Starting Solids the Pakistani Way: Khichri, Suji and First Spoons

Around six months, breast milk alone stops being enough — babies need extra iron and energy. This is the exciting, messy start of family food. Our kitchens are full of perfect first foods; you rarely need an expensive imported jar.

Six months — and the signs to look for

Wait until about six months (not four, whatever a neighbour says — a young gut isn't ready, and early solids raise the risk of diarrhoea). Look for your baby:

• Sitting with support and holding their head steady
• Watching your food with real interest and reaching for it
• No longer pushing everything straight back out with the tongue

Breast milk or formula stays the main drink through the whole first year; food is added alongside, not instead.

The first week or two

Start small — a few teaspoons once a day, thin and smooth, thickening as your baby gets the hang of it:

• Suji (semolina) cooked soft in milk, lightly sweetened or plain
• Well-mashed banana or soft seasonal fruit (cheeku, mango, stewed apple)
• Smooth khichri — rice and moong daal cooked very soft
• Mashed potato, or plain dahi (yogurt)

Offer one new food at a time and give it a couple of days before the next, so you can spot anything that doesn't agree.

Building a proper plate (7–12 months)

As your baby moves to two, then three, meals a day, make every plate count — iron is the nutrient babies most often fall short on:

• Daal, egg yolk, well-cooked keema, soft chicken or liver for iron
• Soft-cooked vegetables — carrot, kaddu (pumpkin), palak, peas
• Dahi and paneer for calcium
• Soft roti pieces, rice or khichri for energy
• Finger foods as they learn to self-feed: soft fruit, cooked carrot sticks

Cook without chilli, and go very easy on salt and sugar — a baby's kidneys and taste buds don't need them.

What to leave off the plate

• No honey before the first birthday — the botulism risk is real.
• No cow or buffalo milk as the main drink before one (small amounts in cooking are fine); it's hard on young kidneys and can cause iron loss.
• No whole nuts, hard sweets or whole grapes — choking hazards; grind or chop.
• Nothing fried, spicy or heavily salted straight from the family degchi yet.

Keep it clean — this is where babies get sick

New foods plus warm weather is a classic recipe for a tummy bug:

• Cook food fresh and serve it warm; don't leave it standing in the heat.
• Wash your hands and the baby's before eating.
• Use clean, boiled water and utensils, and wash fruit and vegetables well.

Every baby takes to food at their own pace; a quick word with your child's doctor can settle any worry about weight, allergies or a fussy eater.