Evening meal: how to prepare it with only 3 ingredients
Many mothers have high expectations for their children's dinner, hoping that the baby will sleep better if he eats a satisfying evening meal, instead of drinking only breast milk or a bottle. Unfortunately this is a very common myth, but wrong. Whatever they eat in the evening, they are still likely to wake up during the night, especially in the first months of life. In any case, preparing a substantial dinner for him is a "habit to maintain."
Before we move on, we have a video for you that focuses on parents and guilt.
What is the right time for the baby's evening meal?
At about five or six months of age, baby food is introduced at lunchtime. This is the first non-breast milk meal for the baby. Once he gets used to it and eats from the spoon without problems, he can also introduce the evening meal.
Dinner gruel is nothing more than a cereal-based porridge and is the first cereal-based meal that the child will try to eat. Usually the baby's gut can only digest cereal flakes at about six months, so they shouldn't be given sooner. In any case, check with your pediatrician and also discuss self-weaning.
In any case, it is better not to wait any longer, because cereals not only contain proteins and iron, but also many other nutrients that the child needs for healthy growth.
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Evening meal: what to pay attention to
In the shops you can buy ready-made baby food, even in powder form, and just mix them with milk or water to obtain a soup for the child to eat. In reality, you never really know what is inside these preparations, so it is better to save money and make your own baby food at home. It's very easy and you know exactly what's inside. Ready-made porridge often contains sugar and additives.
The evening baby food requires only three ingredients: wheat flakes, whole milk and some fruit puree. The latter is essential because it contains a lot of vitamin C and the body can better absorb the iron contained in the cereal.
For a quick dinner or if you are out and about and don't have much time, you can still decide to prepare a ready-made evening meal. There are many different types on the market and they are all very suitable for the still very delicate taste of the child. Just dissolve them with a hot liquid (milk or water) and they are ready to be enjoyed using a children's spoon.
The typical evening meal for children is initially prepared with gluten-free cereals such as rice or millet. From the seventh or eighth month you can switch to oatmeal. At the beginning, for the evening meal, it is recommended to use only one type of cereal. The child does not need any variety. In fact, introducing too many different cereals at once increases the risk of allergies.
The third important ingredient in baby food is milk. Be sure to use whole milk with 3.5% fat. It contains calcium, high quality protein and iodine, and the baby also needs the highest fat content. By the way, it doesn't matter if it's fresh or UHT milk. Only raw milk is to be avoided.
Basic recipe for your baby's evening meal
For a portion of evening meal suitable for dinner it is necessary:
- 20 grams of cereals, for example rice flakes
- 200 ml of whole milk
- 20 g of fruit puree, 2 tablespoons of fruit juice
Preparation:
Put the cereal flakes in a pot with the milk and let them boil. Depending on the flakes, let them swell over low heat for 5 minutes. Allow to cool slightly and add the fruit puree or juice.
Evening meal: variant without milk
In case of an increased risk of allergies, you should not make dinner for the baby with whole milk. If you are breastfeeding, you can use breast milk. However, it should not be boiled, only reheated. Alternatively, ready-made baby foods can be used. Then boil the cereal flakes in the right amount of water and then mix the baby food powder.
