Introducing Solids

Introducing solids in one of the greatest milestones !!! As a part of the Indian tradition, there is a ritual that marks an infant's first intake of food other than milk and is called "Annaprashan"( eating food ). It is usually done at 6 months of age. As a part of the tradition we offered "kheer" ( rice pudding) to her. The sweet taste of kheer appealed to her taste buds :)
Today we started rice cereals for her. She seems to be liking the taste as she was asking for more and more..... :) Here's Miss Messy after her meal this morning

Baby's first foods are usually rice cereals here in the United States, although back home in India we generally give daal or rice water ( "daal ka paani" or "chawal ka paani" ). Anvesha enjoyed her meal thoroughly. We gave her Gerber rice cereals. Iam too excited for her and have done a whole lot of research already for what foods to introduce and when. Here's a website that has a whole lot of information on baby foods that I referred to http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/. We do get ready- to- eat baby foods in the market but I want to stick to homemade variety since they are fresh and economical too. 

Growing up fast !!!!

Anvesha will be 6 months in 2 days !!! Every month is a new milestone achieved. She has started making an effort to crawl and is showing signs of teething as well. These days all she does is put anything and everything in her mouth. I got her few teethers from babiesRus the other day, hope this gives her some comfort. I was told to offer her when they are chilled :) Its amazing how kids grow up so fast. Last month she started to sit on her own and in just a matter of one month she is making an effort to stand up as well :) Rolling is still some way to go as of now. While I am typing Anvesha is trying to hold my hand in order to get up :) Here's a pic of hers from yesterday.

While I am finding it difficult to keep Anvesha engaged throughout the day, we explored a couple of options including daycare . After much research, we got her enrolled in the Gymboree play and music classes so that she may learn socializing skills and does not have stranger anxiety. I know this is a big word with respect to an infant, but it is equally important to shape a child's personality during the formative years. She gets to meet other babies of her age and play with them. At the end of the day its a win win situation for both me and her. Happy baby = Happy parents !!!!!

Another Milestone Achieved !!!!!

Anvesha is now 5 months old and it was a miracle to see her sit on her own without support the other day ( though she can sit without support for only a couple of minutes at a time ). This is a big milestone in itself. Every child is different and reaches those milestones at different times and it was a sheer delight to see her sit on her own especially when she is hardly able to roll over properly. I guess it has a lot to do with the Bumbo seats :)It allowed her to sit upright before she had the strength to do so herself. Anvesha loves to be off the floor and see whats going on around the room. Plus I can always place her on the seat for some time while I do my household chores :) She joyfully plays with her toys on her playmat ( we have made a small corner dedicated to Anvesha where she can play around )while I admire her at arms' reach.

 We started using the Bumbo seat when Anvesha started having some head control. The seat looks funny though, but provides a simple way for baby to interact with their surroundings. Anvesha hated tummy time and the Bumbo seat is a more pleasant way to keep her from laying on her back too much. A word of caution: do not use these seats on high surfaces such as tables or counter tops!