Nestle Cerelac Mixed Fruits & Wheat with Milk Infant Cereal 7-36 Months – 1kg

Product Overview

Cerelac Infant Cereal, Mixed Fruits & Wheat with Milk, in the large 1kg pack. It is formulated for babies from 7 months through to 36 months, which makes it the practical choice for a household feeding it daily — the smaller 400g packs go quickly.

The blend is cereal, milk and mixed fruit, fortified with iron, calcium, vitamins and minerals. The texture is smooth and easy to prepare, and it is gentle enough for a baby still settling into solid food.

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.

Why Fortified Cereal Is Recommended

From about six months a baby’s own iron stores start to run low, and breast milk alone no longer covers what they need. That is the main reason infant cereals are fortified with iron, usually alongside zinc and a set of vitamins.

Fortification is useful. It is not magic, and it is not a treatment — if you think your child is anaemic, that is a question for a doctor, not for a cereal packet.

Key Features

• 1kg pack — the large family size
• For 7 to 36 months
• Cereal with milk and mixed fruits
• Fortified with iron, calcium, vitamins and minerals
• Smooth texture, easy to prepare
• Contains dairy and wheat

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.

A Note on the Large Pack

A 1kg pack is better value, but it is open for longer, and an opened infant cereal is meant to be finished within the two to four weeks the pack states — not kept to the printed expiry date. Buy the 1kg if your child eats it most days. If it is an occasional food, the 400g pack will be fresher when it is finished.

Storage

• Store the pack somewhere cool and dry, out of direct sunlight. Do not refrigerate the dry powder — moisture ruins it.
• Close it tightly after every use, or move it into a clean airtight container.
• Use a dry spoon every time. One damp spoon turns the whole tin lumpy.
• Once opened, most infant cereals are meant to be finished within two to four weeks — check the pack, and do not keep an opened pack to the printed expiry date.
• If the powder smells off, looks discoloured or has hardened, throw it away.

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a three-year-old still eat it?

Yes, the range runs to 36 months. By that age it is a breakfast rather than a weaning food, and a three-year-old should be eating family food for most meals.

Does it contain milk?

Yes — this variety has milk in the blend. Check the pack if there is any dairy concern in your family.

What should I mix it with?

Cooled boiled water, or expressed breast milk or made-up formula if the pack allows it. Mix it to the consistency the pack describes and never make it thicker to “fill the baby up”.

Can I keep what my baby did not finish?

No. Throw away anything left in the bowl. Once a spoon that has been in your baby’s mouth goes back into the food, it should not be kept or reheated.

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.