Baby cereal is the first solid food for babies, usually introduced during weaning. It can be bought commercially or made at home using single-grain options like rice or oatmeal. Homemade cereal is easy to make and allows parents to control the ingredients.
Baby cereals are usually the first solid food a new baby enjoys. Normally, using baby cereal begins just as weaning off of breast milk or formula begins. While there are only a few basic types of baby cereal, there is also the option of buying commercially prepared cereal and making your own baby cereal at home. Here’s what you need to know about the various types of baby cereal.
In most cases, baby cereal is a good example of a single grain cereal. Just as there are a number of young and adult cereals that are built around a particular type of grain, the same is true of commercially produced children’s cereals. One plus is that it’s easy to find cereals that don’t include cereal options that aren’t good for your baby. For example, if your child doesn’t tolerate corn products well, you can find other single-grain cereals that don’t contain even traces of corn.
A popular cereal choice for children is rice. Rice cereal for babies contains rice grains that have been cooked and pulverized. Rice porridge is a good source of thiamin, an important B vitamin. At the same time, this type of baby food helps add fiber to the baby’s diet, which is also essential. Commercially prepared rice cereal is usually packaged in small jars that hold no more than two servings.
Along with rice as an ingredient for baby cereals, oatmeal is also a popular option. Like rice-based cereals, oatmeal cereals are finely ground, offer nutrients your baby needs to grow, and also provide an excellent source of dietary fiber. This type of baby cereal is also available in commercial versions and is usually sold in small jars.
For parents who want to use baby cereals that are not rich in many additives, there is always the option of making the cereals at home. The process isn’t difficult and requires nothing more than a food processor or coffee grinder. Raw wheat is ground into a fine powder that can be divided into individual portions and stored until needed. In this form, the raw grain of wheat will keep well for quite some time.
If needed, just scoop out a single serving and dump the raw wheat grain into a small pot. Let the wheat cook in a small amount of water. When the cereal is fully cooked, it can be served with a small amount of formula, providing the cereal with a flavor that baby is already familiar with. As your child grows and is able to tolerate more solid foods, you can also add banana slices or pureed fruit to your child’s cereal. Most importantly, parents know exactly what is going into baby cereal and can rest assured that there is nothing in the cereal that causes the baby any kind of discomfort.
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