Parents usually want to start solid food for their babies when they reach 6 months. However, the best food the baby needs at that time is cereals. It is recommended to start baby cereal that is made from a single grain, then slowly adding more foods to it will make your baby healthy without getting the stomach disturbance.
The best time to start cereals is from 4th month as the baby is already on break feed, Pediatricians recommend this because babies usually get all the necessary nutrients from the mother’s milk.
If you start from this point of time using single-grain cereal the babies will slowly get used to it and by the time they reach their 6th month, they will be fully ready to take up the other grains added to their basic cereal food.
The best way to start baby cereal is through a spoon rather than giving in a bottle, as no such practice is advised by the doctors except, when your pediatrician tells you to do such a thing then you can but that also depends how to do it and what to mix with it. So again it must be on the recommendation of your pediatrician.
Your baby’s health should be the prime concern in starting the cereals, always visit your pediatrician for advice, especially the first time mothers must rely on a pediatrician then acting on the advice of others or referring to the internet for such matters.
In cases where mothers are experienced and she already had children before, then surely she knows how to deal with infants. But in special cases, she must also refer to a pediatrician for expert advice and recommendations.
Top Organic Cereal Brands for Babies
Let us take a look at the top 7 best baby kinds of cereal to start for your baby from her right age:
1. NurturMe Organic Infant Cereals
Being one of the best cereals which is USDA-certified as organic, the organic nature of it makes it one of the best cereals from other ones in the market. NurturMe Organic baby cereals are organic that contain quinoa which comes to us by a South American company. NurturMe Organic baby cereal is organic because the grain is planted using sustainable and organic farming procedures that ensure zero artificial ingredients.
USDA-certified as organic, NurturMe Organic Infant Cereals is one of the best brands of organic baby cereal.
The USDA i.e. (United States Department of Agriculture)through rigid controls ensures the use of organic when labeling food. For labeling as organic, by USDA the contents of the cereal must be free from; growth hormones, dyes, chemical fertilizers, synthetic fibers, etc. They cannot be processed by using processes that involve; irradiation, industrial solvents, etc.
2. Happy Baby Organic Clearly Crafted Cereal
The time when your baby gets ready to take in solid foods, the best to start with is a single grain serial. It is best for your baby as it is easy on her stomach and she can digest it better. The cereal to follow is Gerber Single – Grain Rice baby cereal.
It has been decades that the rice cereal has been the most preferred one among all of the cereals because they are easy to digest and the ingredients provide instant energy to the baby. Also, the taste resembles a lot from the breast or formula milk and the baby surely likes this one due to this feature.
This cereal has a history and it’s quite interesting to mention. Gerber baby foods came into existence when a Mom, Dorothy Gerber one day was straining foods for her baby who was 7th month old.
It was her daughter and she was just following the advice of her pediatrician and later she asked her husband to sample her food. In those times they already had the canning business, so her husband suggested they should start processing fruits and vegetables.
Through word of mouth, their canning plant workers asked for the samples as they all had babies in their home and each of them wanted to try the sample food to test on their baby, from where it started and became the best baby serial liked by the little ones a lot.
The company Gerber, is a trusted name in baby nutrition since 1927.
3. Gerber Single-Grain Rice Baby Cerealhoes
It is one of the best baby cereals which is organic also. WutsupBaby Organic Apple Banana infant cereal by Gerber. WutsupBaby cereal contains quinoa, the best grain on earth as experts call quinoa to be a superfood that contains all the necessary amino acids essential for baby.
It is high in protein and gluten-free. The health benefits in quinoa for infants are known for thousands of years now. There was an Empire called Incan who considered quinoa to be the sacred grain and the mother of all grains.
It was started in 2010 by Gerber, the team of a husband and wife who dedicated their entire life to providing healthy and quality foods for the busiest parents for their infants and babies. Especially when parents are looking to start single-grain cereal for their baby, Gerber has always convinced the parents.
The best part about this team is that they discovered a process of packaging baby food without the use of preservatives and artificial flavors.
4. Organic Carrot Quinoa Infant & Baby Cereal
The most fearful experience for Parents that comes along with solid food, the baby gets constipated. As the digestion of a baby has not gone through solids in the past so mostly this problem is observed among parents.
So here comes the solution to their problem that comes in the form of WutsupBaby’s organic original quinoa baby and infant cereal. It is abundant in natural vitamins and minerals and also contains fiber and Pre-biotics that helps in maintaining a healthy digestive system.
As it is a well-known fact that quinoa cereal is close to the breast and formula milk and it is easily taken by a baby because of its taste resemblance. Quinoa is a superfood and it is extracted from very rare plants that contain all the essential nutrients, especially the ones best for babies. It is a perfect starter for infants/baby’s parents who are looking for a transition from liquid to solid foods.
5. Gerber Organic Rice Cereal
The most important element that is the most essential in the growth and development of a baby’s brain is Iron. Keeping this in mind even during pregnancy mothers who have a low iron count are given additional supplements to bring the count to the required number.
This is because babies during pregnancy are born with iron that comes from their mother’s iron supply. This supply of iron in the baby starts to drain as soon as the baby is born. The newborn babies take their share of iron supply from their mother’s breast milk.
Breast milk is rich in iron and all the nutrients that are needed for the mental and physical development of the baby.
But not all babies are breastfed. This is because some mothers face issues during breastfeeding. If this is the case then it is recommended to opt formula milk that is fortified with iron. Even when you start giving solids to the baby you need to introduce iron-fortified cereals along with the iron-fortified formula milk.
The Gerber Organic Rice Cereal is especially manufactured keeping the high requirement of iron in check. It can be included in the very best iron-fortified cereals that are available in the market. Gerber and Nestle are the two brands that are the most trusted brands that are used in almost every household.
The baby cereal made by Gerber fulfills all the nutritional requirements of the baby. You can see the nutritional value on the Gerber Baby cereal.
6. Happy Baby Organic Clearly Crafted Stage 2 Baby Food
For introducing your baby to solid / semi-solid foods at 4-6 months old, it is good to start with food which is easily digestible for your little one or infant. Keeping this in mind, Earth’s best rice baby is one of the best baby cereals to start for your 4-6 months old baby.
Earth’s best cereal contains fortified iron which is easy to digest and provides a smooth transition from liquid to solids. It was founded in 1985, Earth’s best cereal has always produced quality organic products for more than three decades now.
The process of making nutritional formulas and foods for your infant or baby is carried out using organic means from fruits that are planted in organically formed orchards and vegetables grown using sustainable soil procedures.
7. Arrowhead Mills Rice & Shine
Getting your baby introduced to cereals especially at the age of 4 months, is actually preparing your baby/infant for a thicker mixture when he/she reaches a period of 6 months. One of the best cereals to start for your baby at 6 months old is, Arrowhead Mills Rice & Shine.
The cereals are packed with ingredients that come easy on your baby’s tummy and allows him/her to digest it easily. Arrowhead Mills has been in the market since 1960 and they are one of the leading & most trusted brands when it comes to baby cereals and baking products.
Since many years back organic products were popular and the founder believed that pesticides and herbicides are not good for the food chain. So he began to grow corn and wheat without the use of pesticides & herbicides.
He grounded the harvest in the form of flour and delivered door to door the made product by himself. From that humble gesture of one individual that began in the Texas Panhandle, Arrowhead grew into the most trusted & successful national business. The best part of the cereals’ success and the company is because of the organic cereals company.
Signs Baby is Ready for Solids
In order to start your baby with solid foods, first, you need to make sure that your baby is ready for it. The State University of Ohio has recommended the following signs to observe in your baby before you switch them on solids.
- Baby has started holding his/her head on their own.
- Baby gets nursing at least over eight times.
- Baby has reached drinking over 32 ounces of formula.
- Baby has started sitting on his/her own with a stable head.
- The baby has started showing interest in food.
- Baby can hold his/her tongue flat.
- Baby has started closing its lips over the spoon.
- Your baby has started pushing the food at the back of his mouth instead of pushing out of his mouth.
Baby’s First Feeding
The first feeding of your baby is one of the biggest targets to achieve or put in the right way it is the milestone to achieve. Especially for the parents who are new, they don’t have to be nervous. You need to take things slowly and you also need to make sure that things will not go perfectly as you have planned and that is alright.
When the baby starts his first meal, it is kind of a messy job as he will slowly learn to push his food back instead of pushing it out of his mouth. Enjoy that moment instead of getting frustrated, give yourself some time and also to your baby so that he learns it in a nice way. Take a picture as memory and show that to him when he becomes a toddler and relish the moments. You need to follow these steps:
- You need to begin with a very fine consistency and later thicken it as the weeks pass.
- While feeding your baby take him/her in your lap or in an infant seat. Don’t feed your baby while in a flat position.
- Always start with a little amount, your baby may only take two-three spoons. If this is the case it is perfectly all right the first time.
- Recommended using a baby spoon or a small one.
- Don’t fill the whole spoon to feed, just the tip of cereal would be enough for your baby.
- Begin with a single-grain cereal as the ingredient during the initial days. The purpose is to make sure that the baby doesn’t get any allergic reactions.
- For introducing new foods it should be one at a time. The first or the second food your baby is on, he or she should be following the food routine for a couple of weeks before starting or adding new food into his cereal. This is because during these transition days your baby is more prone to get diarrhea, wheezing or rash. It is to avoid such allergic reactions your baby might encounter.
- If your baby does not like the cereal in the first step, don’t get panicked or discouraged. It is perfectly alright. You may start or try some weeks after.
Final Thoughts
Your baby is learning and every day that adds up to your baby’s calendar means a lot for the development of your baby. At the same time, some babies start the cereals a little longer than those who start at 4 months of age.
This is perfectly alright and you don’t need to get panicked about it and please don’t compare your infant with others. All are born with different traits and all may differ in some way or the other. Always prefer the cereals that are free from gluten and other additives or preservatives.
The best ones are the organic ones as they don’t contain any artificial ingredients and are best for your baby’s development or nourishment.
You need to see the signs in your baby when he/she is ready to switch on to the solids/ semi-solids. The signs already discussed above are worth your attention as they may land you in a very favorable position in dealing with your baby’s eating stages and development signs.
For complete product description and price, you can visit amazon. It can be the best forum where you can also compare the price of your best cereals and pick the ones according to your little one’s preferences.
The price of these products often goes on discounts, in order to get the benefit you need to visit online forums more often, especially Amazon where prices come up and down and sometimes become very cheap where you can get the best offer.
Signs of food allergies
- Red skin, rash or flushed skin.
- Face lips or tongue swelling.
- Vomiting or hives.
- Diarrhea
- Difficulty in breathing.
Foods to Avoid During Baby’s First Year
- Never feed your baby with honey as the honey contains bacteria that might not suit your baby.
- Not recommendable to give your infant/ baby cow’s milk. It cannot be digested by your little one in this period of time.
- Do not feed your baby the food that contains sugar or salt in it.
- Do not feed your baby with foods that may cause choking. Like; nuts, grapes, berries or other bits of fruits and vegetables.