At what age can you give a baby a pearl barley

Pearl barley, as well as barley, is made from barley. The name of the barley is associated with the external similarity of the grains of such cereals with pearls. When they begin to introduce different porridges to the child in the complementary foods, they always speak of buckwheat and rice groats, while barley is mentioned much less often. Therefore, it is not clear to many mothers, since how many years is it permissible to cook barley porridge for a child and how to cook such cereal correctly.

• About 2/3 of the composition of pearl barley is represented by carbohydrates, so porridge from it provides energy for a long period.
• Pearl barley gives children phosphorus, iron, vitamin E, iodine, B vitamins, calcium, some amino acids and many other beneficial compounds.
• Barley contains antimicrobial ingredients, as well as lysine, which has antiviral activity.
• Due to the presence in the composition of pearl barley cereal porridge from it helps with constipation and is recommended for allergies.
• The use of barley porridge helps to normalize the work of the digestive tract and remove toxins from the body.
• Such a porridge also noted a positive effect on the condition of the kidneys and liver.
• Barley porridge helps to prevent the development of diabetes.

• It is quite long to cook porridge from this cereal, as the barley is first required to soak.
• In pearl barley there is gluten, which excludes this rump from the diet of children with intolerance to this protein.
• Pearl barley is digested quite hard, so it is not given to small children, for example, a one-year-old child.
• Barley porridge belongs to high-calorie dishes, which should be limited to excess weight.
• When using too large a portion of pearl barley see increased gas formation.
• Barley porridge is not advised to eat with increased acidity of the stomach.
• Some children do not like the taste of barley porridge and they refuse it.

Since the digestive system of young children is difficult to cope with barley porridge, such a dish is not recommended to give either 1 or 2 years. The optimal age at which pediatricians are advised to start preparing barley for a child is considered to be 3 years.

Like all new dishes, the first portion of barley porridge is given in a small amount (1-2 tablespoons), checking portability. And if there are no problems with the assimilation of such food, gradually increase the volume of the porridge. First, a one-component porridge is prepared for the child, which will include only barley grits, and when the baby’s body gets used to it, you can include barley in multicomponent dishes.

To make a pearl barley cereal like your baby, cook it like this:

1. To cook barley on milk, take 1 cup of barley and 1 liter of milk, as well as salt and sugar to taste.
2. Rinse the cereal and cover it with water for at least 4 hours, and preferably at night. If you pour boiling water over pearl barley, soaking time can be reduced to 1 hour.
3. Drain and fill with new, then boil pearl barley for 15 minutes.
4. While the cereal is boiled, bring the milk to a boil and salt it.
5. Throwing back the barley in a colander, let all the water drain, then lower the cereal into the boiled milk.
6. Cook porridge for about 20 minutes, not forgetting about periodic stirring.
7. Next, add sugar to the dish and mix.
8. Put the porridge in heat-resistant form, which is placed in the oven for 25 minutes.
9. Turn off the oven and leave the porridge there for a while.

You can use for cooking barley porridge and a slow cooker. With such a kitchen appliance in the “milk porridge” mode, the croup will cook faster.

The process will be something like this:

• Rinse the cereal under running water to remove contamination.
• Soak the barley for 1-1.5 hours in cool water.
• Drain the water, transfer the cereal into the multicooker tank.
• Add 2 cups of milk or water to each glass of barley.
• Install the program "milk porridge", even if you cook barley without milk.
• Salt the cereal and put a piece of butter in it.
• Wait until the end of the regime, mix the porridge and add a little more butter.

Pearl barley in the diet of children over 3 years can be used not only in the form of porridge, but also as an ingredient in various dishes. Very tasty is the soup cooked with the addition of barley, for example, pickle. You can also offer the child cabbage rolls, in which rice is replaced by pearl barley.

To ascertain the quality of the cereal, it is important to evaluate its appearance, smell and color. A good barley should be represented by small grains, the size of which will be about the same. Buy grits, in which there are no pebbles and other pollution. The normal color for dry barley is white, yellow or slightly greenish.

When buying by weight or after opening the packaging at home, make sure that the product does not have a musty smell. Store the cereal in a dry place. It is advisable to pour the grain from the original packaging in a sealed opaque container. The shelf life of cereals is up to 2 years, but it is better to use it before.

More information about the properties of pearl barley you will learn from the program "Live is great."