Is Cerelac/Farex a necessity?

Hi,

Nilu will soon be 6 months and I will be starting solids. My pedi here recommends kanji, soups, fruit juices, mashed veggies and fruits. He hasn't advised cerelac or farex. DH on the other hand says Cerelac and Farex contain all nutrients (as claimed on the pack) and so I should think about that too. End result is I am confused! Is it necessary to give cerelac? Won't all the necessary nutrients be available in home-made food? I will be BFing too. So please do let me know if I will do the right thing by not giving cerelac or farex. Thanks!

Regards,
Anitha

Anitha,

For baby's 1st year of life experts say that breastmilk or infant formula should be the major source of nutrition. Solids are more for eating practice. Going by that, if you BF, and start a variety of solids (cereals/kanji, fruits, veggies etc) you don't need Cerelac/Farex. Just my opinion!

Congrats Anitha .. starting solids is a big step! Just remember that the amount of solids Nilu will start with will be miniscule, maybe a spoon or so 2-3 times per day. It will gradually increase.

In my case, my son started with a spoon of rice cereal at 6 months 2 times per day and only really started eating solids properly when he was around 9 months of age. This is ok as the majority of their nutritional intake can come from BM alone till they are about a year old.

Remember to start her on one thing at a time, feed it for a few days to make sure she is not allergic to it, and then introduce another item.

Cerelac and Farex have a lot of added sugar and that's not really healthy for Nilu. Your ped. gave you good advice on the things you can feed her.

Have fun and get ready for the mess!!

As for DH have him go through the website called kellymom.com - my ped. recommended it to me and it clearly states that BM is the best source of nutrients for babies till they are atleast 1 year old. My DH wanted me to supplement my son's BM with formula bec. "formula has more nutrients than BM!" My ped. quickly got that notion out of his head!

Yep, Pooja and Sindhu have it right here. Cerelac and Farex have artificially added nutritients which are not well absorbed by the body (something they conveniently leave out). So if pack says 25 percent of the RDA value of iron, it is the total iron in it, not the bioavailable iron. Supplementation is never a good idea. For what it is worth, DS is totally unsupplemented, despite being born a preemie (preemies are believed to be born with lower iron stores). But mommy's milk is perfect for the baby and adjusts to the needs. More recent studies have shown that despite lower amount of Iron, breastmilk has more if it bioavailable (or easily absorbable by the body). Also, till the second year, your baby continues to receive immune bodies from breast milk.
I would say stay off Nestle products, they use genetically modified crop in Indian baby food and because the laws dont need you to declare it here, they conveniently hide it. Protect your child from such practices.

Sindhu, Pooja and Krithika, Thank you! I was thinking along the same lines but was unsure. Now my doubts are cleared. I will go ahead without cerelac and farex. Will get DH to read kellymoms.

And yes, will remember to start one thing at a time and in small amounts. Oh, messy days will soon be here!

Anitha

Hi,

It is just a fad that Cerelac would do good to your baby. In Mumbai all the paeditricians have stopped recommending cerelac. They prefer to go to with the homemade foods, fruits and vegetables.

What more you have nothing to loose with loads of iron, folic acid and calcium and vitamins available in milk, vegetables and frutis. Obesity is also a concern with artifitial foods. Since you have not started on Cerelac it can be avoided. For those already using Cerelac and if does suit their babies it is not a problem. Best avoided. Though in olden days Cerelac was recommended by all the paeds.

Regards,
Lynette

AnithA,

NO to cerelac/farex. paed used to ask us not to use these.

he always gave a prescription to make the kanji at home, with roasted boiled rice, roasted gram dhal and 1-2-3 almonds. (I saw the step by step prescription he gave for Sri. a few months back)

you can always supplement for the nutrients by using combination of dhals, veggies.

if you cannot make the kanji, i have heard west mambalam health centre sells this prepared very hygenically and suits almost all kids.

Lynette and Shanthi, thank you. It was the iron content that I was worried about. Doubt cleared now! DH is not a problem - he was only suggesting. It is the immediate family that sows the seeds. "Oh my god, no cerelac!", "Farex will only ensure growth", and so and so forth. I got the recipes for kanji - will prepare the powder and keep it. Shathi, thats the same recipe my pedi gave too!

Anitha

Hi Anithaa,

You can add blanched spinach puree to the kanji it can do wonders for the system and adds iron. Also chikoos are rich in iron, you can check with your paed about chikoos. Try making soups with beet and tomato combined. Ragi or nachni most commonly known is rich in iron. You can make a porridge by boiling nachni and wheat flour and then straining it. Add milk and sugar (if needed) and its ready to eat. Nachni is cold in nature, thats why the wheat mixed will do good for the baby.

For spinach soup - You can soak a few chickpeas overnight. Blanch the spinach. Puree both and warm a bit and serve.

You can start with a spoon. My LO is four months two more months to go. Have already introduced one time supplement of fruits from this month as I will joining office next month.

BM contains the iron, if you are taking all the iron rich food.

Hope this helps!

Regards,
Lynette