Cerelac baby food is a popular instant cereal produced by Nestle. It is developed for various age groups depending on the nutritional needs of that particular age group. However, the manufacturer advises that Cerelac must be used for babies above six months of age when the mother’s milk alone is not enough to provide the necessary nutrition for the growth and development of the child. When introduced initially, Cerelac must be used by mixing it in breastmilk or formula milk. Read this post to know more about the different types, advantages, drawbacks of Cerelac, and recipes to make Cerelac at home for babies.
Types of Cerelac
Cerelac comes in a wide range of instant cereals for babies. These are formulated based on the age of the baby:
Stage 1 (six months onwards): Formulated for babies who are six months old, it is available in three basic variants – Cerelac Wheat, Rice, and Maize. Any of these variants can be given to the baby as a first food. These cereals are gelatin-free and are easy to digest.
Stage 2 (eight months onwards): It is available in two variants – Banana and Honey.
Stage 3 (ten months onwards): This version contains real fruit pieces of different textures and tastes for babies who have developed the ability to chew.
Stage 4 (12 to 18 months): The babies are now ready to try the food the family is eating and hence can be presented with a wide array of choices. A few of the options available in this range are multigrain and fruits, multigrain and pulse, and multigrain and vegetables.
Stage 5 (18 to 24 months): At this stage, the product contains fruits in textured shapes as the babies can now chew the food given to them.
Note: Almost all varities of cerelac contain skimmed milk as an ingredient. If the child is lactose-intolerant, consult your pediatrician regarding this. Several variants of Cerelac contain wheat flour as their main ingredient. If your baby is allergic to wheat or has gluten allergy, then talk to their doctor before feeding wheat variants.
When Can Babies Start Eating Cerelac?
The WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of an infant’s life. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends the introduction of solid foods during 4 to 6 months of age (1). The gag reflex, which prevents choking in babies, begins to decline by five months (2). However, if you wish to start solids, under the guidance advice of a pediatrician, you may start feeding solids before the age of six months provided the following markers of development are met (3): If your baby shows signs of readiness, do not hesitate to consult a pediatrician and start complementary foods like Cerelac earlier than six months but not before four months. Even after you introduce solid foods, you should continue breastfeeding beyond one year and more.
Why You Should Not Feed Cerelac Too Early
You can decide the right time to start solids under pediatric guidance. But it is best to avoid starting solids before four months of age due to the following reasons (4): The changes in the infant gut microbiota at an early age may have its implications throughout childhood and adulthood too. So, the age of the baby should always be considered while planning to start solids. If Cerelac is introduced at the right time, it could have some advantages.
Advantages Of Cerelac
Cerelac is an instant or ready-to-eat baby food developed to support the growing nutritional needs of a baby. Parents and caregivers buy it for the following reasons:
Easy availability
Instant preparation
Travel-friendly
Free from preservatives, added colors, and flavors
But most importantly, its semi-solid texture, just like porridge, is easy for a baby to swallow. Also, its basic ingredients like rice are easy on the baby’s digestive system, which is still immature.
Nutritionally, it has been made to be as wholesome as possible. It has 18 essential nutrients and the probiotic Bifidus BL, which supports the baby’s natural defenses by boosting immunity. It also has protein, Omega-3 (EPA & DHA) and omega-6, vitamins A and E, folic acid, vitamins B6 and B12, among others
With these prime benefits, Cerelac has made its place in the baby’s meal platter for years. But is Cerelac so perfect that we may depend on it right away? Well, everything has its pros and cons, and so does Cerelac.
Drawbacks Of Cerelac
Cerelac has a rich nutritional profile, but still comes with a few drawbacks. The variants available for babies of eight months and above contain glucose syrup and maltodextrin, which are a form of sugar. This addition has no significant value since the baby already gets adequate sugar from other ingredients in Cerelac. The inclusion of glucose syrup and maltodextrin could lead to an increased sugar intake. The high sugar intake by infants may lead to health issues such as childhood obesity, and tooth decay (7) (8).
How To Feed Cerelac For The First Time?
Feeding your baby something other than breastmilk (or formula) for the first time can be an overwhelming experience, especially for first-time parents. These tips and tricks could be handy (9).
Never start feeding at a time when your baby is tired or cranky.
Be calm and relaxed. Your baby should be comfortable when you feed.
Make the feeding environment warm, friendly, and flexible because setting any feeding rules so early is of no use.
Ensure that the infant is sitting comfortably in an upright position with little or no support.
Make sure your baby is not too hungry when you start feeding.
Be patient. Your baby may take only a spoonful at first, but this will increase with time and practice.
Be prepared for a mess; all babies will do it until they learn the art of eating. Image: Shutterstock
Stay alert while you feed your baby to avoid accidents such as choking.
Introduce one new food at a time. Keep a 3-5 day gap before you start any new food.
Feed foods with a small spoon. You may buy an infant-sized spoon for the purpose.
Place the spoon near your baby’s lips.
If your baby refuses the first time, try again the next day.
How To Prepare Cerelac For Babies?
Carefully read the instructions given on the packet. The quantity of Cerelac could change depending on the variant. Here are the general instructions for preparing Cerelac: If you do not want to use any packaged infant food, then you may try making it at home.
Is Homemade Cereal Food Better Than Cerelac?
Homemade cereal food is a combination of cereals/grains with pulses. Its nutritional profile makes it suitable for babies and adults as well. Below are some of the pros and cons the homemade powder vis-à-vis Cerelac.
The combination of ingredients is customizable. This is important, especially if there are any complaints of food allergy or food intolerance in the baby. You can have fewer grains when it is being made for a four-month-old than when made for an eight-month-old baby.
You can have a wide assortment of grains and pulses so that the baby gets all the essential macro and micronutrients.
You may add sprouted grains and pulses to increase the overall nutritional profile of the feed. Sprouting boosts the bioavailability of nutrients to the baby (10) (11).
Fresh fruits and vegetables may be added as per the recipe. It can be a healthier alternative to the fruit and vegetable juice concentrate found in Cerelac.
However, preparing the powder is time consuming, especially if you are in a rush.
It needs to be prepared and stored in a clean, preferably sanitized, environment in the kitchen. If not, it could pose a risk of germs and infection to your baby.
You may not know the values of each nutrient that you are feeding the baby.
To minimize the risk of allergies or intolerances, introduce only 1-2 teaspoons of homemade ‘Cerelac’ to the baby. Wait and check for any allergic reactions. If you see any allergic reactions, then stop feeding it. Keep reading to learn how you can prepare homemade cereal powder for your little one.
How To Make Cereal Powder at Home?
We provide two versions of the recipe, one for babies who are four months old but prepared for solids. Another recipe is for babies who are six months old and can be fed solids. These are the traditional recipes used in various Asian cultures.
1. Homemade ‘Cerelac’ (4-6 months)
You may begin with a single-grain version. Rice is an ideal first food since it is hypoallergenic and easy to digest. The grain is widely recommended by pediatricians (12). 1 cup organic rice NOTE: Mix it with some milk or formula for added taste. Adjust the consistency by adding water or milk. Once your baby is comfortable with this, you can start adding fruit and vegetable purees to this recipe. It is only when the baby is comfortable with single-grain recipes, introduce multi-ingredient recipes. One such multi-ingredient recipe is shared below.
2. Homemade ‘Cerelac’ recipe (6 months and above)
This recipe is nutritionally-balanced and has all the basic ingredients that could be found in your kitchen shelf. Cereals
1.5 cup white/brown rice
1 cup broken wheat
1/2 cup sago
1/2 cup corn
Grains
1 cup finger millet flour (ragi)
Pulses/ legumes
1 cup roasted whole green gram
1 cup roasted gram
1 cup split red gram
1 cup split yellow dal
1/2 cup horse gram
Nuts and condiments
1/2 cup almonds
1/2 cup cashew
10 pods cardamom
Roast rice until it gets little puffed and slightly golden.
Pulses until they get golden in color and crisp in texture.
Corn should start fluttering.
Sago should get dry and crisp.
Broken wheat until it turns light golden.
Ragi until it gives a distinct aroma.
Almond and cashews until they are golden brown and cardamon until it gives aroma.
Take 2 tablespoons of the homemade Cerelac powder in a clean, sanitized bowl. Make sure that the bowl is dry.
Add one cup of boiled and cooled water to the powder.
Mix the powder and water well so that no lumps are formed.
Transfer this mixture to a pan and keep the pan on a flame of medium heat.
The mixture will take approximately ten minutes to turn into a thick texture.
Switch off the flame and let the mixture cool.
Once the mixture comes to room temperature, feed it to your baby with added fruit or vegetable puree.
You can add more water to the mix if it becomes too thick. Add more powder if the preparation becomes runny. However, do it while you are still cooking the mixture.
Note: It is always advisable to use the powder as early as possible.
