All mothers and fathers know that fish is useful and necessary for the child's body. But not every parent knows exactly when it is possible to introduce fish dishes in general and cod in particular into the child's diet. In this article we will answer the question about age restrictions and tell you in what form it is better to give this fish to babies.
About product
Cod is a low-fat marine fish. The fat content in it does not exceed 4%, and therefore this particular type of fish is recommended for the first introduction of fish products into the diet of children.
Cod is very useful - it contains a large amount of valuable substances:
- vitamin A, necessary for vision and the formation of strong immunity;
- vitamins D and E, as well as group B, which contribute to the full development of the nervous system;
- a variety of micro and macro elements;
- polyunsaturated fatty acids Omega-3 and Omega-6, essential for the brain and its development.
Parents of toddlers fear that fish may cause allergies. These experiences are well founded, because fish contains special proteins that can be perceived by the child's immunity as foreign and therefore potentially dangerous.
But cod is a type of so-called white fish, it is less likely to cause undesirable consequences than red. Therefore, cod is quite suitable for children as the first fish dish.
At what age should be introduced into the diet?
If your child is not one of the allergy sufferers who react to any new product, then cod can be introduced into the baby's diet as early as 8 months. Previously, the official pediatric guidelines called an age of 10 months, but now the age bar has been lowered.
If the child suffers from allergies, atopic dermatitis, it is wiser to wait with fish dishes up to 12 months.
To begin with, you should give a teaspoon 1-2 times a week. The number of fish can be gradually increased if there is no negative reaction to it. By the age of one year, the daily fish intake for a baby is about 50 grams. But giving cod every day, despite all its benefits, is not worth it - it will be optimal to treat the little one with fish dishes a couple of times a week.
It is quite difficult to teach a child to eat fish after a year and a half, if his parents did not give it to him before that age. Most children who are not used to the taste of cod will simply refuse it. But a lot also depends on how to cook and serve the fish to your baby.
Cod liver deserves special attention. If you buy it in jars in which it is in a large amount of oil, then such a treat should not be given to a child until at least 3 years old - it will be too greasy. Frozen cod liver with subsequent heat treatment can be added to the child's diet after a year.
Fried fish is not given to children under 3-4 years old. Salted or smoked cod should not be offered to a baby if he is under 7 years old.
How to give?
When introducing cod to a child's diet, it is wise to start with fish soup. You can simply add about a teaspoon of boiled cod to a serving of vegetables in cod broth, after chopping it.
In general, the first fish feed requires compliance with certain rules, the main of which is that the fish must be boiled without fail. If the child has nothing against puree soups, prepare just such a dish from a standard fish soup, simply dipping the hand blender into it for a minute. 2-3 weeks after the baby has mastered the fish broth soup (ear), you can proceed to the second courses of cod.
If you boil a piece of fillet and offer it to your baby, he is unlikely to be delighted. Therefore, mom needs to make some effort to cook a healthy and tasty fish, which the child will definitely not refuse.
For babies, try to choose fillets so that bones do not come across. You can make minced meat from it and cook meatballs or steam cutlets in a double boiler or oven. Usually children are very supportive of fish cakes, provided they are tasty. But what is tasty and useful in the understanding of mom and dad is not necessarily appetizing and pleasant for their child.
Therefore, when cooking meatballs or cutlets, it is better to avoid adding spices (except for a small amount of salt).
Children's recipes also include cooking fish casseroles. For them, you need to use high-quality boiled cod fillet, selected potatoes. Again, you must remember about the undesirability of spices and a large amount of salt.
Until a year, children are better off stewing fish and steaming it. If you buy whole cod, make sure that every bone from the finished dish is selected. You can stew fish for crumbs with a drop of lemon juice, but without adding pepper and bay leaf.
After one and a half years, children are allowed to give fish baked in foil in the oven. Try to use olive oil instead of traditional sunflower oil for baking, and you should also not stuff the fish with fillings - the child will be happy to eat such dishes when he gets a little older - at the age of 2.5-3 years.
If you choose a recipe for the maximum usefulness of the finished dish, then you should know that too long heat treatment depletes the composition of the cod, and insufficient heat treatment increases the likelihood of a child becoming infected with dangerous fish parasites.
To the greatest extent, cod retains its taste and useful properties when steamed. To a lesser extent, useful substances remain after boiling, especially if you cook for a long time and persistently.
If a child refuses fish, mom will have to go to little tricks - to disguise the product as something else. To do this, take note of the recipes for children's cod cutlets, casseroles and omelet with cod. Beautifully cooked, bright, served with vegetables, herbs, colored mashed potatoes, they perfectly “disguise” the presence of fish in the plate, and the child will eat everything without even realizing that he is eating a fish dish.
There is another great way to prepare a delicious dish that is completely different from fish - to make fish puree with milk and a little olive oil from boiled cod with a blender. Your little one will definitely not refuse a beautiful white cream. The main thing is to boil the cod for no more than 20 minutes.
For a video recipe for cooking cod dishes, see below.
Find out if your child's weight is normal using the following calculator.
