My Big Disappointment with Nestle's Oatmeal

Hello everyone! My little one is a year old now, and we're still dealing with dairy intolerance, so we're stuck with dairy-free porridges. I usually stick to one brand, Fruit Nanny, but this time I had to try something new because they were out of stock. I ended up choosing Nestle, which was available at Perekrestok.

Price - around 150 rubles.Place of purchase - Perekrestok.Volume - 200 grams.We started introducing solid foods at 4 months, but regular porridges just aren't cutting it for us, so we're stuck with dairy-free, mixed porridges. I've had my fair share of experience with these, but it's not always been successful. Like this time, for instance. But let's get into the details.

Packaging

The box is small and made of cardboard, with a beige color. The front features a big Nestle logo, and below it, a blue mouse holding a bowl of porridge. The porridge in the illustration looks way better than the real thing, though.

The back has all the necessary information for consumers in Russian: ingredients, preparation instructions, nutritional values, and so on.

Inside the box, there's a foil packet. I'm not a fan of this kind of packaging - you have to constantly take the packet out of the box and put it back in. Plus, while you're mixing the porridge, you can't just put it down, or it'll fall over and spill everywhere. It's much more convenient to have packets made of thick foil with a ziplock closure.

I'm glad the box closes, but let's be real, it's not going to save the cereal from shattering into a million pieces if it falls.

It's got translations on the sides, which is nice.

Ingredients:

grain

calcium carbonate

vitamin and mineral mix (C (L-ascorbic acid), E (DL-alpha-tocopherol acetate), zinc sulfate, PP (niacinamide), B2 (riboflavin), A (retinol acetate), B6 (pyridoxine hydrochloride), B9 (folic acid), potassium iodide, B1 (thiamine mononitrate), D (D3 cholecalciferol))

salt

iron(II) fumarate

bifidobacteria not less than 1×10⁶ CFU/g

The product may contain gluten, milk, and soy.

I was expecting the manufacturer to highlight the lack of added sugar, but they're being super vague about the salt content. I mean, it's not like it's not a big deal – it's right up there with the other ingredients. As a parent, I'd be worried about giving this to a kid under a year old. My little one is a bit older now, but I still think this cereal is a bit too salty for a first food. The same goes for the Fru-Nanny – it's a much better option for first-time parents.

Here's what the manufacturer says:

This cereal is enriched with probiotic BL, which helps normalize digestion, promotes the growth of healthy gut bacteria, and boosts the immune system – all super important when introducing solid foods.

One thing that really stood out to me about this porridge is that each serving contains a complex mix of vitamins and minerals that are essential for healthy growth and development.

I was also impressed to find that the porridge doesn't contain any added sugar, which is great for encouraging healthy eating habits and looking after your little one's health from a young age.

And the best part? It's made without palm oil!

What's more, our porridge is produced under strict quality control and using modern production techniques.

I have to say, the description is spot on – the probiotics are definitely there, there's no added sugar, and no palm oil either.

How to prepare:

Wash your hands and get your clean equipment ready.Measure out 160ml of breast milk at a temperature of 37°C or use a baby formula. If you're using a baby formula, heat up some water to boiling point, let it cool down to 40°C, and then mix in the required amount of formula. If you're using tap water, heat it up to boiling point and then let it cool down to 40°C. Pour 160ml of water into a clean bowl.Scoop out the recommended amount of dry porridge – 23g (5–6 tablespoons) – into a separate bowl. Gradually add the dry porridge to the bowl with the breast milk, water, or baby formula, stirring constantly. Mix everything together until you get a smooth consistency.What really surprised me was the sheer amount of porridge you need to make – 5-6 tablespoons is a lot more than our usual Fruuto nanny porridge, which is only 2-3 tablespoons. To be honest, I didn't check the instructions before buying, but at least my little one is happy and full!

Porridge

The porridge itself is very fine and free of any lumps or debris. In its dry form, it's a lovely greyish-green color.

I usually mix a bit of cold-boiled water with hot water from the kettle and start adding the cereal. And it dissolves, but doesn't thicken at all. I'd already added almost half the pack, but the consistency is more like kefir. I add a bit more and it just forms into clumps.

As I mentioned earlier, my kid's been eating instant cereals for over half a year, so I know the exact water proportions by heart, but here, something just didn't go right. I struggled to mix the lumps while dealing with a screaming kid who wanted to eat, added some chicken, and sat them down to eat.

Before giving the food to my kid, I tried the cereal myself and it was absolutely tasteless! It was too salty, and the consistency was just weird. But my kid really wanted to eat, so I tried giving it to them, but they spat it all out with the first spoonful! Trying the chicken separately, I realized that it was fine, and they ate it happily on its own. So, it's clearly the cereal's fault.

Re-reading the instructions again, I tried mixing the cereal again, but it was the same result. Luckily, we had some ready-made cans of meat and veggies at home, so I fed my kid those instead. But the aftertaste was definitely unpleasant.

My Verdict:

I definitely didn't like this cereal. It's got a huge waste ratio, weird consistency, and my kid just wouldn't eat it. Maybe someone else will like it, but I wouldn't recommend it to myself.