Providing adequate nutrition from conception plays a key role in the growth and development of a child as this sets a stage for their lifelong health.
From birth to 6 months, it’s highly recommended to exclusively breastfeed infants, as breastmilk provides all the essential nutrients needed for growth and development.
At 6 months, breastmilk is not enough to provide the required energy and nutrients needed. Therefore, complementary foods along with breastmilk are necessary to meet those needs.
Fruity Pap
A sample recipe for a 6-8 months old child
Ingredients
- Fermented gruel 2 scoops
- Banana 1 finger
- Date syrup 1tspoon to each feed
- Procedure
- Pour a cup of water into a pot and put to boil
- In a bowl, mix the gruel with water
- Pour the mix into the boiling water, mix thoroughly to avoid lumps leave to cook on low heat for 5mins
- Cut the banana into the blender and blend till smooth
- Pour the banana blend into the pap and stir
- Serve and add the date syrup into each feed with the age-appropriate milk.
- Why I like pap is because it’s fermented and provides probiotics, which are beneficial for your baby’s gut health…
- Except you are not sure of its safety… it’s a fantastic option for your baby.
Beef Potato sauce
A sample recipe for 9-12-month-old child
Ingredients
- 3-4 pcs of cooked Irish potato or 1 medium-size sweet potato
- -20g of shredded carrot
- -1 tablespoon of oil
- -40g of cooked beef (blended or shredded)
- 10g of child’s milk
- 1clove of garlic (minced or grated)
- 1medium size ginger (Cut into half) (minced or grated)
- 1small size onion (diced)
- Procedure
- Place pan on the heat, add the oil, and add the onions, ginger, garlic, carrots
- Add the beef and stir fry the potatoes and mash properly
- Allow cooking for 1min under low heat
- Dissolve the milk in water and add into the stir fry on low heat for 1min
- Continue mashing, make sure it’s not too thick nor too watery.
- Maintain a good consistency
- Then serve
Chicken Ankara balls
Sample recipe for a 2-3year old child
Ingredients
- Peeled Beans 250g
- Boiled deboned chicken 2pcs
- Red bell pepper 2pcs
- Pepper (Rodo) 3pcs
- Onions 2big sizes
- Oil to fry
- Salt to taste (optional)
- Chicken broth (3cooking spoon)
- Little water (about 50 to 100mls)
- Procedure
- In a blender, pour the beans, add the broth and chicken, onion, and pepper.
- Note (you may dice the pepper and pour it into the mixture depending on what the kids like)
- Blend till smooth and ensure its thick and not watery (not too thick so it won’t be hard)
- Pour the mixture into a bowl
- Mix very well with a turning stick till fluffy
- You may add salt to taste
- In a frying pan, pour into it the oil of choice
- Heat the oil for 5mins on low heat
- Then scoop the mixture into the oil
- Fry till golden brown on both sides
- Serve with pap, bread, orange juice, pineapple juice, or mixed fruit juice
Vegetables potato pottage
A sample recipe for a 4-5-year-old child
Ingredients
- 2medium size sweet potato.
- 20g of well-cut vegetable of choice
- 40g of cooked Titus fish
- 1 Tablespoon of oil
- 2pcs of ripe tomatoes
- 2pc habanero pepper
- 2pcs of ripe red bell pepper
- 1/2 Teaspoon of Salt
- 1medium size ginger (minced)
- 1medium size garlic (minced)
- Procedure
- -In a pot, add the fish, ginger, garlic, and salt
- -Cook Fish for 5-7mins till done
- Remove Fish from the stock and mash properly removing the bones
- To the stock, add the potatoes and cook till done
- Mash well and add Fluted Pumpkin leaves (ugwu), oil and tomatoes and pepper, oil, and the fish
- Leave to cook for 1- 2mins on low heat
- Then serve
OSHOBA YETUNDE ADIJAT
M.Sc., RDN, B.Sc.
Founder, Bay Nutrition.
