Homemade infant cereal is simple to make and has not been through all the extra processing of store bought cereal.
If you look at the ingredient list in a box of infant oatmeal from the store you will see a lot of ingredients that you do not recognize. Some of those nutrients have been added to make up for the nutrients that were lost due to extra processing. Many of them are preservatives that are added to keep the cereal fresh for many months while it sits on the shelf at the store.
While some of the organic boxed infant cereals are slightly better, it is so easy to just make your own fresh, nutritious infant cereal from scratch and control all the ingredients yourself.
Ingredients
Rolled Oats
Water
Formula or Breastmilk
Preparation
There are two ways to prepare infant oatmeal. They are both very simple, but one requires a food processor and one requires a blender.
Food Processor
Place a small amount of rolled oats, dry, in your food processor and process until the oats turn into a powder. Bring 1 cup of water to a boil and slowly stir in ¼ cup of oat powder. Remove the cereal from the heat and stir in formula or breastmilk until the cereal reaches the consistency that you want.
Blender
It is easy to cook oatmeal for your entire family by using your blender for your infant’s serving. Cook some rolled oats by following the directions on the box. Remove a small portion for your infant (or a larger portion if you want to freeze it for later use) and mix in some formula or breastmilk to thin it down. Put the oatmeal mixture into your blender and process until it reaches the consistency you want. You can add extra formula or breastmilk after blending if needed.
Storage
One of the benefits of boxed infant cereal is that it is convenient and fast to make. Homemade infant cereal can be made in larger batches so that it is available when you need it. The cereal will have a slightly different texture than when it was fresh but it is easy to thin it out with some extra formula or breastmilk and whisked smooth with a fork if needed.
Homemade infant cereal can be stored in the fridge for up to 48 hours. Store the cooked infant cereal in an airtight container. Only take out the portion of infant cereal that your baby will eat in a sitting. Once you have fed your baby from a container, small amounts of saliva on the spoon can mix with the cereal and pave the way for bacteria growth. By dishing out only the amount of infant cereal you need you keep the original container fresh and able to be used at another time.
Infant cereal can be frozen by filling an ice cube tray with homemade cereal and freezing until it is solid. Once the cubes are solid, they can be removed and placed in freezer bags. Add extra breastmilk or formula to infant cereal that you plan on freezing as it will thicken slightly as it freezes and thaws.
