Homemade Cerelac Recipe For Babies

Homemade Cerelac Recipe For Babies

Birth of a baby changes the entire dynamics of the house. The world starts revolving around the baby even before the birth of the baby. And when it comes to the nourishment and development of the baby, we simply cannot take any chance with it. The baby needs to get the best in terms of nourishment and quality of nourishment. In the first few months while the baby should be weaned completely on mother’s milk, if possible, post those few months it becomes even more crucial to give a balanced, nutritious yet tasty diet to the little one so that his/her growth maintains pace. There are various baby food formulations available in the market, Cerelac being one of the most popular brands of baby food. Though a well recognized brand, Cerelac would always be a convenience based packed food product which most of us would like to avoid. Rather, a homemade supplement of the same or better parameter and quality and nutritional value is desirable. In such a scenario, is there a homemade Cerelac recipe for babies?


What is Cerelac Made of?

Cerelac, a popular brand of Nestle, is a range of easily digestible yet nutritious instant infant cereal. According to the company, this complimentary food for the baby contains an optimal mix of vitamins and minerals which is required for the proper growth and development of the baby. Cerelac is said to contain high levels of iron, energy, and essential fatty acids as well. Additional researches by third party agencies suggest that Cerelac contain the following

Ingredient

Composition

Additional Information

Cereal

51.3%

Hydrolyzed wheat flour, wheat flour

Skimmed milk powder

27.3%

 

Vegetable oils

 

Palm, Rapeseed, Coconut, Sunflower, Antioxidant: Ascorbyl palmitate

Caramel

 

Sucrose, Water

Maltodextrin

 

 

Minerals

 

Calcium carbonate, Ferrous fumarate, Zinc sulphate, Potassium iodide

Vitamins

 

C, Niacin, E, B1, Pantothenic acid, A, B6, D, K, Folic acid, Biotin

Flavoring

 

Vanillin

Culture

 

Bifidobacterium lactis


Cerelac is prescribed and found suitable as a complimentary food for infants from six months onwards, though mother’s milk needs to be continued even at this point of time. Nestle provides Cerelac according to the stages of development of the baby. So, Stage 1 cerelac (available in Cerelac Wheat, Cerelac Rice and Cerelac Maize formulations) is prescribed for six month old babies or above. Stage 2 Cerelac (available in Cerelac Banana and Cerelac Honey variant) is prescribed for six month old babies or above and Stage 3 Cerelac (available in Cerelac Fruits variant) is prescribed for infants above eight months. Cerelac is usually not prescribed for babies below six months since their digestive systems have not yet matured enough to digest complex foods. So rather than making Cerelac for a five month old baby, it is advisable to wean him/her on mother’s milk. Nestle Cerelac Fortified Baby Cereal with Milk; Multigrain and Fruits is prescribed for babies aged one year or more.


How to Prepare Cerelac Recipe at Home?

Indian homes rely on preparing meals at home. That is the reason why a child also needs to get accustomed to the Indian food and tastes so that he or she doesn’t face a problem adjusting to the same later. Though it is advisable to start normal diet (such as khichri, dalia, smashed and boiled vegetables, among others) prepared at homes for children more than six months, if someone feels that baby food products such as Cerelac is a wholesome nutrition packed food, then the same recipe can also be prepared at home by following the instructions given below:

●      Ingredients required:

o  Wheat – 500 grams

o  Boiled Rice (do not use basmati rice) – 500grams

o  Green moong dal – 500 grams

o  Roasted Chana Dal – 250 grams

o  Almonds – 1 bowl

o  Cashew nuts – 1 bowl

●       Procedure to be followed:

o  The green moong dal needs to be soaked for twohours and then dried of any water.

o  Wheat, rice, moong dal and chana dal needs to beroasted separately

o  Then all these roasted items need to be mixedtogether and dry grounded to a fine powder.

o  Homemade Cerelac powder is ready and this powder can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for six months and without the refrigerator at a cool and dry place for about two to three months

●       Feeding the Homemade Cerelac Recipe:

o  Three spoons of this powder needs to be mixed in 60 milliliter of water and heat the mixture till 2-3 boils so that the mixture becomes a paste.

o  Add some sugar to the paste.

o  Add around 30 -50 milliliter of  milk to the paste

o  The paste can also be mixed with salt and curd, according to the taste and preference of the child.

o  Use a bottle, sipper or spoon to feed the pasteto the child.

This homemade Cerelac recipe is packed with nutrition and is rich in protein, minerals (such as calcium, magnesium, iron), vitamins carbohydrate, dietary fiber, antioxidants, and all such nutrients required by the child for physical and mental development and growth.

Benefits of Cerelac/Cerelac Recipe for Babies

Some of the inevitable benefits of this homemade Cerelac recipe include:

  • Non use of preservatives
  • Non use of any chemical flavor or products
  • Careful and stringent choice of quality of materials used for preparing and storing the homemade Cerelac recipe
  • Homemade Cerelac recipe can be customized depending on the taste and preference of the child (such as making it sweet or salty). This is surely not possible with the over the counter Cerelac available in the market which has inbuilt sugar added to the mixture.
  • Can control and avoid any substance which might cause allergies to the child such as gluten, nuts, or eggs
  • Has high fiber content which helps in digestion
  • No fear of contamination or use of substandard materials

This homemade Cerelac recipe for babies surely meets all the purpose at one go.