Q: My daughter is 7months old. Can I give her raw carrot and raw spinach, which I wash properly, blend it into a fine paste and give it to her with rice? Can I give her dry fruits like cashews, apricots and almonds, which are finely powdered?

A:I am assuming that you have already introduced cereal to your daughter and she has also accepted it. You can move on to introducing vegetables now but it is good to start with mashed potatoes, peas, green beans, squash, sweet potato and then move onto carrots and spinach after few months. If you are going to prepare vegetables for your child at home, you do not want to prepare carrots, spinach, beets, turnips, or collard greens. In many places these vegetables contain large amounts of nitrates, which can cause anaemia in infants. The vegetables used in prepared baby foods do not contain these nitrates. Give her only one new food at a time. Be sure to wait three to five days before starting another one to determine if she has any reaction to a food, such as a rash, stomach pain, vomiting, or diarrhoea. It is suggested to not introduce any kind of dry fruits and nuts this early during infancy. Some doctors and dieticians even suggest avoiding nuts and dry fruits until three years of age.