Lets talk about weetbix.

[LimeSlice]

That is really interesting - thanks for posting that

I never knew it was suggested not to give them weetbix under 12 months. While Charlotte eats porridge most days, she does eat weetbix often and has done since 7 months old.
We have no food allergies int eh family though so it was never a concern from that aspect.

Isn't the wheat allergy thing why *they* recommend giving babies rice cereal as opposed to wheat based cereals as first foods?

[Junglemum]

Yeah Limey that is why rice cereal can be a great first food. Although i find that due to the iron fortification it causes more constipation problems than anything else, so we went straight to fruit and vegies. There are lots of recipes to make your own so i guess that's an option.

I am still a bit confused as to the optimal time to introduce wheat though. i guess while the experts are confused i have no chance. :

[Rouge]

Awesomely put. I think too if people knew the amount of sodium in regular foods, non processed wholefoods, they might be shocked. Like did you know celery contains the same amount as weet-bix in one stalk?

[maz]

Ah you clever chicky babe
Now you know what N looks like...he has no ezcemer, no allergies.....he's been eatting weetbix since he was 8 weeks old. My doctor told me to introduce him to solids at 6 weeks due to his reflux...he told me weetbix would help keep 'it down' and would be no different in salt content to other foods he would be eating.

It hasnt hurt my boy now has it

[*charmalea*]

rouge - so even though celery has the same amout as weetbix .... i would consider the celery to be a better option , as its whole and pure .. straight from the ground and not a box ... wdyt ??

we did BLS at around 8 mths wheat was introduced . i BF for 14.5 mths and my lil one is gluten intolerant , her dietician said , if your cealiac , your cealiac ...introducing wheat would make the symptoms appear eariler , you cant change it , BF helps alot only if the mother changes her diet ... but then the mum misses out on a huge load of fibre and other minerals .

i also think that weetbix are ok if thier diet is balanced . and they have been around for ever and ever and i bet they are a top seller .

thanks for posting though , there is not enough info about the food on the shelves at the supermarkets .

[Junglemum]

Like did you know celery contains the same amount as weet-bix in one stalk?

I had no idea!

[*EJ*]

Very interesting and WOW on all your research Falguni!!

DS1 has had wheatbix from an early age (not sure exactly when) started on rice cereal and then progressed to wheatbix once he was needing a little more at breakfast time.

I must say i have never looked into wheatbix so throughly but in my ignorance (maybe/maybe not) believed i was giving him a healthy nutritious breakfast compared to other choices i could have made. On top of the wheatbix he also has puffed rice, LSA mix & apple/pear puree that i make each week. Scarey thought but would this be considered a high salt content breakfast? Once again considereing it's fruit picked from a tree?

The mention of eczema is an interesting one, DS1 does have patches on his arms & legs of 'dry skin' that i apply a perscribed cream to. I use soap free products but these will still flare up now and again. I wonder if it has anything to do with wheat??

To this day he has wheatbix every morning and he loves it. I have breifly researched the contents in food we eat and i try really hard to make the right decisions. I'd definately be interested to hear what others think and have found out from research and expereince.

Great thread Falguni

[Indadhanu]

Thats a great post. I also tried to find the "not under 12 months" recommendation, on the box and on the website, but never did (I suspect its an urban legend, like the 'illegal to put poopy nappies in the bin' legend too ).

I never really understood the delaying wheat thing... actually, I still don't... since commercial teething rusks are made from wheat? And all recipes I found for home-made teething rusks were just breadsticks. Feeding a baby is so confusing...!

Also, did you know cornflakes is JAMPACKED full of sodium? Over 200mg in one 30g serve. Crazy!

[Roryrory]

Good work on the research!!

I researched introduction of wheat when Flynn was little and found a US study that showed the "late" introduction of wheat (ie: late was considered to be after 7 months!) was as much an indicator of developing coeliacs disease as "early" introduction (ie: before 5 months). But the sample was children who already had one other close family member (parent/sibling) with CD, so how this applicable this is to other kids I don't know. But in light of that study I introduced Flynn to solids at 5 months with a view to introducing wheat at spot on six months (not that I had CD, I just have a sensitivity as does DH).

So it is a hard thing to work out!!!