Dal Water (Dal Ka Pani) for Babies – Benefits & Recipe

The moment your baby reaches an age where he can start having solids, you will receive a ton of advice. However, the one suggestion that seems to resound from nearly every source is dal pani – the water you get from dal that has the taste but not as much of the nutrition. Many parents choose to mash some dal along with the water and feed it to the baby. Balancing this with other items is just as necessary for the baby’s health.

Why Give Toor/Moong Dal Water to Baby?

Moong dal pani for babies is a suggestion that has trickled down from generations, and there is a pretty good reason for it. The benefits a baby receives from it are numerous, and they are essential for your baby.

• Dal pani is easy to digest, making it the perfect first food for your child.
• The abundance of proteins, vitamins and minerals in dal pani is highly beneficial to the baby, even more so if the baby is given some mashed dal with it. 
• Going for yellow moong dal is a better choice since the chances of allergies are minimal and it is easily digestible.
• Numerous trace elements like zinc, iron, manganese present in dal pani benefit the growth of the baby and help in strengthening the immunity. 

When to Start Dal Water for Babies

Dal ka pani for a 6-month-old baby is the usual way to go for most parents, as this is the age where babies start to consume solids. However, the right age for it depends on why the parent wants to feed the baby dal pani in the first place. While some prefer to make it an accompaniment to breast milk, others choose to feed dal pani as a way to wean the baby off milk. Nevertheless, the age of 6-8 months is ideal.

Dal water may be gradually replaced by dal within a few days of starting it because the water is only supernatant liquid from the prepared lentils has no carbohydrates, fats or proteins.

In a single serving of a cup of dal pani, the nutritional elements are distributed as follows.

How to Prepare Dal Ka Pani for Infants

Preparing lentil soup for babies is a pretty straightforward process. Ensure that all the utensils you use for preparation and serving the soup are sterilised and free of any external substances.

Ingredients Required

• Ghee
• Turmeric powder
• Water
• Yellow moong dal, split

Procedure

• Wash and clean the dal and put in the cooker along with turmeric powder, water and ghee. Let it cook in the pressure cooker for 5 whistles or so, in order to make it soft.
• Use a strainer to separate the mixture and get the water alone. Depending on how your child reacts to the taste, choose to add a tiny pinch of sugar, only for the initial servings.
• Before giving it to the baby, check the temperature of the water on your wrist to make sure it isn’t too hot.
• Once he starts having it regularly and reaches the 10-month mark, you can make the dal pani thicker. To adjust the consistency and make it less thick, add boiled water to the mix.

Tips to Remember While Giving Dal Water to Infants

Before giving dal ka pani to a baby 4-month-old and above, there are a bunch of tips you can adhere to, in order to make sure that the baby does not have any adjustment problems.

• Do not put the dal pani in a sippy cup or bottle for the baby.
• Let your baby sit up straight with some support and then give him the dal pani.
• If the dal pani causes gas in the baby, add a pinch of hing to the water.
• As your baby grows up, you can introduce other variants of the dal as well.
• Avoid adding salt in the pani to enhance the taste until he is at least one year old.

If you are wondering if this is the right time to introduce your baby to solids like dal pani, here are some ways to know your baby is ready:

1. He can hold his head up when he is made to sit. 
2. Your baby is showing interest in food that is presented on the dining table. 
3. Your baby can make movements with his tongue. 
4. Your baby is able to open his mouth wide for food to go in. 

Dal pani is a great preparation that works for most babies and is a great way to introduce them to the world of solids. The bland taste of it can be good for their sensitive tongues. Gradually, he will start liking the changes in the taste and will be open to eating a thicker version of the dal pani as well.

Resources and References: Parents

Also Read: Rice Water for Infants