Summer season is here with the scorching heat and as parents, we started finding ways about taking care of our children during this period, though it is a bit tough for young children and kids, including some special summer foods can help to keep your baby cool, comfortable and hydrated over the summer.
Check out 5 simple tips for Baby and Toddler Care During Summer.
Bookmark this page for future reference as I will be updating this post whenever I add summer food recipes in my blog. Click on each thumbnail image or the hyperlink given below the respective image for the recipes. Please refer to the notes section given at the end of the post for the key points to remember when making these recipes.
Special Summer Drinks:
This summer special drinks are specially prepared to keep the body cool and healthy.
- Choose recipes according to the baby's age. You can give these special drinks weekly once to your baby or toddler.
- Initially, start with 2-3 teaspoons and gradually increase the quantity.
- Along with the below-mentioned summer drinks, you can also give tender coconut water to your baby (8 months +) and toddler.
- If your baby is allergic to any ingredients, remove it from the recipe.
 Jal jeera(1 Yr+) |  Thandai(1 Yr+) |
 Almond Milk(1 Yr+) |  Barley water(6 M+) |
Desserts:
- Choose recipes according to baby's age which is mentioned in the brackets.
- Try to avoid sugar, honey, jaggery or any sweetener for babies below one year. Instead, I prefer more fruits as a sweetener.
- While preparing desserts, avoid whole nuts for babies below 3 years as they might poses choking hazards. Prefer finely ground nuts, dry fruits powder, nuts powder or almond powder instead.
- If your baby is allergic to any ingredients, remove it from the recipe.
- You can give kheers after 10 minutes of refrigeration if you want it chilled.
 Pumpkin Kheer (6 M+) |  Kiwi Sorbet (1 Yr+) |
 Dahi Poha (8 M+) |  Fruits Dessert (8 M+) |
 Fruits Custard (1 Yr+) |  Banana Custard (1 Yr+) |
 Sabudhana Kheer(6 M+) |  Poha Kheer (8 M+) |
 Mango Kulfi (1 Y+) |  Strawberry Icecream (1 Y+) |
 Mango Phirini (1 Y+) |  Strawberry Fruit dip (1 Y+) |
Juices:
- If your baby is allergic to any ingredients, remove it from the recipe.
- For babies below one year, breastmilk/formula milk should be vital. The maximum you could offer 120 ml of juice per day. Dilute the juice with water for small babies and offer.
- Prefer offering juices in a cup over a bottle.
- Offer juices only during mealtime to increase iron absorption and avoid at bedtime.
- Skip any sweetener for small babies &toddlers as the natural sweetness from fruits is more than enough at this stage.
- Don't use ice cubes.
- Use fresh fruits and vegetables to make juices and serve immediately (maximum 15 minutes from the preparation )and at room temperature.
- Make sure to wash the veggies/fruits well.
 Pomegranate Juice (6 M+) |  Muskmelon Juice(6 M+) |
 Plum Juice (6 M+) |  Watermelon Juice(8 M+) |
 Grapes Juice (10 M+) |  Peach Juice (6 M+) |
 Fresh Pineapple Juice (10 M+) |  Lemon Juice (8 M+) |
Smoothies & Lassi:
- If your baby is allergic to any ingredients, remove it from the recipe.
- You could use curd/yogurt or coconut milk or coconut water to prepare the below smoothies for babies below one year.
- Make sure the curd you use is homemade and not sour.
- Skip any sweetener for small babies &toddlers as the natural sweetness from fruits is more than enough at this stage.
- Don't use ice cubes.
- Use fresh fruits to make smoothies or lassi and serve immediately(maximum 15 minutes from the preparation )and at room temperature.
- Make sure to wash the veggies/fruits well.
 Banana Smoothie(8 M+) |  Fruit Lassi(8 M+) |
 Plain Lassi(8 M+) |  Cucumber Lassi(8 M+) |
 Mango Lassi(8 M+) |  Strawberry Lassi(10 M+) |
 Mango Apricot Smoothie(8 M+) |
Milkshakes:
- If your baby is allergic to any ingredients, remove it from the recipe.
- Use whole full cream milk to prepare these milkshakes.
- For a thicker milkshake, add less milk and if your child prefers a thinner milkshake, add more milk.
- Skip any sweetener for small babies &toddlers as the natural sweetness from fruits is more than enough at this stage.
- The maximum you could offer (350 ml to 400 ml) of cow's milk to your toddler/kid per day that includes all dairy, milkshakes, porridge's with milk.
- Don't use ice cubes.
- Use fresh fruits and vegetables to make milkshakes and serve immediately(maximum 15 minutes from the preparation )and at room temperature.
- Make sure to wash the veggies/fruits well.
- You could also give below milkshakes with breast milk or formula for babies less than a year occasionally.
 Carrot Milkshake(1 Yr+) |  Banana Milkshake(1 Yr+) |
 Strawberry Milkshake(1 Yr+) |  Avocado Milkshake (1 Yr+) |
 Chikku Milkshake(1 Yr+) |  Apple Banana Milkshake(1 Yr+) |
Wholesome light meals:
Babies might have a poor appetite during summer. Hence the below meal options are preferable which are light in the stomach also helps to keep the body cool.
Breakfast/Dinner:
Rice Porridge(6 M+)
Rice Porridge(Moong Dal)(6 M+)
Milk Porridge(1 Y+)
Urad Dhal Porridge(8 M+)
Idli(8 M+)
Instant Poha Idli(8 M+)
Steam Dosa(8 M+)
Vegetable Suji Upma(6 M+)
Idiyappam(8 M+)
Moong Dal Dosa(8 M+)
Lunch:
Spinach khichdi(10 M+)- Oats Khichdi(8 M+)
Curd Rice(7 M+)
Curd Poha(8 M+)
Curd Oats(8 M+)
Vegetable khichdi(8 M+)
Sabudana Khichdi(8 M+)
Oats Khichdi
Notes :
- For babies below one year, Sterilize the bowls and spoons used for feeding your baby in a vessel with hot water for five minutes and keep it immersed in the same vessel until use.
- Never introduce more than one food at a time when introducing solids to your baby.
- Check for allergy symptoms when you introducing new food to your baby and stop feeding your baby if you find any symptoms.
- If your baby is allergic to any specific ingredient, remove it from the recipe.
- If the recipe calls for more spices, adjust it according to your baby's age and preference.
- The information provided here are guidelines and doesn't replace medical advice.
- Check with your doctor immediately if your baby has a poor appetite for vomiting or diarrhea, as dehydration leads to dangerous effects. A doctor may help you to determine the cause of the problem and treat it.
- Always check with your pediatrician before introducing any new food.
- Sugar, salt, cow's milk, and honey is not recommended until 1 year of age.
UPDATE:
This post was originally published in May 2016 and has been updated now. Summer Tips for babies and kids are moved into a separate post for more comprehensiveness.
Rashel Ahmed
Nice post. i like it
gkfooddiary
Thank you !
Salima
Nice information thanks a lot