Wheat Porridge (Wheat Baby Food)

Wheat porridge recipe for babies – Wheat is one of the grains that is very widely used by Indians. It is used to make roti, paratha,halwa, dalia, upma, dosa, snacks and many more. Most Indians consume wheat regularly & our bodies have no issues with gluten that’s naturally present in this grain. However it is different for babies and care must be taken when you introduce wheat to your baby.

When to introduce wheat to baby?

Typically a baby is introduced to solids after 6 to 8 months of age. A baby has to be breastfed exclusively until it completes 6 months. Solids are introduced only as complimentary to get the baby used to solids. So until a baby turns 1 year old, breastfeeding or formula is the main source of nutrition.

Single fruit, single veggie and single grain are introduced first. Rice, Ragi and Oats are the grains considered to be the safest and are introduced first.

Wheat is one of the known grains for allergies so do not introduce wheat as a first grain for your baby. It is good to introduce it later after 8 months when you are done introducing other grains.

How to introduce wheat to your baby?

Whole wheat is available in 3 forms in the market. First one is whole grain, Second is flour (atta) and last is broken wheat (dalia). Among all the 3, using whole wheat or broken wheat is the best as they are least processed. But the most convenient one is using flour or atta.

A baby’s first year is very crucial & the digestive system is still developing so it is good to use homemade or milled flour or at least organic flour.

For both my babies I used to carry the milled flour from my mum’s home in India. Since it was hard for me to wash, sun dry and then mill the whole grains here in Singapore.

In this post I have shared a wheat porridge recipe using atta. As you can see in the pictures, the baby food turns out smooth and delicious. You can flavor the wheat porridge with any of the fruits like apple, banana, chikoo (paal sapota) , pear or papaya.

I have shared apple wheat porridge here. Similarly you can can make it with any other fruit which has already been introduced to your baby.

Follow the 3 day rule while introducing wheat

As with any other foods, follow the 3 day test rule when you introduce wheat to your baby. Wait until the fourth day to make sure your baby is not allergic to it.

Always introduce new foods only in the first half of the day. So it is easy to resolve the issues the same day.

Quantities to introduce

Some babies are extremely sensitive to wheat so start with a low quantity.

8 months old baby – Start with 1 tsp of the wheat porridge on the first day. If your baby does well, increase it to 1 tbsp on the 2nd and 3rd day. You can give about ¼ cup of porridge on the 4th day.

9 months old baby – Start with 1 to 2 tbsp of the porridge on the first day. 2 tbsp of the second & third day. Give about ½ cup on the 4th day.

Possible reactions after consuming wheat

Most babies do well with wheat but it is not suitable to all. Please avoid wheat if a member of your family is allergic to wheat or has intolerance to gluten or has celiac disease.

Following are the most possible reactions with wheat if it is not suitable to the baby:
Itching, hives, rashes on the skin, runny nose, watery eyes and dehydration are some of the symptoms which a baby might show up if wheat is not suitable. Less likely symptoms are diarrhea, colic and lack of appetite.

Please seek medical assistance at the earliest if you notice any of the above symptoms.

Health benefits of wheat

Whole wheat is a rich source of carbohydrates, fiber, iron, vitamins and minerals. If properly prepared it may help to gain weight, beat constipation and prevent iron deficiency in babies.

If wheat is not suitable to your baby, then it may worsen the constipation. So please follow the 3 day test rule.

How to make wheat porridge for baby

There are 2 ways you can make wheat porridge. One with milk and the second one with fruit.

If you prefer to make the milk based wheat porridge then, cook the flour in water. Cool it and then mix it with formula or breast milk to bring it to a consistency.

You can also make wheat porridge with a fruit. Fruits help to boost the appetite and strengthens the immune system of the baby.

It is good to introduce wheat along with a fruit that has already been introduced to your baby. Banana, apple, chikoo and pear are the fruits you can try with.

If your baby has constipation, then consider adding a ripe banana or papaya to the wheat baby food.

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