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After breastfeeding and / or bottle formula milk, it is time to start small with cereals, something that creates a lot of confusion among mothers. Can you give a baby cereal in a bottle or is it better to do it in porridge? We give you some keys so that you can answer this question yourself.
Formula milk, a substitute for breast milk when it is chosen not to breastfeed the baby, is usually offered to the baby in a bottle with a nipple that simulates, as far as possible the mother's nipple, so that the suction resembles the that the baby does when sucking.
The feeding bottle It can be used to offer water to the baby, although if it is done from 6 months of age, you could easily choose a non-drip glass or an evolutionary cup from the many that are on the market, avoiding the nipple so as not to confuse the child.
Additionally, there are health reasons why it is recommended not to offer drinks other than milk in a bottle -water is excluded and can be offered in a bottle if desired-, mainly for your oral health:
- Drinks that are taken in a bottle remain in the mouth much longer than those that are consumed in a glass, assuming a substantial increase in the risk of cavities. In addition, these drinks, whether they are juices or hydrolyzed cereals, contain simple sugars that are closely related to the appearance of tooth decay.
- It is easy for the baby to fall asleep when sucking from the bottle - the act of sucking is one of the relaxation methods in babies from birth - so that you can eat more than you need, and if it is hydrolyzed cereals, you are providing not only more calories than your body needs, but also more simple sugars, whose contribution should be minimal in the diet, in addition to coming from healthier sources, such as whole fruit.
The risk of tooth decay, as well as the risk of influencing an incorrect modification of the body's basic energy needs - the basis of overweight and obesity - are substantially increased when offer hydrolyzed cereals in a bottle.
According to these recommendations, and if it is decided to include these hydrolyzed cereals in the diet of babies older than 6 months, they should always be offered with a spoon, in the form of porridge and respecting the child's desire to eat more or less, with the baby himself in control over your intake.
In hydrolyzed cereals, the complex carbohydrate chains have been chemically broken down to release smaller carbohydrates (simple sugars) to facilitate their digestion. Nevertheless, the baby is perfectly capable of digesting complex carbohydrates from 6 months of age.
These cereals are not the only way to offer or introduce cereals into the diet of babies. The porridge, if the mashed ones are the chosen food option, can be made with cooked rice, adding milk or broth, and crushing it with the mixer as if it were a puree.
Also, oat or corn flakes could be used - always choosing those that are minimally processed and sugar-free, and, when gluten has been introduced into the diet, the porridge could be made in the same way with bread (wheat), broth and milk. The options are multiple, you decide!
You can read more articles similar to The Risks of Bottle-feeding Cereals to a Baby, in the Babies category on site.
