4

I have an infant who is 4 months, and we want to introduce some food (like Cerelac). But I have very strong reservations about Cerelac being a Nestle product. So are there any alternatives to that? Thanks a lot for helping a fellow parent out.

P.S. I have seen the related questions, but they don't answer my particular query.

P.P.S. As mentioned in Help Center | Asking | What topics can I ask about here?, "shopping recommendations (too localized, and not timeless)" are off-topic on this site. Thus, I am not looking for specific product links in the answers. But if you feel that these are needed, instead please describe how one should look for those specific non-Nestle alternatives to Cerelac.

Improve this question
0

3 Answers 3

Reset to default
7

You do not need to have any special baby food at all to feed a baby! If you look up baby led weaning you just present baby with some of the food you are having and let them get on with it. You need to cut up food into more stick like shapes (about the width of their finger) and cut round food like baby tomatoes and grapes into quarters. No honey before one year old, and those are about the only rules.

If you wan to wean in a more traditional fashion, starting with baby cereal, then buy some porridge oats and use a food processor to grind them up a bit more finely and then prepare as usual for porridge. Otherwise, steamed/boiled and mashed vegetables and fruits are fine.

The standard age to start feeding solids in the UK is six months, though a little before is acceptable. A child should show signs of readiness - having lost their tongue thrust reflex (so they don't just poke the food straight back out), being able to sit up supported or unaided and have good head control.

Improve this answer
4
  • 3
    Also limit the amount of salt.
    – psmears
    Commented Nov 25, 2021 at 15:20
  • 3
    Another set of guidance from a different national body (to demonstrate how widespread this advice is) is the UK NHS list of foods to avoid giving babies, with reasons
    – Chris H
    Commented Nov 26, 2021 at 9:19
  • 2
    @FailedScientist - I'm going to remove your comment, as it clearly goes against medical guidelines. You may disagree with medical guidelines, but on Parenting, we don't.
    – Rory Alsop ♦
    Commented Nov 26, 2021 at 9:41
  • 1
    Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been moved to chat.
    – Rory Alsop ♦
    Commented Nov 26, 2021 at 9:42
6

Chewing food is something that needs to be learned. So, for the first food you introduce to your child, you need to have something that can be swallowed without chewing of any kind.

The foods that are usually advised to start with are (boiled) vegetables and (soft) fruits. If you can make that into a fairly smooth puree, then that would be an option to start with.

Cerelac appears to be a brand of baby cereals. Those are usually similar to adult cereals, but more finely ground. If you want something similar, but just not that brand, you could take a look at the list of ingredients in Cerelac and make your own baby cereal based off those ingredients.

Improve this answer
7
  • 1
    the first food you introduce to your child, you need to have something that can be swallowed without chewing of any kind is true for weaning methods that rely on getting consumption going via puree. There are other ways, widely accepted by health authorities, that allow them to learn chewing and explore food while getting their nutrition from milk, as discussed in the other answer.
    – Chris H
    Commented Nov 25, 2021 at 16:35
  • @ChrisH Why would you possibly give an infant who has never chewed something they could choke on? And your claim that BLW is "widely accepted by health authorities" is dubious considering there is little to no research on it to say one way or another. But certainly, until you know baby can chew, you can't give them something that can get lodged in their airway. They can learn, and lead, on pieces large enough to actually learn but small enough that if they mess up they don't choke.
    – corsiKa
    Commented Nov 26, 2021 at 6:35
  • 2
    @corsiKa I won't get far into that discussion here, but the UK National Health Service says "finger foods and letting them feed themselves from the start"..."There's no more risk of choking when a baby feeds themselves than when they're fed with a spoon." (scroll down to "Baby-led weaning"). More detailed advice deals with things like grapes that should be cut up as they can actually lodge tightly in the airway.
    – Chris H
    Commented Nov 26, 2021 at 9:14
  • 1
    It's more the opposite approach - start on stuff that's too big to choke on - they don't have incisors to bite of little bits that can get stuck. Learning on finely chopped stuff encourages them to gulp down without chewing, so isn't learning (it's valid, it just doesn't teach chewing)
    – Chris H
    Commented Nov 26, 2021 at 9:15
  • 1
    @corsiKa I agree on cutting up small round things. But: Bart's answer says "you need to have something that can be swallowed without chewing of any kind." I disagree. You could give a baby a whole carrot, a whole banana, or a slice of apple, for example, and there would be no more risk of choking than with puree (says the NHS, who support both approaches). It' specifically small round things they caution against because they can lodge so much more securely, and Bart didn't mention grapes - I did.
    – Chris H
    Commented Nov 27, 2021 at 15:15
0

If your child is more than 18 months old, they can switch to a normal diet along with occasional supplements of breast milk.

Improve this answer
1
  • 1
    I'm not sure you've provide an answer applicable to the querent. They are inquiring on food options for a 4 month old, so I'm unclear how information relating to an 18 month old is applicable. Can you expand this answer to bridge that gap?
    – Pyrotechnical
    Commented Dec 16, 2021 at 21:53

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .