Barley water for babies is an ideal weaning food. Barley water is easily digestible by tiny tummies. Loaded with nutrients and less prone to allergies, barley is a wise choice for babies.
Like Rice water gruel(Arisi Vadikanji), this barley water gruel is also recommended for fever, diarrhea and additionally for constipation too. This acts as an instant energy booster in sick babies. Not only in sickness, feeding barley water once in a week is recommended for 6+ months babies. Start barley water after introducing normal rice porridges. If you have wheat allergies running in your family, your baby might be allergic to barley as well.
I have used pearl barley as it is easily available & is easily digestible . If you are using pot barley or hulled barley, you might need additional water and cooking time. Hulled & pot barley are nutritious than pearl barley as the latter is devoid of the outer bran layers. Without comparison, Pearl barley is nutritious too. I personally, don’t recommend hulled barley for babies as it is hard to digest.
Click here for other baby purees and here for baby porridges.
barley water recipe – Stepwise pics follow the below printable description:
- Barley - 1 tbsp
- Water - 1 cup
- Wash and soak(overnight) 1 tbsp barley rice. Soaking increases the bio-availability, so do not skip it. Drain out the soaked water and wash again.
- Transfer barley to pressure cooker and add a cup of water.
- Pressure cook for 4 whistles in high flame and 20 mins in low-medium flame. Let the pressure release naturally. Take a grain & press with your fingers to check if its cooked right. It should be soft and mash well between fingers.. Just the inner dark brown line might be nutty, but the outer whites should be softly cooked.
- Once cooled down, grind barley(along with cooked water) in mixie to a smooth paste.
- Filter using strainer. Stir with a spoon for faster filtering. Smooth and light barley kanji/gruel is ready.
- Do not add any sweetener. Neither sweet nor salt is recommended for babies below 1 year of age.
- Warning! Mother’s milk is sufficient for babies till 6 months. Think twice and discuss with your Pediatrician before starting other food!
2.After giving this strained barley water for 1 month, gradually give it without filtering & just mixing with any fruit puree.
Preparation – How to make barley water?
1.Wash and soak(overnight) 1 tbsp barley rice. Soaking increases the bio-availability, so do not skip it. Drain out the soaked water and wash again.
2. Transfer barley to pressure cooker and add a cup of water. 
3.Pressure cook for 4 whistles in high flame and 20 mins in low-medium flame. Let the pressure release naturally. Take a grain & press with your fingers to check if its cooked right. It should be soft and mash well between fingers.. Just the inner dark brown line might be nutty, but the outer whites should be softly cooked.
4.Once cooled down, grind barley(along with cooked water) in mixie to a smooth paste.
5.Filter(Pls read notes section) using strainer. Stir with a spoon for faster filtering. Smooth and light barley kanji/gruel is ready.
Add a drop of melted ghee & feed immediately…
Tips/Tricks in making barley water:
- Do not add any sweetener. Neither sweet nor salt is recommended for babies below 1 year of age. Click here to know why ?
- After giving this strained barley water for 1 or 2 times, gradually give it without filtering & just mixing with any fruit or cooked vegetable puree to make it a complete meal.
- If using pot barley, double the water and the cooking time.
Nutritional Benefits in barley water
Barley – Dietary Fiber, Protein, Iron, Magnesium, Calcium, Potassium, Vitamin-B6
Leave a Reply