Milk and its Consumption

Is Milk for everyone, children and adults?

Breast feed is one of the most important feed any child can have. The initial stage of the child is such that it would naturally crave for the mother’s milk. Milk, generally is an important element of food in the initial days of life for physical as well as emotional well being for a child.

There are 3 Stages of food consumption in a child. The new born has a less developed digestive tract where milk remains the only option for its sustenance. Mother’s milk is a natural form of food that nature has blessed animals with. It is important to feed the child with mother’s milk at this phase of life. It not only helps proper nourishment of the child but also creates a strong bond of love and affection with the mother, the first human that it comes to interact with. An insecure child often tends to suckle more, even if not hungry, because the suckling provides a sense of security to the child. The milk dependant phase of a child’s life is called the ksheerad stage of the food consumption. This normally extends up to 6 to 8 months.

 It may extend beyond 8 months; however the nourishing quality of the milk starts to recede when the mother begins her menstruation. Therefore it is advised to wean the child when the periods begin. It is also advised to wean when the teething of the child is begun.

As the child starts to grow, its digestive system also  evolves and develops for a more diversified food options. The gums start to swell during the teething process, the child shows desire to chew things, to force the swollen gums to become tenacious and also to rip them for the teeth to rise. Here, the child may want to experiment with food and anything available in order to explore its chewing prowess, indeed, a natural instinct. When one or two of the teeth crowns rise, it is time to start to feed the child with a few morsels of rice to test its digestive quality, besides the usual milk intake. This phase is called ksheerannad stage.

When the teeth have raised out of the gums completely, the child shows desire to explore other types of solid food. The process to develop food preferences is initiated and the child begins to decide on the tastes that suit its palate. This stage is called annad stage or solid food eating stage. The need for milk progressively recedes and children need not depend on milk alone. They would experiment with different foods and the parents should introduce the child to all the rasas, namely the sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent and astringent. It paves the path for the child to develop its inclinations about food.

The graduation from just milk to complete food, is indeed a beautiful journey for the child and the parents as well. It sets the direction the child would take regarding his tastes for food. Observant parents can well be useful to guide the child in whatever direction the child decides to pursue.