At what age can millet and millet porridge be given to a child?

Until the baby is 6 months old, his diet includes only mother's milk or an adapted formula. Then they begin to introduce the crumbs to new products, one of which is porridge. This dish is prepared from different cereals. All of them are useful for the body of growing kids, but the introduction of some cereals has its own limitations, so parents should know in advance when to start giving this or that cereal dish.

And if cereals such as buckwheat or rice do not raise questions and are one of the first to cook for babies, then doubts arise about other cereals. Is it possible for children to cook millet and from how many months is it permissible to cook millet porridge for toddlers? What are the useful properties and contraindications of this cereal? Let's figure it out.

Benefit

Millet is millet grains, which have removed the shell. 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 useful qualities:

This cereal contains beta-carotene, B vitamins, and 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 there is no gluten in millet, porridge made from it is allowed for feeding children with intolerance to this protein.
Millet has a positive effect on the work of the heart, blood formation and liver function.
In millet porridge, the ability to accelerate the elimination of toxic substances from the body is noted. For this reason, millet porridge is advised to be eaten after a course of antibiotics.
This dish improves digestive function and helps to normalize the composition of the 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 prune will weaken.

Minuses

Some babies may be allergic to millet porridge, although it is extremely rare, since millet is called a hypoallergenic product.
It is necessary to spend time preparing millet for cooking. The groats should be washed in hot water several times until the drained liquid is clear. Further, before cooking, it is recommended to soak millet for 1 hour in water at room temperature.
If you cook porridge from "old" millet, such a dish will taste bitter.

Digestion of whole millet grains at an early age is difficult, therefore children under one year old are advised to grind millet into flour before preparing porridge. To do this, rinse the cereal, dry it and grind it with a coffee grinder.

At what age can a child be given millet porridge?

The introduction of millet into the child's diet is recommended from 8-9 months.

Porridge made from such cereals usually begins to be boiled in water for children who, from the age of 7 months, have become familiar with rice, buckwheat and corn porridge.

Babies aged 8-10 months should grind millet to the state of flour, and then cook the porridge. To prepare porridge for a 10-11-month-old child, the millet may already be ground coarser. Whole grain is not boiled for children under 1-1.5 years old.

How to introduce into complementary foods

The first millet porridge for children under one year old should be liquid and boiled in water. You can add a little human milk or a mixture familiar to your child. First, the baby is offered a small portion of porridge, for example, 1 teaspoon. This is usually done for breakfast so that by the evening it is clear if the baby has allergies. With normal tolerance, the next time, the portion is doubled until the volume of the whole dish is brought to the required age.

To diversify the taste of porridge, instead of water, you can take a vegetable or fruit decoction. If the child has already tried milk porridge, millet can be boiled in milk. Ready porridge can be mixed with fruit purees, and for children over 1.5 years old - add pieces of fruit and berries. A child who is 3-4 years old can make sweet casseroles from millet.

The recipe for the first millet porridge

To prepare thin porridge, take 10 g of millet flour and 100-150 ml of water. Bring the water to a boil and then add flour to it. While stirring, cook the porridge for about 3-5 minutes. Before serving, add butter or fruit puree, which is already included in your baby's complementary foods.

How to cook porridge in milk?

For children over a year old, take 1/2 cup of millet and 200-250 ml of milk. Pour the cereal into the boiled milk and simmer until the millet is boiled down. Add sugar to the porridge to taste. If the dish is intended for a one-year-old child, you can also add fruit puree to such a gruel. For children over 1.5 years old, porridge can be served with pumpkin, pieces of fruit, steamed raisins or berries.

You can also cook millet millet porridge in a slow cooker. Depending on the volume of milk, the dish may turn out to be thin, viscous or crumbly. When boiling in such a device, milk does not "run away", and the finished porridge can be kept warm for the required time. The washed millet is poured into a multicooker bowl, poured with milk and salt or sugar is added to taste. Then the mode “cooking” and the product “porridge” are selected. When the dish is cooked, the multicooker will notify you with a sound signal.

Recipes for other dishes with millet for children

Millet soup with prunes (from 1.5 years old)

Take 500 ml of water, 40 g of millet, 120 g of prunes and a tablespoon of sugar. Go through and rinse the cereal, soaking it for 1-2 hours. Bring the water to a boil and put the cereals in it, then boil until tender.

Peel the prunes soaked for several hours and cook in a small volume of water, to which sugar should be added. Grind the finished prunes through a sieve, add to the cooked millet, pouring in the broth as well. Boil the dish for a few minutes and remove from heat. It is advised to serve such a soup chilled, adding a spoonful of sour cream to it.

Millet casserole with raisins (from 3 years old)

For such a dish, you will need 100 g of millet, 400 ml of milk, 20 g of raisins, one egg, 2 teaspoons of sugar and 1 teaspoon of sour cream. Cook porridge from millet and milk until tender. Allow it to cool slightly, add a raw egg, sugar and washed raisins. After mixing the ingredients, place them in a greased mold. Lubricate the future casserole with sour cream on top and send to the oven until golden brown.

How to choose millet for baby food?

When buying millet, from which porridge will be cooked for a child, you should carefully consider the grains and inquire about the expiration dates. It is advisable to buy millet for children in transparent packaging, since bulk cereals are exposed to various external factors, which can deteriorate or lose nutrients. Look for millet with a matte finish, bright yellow color, and no debris.

It is not advised to store millet at home for a long time, because due to the oxidation of fats, stale cereals begin to taste bitter. Keep grains in an airtight container in a cool place away from sources of moisture.