The kheer is ready, the grandparents are on a video call, and someone has just asked whether the baby’s first spoonful should have a little honey in it “for luck”. It is the most important question of the day, and the answer is a firm no.

Annaprashan — literally “feeding of grain” — is the Hindu ceremony in which a baby eats solid food for the first time. This guide covers the questions families actually search for: what to feed, whether honey or sugar is safe, which month for a boy or a girl, who feeds the baby, and how to hold it simply at home.

One finding surprised me: an old Vedic rite asks for the first food to be mixed with an ingredient that paediatric guidance now forbids before the first birthday. It is the first thing below.

Can a baby have honey or sugar at annaprashan?

No honey, and no added sugar. The NHS states: “Do not give your child honey until they’re over 1 year old,” because honey can contain bacteria that produce toxins in a baby’s intestines and cause infant botulism, a very serious illness. It also notes that babies do not need sugar, and that salt is not good for their kidneys (courtesy: NHS).

Here is the surprise: the Śāṅkhāyana Gṛhya Sūtra (1.27), in Hermann Oldenberg’s translation, describes preparing the baby’s first food with curds, honey and ghee (courtesy: sacred-texts.com). Nobody then knew about botulism; we do now. Keep the spirit of the rite and leave the honey out.

FoodAt about 6 monthsWhy (NHS / WHO)
Mashed rice, moong dal water or soft khichdi✅ YesSoft and easy to swallow; WHO advises starting with mashed and semi-solid foods
A little unsweetened rice kheer, mashed✅ Yes, a littleThe traditional first spoonful
Mashed banana, soft-cooked sweet potato or carrot✅ YesThe NHS suggests soft-cooked vegetables and fruit as first foods
Honey❌ NoNot before 12 months — infant botulism risk
Sugar❌ NoBabies do not need it
Salt❌ NoNot good for a baby’s kidneys
Whole nuts, raw carrot, whole grapes❌ NoChoking risk; nuts only ground
Tea or coffee❌ NoWHO: avoid low-nutrient drinks
Four steel bowls of mashed rice with moong dal, mashed banana, mashed carrot and sweet potato, and unsweetened rice kheer, each with a small baby spoon, beside a folded baby bib — AI-generated image (Roopalia)
First foods at six months — soft, mashed, with no salt, sugar or honey.

Making the baby’s kheer: cook rice in milk until very soft, mash it well and add no sugar; stir in mashed banana if you want sweetness. Make a separate, sweetened kheer for the puja offering and the guests. One or two small spoonfuls are plenty for the baby, and someone should stay right beside them while they eat.

Is my baby ready? Which month is right?

The WHO recommends that babies start complementary foods at 6 months, alongside breast milk (courtesy: WHO). Both Grihya Sutras I checked also place annaprashan in the sixth month — a neat agreement between tradition and modern advice.

The NHS lists three signs of readiness that should appear together: the baby can sit up and hold their head steady, can coordinate eyes, hands and mouth, and swallows food rather than pushing it out (courtesy: NHS). If your baby was born early or has a health condition, check with your paediatrician first.

A smiling baby sitting upright in a wooden high chair with a bib while his mother in a yellow saree spoons mashed food to him in a bright kitchen — AI-generated image (Roopalia)
Sitting upright, opening wide, swallowing — the signs a baby is ready.

Annaprashan month for a baby boy or girl

TraditionGirlBoy
Bengali and Telugu familiesOdd month — 5th or 7thEven month — 6th or 8th
Kerala (Malayali)5th month6th month
Grihya Sutras (Pāraskara, Śāṅkhāyana)The sixth month for both

Regional customs from Wikipedia (courtesy: Annaprashana); the sutras I checked make no distinction by sex. If the ceremony falls in the fifth month, keep the first spoonful to a token taste and begin regular solids at around six months.

Who feeds the baby at annaprashan?

In the Pāraskara Gṛhya Sūtra (1.19) it is the father, who eats first and then sets aside food of every kind and flavour for the child. In the Śāṅkhāyana version, the mother eats what remains. Today it varies by region: in Bengal and many other places the maternal uncle gives the first bite — one Bengali name for the day, mamabhat, means “the uncle’s rice” — while other families honour a grandparent or the eldest relative. Whatever your family does is right; just keep each person’s taste tiny.

In a home decorated with marigold garlands, a father in a cream kurta feeds the first spoonful from a silver bowl to a baby on the lap of the mother in a yellow saree, grandparents smiling behind — AI-generated image (Roopalia)
The first spoonful — the father in the old rite, the maternal uncle in many regions.

Then comes the moment every camera waits for.

The annaprashan plate: book, pen, coins and soil

In Bengali tradition the baby is offered a plate holding soil (property), a book (learning), a pen (wisdom) and coins (wealth); whatever the baby grabs first is said to hint at their future (courtesy: Wikipedia). It is a playful blessing, not a prophecy, and I did not find it in the Grihya Sutra passages I checked. Keep a hand close — coins and pen caps are choking hazards — and put the plate away straight after.

A simple home setup with hanging marigold and mango-leaf garlands, a carved wooden chowki with a soft cushion for the baby, brass lamps on both sides and a silver plate of kheer on a small stool — AI-generated image (Roopalia)
Simple home decoration — marigolds, lamps and a soft seat for the baby.

A simple annaprashan at home

  1. Timing: bathe and dress the baby in soft new clothes, and pick a time after a nap — a tired or ravenous baby will cry.
  2. Puja: place a kalash, a picture of Ganesha or your family deity and a ghee diya on a low stool, and pray together. For a small fire ritual, see havan at home without a pandit.
  3. Seat the baby on the mother’s lap or a soft cushion; the Śāṅkhāyana rite seats the child on kusha grass, so some families tuck a blade under the cloth.
  4. The first bite: the father, maternal uncle or eldest gives one small spoonful of plain kheer, taking God’s name — the sutra’s prayer is “Lord of food, give us food.”
  5. Blessings from the rest of the family, with only a token taste or none at all.
  6. The plate game, if you wish.
  7. Feed your guests — the old rite also ends with a meal.

Samagri: kalash, water, mango leaves, coconut, sacred thread; a deity picture, red cloth and stool; rice, turmeric, kumkum, flowers, tulsi, ghee diya, incense; a small bowl and spoon for the baby; plain kheer or mashed rice; book, pen, coins and soil for the plate.

A low stool with a red and gold cloth holding a brass kalash with coconut and mango leaves, a lit lamp, a silver bowl of kheer with a spoon, a bowl of curd, a plate of rice, turmeric and kumkum, tulsi leaves and marigolds — AI-generated image (Roopalia)
The puja setup — kalash, lamp, kheer, curd, rice and tulsi.

Annaprashan outside India

In an apartment outside India, parents sit on a rug with their laughing baby before a decorated chowki with kalash, lamp and kheer, the father holding a tablet showing smiling grandparents on a video call, a snowy city outside — AI-generated image (Roopalia)
Grandparents on a video call — a small, joyful annaprashan away from India.

After the ceremony: the WHO advises 2–3 meals a day at 6–8 months and 3–4 at 9–24 months, starting with mashed and semi-solid foods and moving to soft finger foods by about 8 months, with breastfeeding continuing. The NHS suggests introducing allergenic foods such as ground nuts and egg one at a time, in small amounts. For other childhood rites, see our guides to the naming ceremony and the mundan.

What the Grihya Sutras actually say

Pāraskara Gṛhya Sūtra 1.19 (tr. Oldenberg, courtesy: sacred-texts.com): in the sixth month, offerings are made — the first with a verse to the goddess of Speech, then for breath, sight and hearing. The father eats, then gives the child food of every kind and flavour, silently or saying “Hanta”. The text also lists optional foods for particular wishes, including the flesh of certain birds and fish, and ends with feeding Brahmans.

Śāṅkhāyana Gṛhya Sūtra 1.27: in the sixth month, options include goat’s flesh, partridge, fish or rice with ghee, prepared with curds, honey and ghee; an offering with “Lord of food, give us food”; the child is set on northward-pointing kusha grass with “Be soft, O earth”; and the mother eats the remainder.

Most families today use a vegetarian kheer or rice. The meat and fish options above are given as historical record, not as a recommendation — follow your family custom and your baby’s doctor.

What I found and what I did not

ClaimResult
Annaprashan in the sixth monthFound — Pāraskara 1.19, Śāṅkhāyana 1.27; WHO also says 6 months
The father feeds the childFound — Pāraskara 1.19
The mother eats what remainsFound — Śāṅkhāyana 1.27
First food with curds, honey and gheeFound — Śāṅkhāyana 1.27; but NHS: no honey before 1 year
Odd months for girls, even for boysRegional custom (Wikipedia); not found in these sutras
Book, pen, coins and soil plateBengali custom (Wikipedia); not found in these sutras

The bottom line: hold annaprashan at about six months — the one point where the sutras and paediatricians agree. Give the first spoonful only when the baby can sit up and swallow, and keep it soft, plain and free of salt, sugar and honey. Who feeds, which month and what goes on the plate are lovely family customs; enjoy them, with the baby’s health first.

Disclaimer: This article is for general information. References have been checked against published translations and reliable sources, and customs vary by family and region — follow your elders or family priest. All images in this article are AI-generated as examples for illustration only; they do not show real people, places or events. It is not medical, legal or astrological advice.

Frequently asked questions

What is the annaprashan ceremony called in English?
Annaprashan is usually called the “first rice ceremony” or “first feeding ceremony” in English. The Sanskrit name means “feeding of grain”: it marks the day a baby eats solid food for the first time, traditionally in the sixth month, as described in the Pāraskara and Śāṅkhāyana Gṛhya Sūtras. It is one of the Hindu sanskaras, the life-cycle rites. Regional names include mukhe bhaat (Bengal), choroonu (Kerala), bhat khulai (Himachal Pradesh) and pasni (Nepal). Families usually offer a little rice kheer, say prayers, and in many communities play a game in which the baby chooses between a book, pen, coins and soil.
Can a baby have honey at annaprashan?
No. The NHS says not to give a child honey until they are over one year old, because honey can contain bacteria that produce toxins in a baby’s intestines and cause infant botulism, a very serious illness. This matters for annaprashan because one old rite, the Śāṅkhāyana Gṛhya Sūtra (1.27), describes preparing the first food with curds, honey and ghee. That guidance predates modern knowledge of botulism. Keep the ceremony’s spirit and leave the honey out of the baby’s portion entirely — including in kheer, cooked dishes or a “token” lick. If you want to honour the tradition, add honey only to the offering bowl or the food served to adults.
Can babies have sugar at 6 months?
The NHS says babies do not need sugar or sweeteners, and recommends avoiding food and drink with added sugar for children aged four and under; whole fruit is fine. So the baby’s annaprashan kheer should be made without sugar — cook rice in milk until very soft, mash it and, if you want sweetness, stir in a little mashed ripe banana. Make a separate sweetened kheer for the puja offering and guests. Salt should be avoided too, as it is not good for a baby’s kidneys. One or two small spoonfuls are enough on the day; regular meals can then build up gradually, with breastfeeding continuing.
When should annaprashan be done for a baby boy or girl?
Both the Pāraskara and Śāṅkhāyana Gṛhya Sūtras place annaprashan in the sixth month for every child, and the WHO likewise recommends starting complementary foods at 6 months. Some regions add a distinction: according to Wikipedia, Bengali and Telugu families hold it in an odd month (5th or 7th) for girls and an even month (6th or 8th) for boys, and Malayali families at five months for daughters and six for sons. I did not find this distinction in the sutra passages I checked. If your family custom points to the fifth month, keep the first taste to a token and start regular solids at about six months.
Who feeds the baby at annaprashan?
In the Pāraskara Gṛhya Sūtra (1.19), the father eats first and then feeds the child a little food of every kind and flavour. In the Śāṅkhāyana version, the mother eats what remains. Customs today vary by region: in Bengal and many other places the maternal uncle gives the first bite — one Bengali name for the ceremony, mamabhat, means “the uncle’s rice” — while other families choose a grandparent or the eldest relative. There is no single correct answer; follow your family tradition. Just make sure each person offers only a tiny taste, so the baby is not overfed on a busy, exciting day.
What is kept on the annaprashan plate?
Two plates are common. The puja plate holds a kalash, lamp, rice, turmeric, kumkum, flowers and tulsi, plus a small bowl of plain kheer for the baby. Many families, especially Bengali ones, add a second plate with soil (property), a book (learning), a pen (wisdom) and coins (wealth); the item the baby grabs first is said to hint at their future (Wikipedia, Annaprashana). It is a playful blessing rather than a prophecy, and I did not find it in the Grihya Sutra passages I checked. Supervise closely — coins and pen caps are choking hazards — and remove the plate as soon as the game is over.
What should I feed my baby for annaprashan?
The traditional first bite is rice kheer or plain rice. For the baby, make it very soft, well mashed and free of sugar, salt and honey. Other good first foods are mashed rice with moong dal, soft khichdi, mashed banana and soft-cooked sweet potato or carrot; the WHO advises starting with mashed and semi-solid foods, and the NHS suggests soft-cooked vegetables and fruit. Avoid whole nuts, raw carrot and whole grapes because of the choking risk, and never leave the baby alone while eating. Afterwards, the WHO recommends 2–3 small meals a day at 6–8 months, alongside breastfeeding.
How do I do a simple annaprashan at home?
You do not need a priest for a simple ceremony — in the Pāraskara rite, the father himself feeds the child. Bathe the baby and dress them in soft new clothes; choose a time after a nap. Set a kalash, a deity picture and a ghee lamp on a low stool and pray together. Seat the baby on the mother’s lap or a soft cushion. The father, maternal uncle or eldest gives one small spoonful of plain, unsweetened kheer, taking God’s name. Add the book-pen-coins plate if you wish, then feed your guests. Outside India, schedule it so grandparents can join by video call, and check smoke alarms before lighting lamps.

Sources and cautions: sources consulted — Pāraskara Gṛhya Sūtra 1.19 and Śāṅkhāyana Gṛhya Sūtra 1.27 (The Grihya Sutras, Part 1, SBE 29, tr. Hermann Oldenberg, courtesy: sacred-texts.com); regional months, names and the objects plate: Wikipedia (Annaprashana); complementary feeding: WHO; first solid foods and foods to avoid: NHS. Three things should be said plainly. First, separate months for boys and girls and the book-pen-coins plate were not found in these sutra passages; they are regional customs. Second, the sutras list honey and meat or fish options for the first food; they are given here as historical record, not advice. Third, this article is not medical advice; ask your paediatrician when and what to start feeding. No brand or shop is recommended.

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