Biscuits for Babies ?
I had told you that for my delivery I had gone to Kerala. Like any other mom to be I loved to go for my checkups
There was a mom and dad with their 1.5 year old daughter. I suspect the lady was pregnant for the second time and she seemed tired and weak. The poor dad was dragged by the toddler in all the ways she could, while the mom sat in the chair as if she could faint anytime . The toddler came to mom and demanded for ‘bilibilis’.
Bilibils ? Whats that , we wondered. There the mom took out a packet of biscuits and gave it. The daughter felt happy and started munching biscuits one by one. Soon she came back with a few biscuits left. We went in for my checkup, blood tests and went to the hospital canteen for lunch. There the couple and toddler had come. We sat next to their table and ordered our food.
The toddler was so fussy that she even refused to drink water. All she wanted was to play like any other child her age. The time was 2.30 PM. We heard the mom shouting ‘ Please have something .. I am fed up.. ‘. Amma turned and told ‘ She doesn’t need lunch it seems, let her come to you when she is hungry’. The mom told Amma ‘ Aunty I am so tired of this gal. All she need is biscuits and nothing else. I am too tired to run after her . So at home also my resort is biscuits as she eats it without any fuss and I am happy that she is healthy and full even if she skips breakfast or lunch’.
I was like ‘ WTF ! Biscuits and remaning healthy ? Who said biscuits are good for babies and toddlers, how can a baby eat food if she is loaded with biscuits which fills her all the time ‘. I remember these thoughts boiling in me for a long time. Recently when a reader of Bumps n Baby asked me if she could give biscuits dipped in milk to her baby on a daily basis , I had discouraged her. So I thought of sharing these with you – 8 reasons why I discourage biscuits for babies.
I am not fond of biscuits and you will never see me with a biscuit packet anytime . So I never buy or store biscuits of any sort at home. It helps me a lot in my ‘clean eating’ schedule. So you won’t find biscuits in any of my food charts for babies either.
8 REASONS WHY I DISCOURAGE GIVING BISCUITS FOR BABIES
1. EMPTY CALORIES
Seen the advertisements where in the brands claim for the low fat biscuits ensuring the flattest of tummy you have ever seen in your lifetime ? Please don’t fall into this trap. Biscuits do not contain anything nutritious for adults , so how can it ensure anything good for babies ? In short biscuits are considered like ‘empty calorie’ foods much like colas and soft drinks
2. MAIDA
Wheat, soya , multigrain , mixed cereal heard of all the combination of biscuits available isnt ? No matter the no: of ingredients added , the main ingredient comes to one – MAIDA ! Maida known as white flour or all purpose flour is the waste product of wheat where in it is refined to an extend it is polished off all the nutrients and goodness.
Maida takes a longer time to digest giving a lot of work to our intestines, so imagine the tiny intestines which has to put in a lot of work to digest the unwanted maida !
3. PRESERVATIVES & ADDITIVES
All processed foods have preservatives and additives in it. So do biscuits . Usually margarine which is similar to butter is added in biscuits to increase the taste and flavor. In addition to it preservatives are added so that the biscuits are not spoiled.
4. HIGH SUGAR CONTENT
You know why we and babies get addicted to biscuits in general? The high sugar content in the biscuits please us and make us crave for more. That’s why we just cant stop at 1 or 2
5. TRANSFAT
You might have heard of low fat , low calorie biscuits .. so can you give them to babies ? Nooo never on a daily basis. All biscuits and processed foods have transfat which helps to retain the shape , taste and texture in them. Even though its written 0 transfat on the biscuit wrapper , it do contain a certain amount of transfat which is not beneficial for us.
6. CONSTIPATION
Do you know biscuits can even cause constipation in babies ? Yes usually the biscuits are free of any nutrition or fibre which causes constipation in babies and adults.
7. ALLERGIES
Usually the biscuits are made of wheat and soy. Both are allergenic , which might cause rashes.
8. FILLERS
You know why you feel full after eating some biscuits. It is loaded with fillers which actually make you full with empty calories and additives. So we don’t feel hungry for long. When biscuits are given to babies and toddlers , it easily fills up the lil tummies and they go fussy about foods demanding for the same biscuits again.
Amma had told about a biscuit threptin which she used to give me when I was a baby. But I am not sure about those now . Please consult your ped before giving any such biscuits. I guess threptin biscuits are heavy for the baby’s tummy and is high in proteins and carbs which is not suited for a baby. Please check with your ped if you are planning to give this.
Use biscuits only in case of emergencies like when you are travelling , when there is no other option etc. Please refrain from giving biscuits to baby on a daily basis. Instead opt for fruits blended with milk , home made biscuits w/o maida or traditional home made snacks made in good oil.
Hope you liked this article. You can subscribe to the newsletter for getting the blog updates in your mail by entering your email id on the top right hand side of this blog
Do you give biscuits to your baby ?