Up to 6 months, the child eats exclusively mother’s milk or an adapted formula. From the age of six months, adult foods begin to be introduced into the baby’s diet, one of which is porridge. They are prepared from different cereals, and parents often have doubts about which ones their baby can eat. Usually rice and buckwheat do not raise questions. When can you give your child millet porridge?
The first children's millet porridge
The benefits of millet porridge
Millet is millet that has been shelled. It can be sold both in polished and crushed form. Millet contains a huge amount of microelements beneficial for the body and vitamins A, B and E.
Millet porridge during breastfeeding
Also, millet porridge for a child has many other benefits:
- Has a beneficial effect on the heart and liver.
- Helps remove toxins.
- It does not contain gluten, so it is suitable for children whose bodies do not accept this protein.
- Normalizes digestion and intestinal microflora.
- May improve stool. The specific effect is determined by the accompanying ingredients.
Composition and nutritional value
Millet is rich in proteins and starch, and also contains essential amino acids. 0.5-0.8 percent of the cereal composition is fiber. It also contains large amounts of fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, potassium, magnesium and phosphorus. Cereals occupy a leading position in the content of molybdenum and magnesium.
Child before feeding porridge
In terms of the amount of proteins, millet outperforms barley and rice, and ranks second among cereals in terms of the amount of fat. Their content is higher only in oatmeal.
Millet contains polyunsaturated fatty acids, which have a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system and intelligence. There are more B vitamins in millet than in all other cereals.
Video recipe
Millet and porridge made from it are the main storehouse of minerals, nutrients and vitamins. Its composition is rich in natural fiber, starch, amino acids, phosphorus, fluorine, magnesium, potassium and other beneficial substances. Contains vitamins PP, B1, B2, B5, A. The presence of the above elements in millet ensures the functioning and vital activity of the child. There are a huge number of different recipes for preparing such porridge for children and infants. In order for your baby to love this dish, you need to prepare it correctly and choose the right flavoring additives.
Children's food is an important component of growing up and building a healthy, strong body. It requires a gentle and thorough preparation process. From the age of eight months, the baby begins to eat various foods, which must be prepared with longer heat treatment. That is why millet porridge for children is prepared completely differently than for adults.
Selection of millet cereals
It is advisable to buy millet in transparent packaging, because this makes it easier to see the visual defects of the cereal. Cereals sold by weight are exposed to a large number of harmful factors that destroy beneficial qualities.
The baby looks at the porridge with interest
The surface of the cereal should be matte and yellow. In high-quality cereals there is no cloudiness or inclusions of other colors. Millet is high in calories - 340 kcal per 100 grams.
Benefit
Millet is millet grains from which the shell has been 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 beneficial qualities:
- This cereal contains 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 millet does not contain gluten, porridge made from it is approved for feeding children intolerant to this protein.
- Millet has a positive effect on heart function, hematopoiesis and liver function.
- Millet porridge has the ability to accelerate the elimination of toxic substances from the body. For this reason, it is recommended to eat millet porridge after a course of antibiotics.
- This dish improves digestive function and helps normalize the composition of 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 it.
When to introduce into complementary foods
When can you give millet to a child? This type of porridge should be introduced at 8-9 months. By this time, the baby should already be eating buckwheat, rice and corn cereals. At this age, it is necessary to grind the cereal very finely, until it becomes flour. Close to one year old, you can give your baby larger particles, and by 1.5 years old, whole grain cereals. The numbers describing the age at which millet can be given to a child are only approximate.
Baby eating porridge
The first portion of porridge should not be large - just one teaspoon, which is given for breakfast. This makes it easier to track the manifestations of allergies in a child and understand their cause. If a small portion is easily tolerated by a child, he can be given two teaspoons, then 4, 8, and so on until the amount is appropriate for his age.
The child may not like to eat porridge. Then you can use fruit or vegetable syrup instead of water. Already prepared porridge can be mixed with puree made, for example, from pumpkin.
Important! There is no exact answer to the question of when you can give millet to a child. The main thing is that he is already ready to receive complementary foods. You need to try, starting with a small portion.
Recipes for millet dishes
Millet porridge for babies
- To prepare it, you need to take 150 ml of water and bring to a boil.
- Add 10 g of finely ground millet flour and cook for 3-5 minutes over low heat with constant stirring.
To the slightly cooled porridge, you can add fruits that are already familiar to the child (grated apple, banana, peach, red currant, apricot).
After a year, you need to take half a glass of millet flour per 200 ml of water and cook until tender. You can improve the taste by adding butter, berries and fruits.
Millet porridge with milk
For older children, it is prepared from whole grains:
- Well washed (until the water is clear) millet (1 cup) should be poured into a saucepan with water (400 ml).
- After boiling, remove the foam and reduce the heat.
- Cook while stirring until the water disappears.
- Boil 400 ml of milk and add it to the porridge.
- Add a little salt (if desired, you can sweeten the porridge with 2 tablespoons of sugar) and cook it while stirring until thickened over low heat.
- Add butter (25-30 g) to the porridge and remove from heat.
Instead of sugar, you can add honey to the finished porridge if you are not allergic to it.
Puree soup with millet in vegetable broth
- Take 1 tbsp. l. washed millet, add water and cook until tender (possibly in a Turkish pot) over low heat.
- Place chopped vegetables in another saucepan (2-3 medium-sized potatoes, 1 medium-sized carrot), add water and cook until tender.
- Grind the vegetables and porridge in a blender until pureed.
- Add boiled milk (200 ml) to the resulting mass, bring to a boil, remove from heat.
- Add salt to taste; if desired, you can add dill and parsley.
- Before serving, add sour cream (15-20 g).
Millet porridge with pumpkin
Preparation:
- Rinse half a glass of millet with hot water and place in a saucepan.
- Cut approximately 150-170 g of peeled pumpkin into small cubes.
- Add pumpkin to millet and add hot water.
- After boiling, remove the foam and add salt, cook until the water boils (the millet is still hard).
- Add 200 ml of hot boiled milk and simmer over low heat, covered, until the porridge is ready.
- Butter is added to taste, you can also add steamed raisins.
Proper preparation of millet porridge
To prepare the first millet porridge, you need to take 100 grams of flour and pour 100-150 milliliters of water into the pan. Next, it is brought to a boil, and the porridge is poured into it. It takes 3-5 minutes to cook. After the process is completed, butter or fruit puree is added, which is already used in feeding the baby.
Important! Dr. Komarovsky says that until the age of 1 year, a child should not be given millet prepared from whole cow's milk. Only adapted mixtures should be used. Large amounts of porridge are not recommended for children up to one year of age.
After 12 months you can use this recipe. Take 250 ml of milk and bring to a boil. After this, half a glass of millet is poured into it. You can also add fruit puree to the porridge. If the child is 1.5 years old, you can add pumpkin, steamed raisins, pieces of fruit or berries to the prepared porridge.
You can also prepare millet milk porridge for a child in a slow cooker. The consistency of the dish is adjusted using different amounts of milk. If there is not enough of it, the porridge will be crumbly, a little more - viscous or liquid.
The slow cooker prevents the porridge from escaping and can also maintain the desired temperature for as long as required. Do not give your child food that is too cold or hot. It should be at medium temperature.
How to cook millet in a slow cooker:
- First, the cereal is washed. It must first be separated from inedible fractions.
- Millet is poured into a slow cooker, milk, salt and sugar are added.
- The “cooking” mode and the “porridge” product are selected.
The device will notify you about the preparation of the dish using a sound signal.
Millet porridge recipe
Millet porridge for children is a valuable food product that provides energy for vigorous activity. In one year, the baby actively explores the world, is interested in everything and spends a lot of calories on movement. Porridge can provide a growing baby’s body with everything necessary for growth and development.
You should choose millet very carefully. It is necessary to focus not only on the bright color of the grains, but also on the date of packaging of the product. Old millet is bitter and will discourage the child from wanting to eat.
Until the baby is one year old, the porridge is cooked to a liquid consistency. To do this, dilute 10 grams of flour in one hundred grams of water and cook for 3-5 minutes over low heat. Make sure that the porridge does not burn - stir constantly with a spoon.
After the baby is one year old, you can cook porridge at the rate of half a glass of flour per 200 grams of water. If your baby is used to eating porridge with milk, you can dilute the water with milk. To improve the taste, add fruit or vegetable puree and a spoonful of melted butter to the finished dish.
Complementary feeding standards
The standards for introducing complementary foods are individual for each child. The parent should check for himself how much food the child’s body digests well. A sure sign that you have eaten too much porridge is constipation and bloating.
The feeding rules are as follows:
- Eating is done at a slow pace.
- The parent needs to wait patiently until the child decides to eat the next portion. You cannot shout at him, criticize him or express your dissatisfaction in any way.
- It is forbidden to force a child to eat if he does not want to. If the baby refuses to eat millet porridge, then you need to try again no earlier than after 2 weeks. It usually takes up to 15 attempts for a child to get used to a new taste.
How often to give
After starting complementary feeding, the baby should receive it 4 times a day. But you can’t feed your baby exclusively porridge. It is best offered before breastfeeding or taking formula.
Quantity
For millet porridge, the following daily consumption standards apply:
- 8 months – no more than 150 grams per day;
- 9 months – no more than 180 grams per day;
- from 10 months to one year of age - 200 grams per day.
What can be combined with
Millet cereals are good to combine with breast milk, which the mother should feed the baby for at least one year. Also, this food goes well with berries and fruits, making the taste more attractive to the baby. For example, you can make millet porridge with pumpkin.
Serving size of porridge
What size should be the correct portion of porridge for a baby? Pediatricians recommend following this regimen:
- 150 grams - at 6 months;
- 180 grams - at 8 months;
- 200 grams - per year;
- 250 grams - over a year old.
You should start complementary feeding with a new type of cereal with one teaspoon or coffee spoon, carefully observing the baby's reaction to complementary feeding. If bowel problems or rashes on the face occur, millet should be removed from the diet. The baby may have an intolerance to the components of the grain.
Stool disorder (constipation) can be caused by an imperfect digestive system, which is not able to digest this type of cereal. Also, a negative reaction can be caused by improper grinding of flour - for the initial intake of millet porridge, the cereal must be ground very finely.
How to properly feed your baby new porridge? To do this, you need to add a spoon or two of millet to a portion of your usual food. The next day, the baby is given 3-4 spoons of millet for the main portion of breakfast. So they gradually replace the already familiar porridge with millet, bringing it to the required volume.
A new type of food cannot be introduced into the baby’s diet if he feels unwell, is capricious, or is recovering from an illness. Also, you should not feed your baby new food after a preventive vaccination.
Possible problems
You need to introduce millet porridge into your baby's complementary foods gradually, carefully observing the baby's reaction. If the body does not tolerate millet porridge well, allergic reactions and digestive disorders may occur. In this case, you need to wait. Perhaps it is too early for the baby’s body to digest such complex foods.
Advice. The child may refuse porridge. In this case, there is no need to force him to eat. Otherwise, he may refuse to consume other foods other than breast milk, and at 8 months it is no longer enough.
Thus, millet porridge can be given to a child, but this is done after the introduction of the initial complementary foods. It is quite difficult to digest, but can provide the body with a large amount of useful substances.
The nuances of preparing porridge depending on the age of the baby
At what age can a child have millet porridge? Starting from 8-9 months of age. Beforehand (in addition to the basic recommendations for introducing it into complementary feeding), the cereal must be thoroughly washed and the grains crushed.
At the age of up to 1 year of age, we prepare cereals as follows: mix 10 grams of flour millet porridge into a liquid of 150 ml. Cook for 3 minutes. Add oil, berries or fruits (if there are no allergies).
Between the ages of 12 and 18 months. millet porridge for a child will look like this: mix 1/2 cup of cereal into a 200 ml liquid. Cook for 5-10 minutes. If desired, add berries or fruits, possibly sugar.
From the age of 18 months. the ratio of millet to liquid is 1:3. If you add sweet dried apricots at the end of cooking, the porridge will become sweet without adding sugar. Fruits and berries are also optional and in the absence of allergic reactions.
