Bread and its derivatives, infant cereals and biscuits belong to the starch food group. They are most often made from wheat, but also from spelt, barley, oats, rye, etc. However, depending on the amount of added sugar they contain, they can also be sweet! To find out more about their introduction, their frequency and the quantities recommended for our young children, I suggest this article, which I hope will provide you with as much information as possible!
Les céréales infantiles peuvent être consommées dès le début de la diversification alimentaire, recommandée aujourd’hui entre 4 et 6 mois révolus. Elles seront le moyen d’introduire le gluten facilement. Petit aparté, selon l’ESPGHAN, c’est-à-dire la société européenne de nutrition pédiatrique : « Le gluten peut être introduit entre 4 et 12 mois, mais la consommation de grandes quantités doit être évitée pendant les premières semaines après l’introduction du gluten et plus tard pendant la petite enfance ». Cela veut donc dire que le gluten doit être présent dans l’alimentation du jeune enfant mais qu’il convient d’en proposer en quantité raisonnable. Concernant le pain et les biscuits, il est primordial d’attendre que les capacités oro-motrices de votre enfant soient suffisamment matures pour une découverte en toute sécurité. Il convient de proposer ces aliments lorsque l’enfant tient bien assis dans sa chaise haute, à 90° avec un minimum de soutien sans oublier le repose-pied !
Example of the introduction of these foods...
- Up to 10/12 months, milk (breast or infant) is generally sufficient for breakfast. From this age onwards, it can be supplemented by bread with a dab of butter or pureed oilseed without added sugar (almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts) and, more or less, a few pieces of fruit.
- Morning snacks of biscuits or bread should beavoided, as this will require your child to digest regularly and potentially limit the appetite for lunch.
- For lunch and dinner, the starchy portion can be replaced by bread, even wholemeal bread, from time to time, if you only have vegetables to offer. I would like to take this opportunity to point out that your child can be offered flour-based preparations of different cereals or legumes (wheat, spelt, oats, lentils, chickpeas, etc.). They can be white, semi-complete or complete depending on your child's digestive tolerance. The same applies to starchy foods (rice, pasta, semolina, etc.). The less refined cereals are, the more vitamins, minerals and especially fibre they contain! This makes them real allies for the health of children and adults alike.
- At snack time, a cereal product is not an obligation, a feed or infant milk with a portion of fruit may be sufficient, depending on the child's appetite. On the other hand, if a cereal product completes the snack, it is advisable to offer a portion corresponding to 1 slice of bread (avoiding sliced bread which is generally sweet and can lead to malpractice for the youngest), 1 small pancake, 1 pancake, 1 rice or corn cake, 1 Pain des fleurs® (with or without gluten), ½ to 1 small slice of homemade cake with little or no sugar, or even in combination with milk in the form of rice pudding, semolina pudding, porridge...
When shopping, pay attention to the amount of carbohydrates, i.e. sugar, in the industrial products you buy. Commercial "baby" products such as cakes or boudoirs can be relatively sweet. Try to label them as "sugar-free" with the lowest possible content! Commercial cereals in the "children's" section, i.e. not for infants, should be considered as sweet products. These should be avoided before the age of 3 and limited as much as possible thereafter. As you will have understood, give preference to home-made products as much as possible, without added sugar or with as little sugar as possible or by reducing the portion indicated on the recipe. Tip For example, to give a slightly sweet taste to your preparations, you can incorporate fruit such as bananas or fruit compote; for example: banana pancakes, apple cake, pear compote biscuits, etc.
Finally...
I will end this article by talking about an idea that is often conveyed: "A hard piece of bread or a bread stump helps baby's little teeth to come out". In reality and in general, it is the chewing and grinding of food, even soft food, in the same way as teething rings, which facilitates the perforation of the gum to let the tooth come out! As bread has no real nutritional value, it is not necessary to offer it for this purpose; any chunky food with a texture suitable for your child will have the same effect and a well-cooked, melting carrot will be all the easier for baby to introduce the chunks.
In conclusion, vary the sources of starch you offer your children, limit products rich in added sugars as much as possible and cook as soon as possible good little dishes that will delight your little ones' taste buds and develop their palate!
Dietician - Nutritionist specialising in paediatrics
Sources
- Fewtrell M, Bronsky J, Campoy C, Domellöf M, Embleton N, Fidler Mis N, Hojsak I, Hulst JM, Indrio F, Lapillonne A, Molgaard C. Complementary Feeding: A Position Paper by the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition (ESPGHAN) Committee on Nutrition. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2017 Jan ;64(1) :119-132. Doi: 10.1097/MPG.0000000000001454. PMID : 28027215.
