Gastronomic Adventures With Ahona
Since birth, my daughter, Ahona, had a chance to taste the formula milk partially as I could not breastfeed her according to her requirements. The midwives who attended me in the Nursing Home suggested Nan Pro as an ideal substitution. I avidly followed them while they prepared the milk, fed her and most importantly burped her. As a sincere student, I started to follow the same process when I came back home with my daughter. Whenever she demanded food, I used to waste no time to prepare the milk and feed her immediately with a spoon from a bowl which exclusively belong to her. Although, she abhorred the taste of the milk but was very particular about drinking the entire amount of milk all at once. We simply couldn't afford to delay the helpings which went inside her mouth. The spoon was a small one which was unable to hold a good amount of helpings together, so, we shifted to paladai spoon or jhinuk. Initially, she loved the paladai but soon she grew a deep hatred towards it. Why? We don't know yet. Maybe, she will be able to explain this deep disgust when she would learn to talk.
As she grew very particular to not feed from a paladai, we got feeding bottles for her, our last resort. The feeding bottles weren't the usual ones, too. We had to fit larger sized teats in the smaller bottles because she found it difficult to suck up from a smaller sized teat, thanks to the paladai and spoon feeding sessions.
Meanwhile, there was another significant development. She was not able to digest the Nan Pro milk which resulted in regular colic pains. Hence, we decided to try the other brands as well. One of our relatives, who was sailing in the same boat as us, suggested 'Dexolac Premium'. We instantly acted. A sample was bought, evening feed was prepared and served to her. She lapped up the feed in no time. Our experiment turned successful. But, that's not all. The next morning, she revolted when we tried to serve her the remaining Nan Pro,in order to finish up the container. She agreed to sign the peace treaty only when we mixed a bit of sugar along with the feed. Thus, a small pinch of sugar was the missing link.
Days and months passed. She reached her fourth month. Little did we knew that the fourth month would become a gastronomic turning point for her, as well as, us. She started to lose interest in her favourite Dexolac Premium. Sometimes, she drank, sometimes, not at all. We never forced her as we knew that forced feedings make an unhappy eater, later on, in life. Saving the milk, she grew interested to taste other things, - her toys, her pillow covers, oil cloth, her fingers, our fingers, and so on. As concerned parents, we explained this strange food adventure of hers, to her doctor. He laughed aloud before suggesting us to try giving her mashed potatoes and bananas, once a day.
The very next day was a red letter day. She started on solids for the very first time in her life. Her grandmother boiled a potato and helped me to prepare a delicious mashed potato platter for her. A small pinch of salt, a small pinch of butter, one spoonful of her favourite Dexolac Premium formula milk, and a bit of warm water blended beautifully with a boiled, half of a potato. I anxiously put a bit of the mixture in her mouth. She made a face. The same face a gourmet makes while tasting new dishes in a fine dining restaurant. Slowly, she started to eat the morsel in her mouth, cheerfully. I breathed a sigh of relief. Since then, she have grown to be a potato-addict. With the bananas, however, I didn't had to struggle much. She loved sweet bananas, though, at times, partially closed her eyes to acknowledge the occasional sourness in them.
Presently, she is on her 9th month. A tooth had sprouted up a few weeks back. Along with her usual food items, - toys, oil cloth, pillows, swaddlers, she has grown interest towards cumin seeds tempered daal, spinach and vegetable puree, ripe papayas and cucumbers. While, Oats and apple porridge happens to be a must have for her, occasionally, the fulkas of the handmade flatbreads make an appearance too, in her breakfast bowl. She prefers a simple dinner with sooji and formula milk kheer before dozing off to a good night's sleep. Though, I doubt, whether you would like to call a 5:30 PM food a dinner or not. Hopefully, she is going to venture other food territories by the time she becomes 1 year old while I continue to brace myself in apprehension for her would-be food tantrums in the days to come.
As she grew very particular to not feed from a paladai, we got feeding bottles for her, our last resort. The feeding bottles weren't the usual ones, too. We had to fit larger sized teats in the smaller bottles because she found it difficult to suck up from a smaller sized teat, thanks to the paladai and spoon feeding sessions.
Meanwhile, there was another significant development. She was not able to digest the Nan Pro milk which resulted in regular colic pains. Hence, we decided to try the other brands as well. One of our relatives, who was sailing in the same boat as us, suggested 'Dexolac Premium'. We instantly acted. A sample was bought, evening feed was prepared and served to her. She lapped up the feed in no time. Our experiment turned successful. But, that's not all. The next morning, she revolted when we tried to serve her the remaining Nan Pro,in order to finish up the container. She agreed to sign the peace treaty only when we mixed a bit of sugar along with the feed. Thus, a small pinch of sugar was the missing link.
Days and months passed. She reached her fourth month. Little did we knew that the fourth month would become a gastronomic turning point for her, as well as, us. She started to lose interest in her favourite Dexolac Premium. Sometimes, she drank, sometimes, not at all. We never forced her as we knew that forced feedings make an unhappy eater, later on, in life. Saving the milk, she grew interested to taste other things, - her toys, her pillow covers, oil cloth, her fingers, our fingers, and so on. As concerned parents, we explained this strange food adventure of hers, to her doctor. He laughed aloud before suggesting us to try giving her mashed potatoes and bananas, once a day.
The very next day was a red letter day. She started on solids for the very first time in her life. Her grandmother boiled a potato and helped me to prepare a delicious mashed potato platter for her. A small pinch of salt, a small pinch of butter, one spoonful of her favourite Dexolac Premium formula milk, and a bit of warm water blended beautifully with a boiled, half of a potato. I anxiously put a bit of the mixture in her mouth. She made a face. The same face a gourmet makes while tasting new dishes in a fine dining restaurant. Slowly, she started to eat the morsel in her mouth, cheerfully. I breathed a sigh of relief. Since then, she have grown to be a potato-addict. With the bananas, however, I didn't had to struggle much. She loved sweet bananas, though, at times, partially closed her eyes to acknowledge the occasional sourness in them.
Presently, she is on her 9th month. A tooth had sprouted up a few weeks back. Along with her usual food items, - toys, oil cloth, pillows, swaddlers, she has grown interest towards cumin seeds tempered daal, spinach and vegetable puree, ripe papayas and cucumbers. While, Oats and apple porridge happens to be a must have for her, occasionally, the fulkas of the handmade flatbreads make an appearance too, in her breakfast bowl. She prefers a simple dinner with sooji and formula milk kheer before dozing off to a good night's sleep. Though, I doubt, whether you would like to call a 5:30 PM food a dinner or not. Hopefully, she is going to venture other food territories by the time she becomes 1 year old while I continue to brace myself in apprehension for her would-be food tantrums in the days to come.
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