Young children who are growing and developing not only need protein, carbohydrates and fat, but they also need nutrition in the form of vitamins and minerals. Since young children do not have the energy to eat as much as an adult, it is important that the food they eat is nutritious. Vitamins and minerals are found in many types of food such as fish, meat, eggs, pancakes, fruit and vegetables, but also in fortified products such as baby porridge and gruel.
Which nutrients are especially important for young children?
From the age of 6 months, it is time to start supplementing breastfeeding or formula with regular food. Children who eat their fill of varied, nutritious food along with vitamin D drops often get enough nutrition. However, it may be a good idea to think a little extra about certain nutrients.
Iron is one such nutrient that is especially important for young children. Iron is found in every cell in the body and is important for brain growth and development. A growing young child needs almost as much iron as an adult. Because young children cannot eat as much at a time, it can be more difficult for them to get enough iron. Therefore, children need to eat both iron-rich foods and foods that are fortified with iron to meet their nutritional needs.
Where is iron found?
Iron is found primarily in foods such as meat, black pudding, eggs, but also in fish. Plant-based foods such as dark green vegetables, beans, lentils, tofu, dried apricots and seeds also contain iron. Iron is also found in fortified baby products such as porridge and gruel.
What does it mean that Unna's porridge is enriched?
Enriched food means that vitamins and minerals have been added to improve the nutritional value. In Sweden, baby porridge or baby porridge is usually enriched with iron, vitamin D and other important vitamins and minerals. Unna's both varieties of porridge and porridge are of course rich in iron and vitamin D, but also calcium, zinc, iodine and other vitamins and minerals that the child needs. Since fat intake is important for growing children, Unna's porridge & porridge is also enriched with a careful composition of saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat (from sunflower, coconut and rapeseed), to meet young children's needs for fatty acids. The ingredients in Unna's porridge & porridge are both organic and of high baby food quality, to give your child the very best.
It may be good to know that most porridge mixes on the market are not fortified. And even if some are labeled as fortified, they do not contain the same amount of nutrition as fortified powdered porridge and gruel for children.
When is it a good idea to choose enriched porridge or gruel?
It can be difficult for young children to reach the recommended iron intake without eating iron-fortified products. Offering fortified porridge can therefore be a good complement to regular food to ensure that the child's iron needs and other nutrient needs are met.
For young children under one year old, who are still learning to eat, it is especially important to give fortified powdered porridge, as it contains more nutrients than homemade porridge. To practice different flavors and textures, store-bought baby porridge can be varied with homemade porridge, or with different toppings to add more texture. If you make homemade porridge for your little one, it is a good idea to enrich it with, for example, whole wheat bread to increase the iron content.
Although porridge and/or gruel can quickly become favorites at home, it is recommended that the number of meals of porridge or gruel should not exceed three per day. This is because the child also needs to practice eating different types of food, encountering different flavors and chewing food with firmer consistencies.
How to use Unna's gruel & porridge
Unna's porridge & gruel is a unique 2-in-1 product that can be prepared as both porridge and gruel. It is natural and unsweetened and is available in both varieties for children from 6 months and from 12 months. Both porridge and gruel can be offered from 6 months, depending on what the child likes.
If your baby has been exclusively breastfed before and you don't want to introduce formula in a bottle, you can instead try offering porridge or serving formula in a cup. Even children who have been bottle-fed before can benefit from being offered formula in a cup or being allowed to practice eating porridge with a spoon, as it develops oral motor skills in a different way and gives the baby the opportunity to practice drinking from a cup. Experiment to find out what suits you and your baby best.
Sources:
Swedish Food Administration. (February 20, 2025). Children 1 to 2 years old.
https://www.livsmedelsverket.se/matvanor-halsa--miljo/kostrad/barn-och-ungdomar/barn-1-2-ar
Swedish National Food Administration. (February 20, 2025). Infants
https://www.livsmedelsverket.se/matvanor-halsa--miljo/kostrad/barn-och-ungdomar/spadbarn
National Handbook for Child Health Care. (February 20, 2025). Food introduction.
https://www.rikshandboken-bhv.se/amning-och-nutrition/mat-och-dryck---oversikt/matintroduktion
