DIY Baby Cereal

  Last week I was in Walmart and saw a 10 oz. bag of instant baby cereal for about 3 dollars. You know the kind- just add warm milk. I thought my 7 month old would like it but knew he’d finish the bag within three days. I concluded $3 was too much for three days of baby cereal.

  I asked my husband to read the ingredients and directions to me so I could make it myself. (I can read, just not in Spanish:))

  Basically it’s four grains: Oats, wheat, corn and rice.

I omitted the wheat and added a few apples for flavor and also a couple tablespoons of raw sugar.

It’s really easy to make. Just soak your grains in water overnight and then cook them. Soaking them will help your baby digest it better.  I cooked the oatmeal by itself making it a little thinner than I would like it for myself. The rice I cooked to mush. For the corn,  I use either  steamed fresh corn or Maseca. (Tortilla flour that’s basically ground white corn.) When using Maseca or other corn meal/flour just cook it in water till it’s well done, whisking to keep it smooth .

Approximate amounts

1 cup brown rice to 3 cups water

3 cups whole oats to 7 cups water

1 cup maseca to 3 cups water

Or

2 cups steamed corn kernels

2 apples or pears, cored and steamed

3 Tbls raw sugar

For added flavor and richness replace half the water with milk in the oatmeal.

  After your grains and fruit are cooked add all ingredients to blender or food processor. Blend until desired consistency is reached.

  Store in an airtight container in refrigerator. Or you can pour into ice cube trays and freeze. I find that making up a big batch every week or two and freezing it works well for me. Just take a few cubes out every evening and thaw in fridge for the next day.

  

  The amounts I’ve suggested  above are approximate but should make 8-10 cups of cooked cereal.

  

  My little cereal monster loves this combination and it seems to settle quite well with his stomach, without any digestive problems. If your baby has problems with constipation when eating this, try adding a few tablespoons of Molasses to the mix. This should help with the constipation.