Roti For Babies – When to Introduce, Benefits and Precautions

Is Roti Safe For Babies?

Roti is completely safe from babies, and you can include it in their diet without any hassle. When you are about to introduce a new food to their diet, it is natural to worry about the safety of the dish and the side effects your little one may encounter later on. That’s why we understand your dilemma about not feeding roti to your baby. You can give roti to your baby once they have sprouted teeth. You will be surprised to know that some babies are capable of chewing roti with their gums too, so the choking hazard is minimized.

Rotis made of wheat are easy to digest as long as your baby doesn’t have allergies. Besides, wheat, ragi, chickpea, and bajra flours are highly nutritious and add excellent amounts of fibers. From constipation to other types of ailments, rotis are a perfect solution. Your doctor can advise on the right amount of roti you can give your little one.

When Can You Introduce Roti to Your Baby?

The right age to introduce roti can vary from baby to baby. It depends on your baby’s acceptance of solids and their comfort with chewing. The earliest age to introduce rotis is at around ten months. Any time after that is ideal too. Remember to ensure that your child doesn’t have any known allergies to the base flours such as wheat, ragi, bajra, etc., before introducing the rotis.

When introducing rotis for the first time, you can soak prepared rotis in either breast milk, formula milk, or any thin dal that the baby is already comfortable with. Unlike rice or cereals, you cannot mash the roti or make a puree out of it. So, the best option will be to make it softest to help your baby chew it appropriately or serve it after being soaked in milk, dal, or any other liquid food. This will make it easy for your baby to chew and eat.

[Read : Infant Choking]

Nutritional Value of Roti

Roti is one of the most nutritional food items you can easily include in your baby’s diet. As wheat is the most used flour for roti making, we have presented here its nutritional value. From this, you can easily understand how many calories your baby will gain per 40 grams of roti.

From this nutritional chart, you can easily understand how roti is rich in carbohydrates, dietary fiber, and proteins. As this chart is for wheat rotis, the nutrients and valuations will differ if you use another flour type.

Amazing Top 5 Healthy Benefits of Roti For Babies

Roti is a staple food in most of the Northern part of India. Here are some of the key benefits for your baby.

1. A Wonderful Source of Proteins

Undoubtedly rotis are a great source of protein, thanks to wheat flour. As your baby continues to grow, it will need a large supply of proteins because it behaves like a building block of the body. This particular nutrient is used in wide biological and biochemical operations from cell division to enzyme and hormone production. Therefore, including roti in your baby’s diet ensures they get enough nutrition for proper growth.

2. Promotes Digestion

Studies have shown how vulnerable a baby’s digestive system can be. If there is any sudden change in the diet, they will suffer from stomach aches, fever, acidity, vomiting, and diarrhea. This is why you should include food items that are completely safe for the baby’s digestive system, just like roti. It comes with huge reserves of dietary fiber. It not only eases the bowel movement in the large intestine but also ensures less gastritis, bloating, acid reflux, and stomach ache. Besides, the fibers in roti can alleviate situations like IBS and constipation in babies.

3. Improves Oral Health

Although oral health gradually develops in a baby, there is no harm in including food items in the diet that can easily help strengthen teeth and gums. As a result, you may not have to rely completely on the teether for oral health. Since they need to chew the rotis, their gums and cheeks will strengthen, helping you introduce other solid food items.

4. Keeps the Baby Active

Apart from proteins and dietary fiber, rotis also contain a vast carbohydrate reserve. If you check your baby’s diet appropriately, you will realize how carbs are crucial for a developing baby. Therefore, you cannot ignore the importance of rotis in your baby’s diet. It will keep them active and ensure the metabolic rate is maintained at a higher level. Your baby won’t feel tired, no matter how long they played games or have been physically and mentally active.

5. Promotes Overall Health

Apart from these macronutrients, rotis also come with several essential minerals necessary for proper baby growth. For example, calcium is necessary for strengthening the bones and cartilage. Similarly, iron in rotis ensures hemoglobin formation and reduces the chances of developing anemia.

Precautions to Take While Introducing Roti to Babies

The best time to introduce roti to your baby is between 9 months to 11 months of age. At this point, they already have teeth emerging from the gums. Although the teeth are small and not strong enough, they will allow your baby to eat roti comfortably.

Now, while feeding this food item, you should be aware of certain facts.

• Wheat has gluten. Hence, if your baby shows celiac disease or gluten allergy symptoms, it is best to switch over to gluten-free flours, like jowar and ragi.
• Use organic flours. Buying your own wheat, ragi or bajra and getting them milled is a better option.
• With the help of three-day rule, you can rule out the possibility of allergies to the flour you are using to make the roti.
• If you keep roti out in the open, it hardens over time. Always serve fresh, soft rotis to help your baby eat them better.
• Soak the roti in dal, milk, or water to maintain the softness for a long time when introducing initially.
• Do not feed leftover tortillas to your baby as they can cause food poisoning and diarrhea.

[Read : The 3-Day Wait Rule For Babies To Introduce Solids]

Top 3 Tasty and Healthy Roti Recipes For Babies

Here are a few recipes you can try for your baby.

1. Milk Roti

This is the first best recipe you can try out for your baby when giving for the first time. Prepare a roti/pulka as you normally would. Tear the roti into pieces. You can now soak these pieces in breast milk or formula milk. After the pieces soak up all the milk and turn soft, you can give it to your baby.

2. Dal Roti

Prepare a watery dal either with moong dal or urad dal with minimal spices and no salt. Now, you can soak homemade rotis or pulka pieces in this dal. Once the rotis have softened, you can give it to your baby for eating. For added nutrition, you can add different vegetables to the dal while cooking.

3. Palak Roti

Once your baby gets comfortable with chewing rotis at around 10 or 11 months and is able to eat spinach comfortably, you can introduce palak roti. Blanch spinach or palak leaves in boiled water, blend in a food processor and use this paste along with some water to mix and make roti dough and use this dough to make rotis.

Indeed roti is one of the best food items you can give your baby as it is the reserve for proteins, dietary fibers, carbohydrates, and so on. Just consult with your doctor once to know if it is safe for your baby or not. Also, you may have to tweak the traditional way of preparing this food item because your baby won’t be able to digest the roti we adults like to eat. Feed the rotis hot and soft to prevent digestion problems and improve oral health.

[Read : Spinach For Babies]

FAQ’s

1. Can Babies Eat Roti?

Yes, babies can eat roti, but you must introduce it at the right age. 9 to 11 months, once your baby is able to eat and digest other solid goods, is ideal to introduce rotis. When starting for the first time, you can rotis soaked in milk or dal.

2. Can I Give Wheat Roti to Your Baby?

Yes, you can give wheat roti to your baby as long as they do not have allergies to wheat or gluten.

3. How Do Your Serve Rotis For Babies?

Very young babies can have soft rotis soaked in milk, watery dal or any liquid medium. Slightly older babies who can chew can be given small pieces of soft rotis.

Read Also: Pasta For Babies – When to Introduce, Benefits and Precautions