Until the baby is 6 months old, his diet includes only mother's milk or an adapted mixture. Next, the crumbs begin to be introduced to new products, one of which is porridge. This dish is prepared from different cereals. All of them are useful for the body of growing babies, but the introduction of some cereals has its limitations, so parents should know in advance when to start giving this or that cereal dish.
And if cereals such as buckwheat or rice do not raise questions and are among the first to be cooked for babies, then doubts arise regarding other cereals. Is it possible for children to cook millet and from how many months is it permissible to cook millet porridge for a toddler? What are the beneficial properties and contraindications of this cereal? Let's figure it out.
Benefit
Millet is millet grains that have had their shells removed. Usually they are simply ground, but sometimes they are also crushed. The resulting grain is rich in amino acids, starch and fiber.
Millet also has the following useful qualities:
- Such cereals contain beta-carotene, B vitamins, as well as vitamins E and A.
- From millet porridge, the child will receive a lot of calcium, potassium, zinc, chromium, sulfur, copper and other trace elements.
- Since there is no gluten in millet, porridge from it is allowed for feeding children with intolerance to this protein.
- Millet has a positive effect on the functioning of the heart, hematopoiesis and liver function.
- In millet porridge, the ability to accelerate the excretion of toxic substances from the body is noted. For this reason, millet porridge is advised to eat after a course of antibiotics.
- This dish improves digestive function and helps to normalize the composition of the intestinal microflora. As for whether this porridge strengthens or weakens the stool, it all depends on the recipe, for example, porridge with the addition of an apple or prunes will weaken.
Minuses
- Some babies may be allergic to millet porridge, although it is extremely rare, since millet is called a hypoallergenic product.
- It is necessary to spend time preparing millet for cooking. The cereal should be washed in hot water several times until the drained liquid is clear. Further, millet before cooking is recommended to soak for 1 hour in water at room temperature.
- If you cook porridge from "old" millet, such a dish will be bitter.
Digesting whole grains of millet at an early age is difficult, so children under one year old are advised to grind millet into flour before making porridge. To do this, the cereals need to be washed, dried and ground with a coffee grinder.
At what age can you give millet porridge to a child?
Porridge from such cereals usually begins to be boiled in water for children who, from the age of 7 months, have become acquainted with rice, buckwheat and corn porridge.
For babies aged 8-10 months, millet should be ground to a state of flour, and then boiled porridge. To prepare porridge for a 10-11-month-old child, millet grinding may already be coarser. Whole grains are not cooked for children under 1-1.5 years old.
Calculate your feeding schedule
How to feed
The first millet porridge for children under one year old should be liquid and boiled in water. You can add a little women's milk or a mixture familiar to the child. First, the crumbs are offered a small portion of porridge, for example, 1 teaspoon. This is usually done for breakfast, so that by the evening it will be clear if the baby has allergies. With normal tolerance, the next time the portion is doubled until the volume of the entire dish is brought to the age limit.
To diversify the taste of porridge, instead of water, you can take a vegetable or fruit broth. If the child has already tried milk porridge, millet can be boiled in milk. Ready porridge can be mixed with fruit purees, and children over 1.5 years old can add pieces of fruit and berries. A child who is 3-4 years old can make sweet casseroles from millet.
The recipe for the first millet porridge
To prepare a liquid porridge, take 10 g of millet flour and 100-150 ml of water. Bring the water to a boil and then add flour to it. While stirring, cook the porridge for about 3-5 minutes. Before serving, add butter or fruit puree to it, which is already included in your baby's complementary foods.
How to cook porridge with milk?
For children over one year old, take 1/2 cup of millet and 200-250 ml of milk. Pour the grits into the boiled milk and cook over low heat until the millet is soft. Add sugar to your taste. If the dish is intended for a one-year-old child, fruit puree can also be added to such a porridge. For children over 1.5 years old, porridge can be served with pumpkin, pieces of fruit, steamed raisins or berries.
You can also cook milk millet porridge in a slow cooker. Depending on the volume of milk, the dish may turn out to be liquid, viscous or crumbly. When cooking in such a device, milk does not “run away”, and the finished porridge can be kept warm for the required time. Washed millet is poured into a multicooker bowl, poured with milk and salt or sugar is added to taste. Next, select the "cooking" mode and the "porridge" product. When the dish is ready, the multicooker will notify you with a sound signal.
Recipes for other dishes with millet for children
Millet soup with prunes (from 1.5 years old)
Take 500 ml of water, 40 g of millet, 120 g of prunes and a tablespoon of sugar. Sort and rinse the cereal, soaking it for 1-2 hours. Bring water to a boil and put the cereal in it, then boil until tender.
Prunes soaked for several hours are pitted and boiled in a small amount of water, where sugar should be added. Grind the finished prunes through a sieve, add to the boiled millet, pouring in the broth as well. Boil the dish for a few minutes and remove from heat. Serve such a soup is advised chilled, adding a spoonful of sour cream to it.
Millet casserole with raisins (from 3 years old)
For such a dish you will need 100 g of millet, 400 ml of milk, 20 g of raisins, one egg, 2 teaspoons of sugar and 1 teaspoon of sour cream. Cook porridge from millet and milk until tender. Let it cool a little, add a raw egg, sugar and washed raisins. After mixing the ingredients, put them in a greased mold. Lubricate the future casserole with sour cream on top and put in the oven until golden brown.
How to choose millet for baby food?
When buying millet, from which porridge for a child will be cooked, you should carefully examine the grains and ask about expiration dates. It is advisable to buy millet for children in a transparent package, since cereals by weight are exposed to various external factors, which can deteriorate or lose nutrients. Choose millet with a matte finish, bright yellow color, and no debris.
It is not recommended to store millet at home for a long time, because due to the oxidation of fats, stale cereals begin to taste bitter. Store beans in an airtight container in a cool place away from sources of moisture.
For more information about the benefits of millet and millet porridge, see the following video.
Find out if your child's weight is normal by using the following calculator.
Height and weight calculator