can I mix Cerelac with pap

Can I Mix Cerelac With Pap? (4 Baby Food Options)

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Mixing Cerelac with pap is one of several ways to improve your baby’s nutrition.

Pap is an organic baby food made from natural grains like guinea corn, millet, corn, and ginger.

When ground together, these ingredients give a strong aroma that is both soothing and uplifting and can make the boring taste of Cerelac less obvious.

So if you have been thinking, “can I mix Cerelac with pap?”, The simple answer is Yes! Read On. 

This blog post has researched the benefits and risks of mixing Cerelac with pap and other things you need to know about combining baby foods.

Table of Contents

What is Pap?

Pap is a smooth paste blending three grains; corn, millet, guinea corn, and other optional spices.

Depending on the ingredients used, it can have a brownish, yellowish, or whitish appearance. 

It is rich in Carbohydrates, protein, minerals, and vitamins, which all support babies’ growth.

In many African homes, pap is a primary food introduced to babies during weaning. It can be combined with other baby foods like Cerelac or can be given as a stand-alone meal.

Ingredients

● Guinea corn

● Millet

● White or Yellow corn

● Optional spices like ginger, cloves, cinnamon sticks

● Blended crayfish or dry fish

● Water

Benefits of Pap

A major source of Carbohydrates

Pap has a higher level of carbohydrates than many baby foods. Its primary ingredient, corn, is a major source of carbohydrates that can contribute to a baby’s carb intake and increase their energy.

A Source of Protein

The millet and guinea corn in pap also supply protein, minerals, and vitamins.

Includes Antioxidants

The added cloves, cinnamon sticks, and ginger have antioxidants to support immune health.

How to Make Pap

The outcome of your pap largely depends on how you make it. Even though it is easy, only a few people get it right, with some smelling like rotten food or refusing to be thick.

Here are some simple but accurate ways of making pap:

  • Sieve out any stones or debris in all your grains separately. Due to farming methods, some grains come with sand, stones, or foreign particles that can make the pap dirty and unhealthy.
  • After selecting the stones from the grains, wash and drain the grains separately until the water you’re draining is clear.
  • Mix the grains in a large bowl and add water. Let the water level be above the grains and ferment for 2-3 days.
  • After 3 days, drain the water from the fermented grains and rinse them until the stale smell is out.
  • In a separate bowl, wash all the spices and roots you would like to add; cloves, ginger, and cinnamon sticks, and add them to the mixture of grains.
  • Add water and blend the mixture until it becomes a paste
  • Prepare a separate bowl and mesh cloth to sieve the paste. Wash and rinse both the bowl and the mesh cloth.
  • Use a smaller bowl to scoop the paste into the mesh cloth and sieve out the water.
  • When you’re done sieving the pap, let it settle for 30 minutes, drain the water, and turn it into a sealed container.
  • Refrigerate the pap for longer use.

How to Prepare Pap

Many people need as much help preparing pap as they would with a maths test. 

To them, making pap seems like rocket science. They just don’t get it, no matter how they try. Pap can be a tricky food to prepare. Unlike other baby foods, you can make it even with closed eyes. 

With pap, you could make the lumpiest foods even with both eyes opened, especially because it doesn’t have instructions on preparing it.

However, with these simple steps, you can make a very smooth pap within minutes:

  • Heat a kettle of drinking water
  • While the water is yet to boil, scoop a few spoons of pap into a bowl, and add two tablespoons of clean water at room temperature.
  • Mix until the lumps are smoothened out. Be sure that the pap is not too thick but not watery. This is where many people lose it. Once the cold pap is watery, your pap can either turn out undone or too watery.
  • Once the water is boiled, add it in small quantities continuously to the pap while turning it simultaneously.
  • Keep adding the hot water and turning the pap until it thickens.
  • Let it cool for 30 minutes, and add milk, blended crayfish, or flavor to taste.

Can I Mix Cerelac With Pap?

There are many ways to improve your baby’s nutrition, and one such way is to add organic foods to their meals.

If you use Cerelac for your baby, you’d agree that the sweet milky taste wouldn’t always do the trick. 

You have to find better ways to make them eat it. Adding pap to Cerelac gives it a different flavor that your baby will find difficult to resist.

Some baby foods become boring over time and considering there are not many food options for these little ones, you can’t blame them.

Moving from breast milk to pap and back doesn’t sound so fun. The worst still is when they’re on exclusive cereal feeding.

There’s also the problem of malnourishment because as they grow, their bodies require more nutrients, which pap alone cannot offer.

Both pap and Cerelac are complementary options to provide the adequate nutrition your baby needs without becoming boring. This combination is a good option during weaning.

Risks of Mixing Cerelac With Pap

Both foods are healthy and enjoyed by babies because of the smooth feel of pap on the tongue. 

Babies prefer it to cereal that requires chewing or may not mix smoothly during preparation.

However, there may be better food for babies, especially if consumed as a stand-alone meal. 

Here are some risks associated with mixing pap and Cerelac:

  • Pap is made majorly from corn and sometimes soybeans which is an allergen and can trigger allergic reactions. 
  • It is a high level of carbohydrates, and since Cerelac also contains carbohydrates, it increases the chances of malnourishment in children.
  • If not ground at home, the pap can mix with other rotten food particles stuck in the grinder and may lead to food poisoning.
  • The method of preparation is not healthy for babies. During the fermentation period, the grains decompose and may carry disease-causing bacteria.

Alternative Baby Food Options

You can add other alternatives to Cerelac to make weaning more fun and increase your baby’s nutritional intake.

You can add these to either pap or Cerelac, and they’d work just fine, and because of how low the nutrients in pap are, you should consider exploring these options, especially when your baby enjoys pap more.

Blended Carrots

Blend simmered carrots with milk and add it to Cerelac. Carrot is an excellent source of vitamin A that can work for the eyes and skin.

Avocado Pear

Mash ripe avocados into a paste and mix it with Cerelac. Avocados are calorie-dense fruits and a good source of vitamin E for the skin.

Hard-boiled Eggs

Mash hard-boiled eggs with milk and add them to your baby’s meal.

Crayfish Powder

A blend of crayfish will increase the protein content of your baby’s meal and encourage him to eat more because of its tasty aroma.

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Conclusion

Adding pap to Cerelac may seem foreign to some parents, but it is a normal practice and should be encouraged. 

Because even though some kids prefer pap to other cereals, it doesn’t contain all the nutrients babies need in their early stages of growth. 

So if you have been asking, can I mix Cerelac with pap? Feel free to try it alongside other recommendations to increase their nutritional intake.

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