As you know, Hailey was diagnosed with hypothyroidism when she was only 6 days old. While every mom worries about the growth and development of their babies, this condition caused me to be even more on alert. I made it my mission in incorporate tools for healthy brain development in our everyday life. This includes breast feeding and iron-fortified Gerber Cereal.

I don't know about you, but when I found out I was pregnant the first time I signed up for the Bump weekly emails. Then with Hailey, I signed myself up again. Just today for Hailey's 25 week update, the Bump linked to an article about the best foods for baby now that she is eating solid foods. The top two items on the list: breast milk and iron-fortified cereals.

The Benefits

Babies are born with a supply of iron, but it gets diminished as time goes on. It is generally depleted by the time they reach 6 months old. Therefore, it is important to provide iron-rich foods for your baby. Babies and children need iron for proper brain development. It supports learning ability and prevents iron-deficiency. Plus there are a ton of other benefits in these cereals. Gerber Cereals are made with calcium to help build healthy bones and teeth. They deliver a nutritional blend of Zinc, Calcium, Vitamin C, Vitamin E and six B Vitamins thanks to Gerber’s VitaBlocks for healthy growth. Another plus is that there are no artificial colors or flavors

The single grain options are perfect for new eaters. At this stage, it is important to try new foods one at a time so that you can assess if your baby has any food allergies.

So here's the best part. You can mix the cereal yourself for your baby by combining it with breast milk or formula. So for me, we mix Gerber Cereal with breast milk which means she's getting the top two foods all at once! Its also great for determining the right consistency that works for your baby as they learn to eat solid foods. You might want to make it more on the thicker side the first few times so they can keep it in their mouth, lol.

Our Experience with Gerber Cereal

In order to get Hailey introduced to some Gerber Cereal, we took a trip to our local Target. They had a wide selection of cereal flavors to choose from. We chose the Gerber Single Grain Cereal Oatmeal, but there are also Gerber Single Grain Cereal Rice, Gerber Single Grain Cereal Whole Wheat, and Gerber Multi Grain Cereal. At check out we used Target Cartwheel to get 10% off our purchase. Yes!

Once we were home, we mixed together some of the oatmeal powder with breast milk that I had expressed previously. I poured in the powder first and then added in the milk until I got just the right consistency. I recommend erring on the thicker side, especially if your baby is teething. They are already generating a ton of saliva, so it's bound to get watered down the second it hits their mouth.

Then it was time to feed Hailey! We got her in her chair, with her bib and a soft plastic spoon. At first she didn't know what to make of it, but after a few spoonfuls, she couldn't get enough. In fact, she looked sad when I showed her the empty bowl. Healthy food and she likes it. Win-win!

So if your baby is ready for solids, head on over to Target and get 10% Gerber Cereals. You will be helping your baby's brain develop and they are sure to love it too!!

As promised, here are a few pictures of our happy and healthy family from Halloween! Direct from Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory, we have Willy Wonka, Veruca Salt, Grandpa Joe, and an Oompa Loompa. Uncle Matt even joined in as Charlie. Have a great weekend!!