When the baby begins to taste vegetables, parents want to give him the most useful vegetable crops, among which carrots are called one of the most valuable. Is it possible to feed this vegetable to a baby up to one year old, is it dangerous for babies because of its orange color, and how best to cook a carrot for a toddler?
Benefit
- Carrots are a rich source of beta-carotene - a compound from which vitamin A, valuable for the health of the baby, is synthesized. This vitamin is important for metabolic processes, the formation of teeth, skin, bones, mucous membranes. Also, everyone knows that beta-carotene has a positive effect on vision. With a shortage of this substance in food, the baby will have dry skin, frequent diseases and slow growth.
- Among the minerals that carrots are rich in are calcium, phosphorus, sodium and potassium. Of the vitamins in carrots, there are especially many B vitamins, vitamin C, folic acid and vitamin E.
- Carrots are also considered an excellent source of fiber and pectin. Thanks to these substances, this vegetable improves digestion. It is noted that the use of carrots eliminates the stagnation of bile and causes a mild laxative effect.
For more information on the benefits of carrots, see the program "Living Healthy".
Harm
It is known that carrots can cause allergic reactions in many babies. In addition, excess carrots in the diet cause carotene jaundice.
The skin of the baby's palms and soles turns yellow, and the sclera also has a yellow tint. The baby's sleep worsens, the child may experience nausea and vomiting. In this case, all symptoms disappear as soon as carrots are excluded from the menu.
At what age should be introduced into complementary foods?
Carrot puree is introduced into the diet of a breastfed baby along with other vegetables from 6-7 months of age. Acquaintance with carrots usually occurs after the baby has tried zucchini, potatoes, broccoli and other less allergenic vegetables. Bottle-fed babies start trying carrots 1-2 months earlier.
Juice from this vegetable is given at 7-8 months of age. For the first time, the baby is given only a teaspoon of puree or juice, or even half of this portion, carefully monitoring any changes in the state of the toddler for 3-4 days. Even if the baby tolerates carrots perfectly, it is not advised to give dishes from this vegetable daily (it is enough to cook them twice a week).
When can raw carrots be given?
Fresh carrots appear in the diet of babies over one year old. For a one-year-old baby, you can make a salad from it by rubbing peeled carrots on a fine grater. To fully assimilate the carotene from such a salad, do not forget to add sour cream, vegetable oil or natural yogurt to the root vegetable.
You can treat your baby to breakfast with such a vitamin salad or give it as a snack. You can also add grated apple or chopped dried fruits to carrots.
It is better to give raw carrots to the baby in a nibbler so that the baby does not choke on a piece of it.
How to cook?
Puree
For a baby who will try carrots for the first time, choose a high-quality root vegetable, wash it well and remove the top, cutting off the tail and top as well.
After boiling the vegetable until tender, then it should be chopped until smooth, using a sieve or blender. To prevent the mass from getting too dense and thick, add a little mother's milk or mixture to the carrot puree. The first carrot purees should not be salted.
Carrots are especially useful in the form of mashed potatoes after the introduction of vegetable oil into the baby's diet, since fats contribute to the better absorption of vitamins from the root crop. Since carrots are rarely prepared as the first vegetable feed, for the first samples, a small piece of carrots can be added to any other vegetables that the baby has already tried.
If both potatoes and cauliflower have already been introduced into the child's diet, prepare a dish for the baby, the recipe for which is presented in the next video.
The juice
When you are going to make carrot juice for your baby with your own hands, Soak the carrots in water for about 2 hours, then wash the vegetable and peel it. After rubbing the root vegetable on a grater, fold the grated carrots into several layers of gauze, squeeze the juice and dilute 1 to 1 with boiled water. Give this juice 1-2 times a week. It is often mixed with apple juice and other fresh juices.
In general, carrots cannot be given to a child, since the crumb can choke.
If you have already introduced crumbs of bananas and apples into the diet, prepare a smoothie for your baby according to the following recipe.
Are there allergies?
Carrots are indeed considered a highly allergenic vegetable due to their high beta-carotene content. Eating carrots can lead to a rash after the first spoonful. But even if the crumb reacted normally to the first samples of carrots, an allergy may appear within a few days of consuming this vegetable.
That is why the introduction of carrots into the diet of young children should be very careful. This vegetable can only be given to a healthy child in the first half of the day, observing the reaction of the crumbs for 2-3 days. If no negative effect is identified, after 3 days, you can give the baby another portion of carrots. If the toddler has a rash or other negative manifestations, carrots are excluded from the menu for a while.
Tips for choosing
- For the dishes that you will cook the little ones, choose carrots without stains and traces of mold.
- Do not buy carrots that are too large, as larger root vegetables accumulate more nitrates. The best choice for baby food would be fruits weighing about 150 g.
- If you don't feel like making carrot puree at home, buy a ready-made version from a reputable children's food manufacturer. Such a product will be homogenized and useful if there are no other ingredients in its composition besides carrots and water.
Find out if your child's weight is normal using the following calculator.
