One Part Parent: How To Make Baby’s First Cereal

So, I decided to include some baby/kiddie stuff on the site – recipes, my favorite finds, and things I’m learning as I go. I’ve been getting a lot of questions via email and social media about raising a planty baby, so I thought it might be cool to share a little bit about it here. 

This first post had to be about food, since what I’m feeding Sid is the most-asked question I get (and I just really like food). I started looking into feeding him a little bit of food last week after he began crushing 11 ounces at a time and still seemed hungry. So I headed over to the grocery store to check out the baby food options – and I just wasn’t down with all the ingredients on the labels of the cereals. I really felt like I had to make my own.  

 

Most new mamas buy a stack of books and dive into every piece of information they can get their hands on…but that hasn’t been my style so far. It’s not that I don’t want to learn everything I can, it’s just that all of the information out there about what’s right and wrong just feels overwhelming. Every baby is different – and so is every family.

But I do have two books. One is the Mayo Clinic baby book that one of my best friends gave to me (she happened to have two copies). And the other is Alicia Silverstone’s Kind Mama. The Mayo Clinic book is super traditional (don’t let your child sleep with you!), and Alicia’s a little more hippity-dippity (you don’t need a crib, share a bed!). Since I fall somewhere in between, I like having both for a little balance. 

And when I decided I wanted to make my own food, Kind Mama seemed like the way to go. Alicia has an easy and delicious cereal to get your baby started on the food train. When I say delicious, Sid gobbled this up so fast that I had to make another batch pretty fast.

You do need to plan ahead for this recipe (there is some soaking involved). And the first time you make it, you will think “HEELLL NO, I’m never going to make this again.” But I’m telling you that once you get the hang of it, it actually feels pretty relaxing, and you’ll look forward to making it. Especially when you see how happy your little babe is eating it. AND there will be some extra leftovers for you (you’ll see more about that below).

After you make the cereal, there will be extra grains leftover that didn’t make it through the sieve (at least for me). Don’t throw these away! Top with some berries and a little maple or brown rice syrup, and make yourself a little snack. There’s something really special about sharing your baby’s first food together. 

{ Baby’s First Cereal } 
   slightly adapted from Kind Mama

1 cup grains (I use half short grain brown rice and half oat groats)
1 inch piece kombu
1 teaspoon brown rice syrup (optional)
5 cups water

Place the grains in a large pot or bowl and cover with cool water. Swirl the grains to loosen any dust or dirt, pour off the water, and repeat until the water is no longer cloudy. 

Add 5 cups of water, cover with a clean dish towel, and let sit for at least three hours or overnight. 

After your grains have soaked, transfer the rice and water to a large pot (if they are in a bowl) and add the kombu. Bring to medium heat and cover. After the water begins to boil – reduce the heat as low as it will go and gently simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Don’t forget to set a timer!

Remove from heat and take out kombu. 

Place grains in blender and blend until almost all the way smooth.
*Alicia’s original recipe said to use a food mill. I don’t have one and the blender worked well for me. But use a mill if you’ve got it.

Next pour the cereal through a fine-mesh sieve. The goal is to remove as much grain fibers as you can. Take any leftover grains and set off to the side for yourself. 

Transfer cereal to a glass jar and stir in the brown rice syrup. You can keep in the fridge up to three days. 

NOTE: For newbie eaters, add a little bit of water to thin the cereal. I usually add a teaspoon of water for every two teaspoons of cereal, but your babe will tell you what he likes. 

Also shoutout Rachel Holtzman for giving Sid the beautiful bowl/spoon in these photos…but most importantly for being my kind mama friend. 

If you make this cereal and your baby loves it, please share! Show a snap on Instagram and make sure to tag me or #onepartplant. Can’t wait to see!