What if the child does not eat porridge?

The problem when a child refuses healthy cereals is quite common. It practically does not arise if the baby tries dairy-free options as the first complementary food, but is familiar to many mothers who have begun to feed the baby with vegetables or, as Dr. Komarovsky advises, with fermented milk products.

All cereals, if you compare them with mother's milk, mixture or vegetable purees, have a rather specific taste, because of which children can refuse such healthy dishes. But if you show a little perseverance and patience, you can change the attitude of the little one to this dish and teach him to eat delicious porridge for breakfast.

Introduction to complementary foods

Until the age of six months, babies do not need additional nutrition, but later the growing needs of babies must be replenished with various complementary foods. Porridge plays an important role in the nutrition of any child. Usually, it is offered to infants after vegetables at about 7 months.

But if the crumbs are underweight or have problems with stool, After consulting with your doctor, you can start complementary foods with just such a dish at 6 months.

Toddlers bottle-fed it is permissible to give the first porridge from 5 months.

Certain requirements are imposed on the porridge that the child tries for the first time. It must certainly be dairy-free and gluten-free - from rice, buckwheat or corn grits.

It should not be given in a bottle, but from a spoon. In addition, the product must be homogeneous and fairly liquid, free of sugar or salt. The first sample is no more than a teaspoon. If there is no negative reaction, the portion is gradually increased to 150 grams, depending on the age of the baby.

To make life easier for parents, modern baby food manufacturers offer a wide range of cereals that do not require boiling. They are represented by powdered cereals, which, after dilution with water, become a homogeneous mass that tastes good.

If the mother does not want to feed the crumbs with boxed cereals, she can cook them on her own, chopping the cereals before cooking or whisking the finished dish with a blender until homogeneous.

Due to the high risk of milk allergy, it is advised to postpone the acquaintance with milk porridge until 9 months of age (for artificial children up to 7 months). The milk variant should be introduced in the same way as dairy-free. When a child tastes several single-ingredient varieties, a mixture of several grains can also be offered to him. For children over a year old, thicker cereals are recommended to stimulate chewing skills.

Possible reasons for refusal

The child's refusal from porridge may be associated with one of the following reasons:

the baby is not hungry yet;
they tried to force him to eat porridge;
the consistency of the dish is unpleasant to him;
the product was introduced into complementary foods at the wrong time;
the child did not like a certain cereal;
the baby does not like porridge without milk;
the dish has an unsuitable temperature;
there are lumps in the product;
portion is too large.

Older children may refuse cereals if their parents do not eat such dishes.

Regularly observing how mom and dad eat pasta, sandwiches and other products, and at the mention of oatmeal or buckwheat, they just smile, children will adopt their habits and also stop eating porridge.

If the baby does not want to eat at all, and not only porridge, perhaps he is sick or his teeth are teething. Indeed, with pain in the gums, digestive disorders, fever and other ailments, children often refuse food until their condition improves.

What to do?

First of all, we emphasize that you should not try to force the baby to eat porridge by pushing a spoon into his mouth by force. Such actions can only further aggravate the situation, scare the baby and postpone the time when the child will fall in love with cereals. To accustom you to porridge, you need to take into account the reason for refusing this type of dish.

If the baby is not hungry enough, set the plate aside for 20-30 minutes and then offer the porridge again. If he recently had a bite to eat with cookies, fruit, or something similar, his appetite will decrease and the dish will look less attractive. Therefore, try to remove snacks if you want to teach your little one to eat healthy food.
If your child refuses or eats a certain porridge, try a different cereal. It is likely that he will like her much more. If you offer your baby factory cereals, change the manufacturer, since the taste, consistency and smell of the same porridge from different companies have some differences. This approach is especially effective at the beginning of the introduction of cereals into the infant's diet, but it is also suitable for children who previously ate normally, and then gradually stopped.
Also try changing the thickness of the finished dish, as some kids like the thinner version, while others like it thicker. Also, make sure the porridge is warm, not too hot, and not cold yet. Remember that hot food attracts less in hot weather, so you should not insist on eating cereals in summer.
Experiment with additives as well. Many babies who refuse dairy-free porridge happily eat it with milk, fruits, homemade jam, and raisins. By the way, such additives help to make the finished porridge more attractive in appearance. The child will certainly be interested if a machine, a sun or a funny face is "drawn" on top of rice, corn or other porridge.
Offer your baby porridge in a beautiful and bright dish. Most babies like it if a picture is hidden at the bottom of the plate, which can be seen when everything is eaten.

If no tricks help, and the kid is categorically against any porridge, it is still not necessary to force.

Include cereals in a different form in the menu, for example, offer delicious casseroles or pancakes in the morning, add a little cereal to your favorite soup. Trying different recipes, you will certainly find a compromise option that will suit both mom and child.