Farex Baby Rice Cereal Review
At a certain stage in a baby’s development, typically after four months, mum has to start considering what foods they should be eating once her breastmilk no longer contains the entire nutritional value her child needs to grow up big and strong.
It’s a simple fact of life, but it leads to a big decision on what will be a best first food for baby, although a popular choice for generations has been rice cereal.
Why rice cereal?
The cereal has a plain taste and a smooth, easy-to-swallow porridge-like texture, both necessary qualities in a first food for helping your baby first adjust to the sensation of solid food once breast milk, or formula in some instances, is no longer enough.
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Of course, mum’s breast milk will also be a beneficial part of baby’s early nutrition, and even at this stage where solids are introduced you shouldn’t back off of breast milk feeding entirely.
In fact, mixing breast milk into your baby’s cereal is a great way to help them adjust much easier than they otherwise would.
Now, when it comes to rice cereal, this name could be referring to any number of rice cereal products produced by different competitor brands.
It’s vital that mum takes the necessary precautions to make an informed selection when there are so many different brands to choose from.
A mother always wants what is best for her child, after all – so what rice cereal would be the best?
As a mother of two who has purchased a variety of rice cereals for personal use, it’s impossible to pick just one cereal as the ultimate “best.”
Several reputable baby brands produce high-quality, healthy, and affordable rice baby cereals.
One such baby cereal that is deserving of a recommendation is Heinz Wattie’s Farex Baby Rice Cereal.
Farex Baby Rice Cereal – Quick Overview:
- Iron Enriched – Rich in iron, Farex Baby Cereal contains the necessary amounts of iron to assist in child growth and development.
- Designed For Months 4+ – Created for young tummies, Farex Baby Cereal is suitable for babies as young as four months old.
- Ideal First Food – As a ground rice cereal, Farex Baby Cereal has a bland flavor and texture that makes it ideal for helping baby adjust to solids.
- Simple Preparation – The cereal is easy to prepare, making things easier on mom and saving time.
Farex Rice Cereal – Preparation and Serving
Baby food ingredients should be any mum’s top concern when searching for new foods to feed their precious little bundle of joy.
You’re trusting that their food will help them develop healthily, and what goes into the food is what will be going into your baby.
So, lets take a look at what is in Farex Baby Rice Cereal.
Farex Baby Rice Cereal Contains:
- Ground Rice
- Sunflower Oil
- Antioxidant (Herb Extract)
- Vitamin C
- Mineral (Iron)
- Traces of Milk, Wheat, Soy
What isn’t in food can be just as important as what goes into it.
A lack of componentsremoves common ingredients, such as unnatural food dyes and unhealthy sugars, from your baby’s diet.
Farex Baby Rice Cereal Does NOT Contain:
- Added colours
- Added flavours
- Added salt
- Added sugar
- Preservatives
- Egg, Fish, Peanut, or Sesame allergens
The allergen information, both for which allergens are present and which aren’t, is useful for mums with sensitive babies with food allergies.
As for the rest, the simple list of ingredients shows this is a natural, not overly processed product.
It contains beneficial vitamins and the iron that is present is a crucial element for a developing child.
For preparing the cereal, the steps are fairly straight forward.
First, as usual when handling anything that will come in contact with your baby, mum must wash her hands, the bowl and spoon, and anything else that will be coming into contact with the food.
One tablespoon of the cereal is then added to the bowl, with either 2-3 tablespoons of cooled boiled water or mum’s breastmilk – or your baby’s usualmilk formula – stirred in to create a smooth consistency.
You then add more cereal to thicken the mix and quantity based on how much of an appetite your baby has.
Farex Baby Rice Cereal – Similar Products and Pricing Guide
While Farex Baby Rice Cereal is produced in New Zealand, several large retailers in Australia carry it as well, including Woolworths, Baby Bunting, and Chemist Warehouse, although it is worth noting that Chemist Warehouse’s online store no longer carries the product.
As far as pricing goes, it’s about what you would expect for the amount in each package.
Coming in a resealable pouch of 125 grams, Farex Baby Rice Cereal ranges from about $2-3 depending on the location you purchase it from.
Competitor brand pricing falls at around this same price range, with similar quality products, so here’s some info on other baby rice cereals you may want to consider:
- Nestle Cerelac Rice Infant Cereal – Nestle Cerelac Rice Infant Cereal contains Bifidus BL to assist your baby’s digestive tract and immune system, and is made with CHE to break down carbohydrates to be easier on small tummies.
Rafferty’s Garden Organic Baby Rice Cereal – Made from organic brown rice and organic sunflower oil, Rafferty’s Garden Organic Baby Rice Cereal is rich in iron and other essential vitamins for early baby development.
- Gerber Rice Cereal – Packaged in a container free of BPAs, Gerber Rice Cereal is non-GMO and contains no artificial colours or flavours.
- Gerber Organic Rice Cereal – Another one of the baby cereals in Gerber’s Single Grain lineup, Gerber Organic Rice Cereal contains much of the same vitamins as the original while being made from organic rice flour and soy lecithin.
Heinz Wattie’s ForBaby – Owners of Farex
Researching the history behind Farex Baby Rice Cereal was a more difficult process than with other brands who make their “about them” sections easily accessible, making this mum wonder if they had something to hide.
While the ForBaby website containing the cereal’s information didn’t have many answers, a link to Wattie’s homepage was helpful in researching the company responsible for Farex.
While Farex was originally produced by Glaxo in 1934, Heinz later obtained the rights and began to produce it along with the other baby goods their Wattie’s brand made.
Wattie’s had begun producing its own baby food in 1958.
They received the Plunket Society’s seal of approval, helping mums to trust that their products were of high quality, and they even collaborated in in 1990 to create their Wattie’s-Plunket Baby Foods.
Final Thoughts on Farex Baby Cereal
For such a big name in the baby food world, it’s a bit disappointing how the brand is represented online – the product’s Wikipedia page is entirely outdated and the information it does contain is extremely sparse.
However, while its marketing and representation can be improved, the product itself is of high quality.
Our Rating:
Price – 10/10
Ingredients – 10/10
Quality – 9/10
Preparation – 10/10
Brand – 6/10
