As with any food, you can give your baby Weetabix once they're over six months as they start weaning. Weetabix and its related products including Ready Break or Oatibix aren't suitable for babies under six months.
The NHS advises that you can feed your baby cereals, like Weetabix, from around six months old onwards. Weetabix themselves say that Weetabix, Ready brek and Oatibix are suitable for babies aged six months or older, but they add that they are not specifically produced for infants or young children.
Weetabix, Ready brek and Oatibix are not suitable for infants under six months, and are not produced specifically for infants or young children. The Department of Health recommends you use mashed up family foods when possible. Cow's milk is not suitable until 12 months and sugar and salt are not to be added.
Cereals and cereal products are often the leading source of certain vitamins and minerals. Therefore, Weetabix (which contains iron and B vitamins) and Ready Brek (contains B vitamins, iron, vitamin D and calcium) are really beneficial options to include at breakfast times.
Despite the health benefits of this cereal, which can be mixed with breast milk, formula or cow's milk, it may not be suitable for every baby. What is this? Wheat contains gluten. This means that Weetabix is NOT suitable for babies under 6 months of age and should not be given as a first weaning food.
Babies are generally ready for weaning at about six months. You can introduce Weetabix after the first taste of vegetables or fruit. Typically most babies are introduced to breakfast at about 6.5 months.
As the name might suggest Weetabix contains wheat and some people do find this causes bloating. However, reacting to wheat does not mean that you're intolerant to gluten and must give up everything containing it – that might not be the case.
Typically yes, babies can have cereal, especially cereals that are made specifically for infants. These include iron-fortified rice, oat, or other multigrain-based cereals that are widely available at most grocery stores. Older babies may be able to eat some whole grain cold breakfast cereals, like Cheerios.
The easiest and most common way to introduce Weetabix to your baby's diet is to mash them up with your baby's usual milk. At 6 months old, this will be either breast milk or formula. Remember that cow's milk, or other animal milk, shouldn't be offered as your baby's main milk until 12 months of age.
Be sure your child has a portion of animal foods (milk, dairy, eggs, meat, fish and poultry) each day, plus legumes (like chickpeas, lentils or peas) – or nuts, and orange or green vegetables and fruits. Add a little oil or fat to their food for energy. Be sure your child's snacks are healthy, such as fresh fruit.
At Healthy Food Guide, we have no problem with people – children and adults alike – eating Weet-Bix as part of a balanced diet. As breakfast cereals go, Weet-Bix is low in sugars, sodium and saturated fat, while being high in fibre. To make a balanced breakfast, we'd recommend adding skim/trim milk.
Top healthiest cereal for kids, alert! "Weetabix is higher in protein and fibre, and lower in sugar than most other cereals and are extremely versatile," says Mina. "This makes them a great choice for kids' breakfasts. Get creative and pair with berries or a favourite yogurt."
The good news is that every day cereals like porridge, Ready Brek and Weetabix and their own brand alternatives are very low in salt and perfect for your baby's breakfast.
Toddlers between 12 and 24 months should avoid: foods with added sugars and no-calorie sweeteners, including sugar-sweetened and diet drinks. high-sodium foods.
Breakfast for an older baby (8 to 12 months)
4 to 8 tablespoons (1/4 to 1/2 cup) whole-grain infant cereal mixed with formula or breast milk.
Stage 1 (typically 4-6 months old): Start with purees (liquified foods) and begin with one to two tablespoons at a feeding. Stage 2 (typically 6-9 months old): At this stage, you can give your child thicker-consistency purees, and increase the volume to two to four tablespoons at a feeding.
However, balance is the key, and you can have too much of a good thing. Weetabix is fortified with certain vitamins and minerals and if eaten to excess, then you could be taking in too much of these nutrients. We would recommend that an adult eats no more than four (4) Weetabix biscuits per day.
Oatibix is also very high in fibre at 8.8g of fibre per 100g of cereal. This is 1.2g less than you'll find in Weetabix per 100g, but it's still a significant amount. And lastly, the real standout nutritional aspect of Oatibix is the protein content - the cereal contains 12g of protein per 100g.
Ultimately Weetabix is a great cereal to have for breakfast. It is low in salt and sugar — one biscuit contains one hundredth of a teaspoon of salt, which is 0.8% of the FSA's suggested daily salt intake, and less than a fifth of a teaspoon of sugar (0.9g). It can absolutely be eaten in a balanced and healthy diet.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends oatmeal cereal for babies with acid reflux. Because of the possible arsenic exposure with rice cereal, experts believe oatmeal is the safer choice. It's also wheat-free, so won't irritate your baby's stomach if she is sensitive or allergic to gluten.
If your baby becomes constipated, use whole wheat or barley cereal instead of rice cereal and avoid bananas and sweet potatoes, which are constipating.