Feeding a baby is a very responsible business. Many young mothers start their first feeding with semolina. However, there are many alternatives to this traditional dish. For example, you can pamper your baby with delicious and healthy corn porridge. Usually children eat it with pleasure and never refuse.
Corn porridge is healthy and tasty
The benefits of corn porridge for a child
Porridge made from corn grits or flour is very useful, the main thing is to cook it correctly. The composition includes substances necessary for the proper physical development of the baby.
Composition and nutritional value
Cereals for cooking porridge are rich in proteins and healthy carbohydrates. Also in corn contains:
- Coarse vegetable fiber that stimulates the intestines;
- Essential amino acids;
- Large amounts of potassium;
- Vitamins B and C.
Regular consumption of any meal made from corn grits (flour) has a beneficial effect on digestion and saturates the body with proteins necessary for the proper development of bone and muscle systems. Potassium strengthens the heart muscle and provides energy. Therefore, healthy corn porridge must be included in the children's diet.
The dish is rich in vitamins and minerals
How to choose the right cereal
Baby corn porridge should be made from a quality product. When choosing it, you should pay attention to:
- Shelf life;
- The integrity of the packaging;
- Content uniformity;
- Lack of unpleasant odors.
If the cereal looks damp, it may have been stored incorrectly. Such a product quickly loses its taste and nutritional value and, of course, is not suitable for baby food. You can also buy ready-made instant corn porridge for young children of domestic or foreign production - this is a product that does not require preliminary cooking. In this case, the expiration date is also very important.
Corn porridge for the first feeding
This delicious first meal is often recommended by pediatricians because it:
- Well absorbed;
- Helps to get satiated quickly;
- Improves bowel function;
- Benefits children suffering from vitamin deficiencies;
- Does not cause a feeling of heaviness in the stomach.
It is interesting that after heat treatment the cereal retains all its useful properties. This is how corn differs from, for example, rice. But for this, the cereal must be properly prepared.
It is possible to introduce porridge cooked in water without milk into the baby's diet, starting at 7 months, after buckwheat and rice. If the baby does not gain weight well, it is best to start with porridge. Well-fed children are advised to first introduce vegetable puree.
How to cook corn porridge properly
A hot dish of corn grits is cooked in a saucepan on a gas stove or in a slow cooker. Infants do not need any flavorings. For children from one year old, you can add a little to the porridge:
- Salt;
- Sahara;
- Fresh berries for the season;
- Small pieces of fruit.
The finished dish has a pleasant taste and golden yellow color.
How to cook on water
Pour the groats with boiling water, reduce the heat to a minimum and cook for 30 minutes. If the porridge is intended for a baby up to 7 months of the first year of life, the child is given corn broth strained through a sieve. No salt is added. Cooking such a dish is very simple.
How to cook in a slow cooker
This recipe is suitable for babies from one to three years old. Water, milk and cereals are placed in a bowl. Next, the rice cooking mode is set, the dish must be cooked until fully cooked. The hostess will be notified of the end of the process by the multicooker signal. To keep food warm throughout the day, you can set the appliance to auto-heat.
Cornmeal porridge
This recipe is not difficult to cook. Grits are ground in a coffee grinder. The resulting flour is briefly poured with cold water. Then it is poured into a pot of boiling water and stirred all the time so that there are no lumps. The cooking time is fifteen minutes. If the baby refuses to eat an unsalted and unsweetened dish, you can add a little salt or sugar.
The dish is well suited for the first feeding
Complementary feeding rates by month
What complementary foods will be the first, parents decide for themselves. In any case, it should be introduced gradually. At 6-7 months, the recommended amount of food is 20 grams, then the complementary feeding rates will be as follows:
- 8 months - 40 g.;
- 9 months - 60 g.;
- 10 months - 100 g.;
- 1 year - 150 gr.
Attention! Soviet pediatricians argued that the first complementary foods could be introduced as early as four months. Now the point of view has changed. If a breastfed baby is developing normally, you should not introduce porridge before six months. The newborn should only receive formula or breast milk.
How often to give
You can give corn porridge as a complementary food, like any other, daily. There will be no harm from this, only benefit. The main thing is to observe the recommended proportions. If the baby is breastfed, one breastfeed should be gradually replaced with a corn meal.
Attention! Any baby food begins with half a teaspoon. Even if the child asks for more, the dose should not be increased. This is done gradually to prevent unwanted reactions.
Number
Corn groats are a very satisfying product, so the maximum amount of a dish at one meal should be no more than 200 grams. The frequency of inclusion of the product in the daily diet is no more than once a day. Children from one year old can eat porridge 2-3 times a day, in this case, a corn dish can be served, for example, for breakfast and dinner.
What can be combined with
The product itself has a pleasant taste, so there is no need to add anything specifically to the porridge to improve the taste. Children who already have teeth can eat a prepared meal with a piece of white or brown bread. Porridge with pieces of fresh seasonal fruit or cooked in vegetable broth has an interesting taste. If the baby refuses to eat, he should not be forced. Perhaps a little hungry, the baby will appreciate the delicious porridge.
Porridge tastes good and looks beautiful
Possible Power Problems
Since the dish is rich in protein, overeating can lead to increased gas production, flatulence, bloating, and constipation in infants. Eating stale food can lead to diarrhea or stomach upset.
Introducing healthy complementary foods too early and too quickly is also known to accelerate breastfeeding in a breastfed infant. To avoid possible troubles and harm to health, special attention should be paid to maintaining breastfeeding. To do this, new food is introduced in small portions, then the body will positively perceive the new dish.
Before introducing any complementary foods into the infant's diet, you should consult with your pediatrician. It should also be borne in mind that corn, like buckwheat, can cause allergies or individual tolerance. If a skin rash or other unpleasant allergy symptoms appear, the new dish should be excluded from the children's diet.
