Normally, milky flours represent the first food introduced during weaning; for the baby they are therefore the first gustatory experience outside the mother's milk. Practices - they are prepared instantly with the addition of boiling water - and nutrients, they essentially consist of milk, to which cereals and dehydrated fruit are eventually added.
Among the cereals, the first to be used are rice and corn, as they are gluten-free. They are also enriched with sugars or honey (some pediatricians advise against introducing this food before the twelfth month due to some episodes of infantile botulism related to its consumption; however, it must be said that these were isolated cases and that honey, especially the Italian one. or from EU countries, it can also be considered safe for the child).
Sugar and / or honey are added to the milk flour in order to reproduce the sweet taste of breast milk and thus make it more palatable. If the child refuses it, it is better to avoid adding additional sugar to the product so as not to negatively affect his future eating habits, which could open the doors to obesity and other childhood problems. Furthermore, brutal systems to detach the child from breast (bitter tastes on the nipple, sudden separations from the mother, etc.); instead, it is better to be patient, consult the pediatrician and continue to breastfeed him peacefully while the new baby food is offered.
Vitamins, mineral salts (especially iron and calcium) and vegetable oils rich in essential fatty acids are added to the milk flours. The percentages of each individual nutrient are shown on the label.
On the advice of the pediatrician, the milk flours are gradually introduced starting from the fourth - sixth month.
Milk flour with cereals: it is a product composed of milk and cereal flours (rice, corn), with sugar, vitamins and mineral salts. The flour, which represents the fundamental ingredient, is usually dextrinized (partial hydrolysis of the starch in order to increase its digestibility), and can undergo a biscuit treatment to improve its flavor and accustom the child's palate to new tastes. There are therefore rusks and non-rusks milky flours. Being a semi-solid baby food, to be administered with a spoon, it is indicated in weaning, as a substitute for a milk meal.
Milky flour with cereals and fruit: as above, with the addition of dehydrated fruit.
