4E Picture recipes

Picture recipes can be adapted to explain how to make many foods. They are a way of introducing foods that mothers should prepare for their children and helping mothers to know how to prepare these foods at home. Picture recipes can be made for local weaning mixes.

Getting mothers to make their own picture recipes encourages them to be involved in designing educational materials and messages. The pictures of food preparation can be coloured and put on the wall.

It is important to encourage mothers to feed their young children with mashed fruit and vegetables.

The sample below gives instructions on how to prepare a picture recipe and hold a demonstration, using the preparation of mashed papaya as an example.

Sample picture recipe and demonstration

Setting:

A small group of mothers with young babies.

Time:

2-3 hours.

Place:

The clinic, health centre or other suitable meeting place.

Preparation:

You will need paper, pencils, felt pens, crayons and a means of reproducing picture recipes.

1. Think about how you make mashed papaya and decide which steps need to be shown on your picture recipe.

2. Draw pictures of the steps you have chosen. For example:

3. Get ready the utensils and equipment you will need for the demonstration, and some extra spoons so that mothers and babies can taste the food.

Procedure for the demonstration:

1. Explain to the mothers what you will prepare and what utensils are needed.

2. Wash the fruit under running water and ask mothers why this is important.

3. Carefully peel the fruit and cut it into small pieces.

4. Mash the pieces of fruit with a fork or spoon.

5. Give each mother a copy of the picture recipe you have prepared to take home.

6. Ask mothers if they feed fruits and vegetables to their babies and, if so, when their babies are at what age. Ask what kinds of fruit and vegetables are available locally. You could also talk about why an infant needs fruits and vegetables to be healthy.

Sample picture recipe: mashed papaya

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