Biscuits – one of the most favorite food items for both young and old alike. It is the most easily available food item a parent might like to stock up on in their bag for those long road trips, emergencies, or a tantrum in the middle of a busy hospital.
But, are biscuits for babies safe? Do doctors really recommend this for your baby? Come, let’s dig deeper and find out!
In This Article
- Can Babies Eat Biscuits?
- Why Avoid Store-Bought Biscuits for Babies?
- Suitable Biscuits for Babies
- FAQ’s
Can Babies Eat Biscuits?
Ask any doctor and the answer will be straight No. No, you cannot give biscuits to your baby because they are not a healthy food item. There are many many more options, that are actually healthy, for you to give your little bundle.
Why Avoid Store-Bought Biscuits for Babies?
Store-bought biscuits are colorful, tasty, packed with flavor, and preservatives and let’s not forget the sugar! If you are tempted to go by any advertisement and buy a pack of biscuits for your baby, go to the store, pick up that pack and just flip it around and check the ingredients. It will be a long list of things you would ideally not give your child and nutritional value is very negligent.
Here are some of the main ingredients in a store-bought biscuit, which is not recommended by doctors or nutritionists:
1. Refined Wheat Flour
The most basic ingredient in biscuits is flour. Generally only refined flour is used. Though awareness has risen among parents, which has translated to the manufacturers, peruse that ingredients list well. You might be surprised to find refined flour mentioned a few lines below. This means it may not be the main ingredient but is still used in making that biscuit.
2. Sugar
Almost all store-bought biscuits contain artificial sugar. Sugar helps in setting the biscuits better than jaggery or other natural sugars. To know whether adding sugar to a baby’s food helps them digest better read here.
3. Preservatives
Preservatives are what give those dainty little biscuits their shelf life. Different brands use different preservatives in varying proportions, but they do use them. This makes biscuits definitely not a safe food choice for babies.
4. Additives
Different brands use different additives for distinct tastes, flavors, smells, or colors. It can be less, it can be more, but additives are a definite no for a baby. Additives are also used to hold the mixture together while baking and later too. These are not only harmful to your baby but are very addictive too. Have you seen an infant throw a fit because their parent gave the wrong biscuit? It is these additives that get the babies addicted to a particular biscuit.
5. Trans Fats
All processed food items contain trans fats in varying proportions. They are not healthy even for an adult, so it’s a definite no for your baby. Continuous ingestion of such trans fats can cause many health-related issues like vision loss, diabetes, obesity, etc.
Suitable Biscuits for Babies
If you are still keen on giving biscuits to your infant, it is ok. There is nothing wrong with that. You can give your baby homemade ones. These are pretty simple to make and do not take much of your time. You can make or get some trusted person to make delicious yet healthy biscuits for your baby, with ingredients carefully chosen by you!
No matter how tempting the pack looks or how convincing the advertisement sounds, your infant does not need biscuits as a part of their well-balanced meal plan. Advertisements can be very misleading. Buy with caution. Does the advertisement or the cover on top say “no trans fats/ no preservatives”? Turn the pack around and go through that list of ingredients. You will understand just why it’s a “NO” for biscuits for babies.
[Read :Food Additives That Must Be Avoided With Kids]
FAQ’s
1. At What Age Can Babies Chew Biscuits?
Biscuits are soft and easy to chew. Babies can chew them once they grow their first set of teeth.
2. Can Babies Choke While Having Biscuits?
Of course! Babies tend to take a big bite and since they cannot chew much, it can go straight to their throats.
3. Can Biscuits Cause Indigestion in Babies?
Yes. The additives and preservatives used in biscuits and the lack of any dietary fiber can lead to constipation in babies.
Read Also: Top 8 Best Biscuit Brands For Babies in India
