Sugar-free, salt-free organic alternative to Cheerios?

I'd like to offer my nearly 8-month old something like Cheerios but

Chris...

don't want the real thing because of the sugar and salt content, low as
it may be.

PattyMomVA...

Oatios are an organic alternative that also have the benefit of being
wheat-free (unlike Cheerios). I have no idea how well they dissolve, but at
least there's a hole!

-Patty, mom of 1+2

I understand Cheerios are well suited to a baby who's just starting on
finger foods because they quickly dissolve in the mouth so the risk of

Chris...

ve,

choking is minimised. Alternatives aren't quite as quick to dissolve,
apparently.

toypup...

Don't know if it fits your criteria, but my kids liked Kix.

Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward...

Kix also seems to contain sugar and salt...

Any recommendations?

mymoped...

Cut out some cardboard circles and pour some water over them...YUM.

Rebecca Jo...

Alexander likes puffed rice cereal. It has no salt or sugar. Also there are
things like Gerber's Organic Freeze Dried fruits. It does have sugar since
it's fruit. They dissolve pretty easily.

xkatx...

Plain, simple puffed wheat?

Ingredients on the bag I have right here: 100% WHOLE WHEAT
50 calories
0% fat (that says the same for saturated + trans)
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium = 5mg
11g carbs
1g fibre
0g sugar
2g protein
(all this is for 1c/15g of this stuff)

Chris...

EAL

Chris...

eem to

DD started out with this stuff as finger food cereals... It dissolves REAL
fast, and my ped said that it was alright as a starter. It doesn't seem to
have much to it, so I dunno... DD took to it just fine and is actually

Chris...

till they reach age 1? =A0I'm completely

eating some right now off the 'puter desk lol

Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward...

But isn't wheat off limits till they reach age 1? I'm completely
confused...

PattyMomVA...

Yes, if you're avoiding potential allergens.

Cheerios contain wheat, which is why I suggested Oatios.

(Can you see my posts?)

-Patty, mom of 1+2

Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward...

Hi Patty,

Yes, I did see your post and was going to look into it. I asked about
wheat because a couple of suggestions included wheat-containing
products or recipes, so I wondered why it was okay for their babies.
Do only families where there are lots of allergies watch out for this
stuff, and everyone else just does what feels right?

Ericka Kammerer...

It's a judgment call. If you don't have any
family history of atopic disease, you can likely play
fast and loose with no trouble. Sometimes you can
tell pretty early if a baby seems more prone to problems
(eczema? other food sensitivies?). Wheat is among the
more likely allergens, but it's not something most
babies are going to be sensitive to. Many commercial
infant foods have ingredients that are potential allergens,
and lots of people don't follow the strict rules.
You might check the ingredients list for the
formula she's been having. Does it have any wheat
products in it? If so, she's already being exposed,
and presumably isn't having any reaction, so I wouldn't
worry too much about a little wheat in the Cheerios or
other products.

Best wishes,
Ericka

xkatx...

I'm not sure?
I was told that wheat is kinda like dairy - sometimes iffy. I could very
well be wrong, but I thought it had something to do with allergies or
something. My ped had said that with the puff wheat, if DD was just fine
with similar foods - like rice and oat (cereals or foods) trying small
amounts of wheat is alright around 9ish months. I think DD was around that
age when I first tried the puff wheat. She also had toast (whole wheat
toast) around the same age with no reaction. I *think* it's the gluten in
that kinda stuff - which barley has in it as well, IIRC, and I know for a
fact that DD had barley baby cereal long before the puff wheat. Again, she
had no reaction at all.
I did look up a page or two about this when the health nurse went bananas on
me over giving her puff wheat. That's when I then also called my ped. He
told me that puff wheat at her age is alright to introduce and that the
health nurses tend to go nutso over a lot of things - at her 1y shots, I had
said her diet consists of basically everything we eat - by her first
birthday, she had already been eating cow's milk in foods (like soups made
with milk or milk in mashed potatos), small amounts of peanut butter (like
finely spread on toast for breakfast), and I believe it was yesterday
afternoon that her dad gave her a tiny, tiny piece of almond to eat - so
small it was not a choking hazard, and she doesn't seem to have a problem
with any of that, yet health nurses scream out. The only thing I've avoided
is honey, which I will wait for (and the ped has said to wait on)
I'll see, later, if I can find that one page I had used as a reference once
I have a bit more time!

toto...

Baby Pancakes - great finger food!

1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup baby barley cereal (or other baby cereal)
1 cup formula (or another liquid such as milk)
1/2 cup mashed banana (or fruit of your choice)
1 tbsp melted margarine or butter (unsalted type)
3 EGG YOLKS

1/2 cup baby oatmeal
apple juice (about 1/2 cup) Use water if you prefer
Add cinnamon, nutmeg, dash of vanilla or other flavourings if you
wish!

Mix all ingredients together and add enough juice to make pancake
consistency. Cook on cook top in frying pan as with "regular"
pancakes! **Freezes Well**

This presupposes that your child can have eggs though, so check with
your pediatrician about that.