At what age can you give grapes to a child, and what to consider?

Many mothers consider grapes not only tasty, but also very healthy berries. But before treating a baby with such a natural delicacy, who is just starting to try different products, it is worth learning more about the pros and cons of grapes, as well as about age restrictions for its use. In addition, all young parents are interested in how to choose grapes for a child's nutrition, and how many berries can be given per day so as not to harm the baby's health.

Benefit

Juicy grapes are rich in mineral salts, sucrose, organic acids, pectins, vitamin compounds and flavonoids. Other useful properties include:

The use of grapes has a positive effect on immunity, metabolism, blood formation processes, bone strength, the functioning of the central nervous system and the heart. Such a product has the ability to accelerate the elimination of toxins and radioactive substances from the body, and also has an antioxidant effect.
Grapes contain 15-20 g of carbohydrates and 65-95 kcal per 100 grams of the product, which makes it nutritious and important in the diet of children who are poorly gaining weight, eat little or recover from illness.

Harm

You need to know the following nuances:

Due to the large amount of carbohydrates, the digestion and absorption of grapes is difficult, so berries should be given to children between meals. You should not feast on such a product at night.
Since grapes are quite high in calories, a large amount of it is undesirable in the diet of babies who have a predisposition to be overweight. Obesity and diabetes are contraindications for such a berry.

Grapes are classified as allergenic foods (especially varieties with dark colored skins). In addition, dark grapes contain a lot of tannins and polyphenols, so this product can provoke headaches.
After eating a large portion of grapes, fermentation processes can begin in the child's intestines. For this reason, you need to limit the amount of this delicacy and take into account compatibility with other products - do not give grapes along with fatty foods, milk and other foods that enhance fermentation and gas formation.

The presence of a large amount of organic acids in grapes makes such a product harmful to immature children's tooth enamel. This is one of the important factors in limiting the inclusion of grapes in a young child's menu.
In some children, grapes are not only poorly digested, but also stimulate intestinal motility, which leads to thinning of the stool after eating it.

At what age to introduce into complementary foods?

According to most children's doctors, it is permissible to introduce a child to fresh grapes. not earlier than 2 years of age. Many pediatricians advise to postpone the first sample of such a product for up to 3 years in order to reduce the risk of a negative reaction of the child's body.

At the same time, you can add grapes to dishes, for example, in puddings, casseroles or soufflés, a little earlier - from 1-1.5 years old.

At the same age, for the first time, a child can be offered compote or grape juice, but provided that the crumbs do not have a tendency to allergies.

How to give?

To feed a 2-4-year-old child, fresh grapes should be peeled and pitted. If the baby tries them for the first time, it is enough to give just one berry and see the reaction.

With good tolerance, the amount can be gradually increased, but not exceed 100 grams per day... It is advised to include fresh grapes in the children's menu no more than 2-3 times a week.

Can you give it with seeds?

The digestive system of a small child cannot cope with the digestion of grape seeds, so it is undesirable to give them to children. However, if the crumb accidentally ate several berries along with the seeds, nothing bad will happen. They will not be digested in the intestines and will soon leave the child's body with feces.

Danger can only be grape seeds in large quantitiesso it is important to make sure that the child does not eat a lot of unpeeled grapes.

Grape compote and juice

Grape compote, despite losing some vitamin C during cooking, has many advantages over fresh grapes. That is why such a drink can be prepared even for a one-year-old child:

It retains trace elements, B vitamins and beneficial antioxidants.
Due to heat treatment, fruit acids in berries are destroyed, which makes compote safe for tooth enamel and gastric mucosa.
The grapes themselves are quite sweet, so there is no need to add additional sugar to the drink.

Thoroughly washed grapes need to be poured with water 1: 2 and put on fire. As soon as the liquid boils, the fire is reduced and the compote is left to cook for 3-5 minutes.

Next, remove the pan from the stove and let it brew for 1-1.5 hours. When offering this drink to a child for the first time, you should give only 1-2 teaspoons. If the body of the crumbs perceives the compote normally, its volume is gradually increased.

As for the juice, it is also advised to start acquaintance with such a product with a small amount, giving the child only a few drops of diluted grape juice (1: 3).

If the child's stool has not changed, the state of health is normal and allergy symptoms have not arisen, the volume of juice is increased to the amount permitted by age. Usually grape juice is offered to children 1-2 times a week.

To eliminate the harmful effect of the juice on the teeth, it is advised to drink the drink through a straw.

Tips for choosing

The best choice for baby food is grapes that have grown in their own summer cottage. In such a product, the mother can be completely confident, which allows her to give it without fear.

If grapes are purchased for a baby in a store or on the market, you should take into account the following nuances:

It is preferable for children to choose seedless varieties of light color (raisins). These grapes are easily peeled, less likely to provoke allergies and have a sweet taste.

The grapes purchased for a child must be ripe. If you live in a region where such berries are grown, then you need to include them in the diet of babies during the fruiting period.
When buying grapes, carefully examine the bunch - all berries should be firm and firm. You can also shake the bunch and see if the berries remain in place (if they crumble, it is better not to take such a product, since it has already been stored for a very long time).

If you find damaged grapes after purchase, it is better to throw them away. You also need to get rid of moldy or rotten fruits. But small black spots on the berries, which are often found on ripe grapes, should not be afraid.
If you can taste the product, tear off the bottom of the bunch as it ripens last.

What to do if you are allergic to grapes?

The child's body can react with symptoms of allergy to various substances in the composition of grapes - for example, to pigment in dark varieties (burgundy, purple, violet, raspberry).

In addition, yeast on the surface of the skin or chemicals with which the product was treated to protect against pests and for the sake of long-term storage can provoke an allergic reaction.

Most often, the negative reaction to grapes is local, for example, the digestive system of the toddler responds to a new product with diarrhea or nausea. Many children are allergic to grapes with atopic rash or hives. Occasionally, after one or more tests, symptoms from the respiratory system occur - a runny nose and a dry cough.

At the first manifestations of allergies, grapes are immediately excluded from the children's menu.... If the symptoms bother the child, you should contact a pediatrician or allergist for a doctor to prescribe treatment, for example, to advise an age-appropriate antihistamine. After a negative reaction, you can try again grapes no earlier than after 2-3 months.