Not only contains many vitamins and minerals, but also has a sweet, cool taste that is extremely attractive. Eating fruit is great for babies and children. However, how to eat fruit properly is still unknown.
During the weaning period, mothers always want to supplement nutrition for their children from fresh fruits and vegetables. However, how do children absorb 100% of the nutrients from this nutritious food. Please refer to the "standard" principles below!
1. Children should eat fruit from 6 months of age or older
Nutrition experts in the world recommend that babies should be exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months of life. Because the child's digestive system is not fully developed at this time, it is still immature. Children are not ready to receive foods other than breast milk, even fruits and vegetables in the form of smoothies, as well as juice. Mother should only let children get acquainted with fruit and fruit when the baby is about 6 months old.
From 6 months old, children can eat about 60g of crushed fruit per day. At 1 year old, this serving can be increased, on average about 100 g of fruit per day. From 2-6 years old, children can eat about 200-300 g of fruit per day.
2. PUMP & BANANAS: 2 kinds of fruit should be given priority for children to get acquainted with
When you begin to get acquainted with fruit, you should only introduce children to two types of fruits: avocado and banana. Because this is a baby fruit that is easy to absorb, less allergic, or has problems with taste when eating.
After 6.5 months of age, mothers can feed their children a variety of fruits such as apples, mangoes, strawberries, dragon fruits ... but they should be less sweet.
Feeding children fruit properly is introducing them to the right order. Therefore, mothers should be calm and patient so that children get used to them gradually. Children will absorb nutrition from fruit more optimally.
3. Let your child drink the Juice properly
In addition to how to give fruit in the form of a smoothie when the baby is about 6 months old. As well as beginning to get your child accustomed to eating whole pieces of fruit when he is more than 8 months old.
Mother can give the child fruit juice. But when giving the baby juice, the mother should note the following:
Children under 6 months old should not drink any juice. If using juice, there must be guidance from a nutritionist, do not let children drink fruit juice arbitrarily.
From 6 - 7.5 months, it is not recommended for children to drink fruit juice, but the mother can give the baby juice in diluted form with the ratio of 3 water: 1 juice.
7.5 - 1 year old, the mother can give the baby juice without diluting, but the day should not give the child more than 80ml, no more than 3 days / week.
Children from 1 to 6 years old, mothers should limit the amount of juice for children to less than 160ml / day, no more than 4 days / week.
Fruit juice is very good for the health of the child. However, not so that the mother gives the baby juice all day. Mothers should let children drink after meals, or 3 hours before meals.
4. At what time should mothers feed children with fruit?
The time for children to eat fruit also greatly affects the nutritional absorption of children. Sometimes it can be harmful to a child's health too. Especially when the children eat fruit in the late evening, it can affect the stomach lining, because the acid content in the fruits.
Mother should feed children fruit 30-45 minutes after meals. Or mother can also split into one meal, feeding about 2-3 hours from the main meal.
Nutritionists often do not advocate giving fruit to children before meals. Because the baby's stomach is relatively small. If you eat fruit before a meal, it will take up a certain space in your stomach. That affects the nutritional absorption of the next meal.
5. Should not pre-peel, eat to anywhere, peel there
Many families have a habit of peeling fruit ready to refrigerate to eat gradually. But this is not a good habit. Especially for young children, this will cause the fruit to lose its essential nutrients.
There are many vitamins that will "disappear" under the action of light, air, and temperature such as vitamin C, folate. If mothers peel fruit, vitamins in this food will evaporate more easily. Because the protective outer shell is no longer available, the more exposed area of the fruit meat to the air becomes. Peeling and slicing fruit for a long time will make the process of fruit oxidation and infection faster and easier.
Therefore, children should eat fresh fruit, peeled to eat wherever. To make sure the child can absorb the maximum nutrients.
6. Every season stays awake
Except for the fruits available all year round, you should feed your child fruit in the right season. Do not let your child eat fruit out of season. Because often the off-season fruits are likely to contain many harmful substances. Such as fruit impregnated with ripe medicine, preservative medicine. Or the amount of pesticide residues in these fruits is also higher than those in the right season. Eating fruit in the right season will result in large natural sweet ripe fruits than ripe fruit.
Eating fruit properly not only ensures children can eat safely, but also eat well and nutritious.
-Ele Luong-
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