Rice Water For Babies - Top Health Benefits and Drawbacks

Rice water is a traditional food item which is high in nutrition and it’s the right kind of food for weaning. Rice water is the actually the starch that forms on boiling rice. Most mothers prefer feeding the baby rice water before introducing mashed rice in their diet because rice water is the simplest form of a food item.
Before you start to feed your baby rice water, you should know its benefits for babies. Yes, it has a lot of benefits but make sure you read about drawbacks also.

Benefits Of Rice Water For Babies:

There are many benefits of rice water for infants. We list some of them below:

1. Provides Energy:

Regular consumption of rice water helps energize your infant instantly. Rice water contains starch which is carbohydrates that help fulfill your baby’s energy requirement after a long day of play. Also, rice water is easily digestible.

2. Treat Diarrhea:

Rice water is an effective treatment for gastrointestinal problems. It helps treat mild gastroenteritis. Take one cup of rice water and boil it in 3 cups of water for 15 minutes. Give your baby half a glass of rice water every four hours or until the symptoms subside. Remember this is just a complementary treatment for rice water, not the whole thing. You need to consult your doctor and take advice. Zinc and ORS are other treatment for treating diarrhea.

3. Fever:

Rice water can also help bring your baby’s fever down. Simply, boil the rice in 2 to 3 cups of water until the rice is cooked. Strain the water and feed it to your infant in small portions. This will give your kid a healthy recovery with energy and make him active again.

4. Vitamins loaded:

All the essential vitamin which are needed for the benefits are loaded in this food item. Riboflavin, niacin, and thiamine are certain vitamins which are helpful from the skin to the nervous system in your body. Hence, rice water is one such kind of food item which should be introduced in the initial stage of weaning. Though it is not a very good replacement for your breastmilk as it does not have all the essential nutrients.

5. Eczema:

Did you know that rice water could help cure your baby’s eczema? As incredible as it sounds, it’s true. Young babies are often victims of eczema, a common form of dermatitis. The condition is extremely uncomfortable. Take 2 cups of rice water and mix it in your babies bathing water. The oils present in rice will moisturize your little one’s skin, soothing the dry patches of eczema.

Drawbacks Of Rice Water:

Rice water does not contain all type of minerals or proteins to serve as a replacement your baby loses during diarrhea.
It also lacks potassium and sodium, which are the most important minerals. If a baby suffering from diarrhea loses a certain amount of his body weight with dehydration making him dull throughout the day.
It is also very important that before you introduce anything to your baby’s diet you check with their doctor for better understanding and low risk. Though Rice water is completely harmless your little angel needs tender care.
Rice water should not replace milk as it does not contain enough nutrients. You can mix rice water with formula powder if you do wish to combine both.

Making rice water is extremely easy.

Ingredients:

Two tablespoons of rice
1 cup of water

Method:

Place rice in a saucepan and add water to it. Boil until the rice is tender.
Strain the rice and collect the water.
Your rice water is ready.
Make the rice water and plain water before serving to your baby.
You can safely introduce rice water in your little angel’s diet, but only after consulting your little angel’s daughter. And never replace rice water with breast milk or formula milk.

Allergy and rice water:

If your baby hasn’t had rice water, you might want to consult your doctor before you include it in the diet. If your baby is allergic to barley, oats or eggs then there is a chance he may be allergic to rice as well. Some symptoms of allergies include:

Stomach ache
Rashes
Vomiting
Shortness of breath
Difficulty in breathing

These are the benefits and drawbacks of rice water now you know so much of it so you can start giving your little toddler this healthy food item for their development both mentally and physically.