Bajra

Cook bajra right down into a soft, smooth porridge thick enough to sit on a tilted spoon without running off, then loosen it with a little breast milk, formula, or water so it scoops up easily. Let it cool before it reaches her, and any coarse, gritty grains can be mashed or ground away so every spoonful is soft and lump-free.

Many of us dry-roast the bajra flour for a couple of minutes first, until it smells warm and nutty. The roasting takes away the raw smell, and the flour then stirs into hot water without lumps, for an even smoother porridge.

A small spoonful is the right amount to begin, and you can offer a little more each time as her tummy settles into it. There is no race to start bajra either. Many families begin with rice or ragi and bring bajra in around eight months, and if her tummy seems unsettled by it, it is fine to pause and try again then. Keep it plain, with no added salt while she is little and no added sugar before she is two. Let her appetite tell you when she has had enough.

As she gets steadier, around nine to ten months, let the porridge grow thicker and a little lumpier so she has some soft texture to work her gums on, and keep grinding or mashing away any hard or gritty grains so nothing sharp catches her.

A soft bajra khichdi with moong dal suits her now too. And if bajra dosa is already part of your family's meals, cooked soft, this is around the age she can start sharing it.

By about twelve months, bajra can share in the meals everyone else at the table is having, cooked soft and kept plain, light on salt, with no added sugar before she is two. It can go on her plate as her usual porridge grown thicker into a soft mash, or worked soft into the everyday dishes on the family plate.

This is also the age a soft bajri roti suits her, torn into small pieces and soaked fully soft in warm dal, milk, or curd until she can mash it easily on her gums. It should stay well soaked and soft, never dry or firm.