A baby’s diet is the most quintessential element for the parents, it starts with breast milk, which is the best for babies, and is generally given ready-to-eat cereal as soon as they start solids along with other foods and it ranks as an excellent choice for a nutritive intake. Essentially, cereals carry low fat intake but are flooded with nutrients, vitamins, and minerals. When it comes to cereals homemade cereals for babies are the best.
It is believed that when babies start their solid intake at about four months the digestive system is delicate and cannot take more than one proper meal, but by the age of six months, the baby becomes prepared to be able to digest the foods that have a rich iron content as well. Homemade cereals are the safest and can be made with rice. The process of preparing cereals at home is rather simple. Going forward, we will get a brief outline of the process of preparing cereals, and the importance of having rice cereal and brown rice.
In This Article
- How To Make Homemade Rice Cereal For Baby?
- How Do You Make Cereal For Babies?
- Is Rice Cereal Good For Babies?
- Is Brown Rice Good For Babies?
- What Type Of Rice Is Used To Make Homemade Cereal For Baby?
How To Make Homemade Rice Cereal For Baby?
Preparation of homemade rice cereal is a rather simple process. Its pre-requisite is mainly brown rice and a high-power blender. Brown Rice is unprocessed full-grain which is a powerhouse of nutrients like Vitamin B, Iron, Magnesium, and Fibre.
By 6 months the baby can digest the brown rice, which is made as rice cereal, and can even soak up the vitamins and minerals. The fiber content in the cereal is considered very well for the complete health of the baby.
The preparation is smooth, however, and time-consuming. So we need to mince the rice in a powdery form and then cook on gas. Once the rice is ground, it can even be stored in an airtight vessel in a refrigerator for almost a month.
How Do You Make Cereal For Babies?
In order to make homemade cereal for babies, we need to mix 1 tablespoon of infant cereal with about 4-5 tbsp. of mother’s milk or even formula milk. Breastmilk or formula milk is used so that a new taste can be introduced to the baby. The baby’s first morsel of solids should have a slight fluid consistency, close to thick milk.
A combination of rice, oatmeal, barley, etc. can be blended in the form of a powder and the powder can further be cooked for about 15 minutes till a thick soup-like consistency is achieved.
Is Rice Cereal Good For Babies?
Rice cereal though advised by most health experts is ideally not the best for the baby as it is not very well loaded with nutrients rather than other primary foods which comprise of mashed vegetables and fruits, meat, or iron-rich cereals which are made with other grains than rice.
Rice cereal is generally endorsed as it is easily available, safe, and also is a good transition from milk to solids.
Another important reason why rice is given to babies is due to its texture, it can be made watery or dry as the moisture in rice can be regulated.
Rice cereal, along with a few other infant cereal mixtures, can be made with the help of breastmilk or even formula. This provides supplementary nutrient intake.
Is Brown Rice Good For Babies?
Brown rice in nature is easy to digest and questionable to allergies. A small baby cannot eat brown rice in its cooked form but when it gets ground it can be used as readymade or homemade cereal or it can even be made in the form of porridge. Brown rice is one of the best choices.
When you start your baby on solids, experts tell you to begin with rice cereal. This is because rice is known to be allergen-free. Brown rice is one of the wholesome and nutritious choices of all types of rice. It is also an excellent choice for the baby on account of its in-depth nutritive value and rich fiber intake. It even helps in growth spurts for the baby. Brown rice is a resourceful ingredient.
Undermentioned are the nutritive specifics of brown rice as per the USDA Nutrient Database.
What Type Of Rice Is Used To Make Homemade Cereal For Baby?
The best rice that should be used for making cereals is the brown one which has short grains as it cooks up being softer than any other rice. Though sometimes the rice also becomes sticky or in a paste form when mashed so one has to be cautious while cooking or mashing it. Ideally, brown jasmine rice and even plain brown rice can make a fine cereal just like basmati rice.
Thus, we can say that the formative years are important for the overall development of the baby, and homemade cereals which are a powerhouse of vitamins, minerals, and fibers help in mental and physical development.
