Guidelines, ingredients and preparation of cereal porridge
To prepare cereal porridge you have to take into account the age of the baby. We will start with gluten-free cereals, such as rice.
Before starting to eat fruit or vegetable porridge, many babies will have already started taking cereal in a bottle. But little by little the amount will make the milk so thick that it does not fit through the hole in the teat and you have to reach for a spoon. At that time, we can already talk about cereal porridge .
WHAT INGREDIENTS CAN I USE FOR THE CEREAL PORRIDGE?
When preparing cereal porridge you have to take into account the age of the baby. First you will start with gluten-free cereals to later incorporate those that contain gluten. Check out more interesting articles on our site.
The normal thing is to buy them at the pharmacy (or in the supermarket) and the recommended age is indicated on the box, so do not worry if you are not very clear about what you can or cannot give your baby. If in doubt, ask your pediatrician.
As a general rule, babies start cereal at four or five months if they are bottle-fed, and at six when they are nursing. It begins with gluten-free cereals, such as rice, corn, tapioca or soy.
By the time they are seven months old, they will have already started consuming cereals with gluten, such as wheat, barley, rye, spelled or oats .
TIPS FOR PREPARING CEREAL PORRIDGE
Having said all this, we will give some tips to prepare our baby’s cereal porridge:
– If you are going to buy cereals in an industrial format, you should pay close attention to what they contain, because those that do not contain sugar contain dextrinated or hydrolyzed cereals. And what is this? Well, a process that converts complex carbohydrates (long chain) into simple ones (sugar), as explained in this consumer article . There are healthier options, such as Holle’s oatmeal porridge or Hipp ‘s range of organic cereals , but they’re not exactly cheap.
– A healthy and economical option is to buy the cereals yourself, cook them and grind them.
– Always start with small amounts to add to milk. A couple of scoops will suffice at first. You can also add cereal to fruit porridge or vegetable broth when it’s time to start with them.
– If your baby is still breastfeeding, you can express the breast milk and dissolve the cereals in it.
Here are five recipes for homemade cereal porridge:
RICE AND MILK PORRIDGE
Guy:Food
Ingredients
- half a cup of rice
- A glass of formula (or breast milk)
Preparation methods
- Bring the rice to a boil with a little water.
- When soft, drain and grind.
- We add a glass with the milk that the baby usually drinks and we beat again.
Preparation time: 15 minutes
CORN CREAM
Guy:Breakfast dinner
Ingredients
- 1 and a half cups of cornmeal
- formula or breast milk
Preparation methods
- We dissolve a cup and a half of cornmeal in a little baby’s milk.
- In a separate saucepan, heat a cup and a half of milk. We will do it on medium heat.
- When it starts to boil, add the corn, stirring well so that no lumps form.
- As soon as we get the desired texture, remove from heat.
Preparation time: 20 minutes
CEREAL AND FRUIT PORRIDGE
Guy:Afternoon snack
Ingredients
- a quarter of a banana
- a quarter apple
- The juice of one orange
- Cereals
- Milk
Preparation methods
- Peel and chop the fruits.
- Put them in the blender jar and blend well.
- Add the cereals (the amount that the baby is taking at that time) and mix.
- Add the necessary milk to obtain the right texture.
Preparation time: 10 minutes
CEREALS PORRIDGE: COUSCOUS AND STRAWBERRIES
This recipe is indicated for children who have already turned a year and a half.
Guy:Afternoon snack
Ingredients
- Sëmola
- Strawberries
- Olive oil
Preparation methods
- Cook half a glass of semolina (couscous) with half a glass of water for three minutes.
- After that time, remove from the heat, cover and let stand for about five minutes.
- Then pour into the blender glass along with four washed strawberries and a tablespoon of olive oil. We crush.
Preparation time: 10 minutes
CEREAL PORRIDGE WITH VEGETABLE BROTH
Guy:Food
Ingredients
- 1 cup of mixed cereals (you can choose between brown rice, oatmeal, barley or corn)
- 4 cups of vegetable broth
Preparation methods
- We grind the grains of the chosen cereals until they are powdered.
- Bring the vegetable broth to a boil.
- When it starts to boil, add the cereals and stir.
- We cook for 5 minutes.
- If you want, you can add a little milk.
Preparation time: 15 minutes