has got spinach and both my little ones ate it without a second blink, which is a big thing in my home.
Melt some butter in a pan and add a Tbsp or so of flour and mix it with the butter. it will form a thick paste, add some milk (I used to do this with Soya milk previously) and keep stirring until there are no lumps, then some more milk and stir. Keep adding the milk and stirring until you get to a cream consistency and then let the mixture cook for a few minutes. To this add some onions, one clove and then a bay leaf (you could remove these latter) and boil the sauce for a few minutes. Add chopped spinach and let it cook till the spinach has wilted. Add some steamed/tinned salmon pieces and cooked pasta. Give it a good mix.
I cook pasta in cooker these days till one whistle and they come out quite well.[/tscii:5f036dea56]

[dev]

Thanks for the tip dsath... She likes ragi khool & I mix a lil milk with it & she drinks it... I also add a lil milk with soups but she doesn't drink it all the time... I guess I'll have to get her used to milk only by mixing it with ragi khool as that is the only thing she drinks without any fuss...:roll:

[Anoushka]

dsath: Thanks for the pasta sauce recipe. I make the plain white sauce without the spinach, onion, etc. I throw in a few veg and he loves the pasta, should try out your recipe too.

And the tip about having fixed days might hlep. I do have a diary for his food intake now, so it should be easy for me to see what I gave when and maintain some kind of organised menu for him :)

As you said, the breakfast is the same here idli, dosa, paniyaram - so I try and give him cereal, bread/bun with jam & butter, etc. once in a while. I also make rava idlis for a change for him. It seems to work for me. Lunch and dinner are the problem zones for me as sometimes he refuses to eat anything other than plain rice or rasam rice. He seems to like aloo parathas, pasta & puri though. Rice is always a problem!

And fluids are another problem. One day he might drink 200 ml of juice/rose milk but the next day he refuses to go anywhere close to it!

I guess it is going to be trial and error.

But fortunately for me he eats plenty of fruits and veg! :)

[Anoushka]

dev: why don't you try making smoothies for her. Take whatever fruit she likes and throw in curd with that into the mixie and if you think it needs a sweetner add honey /date syrup / palm sugar (or whatever you use). This should work! Abhi likes mango smoothie (probably the only one he takes without too much of fussing!) :)

[dev]

Anou, the problem is she doesn't like fruits & fruit juices!!!...I tried apple & mango smoothie... I also tried milk with cocoa & horlicks... vaayilaye vaikka maatengra!!!... I'm adding lil milk to godhumai & ragi kanji these days...She ate keerai saadham(her fav) mixed with curd yday...She likes milk sweets...so I give her a small piece of milk peda everyday so she gets atleast a part of her calcium req from tht...

I made godhumai kanji the same way i make ragi kanji(bu extracting milk from godhumai)... but it's white & looks like kanji made from maida flour... any idea if it'll have the nutrients & fiber from wheat or will it be lost in the process of extracting the milk?

[Anoushka]

Dev: if all you are worried about is calcium, keerai has more absorbable calcium than milk, so don't worry too much if she doesn't take milk, as long as she is taking keerai :)

as for kodhumai kanji, not sure if it has the same nutrients...

[dev]

calcium thaan ennoda kavalaye... I tried amul milk pwd for infants...& she seems to like it with kanji... since she takes kanji 3 times a day, the milk I add to it will come to abt a cup... for the rest I guess I can do with keerai & curds...she drank a few spoons of curd yday... I'll try to add keerai to her diet everyday... thanks Anou...:)

[Anoushka]

dev: calcium is available plenty in keerai and green leafy veg. So don't worry, she will be fine :)

and as they say, it takes about 17 introductions before a child likes a food sometimes, so just don't give up ! :D

[dev]

Thanks Anou... I'm trying diff ways & hoping tht she doesn't become a milk-hater like me...;)

[Anoushka]

dev, as a child I used to hate milk too... we used to run to bed the minute amma goes to the kitchen each night to get milk for us :lol: and till I found out about Abhi's dairy allergy, I used to take anything between 250 to 500 ml of milk a day :)

Abhi who used to hate potatoes has started eating potatoes now :) so I guess being persistent helps :)

[dev]

I guess Sahana might also try tht trick in a few months time :lol:... hoping for the better anyways....:)

[Anoushka]

dsath: thanks for the idea of spinach in pasta sauce, Abhi seems to like it :)

[dsath]

Hi Anou, glad that Abhi liked the pasta sauce.
Last week I tried the same recipe with Asparagus and salmon and it turned out quite good. Asparagus is in season now and is available fresh from the markets.

I some times make what I call adai pizza. I make normal adai batter and add some mashed veggies to the batter and make adais a bit thicker and smaller in size. Top the adai with some cheese and put it under the grill for a few minutes till the cheese melts. The children happily eat it as adai pizza.

I don't know if you get not-milk cheese though.

[Anoushka]

Thanks dsath :) will try the asparagus next time :) Got tinned tuna for him the other day, should try tuna and asparagus :)

As for non-dairy cheese, I guess it is available in UK, but not in Ireland, atleast in all the shops that I have tried so far... Even tried a few health shops and they don't have anything either!

[dev]

my lil one has started liking the taste of milk on its own!!!... :D :D :D

Can I store prepared formula milk at room temp or warm for 2-3 hrs?...

[Anoushka]

dev I think 2-3 hours is ok, but I am no expert on formula milk as I breast fed Abhi till he was 18 months and shifted him to soya straight away...

But I've seen my friends here do it. Then again, the temperature here is cooler than there... so I am not very sure about it.

[dev]

Thanks Anou... I'm preparing it fresh for her now... I keep warm water ready & just pour in the mik pwd & shake it... ready in a min... But adhukulla she'll start crying...

[Anoushka]

dev: :lol: reminds me of my cousin, his father (my chithappa) used to keep second bottle ready before he finished his first bottle to avoid the screaming and shouting and waking everyone in the house up. :lol:

[dev]

:D

[Zimmermann]

Extra for you Anou!

Salmon few pieces
Broccoli few pieces
Soy milk a bit
Breadcrumbs a little
Salt & Pepper to taste

Cook salmon in water and puree it with soy milk. Add cooked broccoli to that. Put this mixture in to small round forms and spread breadcrumbs on top of it. Back it until the bread crumbs turn slightly brown in oven/ toaster.

[Zimmermann]

Some tips for the weaning starters!!

First of all it is advisable to breast-feed the child up to 6 months, though some say you can start after four months.

1. Start with one sort of a veg. and see if your baby is allergic of it or not.

2. Vegs to start are Kohlrabi (Noolkohl) Zucchini, Broccoli, Spinach, Cauliflower, squash or Potatoes. Earlier days Carrots are also said to be good, but now they found out it can also be allergic. For fruits mild apples, pears and peach are good starters. Omit acidic fruits.

3. No cow milk/ dairy products up to 1 year old. We Asians are very likely to be lactose intolerant. http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laktoseintoleranz
So, it's better to be a bit cautious with our kids.

4. Gluten included grains such as Rye, Wheat, Barley & spelt can lead to Coeliac disease. When introducing these buy Gluten free products.

[Anoushka]

Thanks for the recipe zimm :) will try that and let you know.

I've been asked to breastfeed exclusively for six months as there is a history of allergies now.

And I think I will not make the mistake of introducing dairy early this time around... :)