Five years back, when father-in-law Amitabh Bachchan announced that his daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was pregnant, everybody including her fans as well as the media went into a tizzy.
They all wanted to know whether she faced any challenges during her pregnancy, how she dealt with it and how she planned to raise her kid.
But after almost four years, we can safely say that Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has turned into the kind of mother she always wanted to be, and one that many women look up to.
Aishwarya as a mum
She is hands-on, she is independent and she is a regular working mother, albeit her work, which is a bit more glamourous than yours and mine. But even so, she has managed to keep a semblance of 'normal' in her child's upbringing.
In an interview to DNA she mentioned, "I don’t think it’s fair to compare or gloat about that (being a hands-on mum). I am the mother that I want to be and I keep saying this — being a working mother is immensely challenging because any parent, especially those who have to go to work early in the morning, cannot see their kids for hours. It’s not easy."
She adds that while no mother would want to leave her child behind and head to work, she has the opportunity to take Aaradhya along and teach her that she is in fact, leading a very normal childhood.
Raising Aaradhya as normally as possible
"Nobody wants to leave their kid and go work. I do admit that if the nature of my job allows for me to be able to have my child along, not feel the lack of my presence, then I am going to make the effort to accomplish that and at the same time, give her a very normal childhood and be a very normal mother to her daughter," she added.
This very 'normal childhood' actually began from quite early on. The 42-year-old wanted her daughter to experience everything as normally as possible and that did not include the constant opinion of doctors to handle her baby's diet.
In fact, Aishwarya was so hand-on that she introduced solids to her baby just as any regular mum would.
Continue reading to see how Aishwarya introduced solids to her daughter when she turned over six months.
Introducing solids to Aaradhya
The mum who was last seen in the critically acclaimed movie Sarabjit, explains that when she first became a Bachchan bahu, people were keen to know how much time she spent in the kitchen, but she says that she actually did it when her daughter Aaradhya was born.
"After marriage, I remember people were keen to know how much time I spent in the kitchen. I remember after bau-bhaat, when you come to your in-laws’ home for the grihapravesh, I made halwa. Once in a while, I used to make bhindi or parathas. But the truth is, in our home, we are not in the kitchen all the time cooking," she revealed.
She said that when her daughter was born, she did take the responsibility of getting into the kitchen in order to help her start solids.
"Now, she eats what we eat, just a lot less spicier"
"I did spend time in the kitchen more after Aaradhya was born, though — from the time that she started having solids, I was looking into all different foods, slowly and gradually introducing food tastes to her. You learn about nutrition, the combinations you can work out in terms of carbs, proteins and vegetables and create your own little recipes. Now, she eats what we eat, just a lot less spicier. Luckily, she was very easy with food, with a bit of work on our part. I have seen to it that I’ve introduced everything to her in different ways,” she shared.
Just as Aishwarya revealed that her daughter was easy with food, many kids are easily able to take to solids after six months. But there are a few who insist on being breastfed. So how do you start solids?
How to start solids in babies?
Before you introduce solids in your six-month's diet, look for signs that indicate that he is ready to eat something other than breastmilk. If your baby shows the following sings, he is ready to start solids:
- If he has a good control over his head and neck
- If he is interested in what you are eating
- If he reaches out to the food on your plate
- If he willingly opens his mouth when you place a spoon near his lips
If he checks all these boxes, then be assured that your baby is ready to go to the next step and start solids. Now the question is how do you introduce solids?
- Start by introducing pureed form of vegetables and fruits without the addition of salt or sugar, once a day. If your baby likes it, then you can graduate to adding more solid meals during the day and gradually weaning him out.
- You can also add kheer and khichdi to his diet
- You can mix foods together based on your own cuisine
Although these are basic tips, we have an in-depth and easy read to know when to stop breastfeeding. Go through this in order to graduate to the next level of introducing solids into your baby's diet.
Read: When I give my baby water: A must-read for parents
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