Between four and six months your baby will be ready to eat solid foods for the first time. It can be exciting for a parent to watch their child grow up and learn to eat solid foods. Many people choose grains as their first solid food to add to their baby's diet. Even though it is a very moist dish with an almost liquid consistency, it is a great solution to start with. If you are looking for healthy and nutritious cereals to make for your child, you will have noticed that there are different types and brands to choose from. Therefore, you may get confused and have difficulty choosing. Fortunately, most children have no problem consuming different qualities of grains, but by paying attention to the labels and nutritional tables on the package, you can be sure that you are choosing the right ones to safeguard your baby's health.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Finding the Most Nutritious Cereals for Your Baby
Step 1. Read the nutrition table
When you are looking for healthy and nutritious early childhood cereals, the first thing to check is the nutrition label. In this way you will get a lot of information about the product and you will be able to make a comparison between various food items of this type.
- Start by looking at the ingredients list. You need to know exactly what you are feeding your child (especially if you are concerned about food allergies or intolerances). You can find it on the back or side of the package.
- Regardless of the type of grains you are going to buy, choose 100% whole grains. If in the composition you read white rice or hulled cereals, it means that they are not 100% wholemeal.
- Likewise, read the nutrition table. If your child needs a certain amount of calories to grow better, you will be able to find out how many calories per serving of the product you are evaluating with this information.
Step 2. Consider fortified cereals
Many health experts, including pediatricians, suggest starting to feed babies with fortified cereals, because thanks to the addition of some precious substances they are more nutritious for weaning babies.
- Focus on iron-fortified cereals. You can find this information on the front of the package, but also check the ingredients list and nutrition table. Children need about 10-11 mg of iron per day.
- Also try to consider cereals fortified with DHA or EPA. These are optional additions. Either way, they are healthy fats that help support the baby's brain development and immune system.
- DHA is necessary for the development of brain, visual and nervous system functions. It accumulates in the brain in the first two years of life, which is the period in which it is destined to grow rapidly.
- Some early childhood cereals also contain probiotics. Although this is only an optional supplement in infant nutrition, some studies show that the consumption of probiotics allows children to relieve colic, diarrhea or dermatitis.
Step 3. Evaluate organic grains instead of conventional ones
Another option you will see on grocery store shelves is organic baby cereals. Choose whether to feed your child with one or the other.
- Organic grains are produced like other organic foods. They are not grown with fungicides or chemical fertilizers. By opting for these foods, you can limit your child's exposure to these pesticides.
- There are several ways of labeling an organic food. "100% organic" is used to define a product made entirely with organic ingredients (excluding water and salt which are considered natural). "Organic" can be used to indicate a product consisting of at least 95% organic ingredients (excluding water and salt). If it contains up to 5% organic ingredients, it is not sold as organically grown food. "Made with organic ingredients" means that it contains at least 70% organic ingredients.
- Regarding the nutritional factor, there is no difference between organic and conventional cereals. The nutrients are identical.
- Generally, doctors recommend opting for organic foods if the consumer considers this to be important. However, it is best to focus on choosing properly fortified and palatable cereals for the baby.
Step 4. Consider making cereals for your child at home
If you don't feel that any of the grains on the market are suitable for your baby's needs, consider making them yourself. It is not very difficult, but you have to know how to organize yourself.
- To make a homemade cereal dish, start by choosing which type of cereal you want to use. Brown rice is the most common, but you can also use oats or multigrain.
- Grind 30-40g of your chosen grains in your food processor until pulverized or flour.
- Mix them with 240ml of water, breast milk or formula. Then heat everything over low heat, while with a whisk you mix the ingredients for about 10 minutes. Taste to make sure there are no raw pieces.
- Let the mixture cool well, or until it reaches room temperature. Serve it to your baby within 24 hours.
Part 2 of 3: Understanding Which Cereals Are Right For Your Child
Step 1. Consult your pediatrician
Weaning a baby can create some fear. To make sure you choose the right grains and start feeding your baby solid foods at the right time, talk to your pediatrician.
- Most pediatricians recommend that parents introduce solid food consumption into infant feeding between four and six months (as long as the baby is growing normally).
- Ask your pediatrician which type of cereal they think is best for your child. Even though rice is the most common, it might suggest something else.
- Also, ask him how often he can eat grains. Generally, it is recommended to try twice a day, at times when the child is not excessively grumpy or sleepy.
Step 2. Give your child rice
Of all the baby cereals, rice is the most common and easy to find product. You can choose the white one or the integral one.
- Generally, it is also the most recommended to start weaning babies, because it is very rare that they are allergic to this cereal.
- If you start introducing solid rice-based foods into your child's diet, choose products fortified with iron.
- Also, opt for brown rice. The white one, on the other hand, is subjected to food processing processes that depletion of many nutrients.
- You will probably be surprised and worried that there is arsenic in rice. However, it is an element present in the earth's crust, water and soil. Crops absorb it as they grow and, consequently, it is found in food. The FDA has set a limit for arsenic contained in infant rice cereals, equivalent to 100 parts per billion. Rice is a great source of nutrients for babies, but it shouldn't be the only one. Make sure you vary your choice of grains, including oats, barley and multigrain products.
Step 3. Try multigrain
Another type of baby cereals widely available on the market is multigrain (or multigrain cereals). Obtained by combining different cereal qualities, they can vary your child's nutritional intake.
- Whole grains include rice, oats, wheat, barley and even flax. If they are 100% whole, it means they have not been refined and retain most of their nutrients.
- Doctors advise choosing iron-enriched multigrain for infancy, as everyone else should be. Read on the packaging to see if the product is fortified with iron.
- If you are concerned that the consumption of the cereals contained in the product may favor the onset of an allergy, keep in mind that research excludes this risk. In fact, by introducing these cereals in children's nutrition right away, it is possible to reduce the risk of developing food allergies in the future.
Step 4. Use whole wheat
Another alternative for parents is 100% whole wheat, which keeps all its nutrients intact.
- Again, the risk of wheat allergies does not increase if it is given to children at an early age.
- In addition, whole wheat, multigrain and oats do not contain the arsenic that can be found in rice (such as whole wheat).
- Orient your choice on 100% whole wheat, fortified with iron.
Step 5. Give your child oats
If you want to feed your baby something other than rice or wheat, you can try using oats. It contains little (or almost nothing) arsenic and is a very nutritious type of whole grain.
- Like rice, oats are also a great choice, because it is a grain cereal rich in beneficial properties. Furthermore, the likelihood of children being allergic is very low indeed.
- Again, check the packaging to make sure the product is 100% wholemeal (find this information on the ingredient list).
- In addition, it is preferable that it is enriched with iron, because oats themselves do not contain it in large quantities.
Part 3 of 3: Making Nutrient-Rich Cereals for Your Baby
Step 1. Read the instructions on the package
Regardless of what type of cereal you buy, make sure you follow the instructions correctly to prepare them correctly. By doing so, your child will eat them in the right quantities.
- Each cereal-based product for infants contains specific directions on the package. Before buying it, be sure to read the preparation instructions.
- If you need to cook or reheat it, follow the recipe to make sure you prepare it correctly. Let it cool to room temperature before giving it to your baby.
- The cereals are mixed with a liquid until they reach a velvety, almost liquid consistency. You will likely need to add more breast milk or formula to get them to the right density.
Step 2. Choose the suitable liquid to combine with the cereals
When making a baby cereal dish, you need to mix dry cereal with liquid. Take advantage of this to increase your child's nutritional intake.
- Most of these products will suggest you use breast or formula milk. This way you can increase the amount of nutrients contained in the meal (especially in terms of proteins and fats). It is essential to respect this step.
- If you don't have breast or formula milk available, you can mix baby cereals with water. However, try not to use it too often.
Step 3. Throw away any grains you don't use
As you do with most of your child's foods, it is best not to store cooked grains for a long time. Feeding him with leftovers, there is a danger that he will feel bad.
- You have to pay close attention to the storage times of uneaten grains. Infants and young children are more vulnerable to foodborne illness as their immune systems are still immature.
- If you've made too much cereal, just put a few tablespoons on a plate. Do not increase the portion. Saliva could contaminate food if you were to store it in the refrigerator.
- Discard any leftover grains on the plate. If, on the other hand, they are left over from the pot, keep them for only 24 hours.
Step 4. Be patient with your child
Each child tolerates food at different stages and times. As your child gets used to eating solid foods, you will notice that they will have less difficulty eating them.
- Children know how to communicate when they want to eat, when they are full and when they want more food. Try to understand the times when your child is hungry or full.
- He may pull his head away or keep his lips closed if he doesn't want anything solid or doesn't want to eat any more grains.
- Don't force him to eat cereal if he doesn't want it. It's not a problem if he only takes a bite or two. He will have other opportunities to try solid food.
Advice
- Always consult your pediatrician for more information. It may give you more specific information on what cereals to give to your child.
- Remember that every child tolerates solid foods or grains in different ways and at different times. Don't rush him during weaning.
