Wheat

We can start her on soft mashed roti or a smooth dalia porridge. For roti, tear it into small pieces and soak them in a little milk or vegetable curry until they go soft, then mash so there is nothing firm for her to catch on. Dalia just needs cooking right down into a thick, smooth porridge.

Keep the dalia thick, not a thin watery gruel, since the watery liquid on its own does not carry the energy she needs. A good sign is that it holds on the spoon when you tilt it. Once she is happy with wheat on its own, you can also cook a little of it into a soft dal and vegetable khichdi she already takes.

Wheat is a common allergen, so the first time, serve it by itself and see how she does over a couple of days. Keep it plain, with no added salt while she is little and no added sugar before she is two. Begin with just a spoon or two, then follow how much she wants.

By now she can lift food to her own mouth, so offer soft strips of roti she can hold. A thicker dalia that holds together works well too, and the soaked-soft bits she started on are still fine on softer days. Picking up those soft strips herself, using her whole hand, is how she practises feeding herself.

Keep the pieces soft enough to squash between your fingers, and keep giving wheat as part of a dish with dal and a vegetable. There is still no need for any added salt or sugar at this age.

From a year, wheat is just part of the family plate. She can have soft roti, chapati or paratha, torn small if she still needs it, and dalia kept soft, alongside the dal and vegetables everyone eats.

Cook her share soft and go easy on the salt, and skip added sugar till she turns two. She sets her own amount at this age, taking wheat alongside everything else in her meal.