How to Choose the Best Cereal for Your Baby

Baby almost ready for solids? Confused by the array of cereals in the baby-food aisle? Here's how to choose the best cereal for your new eater.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Reading Glasses
• Bottled Water
• Baby Spoons
• Small Bowls
• whole grain, organic, baby food

1. Choose iron-fortified infant cereal.

2. Read labels to find a whole-grain cereal. Whole grains have more naturally occurring minerals like copper, zinc and magnesium.

3. Select brown rice, barley or oat cereal first.

4. Pick a cereal made with organic grains. Pesticide residues could be especially harmful to babies since they are growing and developing so quickly.

Tips & Warnings

• For your baby's first feeding, mix about 1 tablespoon of cereal with 3 to 4 tablespoons of breast milk, formula or water.
• It is not necessary to use an infant cereal that is made with formula ingredients.
• Wait to introduce mixed grain cereals until your baby has tried each grain in the mix individually.
• Wait until baby is at least 4 months old before starting cereal.
• Unless your pediatrician advises you to do it, avoid putting cereal in baby's bottle. Contrary to popular opinion, cereal does not keep babies full so they sleep longer.
• Iron-fortified infant cereals help prevent iron deficiency. Regular 'adult' cereals are too low in iron for babies.

[tuscha]

on 11/1/2008 8. Unless your pediatrician advises you to do it, avoid putting cereal in baby's bottle. Contrary to popular opinion, cereal does not keep babies full so they sleep longer.TRUE
9. Iron-fortified infant cereals help prevent iron deficiency. Regular 'adult' cereals are too low in iron for babies. RIGHT, BUT AS FAR AS I KNOW ALL BABY CEREALS ARE FORTIFIED ACCORDING TO LOCAL EXPERT GROUPS OR LEGISLATION (E.G. EU REGULATIONS).

BEST REARDS
MARTIN

Some comments? Send e-mail to mt - at - uzlicek.cz

[tuscha]

on 11/1/2008 7. Wait until baby is at least 4 months old before starting cereal. TRUE BUT REMEMBER, YOUR DOCTOR CAN GIVE YOU THE MOST RELIABLE ADVICE. AT LEAST: ACCORDING TO WHO RECOMMENDATION FOR BREASTFEEDED BABIES IT IS ENOUGH SINCE 6TH MONTHS. FOR FORMULA-FEEDED BABIES 4TH IS OK.

[tuscha]

on 11/1/2008 AND IT IS FINE, NO PROBLEM.
5. For your baby's first feeding, mix about 1 tablespoon of cereal with 3 to 4 tablespoons of breast milk, formula or water. COULD BE, IN CASE OF ALLERGY DANGER, USE HYPOALERGENIC FORMULA, IN CASE OF REFLUX, USE ANTI-REFLUX MILK, IT HELPS.
6. It is not necessary to use an infant cereal that is made with formula ingredients. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND BUT I BELIEVE IT IS TRUE…

[tuscha]

on 11/1/2008 I worked a long time in infant feeding industry, there some my comments:

1. Choose iron-fortified infant cereals: GREAT
2. Read labels to find a whole-grain cereal. Whole grains have more naturally occurring minerals like copper, zinc and magnesium. WHOLE GRAIN IS NOT SUITABLE FOR 1ST STAGE BABIES. CHOOSE CEREALS ACCORDING TO ITS AGE, PRODUCERS CATEGORIZE CEREALS TO STAGES. DO NOT SKIP ANY STAGE, CHOOSE CEREALS ACCORDING TO AGE.
3. Select brown rice, barley or oat cereal first.RICE IS FINE FOR THE FIRST BEGINNING, THAN SEE POINT 2.
4. Pick a cereal made with organic grains. Pesticide residues could be especially harmful to babies since they are growing and developing so quickly. ANY INGREDIENT FOR BABY FOOD PRODUCTION IS DEEPLY ANALISED AND CONTROLLED. ORGANIC IS FINE BUT IF E.G. IT IS TOO EXPENSIVE FOR YOU, DO NOT FEEL AS BAD MOTHER TO SERVE NON-ORGANIC CEREALS. IT IS NOT BAD AN

[jeneensDaisy]

on 7/5/2007 Rice Cereal

1/4 c. rice powder (brown rice ground in blender or food processor)
1 cup water

1. Bring liquid to boil in saucepan. Add the rice powder while stirring constantly.
3. Simmer for 10 minutes, whisking constantly, mix in formula or breast milk and fruits if desired
3. Serve warm.