Ensuring Baby’s Nutritional Needs with Gerber
As babies grow, many parents find themselves overwhelmed with the topic of baby nutrition. What foods are safe to feed my baby? How do I diversify my baby’s palate at such a young age? How in the world am I supposed to meet all of my baby’s nutritional needs in just 3 meals per day?
This post is sponsored by Gerber®, but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.
I mean, did you know that babies’ natural iron stores may be completely depleted by age 4-6 months?
As changes have been made over the years in the way that we care for our babies, developments have also been made to change the way that we meet baby’s nutritional needs as well.
Alas, Gerber, a name moms have known and trusted for years, has yet again blessed us with a feeding solution sure to make moms and babies alike happy.
Gerber infant cereals make a perfect first food for babies and can be consumed starting around 6 months of age. Along with Iron, Gerber Infant Cereal has other essential nutrients such as Zinc, Calcium, Vitamin C, E, and six B Vitamins. Plus, it makes a great supplement to breastmilk, great news for all of you nursing mama’s out there!
But now that you have found this great product, how do you use it in your day-to-day life? I mean, in what ways can we feed baby Gerber infant cereal to ensure that he/she enjoys the product to its fullest?
By the Label
The first, and most obvious way to enjoy Gerber infant cereals, is to prepare the product by the label directions. Single-grain infant cereals (like this one) are an ideal first solid food to check for food sensitivities and help develop a baby’s eating skills.
Simply mix 4-5 tbsp. of breastmilk or formula with 1 tbsp. of Gerber baby cereal, and you are ready to go!
Plus, since Gerber infant cereal is non-GMO and made with no artificial colors or flavors, you can be confident you are making a great choice in what you are feeding your baby.
Mix with their Favorite Gerber Baby Food
A great way to get more baby cereal into a baby’s diet is to add it in with their favorite baby food! From peas and carrots to apples and peaches, Ellie loves the texture that a little bit of Gerber infant cereal added to her favorites. I love that I am meeting all of my baby’s nutritional needs.
Did you know that just two servings of Gerber infant cereal meet 100% of your baby’s daily iron needs? This sounds like a great way to switch it up and get the baby to eat more!
Add a Little Applesauce
Everybody loves a little applesauce in their diet. Ellie’s love for applesauce has been deep-seated from a very, very early age. I found that another great way to work Gerber infant cereal into her diet was to add a bit of it into her applesauce!
Right now, your little one needs iron to help support healthy brain development! Adding it into their everyday first foods helps not only to satisfy baby’s nutritional needs but to do so while diversifying their diet.
Whip it up with a Bit of Yogurt
Introducing yogurt to Ellie has been so much easier with Gerber infant cereal. Yogurts formulated for babies are often runny. Ellie moved quickly past the need for her yogurt to be such a liquid consistency. I didn’t feel her system was ready for a full-fledged yogurt.
Gerber made me feel confident as a mother as I added a small amount of Gerber infant cereal to her yogurt, making it easier for her to eat.
Get Creative and Start Baking
Call me crazy, but Ellie is always itching to try new foods on a regular basis. While I am excited for this new stage, I am also concerned I could be missing essential nutrients in her diet. Therefore, I find myself easily substituting Gerber infant cereal for oatmeal in different recipes. Ellie gets to try new foods, and I ensure I am still meeting my baby’s nutritional needs.
The family favorite currently, is this Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Quickbread. In place of the rolled oats in the recipe, I simply substituted 3/4 cup of Gerber infant cereal and BAM. A recipe that was new and healthy for my baby! Plus, I totally fed it to the rest of the family and they LOVED it!
Want to know more about how to meet your baby’s nutritional needs?
Find out how Gerber infant cereal can help you to meet your baby’s nutritional needs by clicking here. Ready to go out and pick some up for your baby? Simply head to your local Walmart for the best selection! While there, download the Ibotta app and use the Gerber infant cereal deal to save a few extra dollars!
New to Ibotta? Find out how I used the app to shop Disney World for FREE by clicking here!
