Rice as a first food for babies

Who doesn’t love rice?

But honestly, it can be a bit tricky for babies to handle when they’re just starting out. Those tiny grains are a challenging texture for little fingers to pick up and hold, and for little mouths to manage, but in time they will get it. As the pincer grasp develops closer to 9 months of age or so you’ll find your baby much more able to manage whole rice! Try mixing with a sauce or making patties or arancini balls for younger babies!

When you’re ready to introduce rice to your baby, try these tips:

⚡️Soft, sticky, and slightly over-cooked rice is easier for little hands to grab when self-feeding

⚡️Rice can be mixed with a jazzy sauce like curry or a tomato sauce, or stirred through a veggie puree

⚡️Cooked rice can be shaped into rice balls or patties and roasted/fried, or try arancini balls!!

What type of rice is best?

⚡️Sticky white rice like jasmine or sushi rice may be good to try earlier on when babies are self-feeding

⚡️Basmati is also a good texture for self-feeding as it sticks together when slightly overcooked

⚡️Brown rice is firmer in texture and probably not as easy to manage initially, however it’s more nutritious as it hasn’t had the nutritious bran and germ layers removed! Brown rice contains more fibre, healthy fats, magnesium and B vitamins, it also contains  more iron and zinc than standard white rice