Nestle Cerelac Honey & Wheat (Miel & Ble) Infant Cereal 12+ Months – 400gm, Switzerland

Product Overview

Cerelac Miel & Ble — honey and wheat — is a Swiss Cerelac variety in a 400gm pack, labelled from 12 months. It is a wheat cereal sweetened with honey, prepared like any Cerelac: mixed with milk or cooled boiled water into a smooth porridge.

The Swiss packs read in French and German, so the ingredient list and preparation instructions on the box will not be in English.

Why This One Starts at 12 Months

This variety contains honey. Honey must not be given to a child under one year old — it can carry the spores that cause infant botulism, a rare but serious illness. A baby’s gut is not mature enough to handle them until around twelve months.

That is the whole reason for the age on the pack. It is not a suggestion, and it does not depend on how big or how advanced your baby is. Under 12 months, choose one of the honey-free varieties instead.

Before You Start Solids

Breast milk is the best food for a baby, and for the first six months it is the only food a baby needs. WHO and Bangladesh’s national infant-feeding guidance both recommend exclusive breastfeeding for six months, then breastfeeding alongside solid food up to two years and beyond.

Complementary food is an addition to milk at around six months, not a replacement for it. Starting solids does not mean stopping breastfeeding.

If your baby is under six months, or was born early, or is not gaining weight as expected, talk to a doctor or a health worker before starting any solid food. They can look at your baby; a packet cannot.

This Is Not a Milk Replacement

An infant cereal is a complementary food. It is fed in addition to breast milk or formula, in small amounts, once or twice a day to begin with. Milk stays the main source of nutrition for the whole of the first year.

Filling a baby up on cereal so they take less milk is a common and serious mistake. If your baby is drinking noticeably less milk after starting solids, cut the solids back and speak to a health worker.

Key Features

• 400gm pack, imported from Switzerland
• For 12 months and above only — contains honey
• Wheat cereal with honey (Miel & Ble)
• Fortified infant cereal from the Cerelac range
• Pack printed in French and German

How to Prepare It Safely

1. Wash your hands. Wash the bowl and spoon in clean water and let them dry, or sterilise them for a young baby.
2. Boil drinking water and let it cool to about lukewarm before mixing. Water straight off the boil destroys some of the added vitamins and, more importantly, scalds.
3. Measure the powder and the water as the pack instructs. More powder does not make it more nourishing; it makes it too thick for a small baby to swallow comfortably.
4. Stir until smooth, with no dry lumps.
5. Test the temperature on the inside of your wrist before it goes anywhere near your baby. It should feel barely warm, not hot.
6. Feed with a spoon. Feed it fresh — within about two hours of mixing.
7. Throw away whatever is left in the bowl. Saliva from the spoon gets into the food, and reheating it does not make it safe again.

An Honest Word on Sugar

Fruit-flavoured and “yogurt” infant cereals usually taste sweeter than plain ones, and some carry added sugar as well as the sugar that comes with the fruit or milk. Babies do not need added sugar, and a strong preference for sweet food is learned early.

Plain rice, wheat or oat varieties are the better everyday choice. Keep the sweeter ones for variety rather than for every meal, and read the ingredient list on the pack — it tells you more than the picture on the front does.

About Imported Packs

This is an imported product. The pack is printed for the market it was made for, so the instructions, the ingredient list and the age guidance may be in another language and may use different measures.

Check the expiry date on the pack when it arrives and follow the pack’s own preparation instructions rather than anything written here — the pack is the authority on its own contents. If anything on it is unclear, message us before you use it.

Frequently Asked Questions

My baby is 10 months and eats everything. Can I start?

No. The honey rule is about a baby’s gut maturity, not about size or appetite, and infant botulism is serious. Wait until twelve months, or pick one of the honey-free Cerelac varieties in this category.

Is cooked honey safe for a younger baby?

No. Normal cooking temperatures do not destroy the spores. The twelve-month rule applies to honey in any form, including baked and cooked into products.

Why is the pack not in English?

It is a Swiss retail pack, printed for that market. Message us if you need help reading the preparation instructions and we will translate them for you.

My baby is younger than the age on the pack. Can I still start?

Please don’t, and please ask a doctor first. The age on the pack is about how ready a baby’s gut and swallowing are, not about size or appetite. Solids before six months are recommended only where a health worker has advised it for that particular baby.

How should I store it after opening?

Tightly closed, somewhere cool and dry, and used within the two to four weeks the pack states. Always use a dry spoon. Do not put the dry powder in the fridge.