10 Alternative Options Of Cerelac
Breast milk is the best and the most nutritious food that a baby can have. At around 6 months, your baby will start showing interest in other food items and moms give their baby the extra dose of nutrition along with breast milk or formula, after the 6-month mark.Most mothers prefer giving cerelac to babies after they turn 6 months. While this is a personal choice, there are other healthier options that you can make at home and give your baby to make them stronger, develop their brains and immunity. While cerelac has been a weaning food preference for many mothers for more than three decades, the safety and health issues still linger. If you do not want to give packaged cerelac to your baby, there are alternative options of cerelac that you can make at home.
10 Alternative Options Of Cerelac
#1. Cooked Vegetables
A variety of vegetables including sweet potato (especially with a pinch of cinnamon and a little butter mixed in), squash, green beans and potatoes (also with butter), carrots can be boiled and mashed into a custard-like consistency to make a proper meal out of it. This is highly nutritious and is a complete meal in itself.
#2. Rice-Daal-Ragi-Wheat Mix
All ingredients need to be in the same quantity. If you take 100 grams of Rice then it has to be 100 grams of all other ingredients.
Put all the ingredients in a strainer and wash it thoroughly. Spread it to dry either under the sun (if possible) for four to five hours. When it is completely dried, grind all ingredients together to make a fine powder. Store this in an airtight container. When you prepare a feed, take two scoops of the powder and add at least three cups of water to it. Mix well and cook on a low flame till it becomes thick like a batter. Add water to keep the desired consistency and keep stirring the mixture so there are no lumps and the food is cooked.
Also read: How To Make Flavored Cerelac At Home
#3. Dalia
Dalia is broken wheat. Parents should give dalia to their babies because it is quite filling, provides a good amount of energy, and even stimulates the digestive system. Dalia can be prepared salty with vegetables or even sweet in the form of kheer. Kids who are younger than 10 months may not be able to chew the cooked dalia in that form but if you mash the dalia properly then they will be able to eat it. The dalia needs to be roasted in a pan on low flame. You can either use ghee or oil to roast it. Once roasted you can use this dalia for making salty or sweet treats by boiling it in water or milk.
#4. Bajra Porridge Mix
Millets or Bajra are gluten-free, rich in fiber grains. Millet is nutritious, and an easily digestible grain. It is also very simple to prepare. This can be mixed with a pulse of your choice and made into a cereal. Bajra, pulse and almonds – all of these need to be roasted separately in a pan and then left to be cooled. Once cooled, mix together and grind into a fine powder. When you need to prepare a feed, take two scoops of the powder and mix with two cups of water or milk in a pan. Boil the mixture for about five to 10 minutes till the powder blends well and turns into a thick consistency.
#5. Yoghurt
This is a delicious probiotic food that can help the baby properly digest foods. This is done by building up the proper balance of bacteria in the gut. This can be made at home very easily. You can even mix fruits in it to make fruit yoghurt and yummy treats. Fruits like strawberries, blueberries, mangoes can be used to make fruit yoghurts.
#6. Khichdi
Rice and daal cooked together and formed into a khichdi give amazing benefits to kids. Moong daal along with rice is one of the best options used by mothers as it helps to gain weight as well. But you can opt for any other daal of your choice too. Vegetables can also be added to this and a yummy treat can be made out of it. This is a complete meal for your baby. If your baby is not able to chew properly because he/she is less than 10 months old, then we suggest to grind the cooked khichdi and make it into a custard consistency.
Also read: 5 Homemade Cerelac Recipes For Babies
#7. Ragi Porridge
Ragi contains high amounts of proteins, calcium, and iron. Ragi porridge is supposed to be one of the best weaning foods for babies. You need to soak ragi overnight and then spread it on a plate, covering it with a cotton cloth for one entire day. This helps ragi to germinate properly. This needs to be then dried under the sun and then ground to make into a fine powder. When preparing the feed, take two spoons of the powder and mix with 2 cups of water or milk and boil for at least 10 minutes to get the desired consistency.
#8. Sweet Potato And Poha Porridge
Sweet potatoes are the most loved food and every mom’s choice when they start weaning their babies. They are rich in Vitamin A and helps develop the immune system of the babies. You need to wash the poha under running water and leave it soaked until it is soft. Cook the sweet potatoes by giving 3-4 whistles until they are mushy. Melted jaggery can be added with the mashed sweet potato to give it a nice flavour. All the ingredients should be then mixed with the poha and cooked for five minutes.
#9. Oats Porridge
Oats is a super nutritious food for babies. Oats improve their digestive systems while providing them with nutrition. Oatmeals can be cooked fast by boiling the oats in water. Boiling thickens the oats and when the oats have thickened, then you need to add milk according to your choice of consistency.
Also read: 5 Delicious Homemade Cerelac Recipes Your Kids Will Love!
#10. Soya And Wheat Porridge
Soybeans are high in fibre, proteins and rich in antioxidants. They are a great source of Omega-3 fatty acids which people keep looking for and the only option they know is fatty fish. If you need to make this porridge from scratch, you need to clean soya bean and whole wheat separately and then dry roast them, preferably in hot sand. These two are ground separately and then the powders are mixed together and preserved in an airtight container. When you need to prepare a feed, just add hot water to a tablespoon of the powder. Any fruit puree or mashed fruit like a banana can be added for sweetness.
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