If you introduce the baby to them correctly and in a timely manner, they will become faithful companions for him for life.

The benefits of cereals

Dishes from various cereals are valuable food products. Grains are sources of complex carbohydrates that provide energy and are digested for a long time, giving a feeling of satiety. Therefore, they serve as an excellent breakfast - in the form of porridge or part of lunch - in the form of a cereal side dish. In addition, cereals, in addition to proteins, fats and carbohydrates, contain many vitamins (especially group B) and trace elements, such as magnesium, calcium and iron, which are necessary for the child to develop properly. There are several types of cereals - and each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages.

The most valuable among cereals is buckwheat, it contains a lot of proteins, fats, starch, iodine, B vitamins, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium and iron that are easily digestible by the child's body. In addition, it does not contain gluten, the protein responsible for the development of celiac disease (autoimmune bowel disease).

Gluten-free cereals also include rice and corn. Rice groats are the richest in starch; they contain few vegetable proteins, minerals and vitamins. But it is perfectly absorbed and digested by the child, helps with loose stools and is very tasty. The third gluten-free cereal is corn, crushed into small pieces. It is rich in starch, it has little calcium and phosphorus, but enough iron and B vitamins. This cereal is cooked for a long time, but when boiled, it is absorbed very well.

The second place in nutritional value after buckwheat is rightfully occupied by oat groats and products produced from it - crushed oats, hercules, oatmeal. They have a lot of vegetable proteins, which contain essential amino acids, in addition, this porridge has the most fat compared to others, as well as a lot of potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, iron, vitamin E and B vitamins. One significant drawback of this porridge - that it contains gluten. Oat processing products - oatmeal and oatmeal undergo special processing, they are steamed, pressed, dried. Therefore, their absorption by the body improves, which means they are more suitable for the child.

Millet also belongs to the group of gluten cereals, it is produced from millet. It contains a lot of potassium, magnesium, phosphorus and especially iron. But in terms of nutritional value, millet is inferior to almost all cereals, since it is rather difficult to digest.

Barley and barley cereals also belong to gluten cereals, are made from barley, by crushing into particles of different sizes. These cereals are rich in minerals and cleanse the intestines well, but they are “heavy” for digestion due to the large amount of coarse fiber, therefore they are difficult to digest by young children, they are not given at all along with millet until 1 year old.

Our grandmothers favorite porridge - semolina, it belongs to the category of gluten and is not the most useful of all. Of course, it is high in protein and starch, but it is very nutritious, and if consumed frequently, it will lead to overweight. In addition, it contains a lot of a special protein - phytin, which binds calcium and iron in the intestines, leading to rickets and anemia. Therefore, modern doctors do not recommend semolina porridge for feeding a child under 1 year old.

When to introduce porridge

There is no doubt that cereals are useful. However, in order for them to bring maximum benefit and be fully absorbed by the body, it is necessary to introduce them into the baby's diet at a strictly defined time. The first of the cereal products in the child's diet appear cereals. Along with vegetables, cereals are dishes for the first feeding of a child. Acquaintance with them occurs at the age of approximately 6 months. In rare cases, with a persistent underweight of the baby, the doctor may recommend introducing porridge into the child's menu a little earlier - at 5–5.5 months.

Porridges replenish the body of the grown-up crumbs with energy, which is spent more and more, expand the boundaries of taste and gradually learn to eat more and more dense food. Acquaintance with cereals should begin with gluten-free dairy-free cereals - rice, buckwheat and corn. They are introduced gradually one after another from six months. Further, at 8–9 months, oatmeal gradually joins them. In addition, you can make porridge from several types of cereals. From the age of 1, semolina and thoroughly boiled millet porridge are introduced into the child's diet, from 1.5 years you can give barley and barley porridge. It is recommended to give porridge daily, alternating cereals with each other, since each of the porridges is good in its own way.
In addition, from 1.5–2 years old, cereals can be offered to a child as a side dish for meat or fish dishes or as an additive to soups.

Our first porridge

As the first porridge, the baby can be given both purchased porridge and cooked on their own. Now on the shelves of stores there is a wide variety of instant (instant) cereals. They are completely ready for use - the dry powder only needs to be measured in the required amount and diluted according to the instructions on the package. But many mothers believe that such cereals are less useful than those that are cooked on their own, and sometimes that they are harmful to the baby. Is it true? These porridges are made from ground grains that have been steamed. Due to this processing, part of the coarse proteins is lost, the consistency of the porridge becomes more tender. These products undergo strict control for compliance with all norms, are additionally enriched with vitamins necessary for a growing body, and often they are supplemented with probiotics that promote the growth of beneficial intestinal microflora. Groats are ground into flour, vitamins and minerals are added to it. However, in such a porridge there are also not very useful ingredients, manufacturers often add sugar or various flavorings (honey, chocolate, fruits) to the porridge so that children eat them more willingly. It is better not to use such cereals as the first complementary foods - sugar (maltodextrin, sucrose, glucose or fructose are also sugars) and additives can become potential allergens for the child.

If you decide to cook porridge for your child yourself, you need to know some of the features of preparing such dishes.

Groats should not contain pests and foreign odors.

Before cooking, the cereals must be carefully sorted out (if it is rice, buckwheat or millet) or sieved (if it is semolina, corn, buckwheat chaff) and remove impurities.

Crushed cereals (semolina, corn, buckwheat, small wheat, oatmeal) are not washed before cooking, the rest must be thoroughly washed under running water in a colander.

Cooking porridge for a child is necessary in stainless steel dishes, enameled porridge burns, and aluminum releases toxins.

All the first porridges are prepared exclusively on water or vegetable broth, milk is added at about 9 months to the already prepared porridge. In addition, baby cereals after cooking can be diluted with breast milk.

Up to 1 year salt and sugar are not used for making cereals, you can add fruit puree to cereals after it is introduced into the baby's diet. After 1 year you can add a little salt to food and put a small amount of sugar to enhance the taste of dishes.

Up to 1 year porridge is boiled from cereal flour, carefully grinding the cereal in a coffee grinder, or it is prepared from whole cereals and ground in a blender after cooking. First, they make a very liquid 5?% porridge - take 100 ml of liquid for 5 g of cereal, then move on to a more viscous, 7–10?%, - 100 ml of liquid for 7–10 g of cereal. From 1 year they begin to cook thicker porridges from strongly boiled cereals, gradually moving on to regular porridge.

To cook cereals correctly, you need to know the timing of cooking cereals:

• friable buckwheat - 30–45 minutes,
• crumbly millet - 45 minutes,
• oatmeal 20-25 minutes
• rice depending on the presence of pre-treatment with steam from 15 to 30-40 minutes,
• semolina 15 minutes.

But it is better to focus on the cooking time indicated on the package. For example, some varieties of rice can be cooked for no more than 15 minutes. There are also porridges that need to be cooked for 3-5 minutes.

From 7–7.5 months, you can add butter to the porridge.

Baby cereal recipes

Mashed buckwheat porridge

from 6 months

You will need:

• 1 glass of water
• 1 st. a spoonful of cereal flour.

Preparation: sort buckwheat, wash it in warm water, put in a saucepan, pour 1?/?2 cups of hot water, leave for 5 minutes, then drain the water. Refill with the remaining half cup of hot water and cook until thickened. Close the lid and put in a warm place to "reach". While the porridge is hot, it must be rubbed through a sieve or chopped in a blender. From 7–7.5 months you can add

mashed rice porridge

from 6 months

You will need:

2 glasses of water

2 tbsp. rice spoons,

1? /? 2 teaspoons of butter (from 7–7.5 months).

Preparation: Sort the rice, rinse, boil in boiling water for 45–60 minutes, add butter to the porridge and chop in a blender.

Corn porridge

from 6 months

You will need:

• 1 glass of water
• 3 art. spoons of corn flour
• 2 teaspoons of butter (from 7–7.5 months).

Preparation: add the sifted flour to boiling water, but do not stir until the water boils again. As soon as the water boils, you should quickly mix everything so that you get a homogeneous viscous porridge without lumps. After that, you need to close the pan with a lid and let the porridge cook over low heat for 10-12 minutes. Cooking corn porridge is recommended in small portions and not earlier than 20 minutes before serving, as it becomes stale and tasteless during longer storage.

Porridge on vegetable broth

from 9 months

You will need:

• 1 glass of milk
• 1 glass of water
• 1 st. a spoonful of any cereal (rice, oatmeal, corn),
• 1 carrot
• 1?/?2 potatoes,
• 1 cup shredded white cabbage
• 1 teaspoon of butter.

Preparation: prepare a vegetable broth - wash small carrots and potatoes with a brush, peel and cut into cubes, chop the cabbage. Put the vegetables in a saucepan, pour hot water over it and cook with the lid closed for 15-20 minutes. After that, strain the vegetable broth through cheesecloth, squeeze the vegetables. In a vegetable broth, add 6 tbsp. tablespoons of milk, heat to a boil, add cereal and cook porridge, stirring, until boiled. Add the remaining milk to the finished porridge and boil for another 1-2 minutes. Season the finished porridge with butter.

Buckwheat (oatmeal, rice) milk porridge

from 9 months

You will need:

• 1 glass of milk
• 1 glass of water
• 2 tbsp. cereal spoons,
• 0.5 teaspoons of butter.

Preparation: Sort the grits, rinse, pour into boiling water and cook until almost ready for 25-30 minutes. Then pour in hot milk and continue to cook until the cereal is completely boiled. At the end of cooking, season with butter.

Buckwheat porridge with fruit puree

from 9 months

You will need:

• 1 glass of milk
• 1?/?2 cups of water,
• 1 st. a spoonful of buckwheat flour
• 1 apple or pear or 100 g ready-made fruit puree,
• 1?/?2 teaspoons of butter.

Preparation: dilute buckwheat flour in cold water and pour into boiling milk with continuous stirring. Cook, stirring continuously, for 5 minutes, then add boiled and mashed fruit and bring the porridge to a boil. Put butter in the finished dish. Instead of fresh fruit, you can take ready-made baby fruit purees.

Oatmeal porridge

from 9 months

You will need:

• 1 glass of milk
• 2 glasses of water
• 2 tbsp. oatmeal spoons,
• 1?/?2 teaspoons of butter.

Preparation: Pour hercules into boiling water and cook over low heat for about 20 minutes. Rub the boiled hercules hot through a sieve, dilute with hot milk and wipe again so that there are no lumps. Instead of a sieve, you can use a blender. Stir the crushed porridge well and bring to a boil again. Put butter into the prepared porridge.

Oatmeal with pumpkin

from 10 months

You will need:

• 1 glass of milk
• 1 glass of water
• 1 st. hercules spoon,
• 100 g pumpkin (or zucchini),
• 1?/?2 teaspoons of butter.

Preparation: wash the pumpkin or zucchini, remove the skin and seeds, cut into cubes, pour boiling water and cook under a closed lid for 20 minutes, then pour in the sorted oatmeal flakes, pour in hot milk and cook under a lid over low heat for another 20 minutes. Pour hot porridge through a sieve and bring to a boil. Add butter to the finished porridge.

Oatmeal porridge with dried apricots and prunes

from 1 year

You will need:

• 1 glass of milk
• 1 glass of water
• 2 tbsp. spoons of oatmeal,
• 2 prunes
• 2 dried apricots,
• 1?/?2 teaspoons of butter.

Preparation: pour oatmeal into cold water, put the pan on the fire and bring to a boil. Thoroughly wash the dried apricots and prunes, finely chop and add to the porridge. Boil the porridge until the consistency of jelly, add milk and, continuing to stir, cook until cooked for 20 minutes. Add butter to the finished porridge.

Semolina porridge

from 1 year

You will need:

• 1 glass of water or milk
• 1 st. a spoonful of semolina
• 1?/?2 teaspoons of butter.

Preparation: bring milk or water to a boil, pour semolina in a stream, stirring constantly so that no lumps form, cook for 1-2 minutes. Then add butter. Let the porridge brew for 15 minutes under a closed lid without heating. If desired, add various fruits, mashed with a fork, or fruit puree to the finished porridge.

Semolina porridge with pumpkin

from 1 year

You will need:

• 1 glass of milk
• 100 g pumpkin,
• 2 teaspoons of semolina,
• 1? /? 2 teaspoons of sugar,
• 1?/?2 teaspoons of butter.

Preparation: wash the pumpkin, peel and seeds, cut into small pieces, pour hot milk and cook under a closed lid for 15 minutes. Then, stirring, add semolina, sugar and cook for another 15-20 minutes over low heat. Fill the porridge with butter.

Pureed millet porridge

from 1 year

You will need:

• 1 glass of water
• 1 glass of milk
• 1 st. a spoonful of millet groats,
• 1? /? 2 teaspoons of sugar,
• 1?/?2 teaspoons of butter.

Preparation: sort and wash the millet, rubbing it with your hands in warm water, changing the water until it becomes clear. Pour the washed cereal with 1 cup of water and 1/3 cup of milk, then cook for 45–50 minutes. Rub the boiled millet hot through a sieve or in a blender, add the remaining hot milk, sugar, mix and rub again so that there are no lumps. Instead of a sieve, you can use a blender. After grinding, cook the porridge, stirring, for another 2 minutes. Put the butter in the finished dish and mix thoroughly.

Millet porridge with pumpkin

from 1 year

You will need:

• 1 glass of milk or water
• 2 tbsp. spoons of wheat groats,
• 150 g pumpkin,
• 1? /? 2 teaspoons of sugar,
• salt.

Preparation: put peeled, cut into small pieces pumpkin into boiling salted water or milk and cook for 7-10 minutes. Then pour millet washed several times in hot water, add sugar and cook over low heat for 45 minutes. Season the finished porridge with butter.

Millet milk porridge in a pot

from 1 year

You will need:

• 1 glass of milk
• 2 tbsp. spoons of wheat groats,
• 1? /? 2 teaspoons of butter,
• salt.

Preparation: Rinse the millet thoroughly in hot water, changing the water until it becomes clear, pour into boiling salted water and cook at a low boil for 5-6 minutes. Then drain the water, put the porridge in a ceramic pot, add butter and milk, mix and, covered with a lid, put in the oven for 1.5 hours.

Berry porridge

from 1.5 years

You will need:

• 1 glass of water
• 1 st. a spoonful of cereals (rice, buckwheat, semolina),
• 2 tbsp. spoons of any fresh berries (raspberries, strawberries, currants),
• 1? /? 2 teaspoons of sugar,
• 1?/?2 teaspoons of butter.

Preparation: Rinse fresh berries, mash, squeeze the juice through cheesecloth, boil the pomace in water and strain. Put any cereal into the broth, cook until cooked, depending on the type of porridge, add sugar and butter, let it boil again, remove the porridge from the stove, cool and pour the squeezed juice into it.

Garnish for a child

Another valuable cereal food product is side dishes, but they are not at all limited to boiled rice or buckwheat. In addition to them, many other cereals (millet, wheat), as well as their various combinations with vegetables, can be used as a side dish. Such combinations will increase the nutritional value and assimilation of dishes, as well as give a special taste. Groats will change their taste if they are cooked not in water, but in vegetable or weak meat broth (after the meat boils, drain the water, add new water, bring to a boil again and use the resulting meat broth to make porridge). Cereal side dishes will be a great addition to fish, meat or vegetables. Cereals can be included in some dishes.

Cabbage rolls with rice

from 2 years old

You will need:

• 8 cabbage leaves
• 200 g boiled rice,
• 50 g boiled beef,
• 1? /? 2 large onions,
• 2 tbsp. raisin spoons,
• a bunch of green onions
• 2-3 sprigs of dill,
• 1 liter chicken broth
• 2 tbsp. tablespoons of olive oil.

Preparation: scroll the beef through a meat grinder, finely chop the onion and dill. To soften, lower the cabbage leaves one by one into boiling water so as not to damage, and immediately cool. Lightly fry the onion and beef in a deep frying pan in olive oil, add the rice, half of the finely chopped dill, raisins and 100 ml of broth. Simmer covered for 15 minutes. Wrap the filling in cabbage leaves, tying them with onion shoots. Put the rolls in a saucepan, pour in the broth and simmer under the lid for 30 minutes, adding the broth as needed. Serve with sour cream.

Millet and rice patties with carrots

from 2 years old

You will need:

• 100 g millet,
• 100 g of rice
• 1 liter of water (for porridge),
• 1 carrot
• 2 eggs,
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1 st. a spoonful of breadcrumbs,
• 2 tbsp. spoons of sour cream
• salt.

Preparation: chop carrots into strips, sauté in vegetable oil. Cook a viscous porridge from a mixture of millet and rice, add carrots, eggs and mix. Divide the resulting mass into meatballs or cutlets, bread them in breadcrumbs, put them in a saucepan, pour sour cream and put in the oven for 10 minutes.

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