At what age should you give dates to children?

Dried fruits are considered healthy foods that many adults like. But when it comes to feeding a baby, many mothers doubt whether it is possible to give dried fruits at an early age. In particular, dates raise a lot of questions. Are they useful for children, are they acceptable in the children's diet and how to properly offer them to babies?

Benefit

They contain a lot of fructose and dextrose. When these simple sugars enter the child's body, they become a source of energy and strength for the child.
They are also a source of many nutrients involved in the development of a child's body and in maintaining health. Among them are folic acid, vitamins B1, B6, B3, K, beta-carotene, zinc, lutein and many other compounds.
Due to the fairly high content of magnesium and calcium, eating dates has a positive effect on the formation and maintenance of bone health.
Presence in the composition vitamin A makes this kind of dried fruit useful for children's eyesight.
Like dried apricots, dates are a source of potassium saltstherefore they affect the growth and development of the child's brain, and are also good for the heart.
Since they have iron, such a product will be the prevention of anemia.
It has been proven that they have a beneficial effect on children's intestines... They help get rid of parasites and stimulate the growth of normal bacterial flora, preventing the development of dysbiosis.

Including them in the child's menu with a peptic ulcer or acid reflux helps to get rid of such pathologies.
Thanks to their high fiber content, they can help relieve constipation. Their use improves intestinal peristalsis and increases water absorption.
Date puree is used for dysentery, as a means of preventing the spread of the pathogen in the intestine.
Chewing them massages the gums and stimulates teething.
Their use after ARVI helps to strengthen the body and restore strength faster... During a viral infection, you can give milk with dates for coughing.
Pretty high nutritional value allows you to include such a product in the diet of small-toed children and those with insufficient body weight.

For other useful properties of dates, see the video.

Harm

Dates sold in stores are often treated with various harmful compounds.preventing their damage. Because of them, the child may develop allergies.
Since their structure is quite sticky, such sweetness remains on the teeth for a long time, which provokes the development of caries. For this reason, dates should be washed down with water, and after eating them, it is advisable to brush your teeth.
Unripe fruits contain a lot of tanninsthat can cause intestinal upset in a child.
Excessive use of them may contribute to weight gain.
Due to the high content of simple sugars they should be excluded from the menu for diabetes.
Eating such dried fruits not recommended for chronic pathologies of the digestive tract.

At what age can children be given?

The inclusion of dates in the children's diet is recommended at a time when the baby has already begun to taste semi-solid and solid foods. The optimal age period for acquaintance with such dried fruits is 1-1.5 years. It is advised to give them to a one-year-old child in the form of mashed potatoes or compote. If the crumbs have a tendency to allergies, the introduction of any dried fruits into his menu should be postponed until two years or later.

For children over 2-3 years old, date slices can be added to porridge or yogurt. A 3-year-old can be offered baked goods with their addition, such as muffins or pie. The daily portion for a child is 2-5 fruits.

How to choose for a child?

Only soft dates can be included in the diet of children in the first years of life.... You should not buy an overly dehydrated product, because it will be difficult to make mashed potatoes from it, and it will be difficult for a child to chew it whole. The surface of a quality product should be matte.

It is advisable to purchase dates without seeds for the child. If you bought a product with seeds, then you should definitely remove the seeds before offering them to children. If this is not done and the child swallowed the bone, you need to monitor his condition and consult a doctor for any alarming symptoms.

How to introduce into complementary foods?

You should start your acquaintance with dates with a small amount of mashed potatoes from such dried fruits. Having offered the baby a small portion (half a teaspoon) in the morning feeding, then they observe the reaction to the new dish. They continue to be given in the form of mashed potatoes until at least 10 teeth appear, when the baby can chew the viscous dense pulp on its own. From now on, you can offer dates in raisin-sized pieces.

Puree

It is not advised to cook dates in water for a child, because this will destroy many useful nutrients in their composition. After thoroughly rinsing a few things, they are pitted and sent to a double boiler for a while. When the fruits are tender, they should be chopped with a blender or mash with a fork. The shelf life of this homemade puree is short, so only cook the product for one serving.

Compote

These dried fruits can be included in the diet of a one-year-old child and in the form of compote. During cooking, some of the valuable substances evaporate, but many of them remain.

For compote, take 1.5 liters of water and 100 g of dates. Bring the water to a boil, dip the thoroughly washed dates into it, wait for it to boil and simmer the dried fruit over low heat for about 3 minutes. After turning off the heat, cover the pan with a lid and leave the drink to infuse for 3-4 hours. Filter the compote before serving.

Syrup

In order to strengthen the body after viral infections and other diseases, you can give a 2-year-old child date syrup... To prepare such a remedy to increase the body's defenses, you need to take water and 500 g of dates. After removing the seeds and finely chopping dried fruits, they are poured with a small volume of water so that the liquid only slightly covers the crushed raw materials.

The mass is brought to a boil and continue to boil over medium heat until a thick consistency is obtained. When the syrup has cooled, it is poured into a clean jar and tightly closed. It is recommended to give such a remedy in a teaspoon between meals.