Oatmeal For Babies - Everything You Need To Know

Oatmeal is the food for babies who have started eating solids. The grain is rich in essential nutrients such as fiber, proteins, and vitamins.

Let us discuss a few important points, oats are good for babies, but what is the right age for introducing it? Also, can a baby be allergic to oats? You can give oatmeal to a baby at the age of six months. In fact, it can be one of the first solid foods for the baby. Oats are packed with nourishment.

Health Benefits Of Oats For Babies

Your baby could enjoy the following health benefits with an oats diet:

1. Constipation:

Oats are rich in fiber, they help tackle constipation. Medical experts recommend making oats a part of the diet when the individual has constipation, and this suggestion works even for infants.

2. Immunity:

Oats contain a type of sugar called beta-glucans that boosts the production of immune system cells. So, regular consumption of oats can keep the immune system healthy, which is an advantage for a growing baby.

3. Gluten allergy:

Babies allergic to gluten cannot consume grains like wheat, rye, and barley that provide essential nutrition. But they can eat oats, which are gluten-free and have the same vitamins and minerals the essential grains do.
Oatmeal helps improve the nutritional value of a gluten-free diet that can lead to nutritional deficiencies in babies.

4. Inflammation:

Oats contain compounds called avenanthramides that can reduce the inflammation caused due to multiple reasons, including infections and wounds. Infants having some auto-immune diseases may benefit from the anti-inflammatory properties of oats.

Oats in comparison with other cereals.

Oatmeal contains more fiber than rice cereal and is thus good for digestion. Some babies may develop constipation when fed on rice cereal.
Doctors refer to oatmeal as an excellent alternative to rice cereal to relieve constipation in babies.
Feeding oatmeal.
You can add a few tablespoons of oatmeal to your baby’s solid diet every day. The quantity of oatmeal entirely depends on your personal preference. Three to four tablespoons of oats every day can provide adequate fiber and nutrition to a growing infant.
Steel-cut oatmeal is the best for babies since they are unprocessed, easy to cook and retain all the nutrients of whole oats. You can use steel-cut oatmeal in various baby food recipes as per your convenience.

CHECK OUT FOR THE RIGHT OATS FOR YOUR LITTLE ONE.

1. Selecting oats:

When selecting steel-cut oats or standard infant oat cereal, look for options with no added preservatives, sugar, salt and flavoring.

2. Storage:

Store oats in a cool, dry place. Just like any other grain, oats can be susceptible to pest infestation. Make sure you keep the storage area clean and use anti-pest measures. Avoid anti-pest tablets or sachets since they can harm the baby. Purchase smaller quantities that you can consume within a short period. If you intend to store oats for an extended duration, then place it in an airtight container or ziplock pouch, and put in the freezer. The low humidity and low-temperature environment in the freezer prevent the oats from becoming soggy while keeping pests at bay.
In addition to having them with milk, oats can be combined with several other foods to make delicious oats baby food recipes.

Oatmeal Recipes For Baby

Oats taste the best when combined with the following food items:

Milk is often the leading choice to go with oats. You can make a delicious porridge by cooking oats with milk.
Nearly all types of fruits taste good with oats. Fruits, such as a banana with naturally sweet pulp, go well with oats.
Boil finely-chopped vegetables with oats to make porridge for a baby.
Meat can be combined with oats in the same way as vegetables. You can make a delicious meat oat porridge using just oats, meat, and water.
Oats taste great with nearly all foods, which means that they can be a part of your baby’s diet.
But allergies are always a concern when introducing new foods to babies.

Side Effects Of Oats For Babies

Allergy

A baby can be allergic to oats, but the chances are few.
If your baby is allergic to oats, then they will display symptoms such as vomiting, nausea, skin hives, abdominal pain, lethargy, and swelling of the face.
An extreme manifestation of food allergy is food protein-induced, where symptoms like vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea are severe. Take your baby to the doctor right away if you suspect he is showing signs of a food allergy.

Have a few more questions on giving oats to your baby? Read on.

Oats are packed with nutrients and have fewer chances of causing allergies even among babies eating solid food for the first time. The quantity of fiber and special sugars in oats is higher than that in other grains, which makes oatmeal more nutritious. Make oats a part of your little one’s diet to support their growth and development.

Types Of Oatmeal

When you go shopping for oats, you are quite likely to spot the following varieties of oatmeal options in the market:

1. Rolled oats

The picture that comes to your mind when you think of oats is probably that of rolled oats. Rolled oats are oat flakes derived from whole oat grain. They are made by steaming dehulled (without skin) oat grains and then running them through a roller before drying. Rolled oats come in two varieties: slow-cooking and fast-cooking oats.

2. Coarse oat flour

Whole oat grain, and not refined oat grain, is pounded to form a coarse flour that is packed with fiber. An infant oat cereal mix is quite likely to contain oat flour since it mixes well with hot water.

3. Instant oats

This is the most processed type of oats. The oat grain is boiled, rolled, and then dried before packaging. Instant oats are semi-cooked and are usually found in the ready-to-eat baby cereals that can be prepared just by adding hot or boiling water.

Organic Oats Help More

You may choose organic oats over regular oats. Oats are not among the list of foods most contaminated with pesticides, but they may contain traces of pesticides, Therefore, purchasing organic variants is always a good idea

Now you know so much about oats, its benefits and how to introduce it in your baby’s diet. This food is high on nutrition with the correct amount of fiber in it that will also help in keeping baby’s gut healthy state this ill help in the absorption of all nutrition.