Porridge for children up to one year old

Porridges are a valuable source of nutrients and minerals and should be included in the diet of children in the first year of life.

Starting at about four months, you can start giving your baby porridge, but sometimes pediatricians recommend porridge at an earlier age, in particular when the baby is not gaining weight well or is not getting enough breast milk.

The first cereals for children under one year old should be low-allergenic and dairy-free. It is recommended to prepare rice, buckwheat, and oatmeal cereals for the first feeding. If the baby accepts the feeding well, then milk cereals can be gradually added to his diet.

From six months, you can prepare porridge with the addition of pureed fruits or vegetables, and whole-grain porridge can be introduced from about 9 months.

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Recipes for porridge for children under one year

There is now a large selection of baby food on store shelves, including cereals for children under one year old. According to manufacturers, baby food is made from quality products and is completely safe for the baby's health.

But you can prepare any porridge for your baby yourself, you just need to follow some rules.

First of all, whole cow's milk should not be introduced into the diet of small children, as it can cause digestive problems, constipation or diarrhea. It is best to prepare porridge for small children in purified water, and at the end add a small amount of expressed breast milk or formula, as well as butter (no more than 5g). Homemade porridge can be ground in a blender to obtain a more delicate consistency.

To prepare rice porridge, you will need 30g of rice cereal and 200ml of water (you can take 50ml of water and 150ml of milk). Boil the cereal over low heat until the cereal is completely cooked. At the end, you can add sugar to taste, butter, mashed fruits or vegetables.

Buckwheat porridge for children under one year is prepared as follows: 50 g of buckwheat, 100 ml of water. Add buckwheat, previously cleaned and washed, to boiling water, bring to a boil and cook over low heat until done.

To prepare millet porridge, you need 30 g of millet groats and 300 ml of water (you can take 150 ml of milk and 150 ml of water). Before cooking, it is recommended to soak the millet for several hours, then pour it into cold salted water and cook over low heat until done, at the end you can add sugar and fruit.

To prepare barley porridge, take 250 ml of water and 40 g of cereal. Pour the washed cereal into boiling water, add a little salt, cook over low heat until done, stirring constantly, and add sugar and butter at the end.

Cereals for children under one year old are one of the first food products that allow the baby to prepare for eating more solid food.

Porridges have a high nutritional value, contain vitamins, microelements, such nutrition is especially recommended for children who do not have enough mother's milk or who are underweight. In addition, porridges improve the digestive process and supply the body with complex carbohydrates.

Benefits of cereals for children under one year

Cereals for children under one year old are considered a healthy and integral part of baby food. Cereals contain a large number of microelements, vitamins, and fiber. They also contain a large amount of protein, which is necessary for the cells of a growing organism, however, when choosing porridge for your baby, you should know that not all porridges will be equally healthy.

Semolina porridge

Semolina porridge has always been considered useful for children, however, in recent years, experts have come to the conclusion that semolina prevents the body from receiving vitamin D and iron, which play an important role for a child in the first year of life. Semolina also contains gluten, which the baby's unformed digestive system is unable to digest, which can result in problems with excess weight and allergic reactions. For these reasons, experts recommend giving such porridges for children under one year old, like semolina, no more than 2-3 times a week,

Milk porridge

Milk porridges for children under one year are used if the baby does not receive enough nutrients from mother's milk. Basically, mixed feeding (mother's milk and milk porridges) is prescribed when the mother has a small amount of milk, low calorie breast milk (if the baby is not gaining weight well), the baby does not accept the mixture, with a lack of B vitamins, and also when it is impossible to continue breastfeeding.

Rice porridge

Porridges for children under one year old are introduced into the baby’s diet at about 4-5 months; it is better to start giving rice to the baby at six months.

This porridge has many advantages: it does not irritate the intestinal mucosa, it protects and covers the stomach with a starchy mucous membrane, it replenishes the body's energy expenditure, and is a valuable source of proteins, carbohydrates and other nutrients (magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, etc.).

Rice cereal also contains many vitamins and microelements that are important for a growing organism – PP, B1, carotene, etc.

Corn porridge

Corn porridge contains fiber, which stimulates the intestines, thereby improving digestion, normalizing stool (such porridge is especially recommended for children prone to constipation), and reducing the processes of putrefaction and fermentation in the intestines.

In addition, this porridge helps remove excess fat, normalizes the functioning of the cardiovascular system and strengthens tooth enamel, thanks to the large number of vitamins and minerals included in its composition.

Corn porridge for children under one year old should be given starting at 9 months.

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Millet porridge

Millet porridge for children under one year old is useful primarily because it helps remove toxins and medications (especially antibiotics) from the body, and improves the functioning of the hematopoietic, cardiovascular systems, and liver.

Millet contains vitamins B, PP, A, E, beta-carotene, phosphorus, sulfur, calcium, magnesium, iodine, zinc, potassium, etc.

Whole grain millet porridge is suitable for children from one and a half years old, before this age it is better to use corn flour for cooking porridge. For the first time in the child's diet, millet porridge is introduced at 8-9 months, starting with 1-2 teaspoons. If the child has no allergic reactions, there is no stool disorder, etc., the amount is gradually increased to 200 mg per day.

Oatmeal

Porridges for children under one year old made from oatmeal or flour are given from 6 months. Oatmeal contains more vitamins, amino acids, minerals, fiber than other cereals, it improves digestion, eliminates constipation.

Rice porridge

Experts recommend trying rice cereals for children under one year of age as one of the first. Due to the fact that rice does not contain gluten, which can cause severe allergic reactions, and a large number of vitamins and minerals, this cereal takes first place among all cereals used for baby food.

Buckwheat porridge

New foods should be introduced into the child's diet gradually; it is very important to choose foods that are as healthy as possible and do not cause allergies for the first feeding, and cereals for children under one year old are considered the best option in this case.

Buckwheat porridge has a high nutritional value and is recommended by experts for the first feeding of a baby, starting from 5 months of age. Buckwheat does not contain gluten, it is easily absorbed by the body, increases the level of hemoglobin. Also, the fiber it contains promotes better digestion of food, prevents intestinal disorders.

Due to the content of various vitamins and minerals (B1, B2, E, copper, iron, calcium, etc.), buckwheat porridge occupies one of the first places among all products recommended for feeding young children.

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Barley porridge

Barley porridge is also very useful for a growing child's body. Barley porridge is made from barley, which is a real source of vitamins, minerals, amino acids.

The value of this porridge is in the phosphorus, which is present in its composition in large quantities (this microelement promotes the absorption of calcium). Also, barley improves digestion, removes harmful substances from the body, has a weak diuretic effect, envelops the gastrointestinal tract and eliminates spasms.

Porridges for children under one year old made from barley groats have one distinctive feature - the lysine in their composition destroys viruses in the body, the porridge is a natural antibiotic, helps to strengthen the immune system.

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