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 food. Porridge, often made with rice, oats, sooji, or any millet, provides an easily digestible and palatable weaning food option. It provides them with an adequate supply of proper nutrients such as folate, choline, iron, magnesium, and selenium supporting their growth.

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.

Read Also: Sorghum and Foxtail Millet: Nutrient-Packed Porridge

Gluten-Free Millet Porridges for Babies

1. Ragi Porridge

Ingredients

• Ragi flour: 2 tbsp
• Water: ½ cup
• Cardamom powder: ¼ tsp
• Almond powder: ½ tsp

How To Prepare 

• In a pan, heat ½  cup water and add ragi flour in it.
• Keep stirring it until the mixture starts to thicken.
• Also add dry roasted almond powder.
• 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. Millet And Fruit Porridge

Ingredients

Barley flour: 1 tablespoon

Papaya puree: 1 tbsp

Water: 1/2 cup

Almond powder: ½ tsp

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.
• Also add dry roasted almond powder to it.
• Now add water to it with continuous stirring to avoid the formation of any lumps.
• 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.

3. Ragi and Sweet Potato Porridge

Ingredients:

• Ragi flour: 2 tbsp
• Sweet potato: 2 tbsp
• Water: 1 cup

How to Make:

1. Mix Ragi flour with water to avoid lumps.
2. Meanwhile, boil and mash the sweet potato.
3. Continue to cook it at low, medium flame for 5 minutes.
4. Continuously stir the mixture to avoid burning.
5. As soon as the mixture starts thickening, add the mashed sweet potato.
6. Now, cook for another 2 minutes.
7. Serve warm to your infant.

4. Rice and Carrot Porridge

Ingredients:

• Parboiled/brown rice: 2 tbsp
• Grated carrot: 1 small piece
• Water: 1 cup

How to Make:

1. Wash and soak the rice in water for 20 minutes.
2. Boil rice with grated carrot until soft.
3. Now blend the mixture to make a smooth paste.
4. Add extra water as needed later on.
5. Serve it warm to your little one.

5. Sproutling’s Rice and Banana Porridge

Sproutling uses freeze-dried ingredients for your baby food. Ready-to-eat baby food with no added preservatives, no refined flour, and no added sugar makes Sproutling the best baby food brand.

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 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.