Fisher-Price Infant-to-Toddler Rocker Review

We have used Fisher Price Rocker for my 2nd son and we loved using it.My elder son loved it so much that he only wanted to sit all the time in it.It is one of the baby gear item that everybody would love to have for their baby.Baby can play in there, fall asleep in it, and best of all you can pick it up and carry it to bring baby with you from room to room.

I like this so much for making baby sleep and I don't have to carry baby on my shoulders from room to room and making baby uneasy.Baby can lie down in their favorite and comfortable position and happily sleep in there.

The vibrations of a bouncy seat offers very calming and soothing to a baby. There are several different varieties, with different features and prices.I had Original Infant to Toddler Rocker which has 

• Coverts from rocker to baby seat for feeding or lounging
• Calming vibrations calm soothe baby
• Toy bar includes two hanging toys for playtime
• Soft goods are machine washable and dryer safe

There is Fisher-Price Deluxe Infant to Toddler Comfort Rocker Bouncer, which has many good features like 

• Lightweight
• Portable
• Deep, Padded Seat/High Sides
• Gentle Rocking Ability with Stabilizing Kickstand
• Soothing Vibration
• Easily Washable

Pros and Cons of Fisher-Price Infant-to-Toddler Rocker 

Pros

• Baby likely will sleep better and longer
• Way cheeper than other beds.
• Lightweight
• Compact and portable
• Rocking motion in addition to calming vibrations for soothing baby
• Great for sleep or feedings in stationary mode
• Grows with child for toddlers up to 40lbs.
• Some reviewers say it helps with colic
• Meets industry safety standards for bassinets

Cons

• It only comes with one cover. It would be nice if they sold additional ones. 
• There is adjustment period for baby ,like moving baby from rocker to flat bed.Some kids gets adjusted to it, but some struggle to sleep on flat bed.

These Fisher Price Bouncer can be bought in India Amazon , now.

Healthy Spices in Khichadi

Baby Food is supposed to be bland, but it is very initially like Rice mash or Apple Puree.I always tried fruits or veggies which have their own taste, so my kids won't get bored of food.I always added ghee, Jaggery or butter to give them nice taste in their porridge or puree.

Once baby grows big like 12 months onward, we can include Mild Spices like turmeric powder,garlic,ginger,cumin seeds,mustard seeds,cinnamon( just a pinch),cloves and cardamom.These spices have many health benefits and nice flavors which everybody can enjoy. These spices can be introduced in a very small amount like a pinch.

I always make a Spiced Khichdi (Rice and Lentils) with some spices in little amount.This will introduce them to nice taste and flavors.Avoid giving hot spices like red chili or green chili, they are not suitable for kids. I also add herbs like coriander leaves,spinach leaves,cilantro to this Spiced Khichdi

When I wanted to introduce spices to my kids , I have searched internet,asked pediatricians and my mom.I started with with single spice at a time with small amount.It is easy to identify baby's likes and dislikes, as well as allergies,if any.There are good sources at internet at Babycenter, Parents and many more.

Healthy Spices in Khichadi
Healthy Spices are good for Baby in small amount.Mild Spices like turmeric,cumin seeds,garlic,cloves can be introduced to infants at 12 moths age in Rice and Lentil,Khichdi Recipe.

Prep Time:15 minutes

Ingredients

1/2 cup Rice

2 Tbsp  Moong Dal

1/4 tsp Cumin seeds

1/4 tsp mustard seeds

2 garlic,chopped

1 clove

1/4 turmeric powder

Ghee

Coriander leaves 

Method :

1.Wash and soak rice and dal in water for half an hour.Drain the water.

2.In a pressure cooker, add the ghee.

3.Add cumin seeds,mustard seeds, cloves,garlic and saute for a few seconds on medium flame.

4.Add the rice and dal and saute them for a minute.

5.Add turmeric powder and salt as per taste.

6.Add 3 cups of water. and leave till 3 whistles.

7.Switch off the flame after 3 whistles and let the steam settle down.

8.Remove the cloves and mash the khichdi and feed your baby.

Tip: You can add pinch of cinnamon or cardamom powder to this khichdi to alter flavors for your baby.

Banana Mash | Banana Puree

One of the most important nutritional components of Bananas is that they contain potassium and fiber. Bananas are also high in Vitamin B6, Vitamin C and Vitamin B2.

Bananas are very simple and easy baby food for infants of 4 months age. I started Banana as a first food to my both kids at 5 months. It can be easily mashed and its texture and sweetness is very suitable for infants appetite.

I used to mash Banana with hand , and sometimes in blender. More fruits like Avocado, Mango, Chikoo, Apple, Papaya and strawberry can be mixed with banana to enhance its taste.

Banana Puree For Baby
Banana Mash or Banana Puree is great first food for infants at 4 months. It is sweet in taste and very healthy for baby.

Prep Time:5 minutes

Ingredients

1 ripe Banana

Method

1.Peel and cut banana.

2.Mash with spoon or puree in mixer.(I prefer to mash with clean hands.)

Papaya Puree

Papaya is very good for infants and can be start at 8-10 months. It is not only sweet and tasty but very nutritious also. It is good source of vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin E. Papaya is good source of fiber and folic acid. Papaya also helps in digestion process of infants.

Papaya can also be useful in relieving constipation. Papaya has great texture and sweet taste and can be great baby food. When your baby is more comfortable with other fruits like banana, apple ,rice, then slowly you can introduce papaya more around 8 months.

These nutritional elements are very good for developing infants. Apart from Breast feeding , infants should get more nutrition from 6 months. So introducing more fruits like Banana, Apple, Papaya, Strawberry, Chikoo, Mangoes and many more is very essential.

Papaya Puree For Baby
Papaya is very nutritious fruit for your baby and can be start at 8 months. It helps in digestion process of baby.

Prep Time:10 minutes

Ingredients

1 small papaya

Method

1. Cut a small papaya in half, remove the black seeds.
2. Puree or mash the flesh of one half until smooth.

Banana Papaya Puree

Banana is first fruit which can be easily mashed and naturally sweet in taste. I used mashed Banana as first foods for my baby once he is 5 months. This fruit is very filling for baby's hunger. This can be mixed with other fruits like papaya or mango.

The combination of ,Banana and Papaya ,is also taste nice. This combination is healthy for your baby ,too. Papaya , is good source of vitamin C and beta-carotene. It will improve baby's digestion also.I started Papaya Puree around 8-9 months.

Banana can be mixed nicely with many kheer or porridge recipes for your growing baby. This is good source of potassium and give sweet taste to your porridge. So you can skip on sugar or Jaggery.

Banana Papaya Puree
Banana and Papaya puree is very good baby puree for 6 months baby. It will satisfy baby's hunger with health benefits of Banana and Papaya.

Prep Time:5 minutes

Ingredients

4 tbsp bananas chunks
4 tbsp papaya chunks

Method

1.Combine the banana and papaya chunks in a bowl and mash well with hands or spoon.
2.Serve immediately.

Simple Dal Chawal

Simple Dal Chawal Recipe, is very common in every home of India. It is not just for kids, but for adults too, is apart of any meal. Plain Dal Chawal means without any spices , just steamed rice with cooked lentils along with salt and ghee. Rice is the main first foods I started to give my children when they come at 6 months age. Rice is very nutritious and good source of carbohydrates to our developing baby. Also, it is very easy to cook and feed to baby. More advantages is, it can go along with any veggies and fruits to make porridges.

 For Dal, I used Tuvar dal , very good source of protein. I cooked dal and rice in pressure cooker upto 4 whistles. If you don't have pressure cooker, you can boil dal with water in pan as well. Cook dal till it becomes mushy. I don't prefer to cook Rice and Tuvar dal together, as their cooking time varies. Tuvar Dal takes little long time than Rice.

Ingredients

1/2 cup Rice

1/4 cup Tuvar Dal

1 tsp. turmeric powder

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ghee/butter

Method

1.Wash rice and dal separately 3-4 times to remove starchy water from them.

2.In pressure cooker, keep 1 steel bowl with rice and 1 cup water with little salt.

3.Place other steel bowl above rice bowl and put Tuvar Dal and 1/2 cup water with little turmeric powder into that. Keep the lid on this bowl.

4.Close the pressure cooker and cook the rice and dal till 3-4 whistles.

5.Once the all steam gone from cooker, open the lid and check if dal is nicely cooked. If it is not done, cook for 2 more whistles.

6.Once they are cooked, mash dal with masher and add little salt(as per taste).

7.Serve rice in plate and mashed plain dal on top of that. Put ghee and mix nicely to feed baby.

Apple Strawberry Puree

Apple Strawberry Puree is very tasty with goodness of apple and color of strawberry. It looks very nice and it is really tasty because of sweetness of both fruits. As Strawberries can be started to baby at little later like after 9 months, try this puree in 9-12 months stage.Strawberries are sharper in flavor than other fruits, so use a mild fruit like apple to tone it down. Milk provides calcium and strawberries supplement it with vitamin c which is extremely essential to strengthen your baby's immunity

I have started this puree after 1 year , so I directly add cow's milk. You can add boiled water or formula as needed. Honey or Jaggery is optional. Apple and Strawberries have their own sweet taste. Try to avoid sour Strawberries and use ripe ones.
 

Ingredients

1 cup peeled and chopped apple
5 to 6 ripe strawberry
2 tbsp milk

 

Method

 

1.Liquidise the apples and strawberries together in a blender.
2.Strain to remove the strawberry seeds.
3.Add the milk, mix well and serve immediately.

 

 

Strawberry Baby Food Recipes

 

Apple Baby Food Recipes

Strawberry Yogurt

This is one of my favorite recipes and I'm sure your baby will love it too. Strawberries are an amazing source of Vitamin C and Anti oxidants. Yogurt is easier to digest than milk and provides almost the same amount of calcium. Also it is a favorite fruit of kids. Try to use fresh strawberries when they are in season.

 

 

As per experts, Fresh strawberries can sometimes cause food reactions in babies. But cooked strawberries, on the other hand, usually do not. So, once it is little cooked in water, you can mix with variety of fruits and give it to your baby may be after 9 or 10 months. Fruits like Apples, Bananas, Blueberries, Kiwi, Mango, Papaya, Peaches and  Yogurt can be good mix to strawberries.

Ingredients

 

5 to 6 ripe strawberries
1/2 cup fresh thick yogurt/curd (dahi)
Jaggery (optional)

 

Method

 

1.Liquidise all the ingredients together in a blender and serve immediately.

 

 

 

Banana Milkshake

A very famous baby fruit , Banana with milk, will be a treat for baby of 12+ months. As milk , either cow milk or Buffalo milk or any other type of milk, can be used with banana to make milkshake. So when baby can start drinking milk, you can mix fruits like banana ,mango or apple to make milkshake.
 

The bananas are powerhouse of nutrients and energy and hence makes for a healthy choice for children. If you want to make the banana milkshake more easy to digest then use the bananas which are more ripe and you can also use pinch of cardamom or cinnamon powder.

I have made other baby food using Banana , Banana and Papaya Puree, Banana Puree, Jowar Banana Sheera. There are milkshake recipes like Chikoo milkshake, Mango milkshake and dry fruits milkshake.

 

Ingredients

 

2 bananas
2 cups milk
3 to 4 tsp. sugar /honey

 

Method

 

1.First peel the bananas.
2.Then cut them and put it in the blender , add 2 cups of milk.
3.Add 3 to 4 spoons of sugar.
4.Grind it till soft .Then pour them into a glass.

 

Jowar Banana Sheera

Jowar is very good for 6+ baby and can be used in porridge or with any fruit. I have made Jowar Banana sheera. Banana helps to make it sweet. Traditionally, we use Jaggery for making sheera. But I tried with Banana. We can use dates, apple or mango to make this sheera sweet and tastier.

This is good menu for baby's lunch or dinner. It is very filling and satisfying to baby's hunger and keep baby full for long time. It has good amount of carbohydrates, protein, iron and calcium.

 

Ingredients

1/4 cup Jowar (white millet) flour
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. chopped Jaggery
1/4 cup mashed banana
1 tsp. ghee/butter

 

 Method 

1.Heat the ghee in a pan, add the Jowar flour to it and sauté on a medium flame for 1 to 2 minutes or till it turns light brown in color.

2.Add the milk, mix well and cook on a medium flame for 30 seconds, stirring continuously so that no lumps remain.

3.Add ½ cup of water, Jaggery, mix well and cook on a medium flame for 1 minute, while stirring continuously.

4.Switch off the flame, add the banana and mix well.

5.Serve lukewarm, if needed add some warm milk to make it more suitable for your baby to swallow.

 

Bajra Porridge

Bajra, Pearl Millet or Black Millet, is widely grown in India. It is very nice kind of grain suitable for baby food and it has many names like

 Kambu in Tamil
 Pearl millet in English.
 Sajje/kambu in Kannada.
 Sajjalu in Telugu.
 Kambam in Malayalam
 Bajra in Marathi

 

After 8 months this grain can be started in baby food because it is easy to digest and high in protein and many minerals. Eating whole grains for babies is good thing to prevent many future diseases and improving immunity of the body. This wholesome and satisfactory porridge will keep baby satisfied for a couple of hours.

 

Ingredients

 

3 tbsp Bajra powder / whole Bajra (black millet)
1 tbsp Jaggery
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. ghee/butter

 

 Method

1.Heat ghee in pan and roast Bajra powder till it slightly changes its color and gives nice aroma.

 

2.Add Jaggery and milk and keep stirring, so there should not be any lumps. Serve lukewarm.

 

3.For whole Bajra, pressure cook the Bajra with ½ cup of water for 3 whistles. Cool. Liquidize the cooked Bajra with ½ cup of milk and Jaggery in a blender till it is smooth in texture. Transfer this into a pan and bring to boil, stirring continuously so that no lumps remain. Serve lukewarm.

 

Chikoo Milkshake

Chikoo/Sapodilla is a sweet fruit that can be introduced into your baby’s diet, between the ages of 6-8 months. It is also a safe to introduce sapodilla to infants because unlike some exotic fruits, it does not cause allergic reactions.

 

Chikoo puree can be good weaning food for 6+ months of baby. It can be mixed with other fruits to make fruit salad and can be made milkshake like this. It is very good fruit for vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, possesses antimicrobial properties. It is considered as baby friendly fruit. It has natural sweetness which baby will love.

 

 

Ingredients

 

1/4 cup Chikoo peeled. deseeded and chopped
3/4 cup milk

 

Method

Blend the ingredients together in a liquidizer and serve immediately.

 

Note

1.Peel off the outer layers first and then take out the seeds. The seeds are right at the center of the fruit and they need to be removed. These seeds are big enough for your baby to cause choking. So, remember this always to peel and deseed it.

 

2.Also make sure to crush the fruit pulp before giving it to your baby. Though the fruit is soft, yet there can be issues when a baby eats the fruit. So, do crush it and make a puree out of it.

Chikoo Puree

Chikoo means Sapodilla, is very good fruit for vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, possesses antimicrobial properties. It is considered as baby friendly fruit. It has natural sweetness which baby will love. It can be easily mashed and mixed with any other fruits to make fruit salad.

 

Chikoo/Sapodilla is a sweet fruit that can be introduced into your baby’s diet, between the ages of 6-8 months. It is also a safe to introduce sapodilla to infants because unlike some exotic fruits, it does not cause allergic reactions.
 

 

Usually, the unripe fruit is very hard. Avoid unripe fruit as it would be very difficult to digest. So, wait for the fruit to ripen. Ripened sapodilla fruit would be soft and it can be crushed if pressed hard. This is the right stage to eat the fruit.

Ingredients

2 medium Chikoo peeled and deseeded
 

Method
Blend chunks of Chikoo through blender to make it smooth. Serve immediately.
 

 

Note

1.Peel off the outer layers first and then take out the seeds. The seeds are right at the center of the fruit and they need to be removed. These seeds are big enough for your baby to cause choking. So, remember this always to peel and deseed it.

 

2.Also make sure to crush the fruit pulp before giving it to your baby. Though the fruit is soft, yet there can be issues when a baby eats the fruit. So, do crush it and make a puree out of it.

Moong Dal Water

Moong dal is very nourishing lentil in Indian cousin. It is used daily in Indian meals. It is very rich in many vitamins,minerals and it is good source of protein in vegetarian diet. Moong dal is very easy to digest with lots of benefits. Its regular use during childhood, pregnancy and lactation helps one to get the required nutrition and promote health.

 

 

Moong Dal is very rich food for babies. Its texture and taste is suitable for infants. Its water is always given as first food to baby within 4-6 months. Once the baby is old, unstrained Moong dal water , or spiced or flavored dal is given to babies.

 

Ingredients

2 tbsp yellow Moong dal (split yellow gram)
 water for cooking

 

Method

 

1.Pressure cook the dal in 1/2 cup of water for 2 whistles.
2.Add an additional 1/2 cup of water to the cooked dal and liquidize it in a blender.
3.Strain the cooked dal and serve lukewarm.

 

Apple Puree & Rice Mash is another baby food to start for 4 months baby.
 

Rice Mash For Babies

Rice is a fundamental food in many cultural cuisines around the world, and it is an important cereal crop that feeds more than half of the world’s population. Rice is widely used grain for baby food also. It is considered as best food for weaning , as it becomes very soft after cooking. Also, it is easy to digest and no chances of gases in babies.

 

 

 

In India, we also prefer giving rice water, which is left after cooking. This water is very rich in nutrients and vitamins, so we do prefer to give this water for babies or infants at home. Rice Mash is best food to start as first foods, we just need to mash cooked rice till the smoother consistency. You can add boiled water or milk to make it more soft or watery consistency.

 

Ingredients

2 tbsp rice
1/2 tsp. ghee

 

Method

 

1.Wash the rice and add 3/4 cup of water. Pressure cook it for 3 whistles.
2.Remove from the pressure cooker and add the ghee. Mix well.
3.Mash it completely to make a smooth consistency. Serve lukewarm.

 

 

Moong dal Water and Barley Water are another very Healthy Recipes as First Foods.

Carrot Puree For Baby

Carrot are very healthy vegetable and very good for babies. This is considered as best veggie to start as first foods. Carrots are very high in Vitamin A. Vitamin A is very important in a developing infant's diet.

Carrots are one of baby's first food. They are easy to digest and are packed full of nutrients such as Vitamin A, Vitamin C and Calcium. Carrots can be mixed with other vegetables  and fruits. It can be used in baking or soups, vegetables, pasta, noodles or any other type of meal for babies or infants.
 

 

 

How to Make Carrot Puree For Baby

Ingredients

 

1 medium carrot
2 cups water

 

Method

 

1.Rinse and peel all of the carrot. Cut into chunks.

2.Boil carrot chunks in enough water in a saucepan for 7-10 minutes.

3.Once they are tender and soft, make it cool. Puree them in a blender.

 

You can steam the carrots instead of boiling with steaming method. 

 Apple Puree and Rice Mash are another healthy recipes for weaning food.

Barley Apple Porridge For Babies

Barley is very good grain for babies to start as a first food. After cooking barley, you can add any fruit to make nice porridge consistency. I generally used carrot and apple to mix with barley. The consistency should depend on babies liking, if baby is too small and just started on first foods, so more watery is good. If baby is of 8+ months, then it should be little think , so he will likes its bites.

 

As discussed previously, Barley is harmless and no more allergic to babies. It is very healthy option for babies food.

 As per Barleyfoods, barley provides good amount of fiber than rice. It contains good amount of protein, calcium, iron and fiber. It is also considered good in pregnancy period. Nutritional values of Barley can be seen here  

 

 

How To Make Barley Apple Porridge? 

Ingredients

 

1/2 cup whole barley

1 apple ,peeled and cut

2 cups water

 

Method

 

1.Cook barley in pressure cooker with 1 cup water till 3-4 whistle.

2.Add cut apple and 1 cup water and put it on stove again till apple cooked very well. It takes 5-8 minutes. Switch off the flame.

3.Mash with masher or through food blender. Make thin or thick consistency as per baby's age.

Barley Water for 4+ Months of Baby

Barley Water for Babies

Barley is very good for babies health. Barley is a wonder grain and a better source of fiber, iron, potassium and folate than white rice & brown rice and has numerous health benefits like protecting the intestine, lowering cholesterol, lowering the risk of type 2 diabetes and many more.

 

Barley is able to be introduced to babies from 4-6 months of age. Barley is not an allergenic food and is relatively easy to digest. Because of barley's chewy texture , we as adult don't try to have in our diets. But it is good to use in powdered form. We can make it powder at home using food processor.

 

To cook for baby food, we have to use cooker or saucepan. There are two methods for barley to use as a baby food
1.Put 1 cup washed barley with 2 cups of water in pressure cooker and cook till 3-4 whistles.
2.Put 1 cup of barley in saucepan with 2-3 cups of water and put it on medium flame for 20-25 minutes.

 

If you are using powdered form of barley, then just use hot water to mix with barley powder.

How to Make Barley water for Babies?

Ingredients

 

2 tbsp barley
2 tbsp grated Jaggery /gur
 

Method

 

1.Wash and Pressure cook barley with 1 cup of water and the Jaggery.
2.Make a smooth paste in a blender.
3.Strain and allow it to cool completely.
4. Feed baby lukewarm with spoon.

 

Some people add lemon juice, which is very good for babies immunity.

Apple Barley Porridge Recipe

 

Apple Puree

Apples are a great choice for one of an infant's first food. They are easy to prepare, easy to digest and are full of nutrients. Apples are also very versatile and may be added to almost any baby recipe you find. Apple is very nutritional Fruit as it is good source of lots of vitamins and minerals.

 

Apples should be peeled for babies under 8 months of age to ensure that there are no tummy upsets. Also, apple is good because it is unlikely to cause allergies to baby. 

 

Apple are generally favorite of all age, but specially kids and infant definitely loves because of its sweet and nice taste. Its nutritional values can be seen Here

How To Make Apple Puree For Baby 

Ingredients

2 sweet eating apples 

4 to 5 tbsp water
 

Method

 

1.Peel and chop the apples. Put into a heavy based saucepan with the water. Cover and cook over a low heat for 6 to 8 minutes until really tender.

2.Mash it with clean hands or masher. There should not be any lumps remaining.

Carrot Puree is very healthy as first foods.