Starting from the age of six months, and sometimes even earlier, mothers of babies begin to introduce the first complementary foods into the diet (if the baby is not breast-fed, then you can try from four to five months). It can be vegetable or fruit puree and porridge. Porridge can be varied, modern manufacturers of baby food offer a fairly wide range of similar products, but let's dwell on semolina today. This porridge has been considered proven in terms of complementary foods for many generations and is most often used by mothers even today.
Why is semolina
Semolina, which was considered by our mothers and grandmothers to be an ideal option in relation to complementary foods for young children, is quite actively used to this day. This is explained not only by the liquid consistency of the finished product, which is suitable for the child, but also by the high content of useful components that are preserved with proper preparation of the porridge. In addition to starch, proteins and vitamins, it contains a lot of fiber and can not only provide a tiny organism with everything necessary for full development, but also normalize the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.
Controversial issue
Currently, experts talk a lot not only about the benefits, but also about the dangers of this porridge. We can say that the opinions of the past generation and modern mothers are divided. Grandmothers say that it’s better than decoy, they haven’t come up with anything for infants, and modern ready-made feeding options can not be compared with her, and mothers, having studied the studies of specialists, argue that it is impossible to give her children up to a year old. Let's try to figure out who is right and who is not.
What is the harm of decoy
Studies conducted by experts on child development and nutrition have proven that it is necessary to introduce semolina into the baby’s diet with great care. This is explained by the following reasons:
- The decoy for the baby is definitely very difficult for his digestion. Porridge is not digested quickly enough and often causes problems with the gastrointestinal tract, which are already quite enough for crumbs.
- Due to the increased phosphorus content in semolina in the body, the amount of calcium is significantly reduced, which affects the development of the child.
- Semolina porridge contains a very large amount of starch, and if the baby grows and develops properly, then with its frequent use, you can easily gain excess weight, which, in turn, can lead to various problems.
- An allergic reaction may occur due to the gluten present in the semolina vegetable protein. In severe cases, the child may need to take medications.
- Poor absorption of vitamin D, calcium and iron suggests that there is phytin in semolina porridge. An insufficient amount of the above vitamins causes the development of rickets and a decrease in immunity.
Benefits you can't argue with
Despite the negative aspects of this well-known product, the undeniable benefits are also present in the use of semolina:
- The composition of semolina includes numerous vitamins and minerals that help in the development of the baby's body. For example, potassium, magnesium, vitamins of group B, E, proteins.
- A big plus is that the decoy for babies is cooked very quickly. Vitamins and beneficial mineral elements do not have time to change their composition, are not destroyed and in the required state enter the body.
- If the child is gaining weight poorly and does not meet the developmental parameters, then he can be fed with semolina to ensure a normal weight gain.
A prerequisite for the preservation of all useful substances in a ready-to-eat product is its proper preparation. If you overcook the porridge, it will be too heavy for the crumbs, and if you digest it, the benefits will be significantly reduced.
Follow the rules
If after comparing all the positive and negative factors, you still decide to cook such a dish as semolina for children, pay attention to the rules for its preparation. Follow them, and there will be no problems with cooking, but about the fact that semolina was once difficult to cook, after a short period of time, you don’t even remember.
It can be argued that only properly prepared porridge will bring benefit, which will be of a uniform mass, without lumps, without stickiness and always with grains. Only in this case, the product will retain all its positive qualities and will not harm the small body.
How to cook semolina for babies
From generation to generation, tips for making semolina porridge are passed on . Grandmothers and mothers can cook it with their eyes closed, but those who took up this task for the first time do not always manage to cope with it.
Five percent porridge. In order to cook such porridge, you will need: two teas. tablespoons of cereals, half a glass of water and milk, a pinch of sugar and salt. We are waiting for the water to boil, salt and pour the cereal, stir constantly. You need to know one secret to make semolina porridge in milk without lumps of liquid. To do this, combine the cereal with sugar, and only then introduce them into boiling water. After the cereal boils slightly with water, add milk and cook for another ten minutes. The result is a liquid semolina porridge for a bottle.
Ten percent porridge. Combine in half a glass of water and milk, wait until the resulting mixture boils, then add one table. a spoonful of semolina with sugar (do not forget about the above secret) and, stirring, cook porridge for fifteen minutes. When it has steamed enough, add another half a glass of warm milk and bring to a boil.
Every mom needs to know this.
So, we familiarized ourselves with the basic recipes of porridge, and now let's try to figure out when to give decoy to the baby. At what age should the baby be introduced to her and what if the baby does not tolerate milk? Children who are less than six months old need to boil a liquid, the so-called 5% semolina. And for children older than six months, you can cook semolina porridge thicker - 10%. If the baby for some reason does not tolerate cow's milk, do not leave it without decoy. Try to cook it on a special mixture designed specifically for such purposes.
Popular question
Semolina is a rather unpretentious product, but the question of how to cook semolina for babies remains popular, because someone gets porridge with lumps, very thick or, conversely, liquid, often burns. The tips listed above will help young mothers learn how to cook the perfect porridge.
After analyzing all the advantages and disadvantages of semolina porridge, we can conclude that everything is good in moderation. Do not abuse semolina and eat it every day, but in order to diversify the diet, you can add it to the menu. Eating porridge several times a week will be enough, there is also a recommendation to introduce the child to semolina only after a year.
But if the decoy for an infant is infrequently prepared, then it will not harm a small body. The normalized amount, frequency of consumption and proper preparation will help to extract from the cereal all the beneficial properties and eliminate the possible harm to the growing body.