Best Foods for Weight Gain in Babies, Toddlers and Kids

Nutritious food is one of the key building blocks of a child’s health. But many times it is seen that once the child is introduced to solid food, in addition to mother’s milk; s/he loses interest in food. At times, children are more interested in making friends, exploring the outside world and playing in the park. That’s why they are less interested in eating food. As a result, their weight and growth get affected. There are many things that you as a parent can do to improve this situation. One of them is to know about the best food to gain weight fast for babies, toddlers and kids. It will also help if you know how to cook and present these best weight gain foods in babies, toddlers and kids.

Chart – Weight V/S Age V/S Gender

Ideal weight for babies

Ideal weight for toddlers

Ideal Weight For Boy Kid

Ideal Weight For Girl Kid

Tips for introducing food

Introducing solid foods to the baby is a great milestone for a baby under one year of age. Most babies start having solids when they are around 4- 6 months old but it can vary according to the individual’s development. Start with real and wholesome food like fruit or vegetable puree. Sweet potato, banana etc. can also be blended. Begin with one feeding per day when your baby is in a good mood and let it be runny. Be flexible with the food and taste it before you give it to your baby, it should smell good, though it doesn’t have any sugar or salt it should taste good. Don’t force your baby into eating something, make sure it is a nice experience for him or her.

How to know your child is underweight?

 A child is considered to be underweight if he is in the bottom fifth percentile for weight in comparison with their height. Weight to length measurement is done by the pediatrician for children who are below 2.

At bath time check if your baby’s or child’s ribs are visible, keep a check on how clothes fit the child, if he doesn’t outgrow it with time, you should consult a pediatrician. 

Premature children are often underweight but this can be caused due to any medication, food allergies or hormonal and digestive problems

How to get kids to eat healthily?

Include your kids while you are making food, tell them the benefits of different ingredients you are using in a fascinating way, snack smarter of offer choices to the kids like we are providing you different foods with easy to make and tasty recipes (which are foods which will help baby gain weight faster or are food to increase baby weight).

In this article, I am going to share the list of most commonly available and used best weight gain food for babies, toddlers and kids. For the benefit of some of the first time parents who are not so confident in cooking, I would also be sharing some of the easy, quick to make but high protein/calorie recipes of best baby weight gain food, toddlers and kids.

Let’s begin with the lists of best foods for weight gain in babies, toddlers and kids:

1. High Calorie Foods for Infants:

All kinds of Beans (cooked and mashed)

• Eggs
• Bananas
• Mangoes
• Lentils (cooked and mashed)
• Whole milk yogurt
• Full fat cottage cheese/Paneer
• Mashed sweet potatoes
• Mashed potatoes

2. High Calorie Finger Foods for Toddlers:

• Peeled/Diced Banana
• Sweet potato fries
• Lassi (Sweet/Namkeen)
• Homemade cheese crackers or cheese puffs, Mathis
• Fresh/Dried fruits such as apple, oranges, pears, peaches, chikoo
• Hard-boiled eggs
• Frosted wheat biscuits
• Diced grilled cheese sandwich
• Homemade pancakes, waffles
• French toasts
• Peanut/Groundnut Butterballs
• Sugarplums

3. High Calorie Additives for babies, toddlers and kids:

The items listed below( fatty foods for babies to gain weight) can be added to pureed and mashed baby food, soups, Dalia/khichdi, veggies, rotis/parathas/other forms of bread, yogurt, cereals, and eggs. Start with 1/2 teaspoon for every ¼ cup and work up from there based on your child’s preference and after talking with your doctor.

• Oils (canola, safflower, flaxseed, walnut, and sunflower oil)
• Butter/Pure Ghee/Makhan
• Ground flaxseed
• Full cream
• Cheese
• Dry milk powder
• Sour cream
• Maple syrup

4. Some meal and snack ideas using best foods for weight gain in babies, toddlers and kids:

(a) Breakfast ideas

• Porridge/ kheer/payasam/phirni/cereal with cream,
• Scrambled eggs with grated cheese,
• Peanut butter/jam/honey/nutella/avocado on toast,
•  Toasted cheese and eggs sandwich,
• Dalia/Uttapam/Khichadi,
• Stuffed Paratha/Kathi Roll

(b) Lunch ideas

• Rajma-chawal, Kadhi-chawal, Dal-chawal,
• Mashed/Roast chicken with Rice/Pulao/ Biryani,
• Aloo ki sabzi-Poori,
• Pav Bhaji,
• Home-made mini pizza with meat, cheese and vegetables

 (c) Dinner ideas

• Fried/Boiled Chicken/Veggies with mashed potato and grated cheese,
• Omelet with potato, tomato, cheese,
• Macaroni cheese or pasta with any kind of meat/veggies and cheese,
• Chicken legs/drumsticks with soft potato/cucumber salad,
• Fish fingers and vegetables with cheese on top,
• Soft baked potato with baked beans and cheese,
• Roti-sabji/Stuffed Parathas such as aloo, gobi, muli or pudina/palak,
• Tacos/Wraps with lots of meat/veggies, sauce and salad

 (d) Snack ideas

• Yoghurt, frozen yoghurt,
• Fruit cream/custard,
• Flavoured milk/milk (for babies under 2 years)
• Fruits milkshake/smoothie (for babies under 2 years)
• Crackers and cheese,
• Fruit muffin, homemade slice/biscuits,
• Soft vegetable sticks with a dip or cream cheese,
• Hard boiled eggs,
• Fresh cut/diced fruit and custard/ice cream,
• Dried fruits/nuts with cut/diced fresh paneer,
• Pancakes/idlis/dhokla/khakra/thalipeeth/cheela,
• Toasts with spreads (jams/ marmalades, butter or Makhan and jaggery)

 5. My favourite recipes of dishes to be made with best foods for weight gain in babies, toddlers and kids

Recipe no 1: Grandma’s Classic Chicken Soup

Recipe type: Soup       Cuisine: American         Prep time:  15 mins     Cook time: 1 hour      Serves: 05 kids

Preferred Age

• Best suited for Babies above one year of age

Ingredients:

1/2 kg chicken, cut into 8 pieces, 1/2 kg chopped carrots, ½ kg onions, 2 cloves garlic, crushed; salt, pepper, parsley and dill to taste, a few shakes of cayenne pepper, 1 tablespoon of fresh chopped ginger.

Instructions:

• Place the chicken pieces in a large pan, cover with water, and bring it to a full boil.
• Reduce the heat to a simmer and skim off any foam that rises.
• Add the chopped carrots and onions, and simmer for 1 hour, topping up with water as necessary.
• Crush the garlic and add the season to taste with salt, pepper, parsley and dill.
• For a thicker soup, scoop out a ladle or two of the veggies, puree them in a food processor and stir back into the soup.

Recipe no 2: Ragi Kheer/Porridge

Recipe type: Dessert       Cuisine: Indian    Prep time: 15 mins       Cook time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

Ragi Flour – ¼ cup, Figs – 2, Dates -4, Almonds – 5, Cashews -5, Pistachios -5, Powdered cardamom – ¼ tsp, Saffron – a pinch (optional), Milk -1.5 cups, Hot Water – 1.5 cups, Ghee/Clarified Butter – 3 tbsp + 1tsp, Powdered Jaggery or brown sugar – 2-3 tbsp

Instructions:

• Measure brown sugar or jaggery (if using) and keep aside. Melt jaggery and strain water if using jaggery with impurities.
• Take a pan and add a tsp of ghee, roast the cashews, almond and pistachios for a minute. Remove from the pan once done and set aside.
• Soak dates and fig in warm water for 15 minutes, and then grind them in a blender to a smooth paste with the water used for soaking the figs and dates.
• In a pan, add the remaining ghee and the ragi flour. Sauté the ragi flour in ghee for 5 minutes or until a nice aroma comes.
• Then add hot water little by little. Mix well without any lumps. Now cook everything in a low flame for 5 minutes or until the ragi gets cooked well and the kheer becomes thick and shiny.
• Stir it continuously otherwise it gets stuck to the bottom. Once the ragi is cooked, add milk (for babies above one year) and cook it further for 5 minutes. For babies below one year, skip this step. Then add powdered cardamom, ground dates fig paste and powdered jaggery or brown sugar (if using).
• Mix well and cook it further for 2-3 minutes.
• Finally, add ghee roasted nuts and saffron (if adding). Once this is done, switch off the flame.  For babies below one year, add 2 tsp of nuts powder instead of whole nuts.
• Add formula milk once the kheer is warm. Your kheer is ready for serving/feeding the babies.

This is one of the best foods for weight gain in babies, toddlers and kids. It is easy to feed, high on protein and calorie for all ages.

Recipe no 3: Tortilla de Patata (Spanish Omelette)

Recipe type: Breakfast Meal    Cuisine: Spanish      Prep Time: 10 min    Cooking Time: 01-05 min    Serves: 4-6 kids

Preferred Age

• Best suited for Babies above one year of age

Ingredients:

01 tablespoon oil, 06 eggs, 200 grams new potatoes, 01 onion thinly sliced, 01 red pepper, deseeded and thinly sliced, 02 tomatoes, peeled, deseeded and chopped, 01 tablespoon milk, 02 tablespoons finely grated cheese, 01 teaspoon salt and pepper powder.

Instructions:

• Let the potatoes cook in a saucepan of boiling water for 08-12 minutes until tender. Drain and leave to cool and then slice.
• Heat oil in a frying pan and cook the sliced onion and red pepper until soft. Add the tomatoes and cook for a minute. Add the potatoes to the pan and spread out evenly.
• Beat the eggs, milk, cheese, salt and pepper powder together in a bowl. Pour it over the potato mixture.
• Cook for 04-05 minutes until the eggs set underneath the potatoes.
• Leave it to cool in a plate after that and then cut them into smaller triangular pieces and garnish it with pepper flakes/ powder as your kids like and serve.

Recipe no 4: Sugar Plums

Recipe type: Finger food    Cuisine: European    Prep time:  10 mins     Cooking  time:  10 min     Serves: 2-3 kids

Preferred Age

• Best suited for Babies above 6 months of age

 Ingredients:

3/4 cup nuts or seeds, toasted   1/2 teaspoon orange zest, 1/2 cup dried plums (prunes),   1/4 cup maple syrup, 1/2 cup dried apricots, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 cup dried cranberries, 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/4 cup dried cherries.

Instructions:

• Put all ingredients in a food processor.
• Mix until smooth.
• Wearing gloves roll into 1-inch balls.
• Store them in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

Plums are ready for serving to the kids in lunch boxes/eating at evening snack time.

Recipe no 5: Dalia Upma

Recipe type: Snacks      Cuisine: Indian     Prep time: 10 mins    Cooking  time: 15-20  mins    Serves: 2-3 kids

Preferred Age

• For Babies above 6 months of age

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup broken wheat (Dalia), 1 medium green chilli, 1/4 cup peas, 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds, 2 1/2 cup water, 1/2 medium chopped onion, 1/2 teaspoon grated ginger, 1/4 cup diced carrot, 1 1/2 teaspoon refined oil.

For Garnishing: 1 handful chopped coriander leaves

Instructions:

• Clean and wash the broken wheat thoroughly under running water. Drain the excess water and keep the broken wheat aside till further use.
• Now add refined oil in a pressure cooker and heat it over moderate flame for a minute.
• Add the mustard seeds and once they start to splutter, add onions, green chilli and ginger. Sauté the ingredients till the onions turn slightly pinkish in hue.
• After a few seconds, add green peas, carrots, broken wheat and salt. Mix well and sauté all these ingredients for 3- 4 minutes on medium-low flame.
• Add 2 1/2 cups of water in the mixture and pressure cook for 1 whistle. Once the vegetables and broken wheat are properly cooked, turn off the flame and transfer the Daliya Upma in a serving bowl. Garnish the healthy dish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot.

Again this is one of the most economical yet high on protein best weight increase food in babies, toddlers and kids.

Recipe no 6: Peanut/Groundnut Butter Balls/Laddoos

Recipe type: Dessert /finger food    Cuisine: American/Indian    Prep time: 10 min         Setting time: 1 hour        Making time: 10 min      serves: 2-3 kids

Preferred Age

• Best suited for Babies above 2 years of age

This is no baking required high on calorie finger food for your little ones. Kids just love it.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup creamy peanut/groundnut butter, 2/3 cup shredded coconut, 1/3 cup maple syrup, 1/2 cup ground flaxseed meal, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips, 1 cup old-fashioned oats (raw) 

Instructions:

• In a mixing bowl, stir together peanut /groundnut butter, syrup and vanilla extract.  
• Add remaining ingredients and stir until coated.   
• Transfer mixture to refrigerator or freezer and chill until set.  
• Remove it from the refrigerator and shape into 1-inch balls. Store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container.  

Recipe no 7: Mango Mastani

Recipe type: drink/ a kind of mango milkshake  Cuisine: Indian     Prep time: 10 mins        Cook time:  10 mins  Serves: 4 -5 kids

Preferred Age

• Best suited for Babies above 6 months of age

Ingredients:

Ripe Mangoes – 2 ( 400 grams ), Grapes – 15 to 16, Cashew nuts – 2 tbsp. ( finely chopped ), Almond – 2 tbsp., Milk – 400 ml, Pistachios – 1 tbsp. finely chopped, Chocolate syrup – 2 tbsp., Ice cream( of any flavour) – 2 scoops

Instructions:

• Wash, peel and cut 2 ripe mangoes into small pieces. Keep a little mango aside for making the shake.
• Take 15 to 16 grapes. Cut its tip and dice into 2 or 4 small pieces.
• Put the thick pieces of mangoes in a jar. Add 3 tbsp. sugar, 400 ml milk to it to prepare a thick shake. Blend it well.
• To prepare Mango Mastani, put the chopped pieces of mango in a glass; pour the mango shake into it. Leave a little space in your glass.
• Put 1 or 2 scoops of ice-cream in it, Put chopped dry fruits (cashew, pistachios almonds in it).
• Put a few pieces of mango and little grape pieces on the top.
• Pour a little chocolate syrup over it.

Luscious Mango Mastani is ready. You can serve it to your little ones and relish it. This is another summer time one of the best weight gain food for babies, toddlers and kids without much ado.

Recipe no 8: Banana Toffee

Recipe type: Dessert     Cuisine: Chinese      Prep time: 10-12 min     Cooking time: 20 min    Serves: 02-04 people

Preferred Age

• Best suited for Babies above 1 year of age

This is again a typical traditional Chinese dessert. You can also try it with different seasonal fruits such as Apple.

Ingredients:

3 not so ripe bananas, ½ teacup plain flour (maida), 2 tablespoons cornflour, ¾ teaspoon baking powder, Oil for deep frying, water, Ice-cubes, For the caramel coating dip: 1/2 teacup sugar, 2 tablespoons oil, 3 teaspoons sesame seeds.

Instructions:

Caramel Coating: 

• Put the sugar, oil and 2/3 teacup of water in a pan and cook on a high flame for some time.
• When the mixture begins to bubble, shake the pan continuously to prevent burning.
• Continue cooking and shaking the pan until the syrup is light brown in colour.
• Remove from the heat and add the sesame seeds and mix well.

Your Caramel syrup for coating the toffees is ready.

 Banana Toffees:

• Mix the plain flour, cornflour and baking powder in a bowl.
• Add water and stir into a smooth, thick batter. Once your batter is ready, peel and cut the bananas into small, round, thick bite-size pieces.
• Coat the bananas evenly with the batter. Heat the oil for frying the Banana Toffees.
• Deep fry the toffees in hot oil until golden. Fill a bowl with ice-cubes and cover it with water.
• Place the fried bananas in the caramel syrup and coat evenly. Drain well and put them into the bowl full of ice-cubes.
• Keep it for a few minutes till the caramel coating hardens. Drain thoroughly and your toffees are ready to be served.

Recipe no 9: Sweet Potato Cookie

Ingredients: 

Sweet potatoes, chickpeas, oats, chia seeds, and cinnamon.

Instructions:

• First, put the oats in the food processor or blender. Add the other ingredients after that, excluding the chia seeds.
• Stir in the chia seeds.
• Place the sweet potato mixture onto a baking sheet. The spoon would work well in this case.
• Gently press the batter down to form little patties while using slightly damp hands. Bake!

Recipe no 10: Yogurt Muffins

Ingredients:

White whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, milk, eggs, maple syrup, butter, vanilla extract, Greek yogurt, lemon zest, and strawberries.

Instructions:

• The dry ingredients should be mixed in a large mixing dish.
• The wet components must be combined in a separate bowl.
• The components should be combined, dry, and moist.
• Don’t over-mix the ingredients! Add your desired additions now by stirring them in. 
• Spread out the batter evenly in the muffin tins.
• Bake for 15-17 minutes when inserting a toothpick and pulling it out clean.

Now you know what all foods should be included in your baby’s diet, you might be interested in knowing – Foods unsafe for your baby

When infants and toddlers get the right nutrition for their needs it helps them to grow, be healthy and heal more quickly after an illness. Extra nutrition and extra energy (calories) diet are important to help children gain weight. I have tried all of these recipes and found them to be some of the best food to put on weight in my daughter. Try the above-mentioned recipes and best weight gain foods for babies, toddlers and kids.

Importance of healthy diet

Diet or nutrition are the key factors of health especially when it comes to babies, toddlers or kids as it is a growing stage, so children require a lot of nutrition for the development of all necessary function and tissues from brain health to behavioral pattern. It can also help in preventing obesity or diabetes in babies.

Ways to Make Eating Enjoyable

Here’s how you can encourage your child to feel at ease and make their eating enjoyable:

1. Modify your expectations

You don’t anticipate your child’s first steps to evolve into a sprint or their first accident-free day of toilet training. It is not inherent to like trying new cuisines. It’s something that must be taught. Parents should introduce their children to various cuisines and flavours while emphasizing patience.

2. Provide a variety of foods

Serve as many various meals and flavours in the first two years. Most kids become less obedient and start rejecting new foods (even ones they like) around age 2.

3. Concentrate on Tasting, Not Eating

The more food your youngster eats, the more likely they accept and appreciate it. However, tasting requires that the food contacts the taste buds; your youngster need not swallow it. Your child will be more likely to try new foods if you take away the pressure to chew and swallow and let them spit things out.

How to Make Them Eat Healthy (Tips and Tricks)

Healthy eating habits should be ingrained from the beginning. Here are 3 tricks you can use:

1. Lead by example

Children mimic what you do. If kids observe you lounging about, binge-watching your favourite program, being constantly glued to your phone, and not caring for your hygiene, they will follow suit. The best way to teach your children is through leading by example. Engage in regular exercise and good nutrition. 

2. Make intelligent snack choices

Snacking is frequently quite detrimental while we all try to eat healthily at mealtimes. The worst thing we can do is to promise our children a chocolate reward if they do their schoolwork. Do your best to limit this. Try to make nutritious yet tasty snacks at home.

3. Balance is essential

It’s acceptable to overindulge in nachos during movie night or to eat ice cream on a hot, sunny day. Too much rigour or paranoia might be detrimental. Don’t deny your children these simple pleasures. Feeding them later with nutritious foods will help to balance things out.

Happy Shopping! Happy cooking!

Happy Parenting with Budding Star!

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About vidula

I am a retired short service commission officer of Education branch of IAF. Training and educational administration are my forte. Presently enjoying being a mother to my 8 year old prodigy{daughter}. Love music,movies and my daily walks...Love of writing made me land here!

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