Every mother of a baby is waiting for the moment when it will be possible to add variety to the dairy menu. Complementary foods are introduced, according to the WHO recommendation, not earlier than 6 months of age. Oatmeal for babies is an affordable introduction to cereals.
Oats
The benefits of oatmeal for a child
The research institute of nutrition thought about the degree of usefulness of various cereals and found out which ones are in the top 5 leaders. Oatmeal in this rating takes the second place, behind only buckwheat. There is a myth that this cereal can be dangerous for babies, therefore, it is recommended to introduce it into the diet on the forums of young mothers no earlier than 11 months. This information has no scientific evidence, as the popular pediatrician E.O. says in one of his lectures. Komarovsky.
Nutritional value
The grain contains a large amount of macro- and microelements, as well as vitamins and fiber. Nutritionists note that it is enough to consume 3-4 tablespoons of oatmeal daily in order to provide the body with the necessary amount of dietary fiber, which helps to normalize blood cholesterol levels.
In terms of the amount of vitamins, the leaders are:
- B1 - thiamine, which is an essential element that converts proteins, carbohydrates and fats into clean energy;
Important! In steamed, peeled and processed porridge, which is enough to pour boiling water, thiamine is absent or contained in negligible amounts. This is due to the fact that the shell of the grain is rich in them, from which such cereals are spared.
- B2 - riboflavin, which synthesizes hemoglobin, is actively involved in the normal functioning of the visual organs and mucous membranes;
- E is an antioxidant that protects cell membranes from the effects of oxygen on lipids, ensures the timely formation of skin and hair cells, and is an important participant in the formation of the nervous system.
Oats are also rich in elements such as:
- iron, which transports oxygen to organs and tissues, is involved in the process of hematopoiesis;
- phosphorus is a direct participant in the metabolic processes of calcium in the body, actively contributes to the formation of nervous tissue in the brain, bones and muscles;
- magnesium - regulates the transmission of nerve impulses, muscle contractions, takes part in metabolic processes, ensures the correct functioning of cells.
What is "Hercules"
Hercules is a trade name for oatmeal, a distinctive feature of which is the type of grain processing. To obtain it, oats were turned into flat flakes using a press. For the first time on the shelves oatmeal in this form appeared under the name "Hercules", which later became a household name, meaning oatmeal.
Oat flakes
Complementary feeding in the form of oat broth
Experienced chefs prepare not only porridge from oatmeal, but also jelly and decoctions, which are not inferior in their useful properties to the traditional type of preparation. Herculean broth for a baby can become a substitute for mother's milk and adapted milk formula, if for some reason it is not possible to give them to the child, or there is an allergic reaction to lactose.
Age restrictions for the introduction of a decoction
You can cook oatmeal broth for a baby starting from 2 months of age. By this time, the mother will have time to undergo the necessary examinations, as a result of which she will receive a medical report on lactose intolerance or allergy to milk formula. A decoction is a way out for those whose children suffer from milk protein, as well as who have significantly reduced lactation. That is, a child on HB can be supplemented with oat broth from 2 months of age or replaced with an adapted milk formula that is not accepted by the child's body. Only an allergy to oatmeal in infants with insufficient breastfeeding will be a contraindication to this type of supplementation.
Attention! With a sufficient amount of breast milk from the mother, it is unacceptable to introduce any additional food products into the child's diet before 6 months of age, because breast milk is the most harmonious and useful product that ensures the full development of the child at this age.
For children with lactose deficiency, there are dairy-free adapted formulas based on soybeans. Their price makes them unaffordable for many families. In this case, the hercules decoction will become a real salvation for the baby and his parents.
Hercules broth
How to properly prepare a decoction
You can cook jelly, like oatmeal, in milk for a child, but diluting it with water. Cooking with whole milk is not recommended for two reasons:
- The broth saturated with useful substances, mixed with nutritious milk, will turn into a hard-to-digest product, which will inevitably lead to abdominal pain, gas formation and constipation;
- Iron, which is part of the grain, when boiled in milk, competes with calcium and is almost completely displaced by it, due to which the product loses the most important trace element.
It is more expedient to cook in water, adding a small amount of milk to the already prepared broth. This will keep the amount of iron available and allow calcium to enter the body.
In this case, you can use different types of cereals:
- whole oats, the only and significant disadvantage is the hours of cooking;
- oat flakes;
- oat flour.
Attention! A decoction with flour is the easiest and fastest way to prepare food for a baby, but do not forget that it will contain the least amount of nutrients than the other two types of cereals.
Oatmeal
A step-by-step recipe for oat broth on flakes will help you get a satisfying dish for your daily children's menu faster than from whole grains:
- Boil water in a small saucepan. The minimum required volume for one serving is 120 ml.
- Add 1 tablespoon of cereal to boiling water, cook for 25 minutes.
- Boil milk separately in a volume equal to 1/3 of the total amount of boiling water (for 150 ml of water, 50 ml of milk is required).
- At the end of the cooking time, add boiled milk to the flakes, mix thoroughly.
- Cool the resulting mixture to body temperature (36˚C -37˚C), strain through cheesecloth or a fine sieve so that all coarse substances are separated from the jelly-like liquid, otherwise they will clog into the nipple holes on the bottle.
Oatmeal porridge
Using oatmeal milled into flour, you can prepare a thin porridge, especially useful for night feeding, as it increases the feeling of fullness for the baby over time. To do this, boil one tablespoon of flour in 250 ml of pure water for 15 minutes, stirring constantly. The cooled liquid porridge is also poured into a feeding bottle.
There is an opinion that a breastfed baby, having tried to get food from a bottle, throws the breast, because it is more difficult to get food from it. In this connection, many mothers, fearing a child's strike, feed their babies through a spoon, which makes not only the mother herself nervous because of the inconvenience, but also the child who does not know how to take food from the spoon. Pediatricians claim that a nipple with one large or several small holes can cause similar harm. But, if you put on a nipple on the bottle, the hole on which is marked with the age criterion "0", such problems will not arise.
Bottle feeding
Norms of consumption of porridge by a child under one year old
Hercules in the form of a decoction, in the case of complete replacement of mother's milk or milk formula, should be given in volumes corresponding to the child's age, not earlier than 2 months of age. The answer to the question of how many months you can start giving your child oatmeal porridge is unambiguous - from the age at which the beginning of complementary feeding is permissible, that is, at six months.
Porridges introduced as complementary foods after 6 months should appear in the diet smoothly, starting from 1 teaspoon, increasing in volume by 1 teaspoon daily, in order to reach a volume equal to 100 g of dry product by the end of the first week of complementary feeding. After that, the increase in porridge density stops until the child is one year old.
How often to give
Until one year old, porridge should not be given more than once a day. This will inevitably lead to constipation. Nutritionists and pediatricians agree that night feeding with porridge is wiser than morning feeding. This is due to the fact that a well-fed baby sleeps longer and better, thanks to which the mother will be able to sleep fully 6-8 hours in a row, which for many becomes the ultimate dream from the moment the baby is born.
The amount of porridge and broth consumption up to a year
In accordance with age, you should correctly measure the required amount of servings. The table below shows the values u200b u200bof food volumes required for a child, provided that he feeds exclusively on oat broth, without the possibility of breastfeeding or formula milk.
Feeding table
| Child's age, months | Broth volume, ml / number of feedings, times | Porridge volume, ml / number of feedings, times |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 |
| 1 | 0/0 | 0/0 |
| 2 | 160/6 | 0/0 |
| 3 | 180/6 | 0/0 |
| 4 | 200/5 | 0/0 |
| 5 | 210/5 | 0/0 |
| 6 | 210/4 | 50/1 |
| 7 | 210/4 | 70/1 |
| 8 | 210/4 | 80/1 |
| 9 | 210/4 | 100/1 |
| 10 | 210/4 | 120/1 |
| 11 | 210/4 | 150/1 |
What can be combined with
If a mother has a small amount of her milk, it can be diluted in the process of preparing a decoction or porridge with water, but at the very end, when the dish is already cold and ready for use, otherwise boiling it will destroy many of the invaluable substances found only in breast milk.
If the allergy to formula milk does not appear, and the mother does not have lactation, instead of cow or goat milk, you can add dry mixture to the broth and porridge, after diluting it in the required amount of warm boiled water.
Possible problems with the introduction of oatmeal
The main problem that some children cannot eat oatmeal is gluten intolerance. This disease is associated with a congenital gene deficiency, due to which the gluten of grains - gluten, getting into the small intestine, is perceived by the immune system as an enemy. As a result, the body begins an active struggle with gluten elements, destroying the mucous membrane of its own small intestine. The disease manifests itself with bloating, underweight associated with an inability to absorb food, as well as severe abdominal pain.
Gluten
Could you be allergic to oatmeal?
Oatmeal, which contains gluten, can affect the manifestation of signs of intolerance. In this case, wheat, barley and rye will have to be excluded from the diet, because they also contain this protein. A one-year-old child with such a digestive trait can be fed with gluten-free buckwheat, rice and corn porridge.
For every newborn born, mother's milk is most useful. In situations that interfere with the receipt of breast milk, you have to look for other ways of saturation. Oats are a rich grain that is best used whole rather than flaked or flour. To facilitate the process of its preparation, you can use a night soak or a multicooker.
