I found this recipe online for barley cereal:
1/4 cup ground barley (barley ground in blender or food processor)
1 cup water
1. Bring liquid to a boil. Add the barley and simmer for 10 minutes, whisking constantly
2. Mix in formula or breast milk or juice and add fruits if desired
3. Serve warm
Easy enough, right? I tried the both the food processor AND the blender and all I could get was a fine powder to come off the barley, but it was basically still intact. My grandma suggested cooking the barley first, so I did that and then tried my hand blender. I got a good mash, but not a puree. I gave Nicky one bite and then decided it was too thick and ended up making the Gerber barley cereal anyway. I tried them both and realized that Nicky is such a good boy…he humored me by tasting my VERY YUCKY barley cereal (the Gerber one was much better!).
I gave him the barley cereal again yesterday, and I’ve never seen him eat like that before. He just loves it! He kept saying “Mmm”!
P.S. An added benefit to using the pre-made cereal is that it’s fortified with nutrients, iron in particular. This is definitely the way to go!