Many parents resort to biscuits for babies as a quick snack option when on the go and even at home. Commercial biscuits are typically prepared with flour (leavened or unleavened), fat, sugar, and salts. They may also contain other ingredients, such as milk, egg, seeds, dried fruits, and nuts. Biscuits are easily available, affordable, and offer a vast selection range. However, while commercial biscuits look appealing, it should be considered whether they are safe or have any hidden ingredients you should check for. Read on to know more about commercial biscuits and whether they are safe for babies, reasons to avoid or limit them, and healthy alternatives to try.
Can Babies Eat Biscuits?
According to the NHS, parents should avoid feeding packaged baby snacks, such as biscuits, to their babies as its not a healthy replacement for fresh food (1) (2). Instead, it is advisable to develop a habit of feeding healthy foods, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, to babies. However, for functional reasons, such as teething, babies older than six months can consume low-sodium, unsweetened teething biscuits (3) (4). Teething biscuits might help reduce teething pain by allowing your baby to chew on to a firm surface (5).
Why Should Babies Avoid Eating Store-Bought Biscuits?
Store-bought, packaged biscuits are considered unhealthy for babies as they usually contain: Although not all store-bought biscuits contain unhealthy ingredients, it may not always be possible to tell if they are inappropriate for the baby’s health. Thus, it is better to avoid commercial, packaged biscuits for babies.
Which Biscuits Are Suitable For Babies?
Unsweetened homemade biscuits consisting of healthy ingredients, such as whole grains, millets, pulses, fruits, nuts, and seeds, without any preservatives, additives, artificial sugars, salt, or baking powder, are suitable for babies. Homemade biscuits should be fed to the baby in moderation. They should not replace healthy foods, such as breast milk or formula milk, cereals, soups, purees, and porridges.
Homemade Biscuit Recipes For Babies And Toddlers
Here are some tasty and healthy homemade biscuit recipes that you can try for your baby.
1. Whole-wheat biscuits
1 cup whole-wheat flour 1tsp baking powder ½ cup ghee (melted) ½ cup jaggery powder ¼ tsp cardamom powder 2tbsp milk 1tbsp dry fruit powder 1tsp cumin seeds
2. Oats biscuit
75g whole-wheat flour 75g rolled oats 75g ghee 50g jaggery powder 2tbsp milk 2tbsp almonds, cashew, and walnuts (finely chopped) 1tsp baking powder
3. Ragi biscuits
4 cups ragi flour 2 cups ghee 1½ cup jaggery powder 2tsp baking soda 2tbsp cardamom powder 2tbsp dry fruit powder 2tbsp sesame seeds (roasted)
