Table of Contents
Benefits Of Porridge For Infant Growth And Development
The introduction of semi-solids and solids at the weaning stage of your baby is always a nerve taking moment. You are confused at the question of what might be the right food choice for your little one, which can provide them with all the nutrients required for their proper growth and development. Porridge is the first choice that strikes the mind as your first baby weaning foods. Porridge, often made with rice, oats, sooji, or any millet provides an easily digestible and palatable weaning food option. Moreover it is bland in taste which makes it equal to the breastmilk or formula milk taste and texture. It provides them with adequate supply of proper nutrients such as folate, choline, iron, magnesium, and selenium supporting their growth. You can also feed your baby, regular oats instead of baby oats, exposing them to a wide range of textures and naturalism.
How To Choose The Right Porridge For Your Baby?
The quality of rice or millet to be used in the preparation of your porridge goes a long way in deciding its taste and texture. The addition of fruits or veggies, pulses, or lentils, can make it even more nutritious. So, here we are providing you with a complete guide on how to make the right porridge for your little one.
Porridge Nutrition
Gluten-Free Millet Porridges for Babies
1. Sweet Ragi Porridge
Ingredients
- Ragi flour = 4 tbsp
- Water = 1.5 cup
- Jaggery or palm sugar = 2 tsp
- Cardamom powder – ¼ th tsp
How To Prepare?
- In a pan heat 1 cup water and add ragi flour in it.
- Keep stirring it until the mixture starts to thicken.
- Boil the remaining half cup of water along with jaggery powder.
- Now add the jaggery water to the ragi flour mixture.
- Keep on cooking the ragi flour and water mixture for some time, till it starts thickening.
- Turn off the flame and add cardamom powder to it.
- Mix it well and serve warm.
- It is a gluten-free baby porridge.
2. Savory Ragi Porridge
Ingredients
- Ragi flour = 4 tbsp
- Buttermilk = 1 cup
- Salt = a pinch/ as per taste
- Cumin seeds = 1/4th tsp
- Ghee = 1 tsp
How To Prepare
- Heat a pan and add buttermilk to it.
- Now add the ragi flour to it and mix it well.
- To this mixture, add a pinch of salt and keep stirring it to avoid burning.
- In another frying pan heat up ghee and then add the cumin seeds in it.
- Put this tadka into your ragi and buttermilk mixture and stir well.
- Serve this porridge warm.
- It is a gluten-free baby porridge.
Read Also: Sorghum and Foxtail Millet: Nutrient-Packed Porridge
3. Rice And Lentil Porridge
Ingredients
- Rice = 4 tbsp
- Yellow lentil = 4 tbsp
- Cumin seeds = 1/4th tsp
- Water = 1.5 cup
- Salt = as per taste
- Ghee = 1 tbsp
How To Prepare
- Heat up a saucepan and add rice and lentils to it
- Stir them continuously and watch for slight golden colour to appear.
- Take them out in a plate.
- In the same saucepan, add cumin seeds and dry roast them.
- As soon as aroma starts coming, put them in the same plate of rice and lentils.
- Now grind all these ingredients.
- You may grind them finely (for babies younger than 10 months old or coarsely (for babies older than 10 months).
- Store this mixture in an airtight jar or container.
- Now heat ghee in a pan.
- Add a tbsp of this prepared mixture in it and stir it.
- After 2-3 minutes add water to this roasted mixture and stir continuously.
- As soon as the mixture starts thickening, add salt as per taste and turn off the flame.
- Serve it warm to your baby.
- You may add carrot or pumpkin puree to it, to add some nutrition.
- It is a gluten-free baby porridge.
4. Millet And Fruit Porridge
Ingredients
- Barley flour = 4tbsp
- Papaya puree = 4tbsp
- Jaggery powder = 2 tsp
- Water = 1.5 cup
How To Prepare
- Heat a saucepan and add ghee to it.
- Put the barley flour in the heated ghee and roast for 2-3 minutes.
- Now add water to it with continuous stirring to avoid the formation of any lumps.
- Also add jaggery powder to this mixture.
- As soon as the mixture thickens turn off the flame.
- Add the papaya puree in it and serve warm.
- It is a gluten-free baby porridge.
Preparation Tips For Perfect Baby Porridge
- First, boil water or milk in a pan, and then start adding your porridge mix in small batches, continuously stirring to avoid lumps.
- Always feed the porridge at room temperature. Nor too hot and nor too cold. This will help in its proper digestion.
- Check for any big lumps of porridge, hard fruit, or vegetable parts left in the cooked porridge before serving it to your toddler. This helps prevent the chance of choking.
- Always wash the utensils to be used and your hands before making the porridge. Make the eating area around the baby sterile to negate the chance of any infections.
- Ragi porridge is not advised to be cooked in milk as milk hinders the absorption of iron present in ragi.
- If you find your porridge has thickened more, then add some breastmilk or other milk in it and heat it. This will provide your porridge with a smooth texture.
Introducing Porridge To Your Baby
Always start by feeding a teaspoon full in the start. If the baby likes the taste, then gradually increase the quantity to be fed in the future. All the porridge recipes shared in this blog may serve as quite a good option for Baby porridge for teething babies by adding some chopped dry fruits. This not only enhances porridge’s nutritional value but also helps your baby to learn chew
Conclusion
It is advisable to start various versions of porridge as the first weaning food for your baby. The recipes shared here are just a few to be named. If you are in search of the best baby porridge brands, then you are at the right place. Search for the porridge varieties offered by Sproutling’s on our website for more such unique and nutritious recipes with the correct combination of cereal, fruit, and vegetables along with the right cooking medium i.e. water or milk, explained in detail there. So, hurry up and start exploring the world of the best porridge for infants.
Read Also: