Porridge or Ready Brek?

ILOVERED

Hi
I was was wondering when can I start giving my 9 month day Porridge or Ready Brek?

I cant remember when I started my first baby on it!

Thanks

LashingLady

I think it's fine from 6 months onwards.

Keep an eye on the packaging. Some of the baby porridges can have additives and sugar in them. Ready Brek is great as it's just milled oats. I used to add half a pot of fruit puree to it for my baby and he loved it.

silja

9 month is old enough for both. Some babies might not like proper porridge at this age as it is lumpy, so I'd try Ready Brek first if you have it in the house anyways, but if not, porridge works fine. I usually have porridge for breakfast myself when it is cold, and so my little girl has been eating it since about 6.5 months- a little off my spoon first, and now she has her own (with help!).

ILOVERED

Thats great Thanks i eat porridge myself so but I wasnt sure when I could start her. Apart from the additives in he baby ones the price of them aswell is unreal for so little.

Thanks for the quick response.

scoll

Oh god I'm 19 and still eat Readybrek. YUM!

inigo

You can try grinding/milling the oats you eat in a food processor instead of buying the Readybrek (e.g. if you want to give him organic Irish oats like Flahavans) if you prefer, but I find that our little man doesn't mind the standard flakes (with raisins and/or honey that is!)

Banjaxed82

God, readybrek. That puff of dust that is released into the air every time you open and close the packaging. :mad:

Got all the kids on porridge as soon as humanly possibly. I'm the only one in the house who doesn't eat it. God bless you all who don't have my gag reflexes. All the honey in the world won't cover up the texture of porridge.:(

ILOVERED

Thanks started her on the readybrek ans she loves it, I'll try oats aswell.

So forget everything but when can you introduce cow's milk?? Is it too early yet even on the readybrek?

Cat Melodeon

ILOVERED wrote: »

Thanks started her on the readybrek ans she loves it, I'll try oats aswell.

So forget everything but when can you introduce cow's milk?? Is it too early yet even on the readybrek?

The general consensus is 12 months. Some start before that with no ill effects, but the ill-effects if they do happen are kinda nasty so you might do well to wait. I started my boy at 12 months (weaning from breastmilk to cow's milk) - it didn't go well (tummy cramps, puking, rotten nappies, rash, spots). I tried more gradually a month later and made the transition with no problems. Yet he was taking yoghurt & cheese from 9 months with no issues - strange.

Those ready-mixed cartons of formula are handy for things like making up cereal. A friend of mine used them as it was easier than boiling kettles & so on.

Das Kitty

I was told 6 months in with food and 12 as a drink instead of formula.

inigo

Cat Melodeon wrote: »

Yet he was taking yoghurt & cheese from 9 months with no issues - strange.

Not so strange, I believe. Yogurt and cheese will have a different composition than milk because of the way they are produced (fermentation and so on), e.g. less lactose: the more mature the cheese the less lactose as it is consumed by the microorganisms that make the cheese. Those suffering from a "mild" lactose intolerance (e.g. my wife) can eat cheeses like parmesan without any problems. I'm not certain about this but I seem to remember reading it somewhere. Also, lactose intolerants can, in some cases, be "retrained" by staying completly clear off anything with lactose in it, then re-introducing it very slowly from tiny amounts.

deisemum

Das Kitty wrote: »

I was told 6 months in with food and 12 as a drink instead of formula.

I was told the same by any health professional I dealt with and I read the same info in a number of baby magazines.

If you're using Ready Brek Tesco do their own one for about half the price but I'm not sure if it contains additives or not so worth checking the label.

fi1979

My little girl is 9 months also, and I have had her on ready brek (the tesco's one) and also weetabix for about 2 months now. I stil use the cow & gate baby cereals, muesli and porridge just for a bit of variety. I am using full fat normal milk now in her cereals and she's had no problems. From the info I had this is ok, but not to give them cows milk to drink till over the 12 months.
Just wondering what other cereals we could try at this stage? whats the next step?

dfbemt

We used RBrek and normal milk. It was gorgeous finishing the bits that they didn't

Agree with normal milk - ok to mix into things but not a substitute for formula.

inigo

Don't forget Oatibix!! Thicker and "glueier" than porridge but with the advantage that it's ready in a tick and you don't have to wait until it cools down. That's if you can stomach it of course!