Millet pear porridge

Name: Millet pear porridge
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 1 adult and 1 baby
Ingredients: 50 g (¼ cup) millet; 300 ml (1¼ cups) water; 1 small ripe pear; 1–2 tbsp breast milk or formula

Creamy millet simmered with chopped pear until both are very soft, so the pear sweetens it with no added sugar. Smooth for first tastes, lumpier as your baby grows.

From: 6 months
Time: 35 min
Makes: 1 adult and 1 baby

No top allergensOptional extra contains milk

Ingredients

50 g (¼ cup)milletplain hulled millet grains
300 ml (1¼ cups)waterplus a splash more if it thickens. From 12 months, you can use whole cow's milk for some of it. Offer it only once dairy has been introduced on its own
1 smallripe pear
1–2 tbspbreast milk or formulaoptional, to loosen your baby's portion just before serving

Steps

1Wash your hands. Rinse the millet in a fine sieve under cold running water.
2Put the millet and water in a small pan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring now and then. Don't add salt, sugar, honey or syrup.
3While it simmers, rinse the pear under running water, gently rubbing the skin. Peel it, cut it into quarters, cut out the core and all the seeds, and chop it into small pieces.
4Stir the pear into the millet and simmer for another 10 to 15 minutes, stirring often and adding a splash of water if it gets too thick, until the millet is very soft and breaking down and the pear squashes easily.
5Take your baby's portion out. At 6 months, blend or mash it until smooth and creamy, with no firm grains or firm bits of pear. From 9 months, you can mash it lightly instead, leaving soft lumps of pear no bigger than about 1 cm (just under ½ inch) that squash flat. If it's too thick, loosen it with breast milk or formula just before serving. Keep any porridge you're saving plain, without breast milk or formula.
6Let it cool, stir well to get rid of hot spots, and check the temperature before serving. Rub a little between your thumb and finger: it should feel soft and creamy, with no firm grains or firm bits of pear.

How to serve it by age

6 months+

Serve smooth and thick on a pre-loaded spoon your baby can hold, or let them scoop it with their fingers.

9 months+

Serve it thicker and lightly mashed, with soft lumps of pear no bigger than about 1 cm (just under ½ inch). Each lump should squash easily between your thumb and finger.

12 months+

Share the family pot, cooked with water or some whole milk (once dairy has been introduced on its own). Keep the pear cooked soft and in pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch), and keep the porridge moist rather than dry and fluffy.

If your baby reacts

The optional extras contain milk. Introduce one new allergen at a time, mixed into a food your baby already eats, before serving it in a dish with other new foods. Contact your pediatrician, GP or health visitor if you notice mild signs after eating, such as a few hives or a little vomiting. See signs of a reaction.

Call 911999your local emergency number (such as 112 in Europe or 000 in Australia) now if your baby has trouble breathing, wheezing, can't cough or cry, has lips, mouth, tongue or throat that suddenly swell, or becomes pale, bluish, floppy or unresponsive. Also call if hives come with repeated vomiting.

Leftovers and the rest of the family

Storing it

Cool any leftovers from the pot within 1 hour, then keep them in a covered container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, or freeze small portions and use them within 3 months. Thaw them in the fridge and use them within 24 hours of thawing. Reheat only once, until steaming hot, 165°F (74°C), stir well and add a splash of water if it has thickened, then let it cool before serving. Throw away anything left in your baby's bowl. Don't leave porridge at room temperature for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour if it's hotter than 90°F (32°C).

For the grown-ups

Double the millet, pear and water for a family pot and take the baby's portion out first. Adults and children aged 4 and over can stir chopped nuts into their own bowls: the CDC lists whole or chopped nuts as a choking hazard for young children. Honey waits until after age 4, because the NHS says children aged 4 and under should avoid sugar, including honey.