Here are a couple of recipes for making whole-grain baby cereals at home with your stored foods. These are great options for emergencies, but also for good times as well. By making your own baby foods, you have more control over the nutrition your baby is getting, and you can choose to use a variety of grains that cannot be found in your average supermarket.
Baby whole grain cereal
Use barley, brown rice, oatmeal, or a combination of any of these in this recipe:
Grind your whole grain(s) in a blender or food processor until they are a very smooth powder. Cook 1/4 cup of ground grain in one cup of water in a pan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer about 10 minutes. Thin with breast milk, formula, water, or juice, if desired.
Baby’s Whole Wheat Cereal
Once you have tried other grains in baby’s diet and baby has shown no allergies, you can try introducing wheat. Here is a simple recipe for using your stored wheat for baby:
Combine 1/2 cup finely ground whole wheat flour and two cups of water in a saucepan. Cook 30 minutes or more, until thick, stirring often. If you want it even smoother, you may further process this cereal in a blender. Add sugar, and breastmilk, formula, or juice to desired consistency.
Notes:
* Homemade baby food must be cooked in order for baby to be able to digest it properly. Store-bought baby food does not need cooking because it has already been pre-cooked and dried.
* These recipes are only recommendations, as baby foods can be made to varying consistencies. You may need to adjust the amount of water that you cook your grains in, as you might find the cereal needs more or less liquid to cook properly.
* Store leftover cereal in the freezer. Freeze in ice cube trays, then transfer cubes to a freezer bag and store for one to three months.