Do babies need cheese? When can you give cheese to a child?

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Young mothers always look forward to the moment when it will be possible to diversify the diet of their babies. After all, you want to give your little one something tasty! Isn't he supposed to drink milk and eat porridge?! The first mashed vegetables, fruits, meat puree … But many parents often do not even remember about cheese. It is generally accepted that this product is not for babies. Is this statement true and is it possible to give cheese to a child?

Why babies need cheese

Cheese should certainly enrich the children's diet. And that's why. The protein contained in this appetizing product (and there is up to 25% of it - this is more than is found in meat!), Is much better absorbed than that found in milk and cottage cheese. The valuable proteins that make up the cheese are absorbed almost completely - by 95%.

In addition, hard cheeses contain quite a lot of calcium, which is so necessary for a child's body: 8 times more than in milk, and 10 times more than in cottage cheese!

Cheese is also rich in phosphorus, fat-soluble vitamins of several groups. It also contains many mineral s alts.

Thanks to the fatty acids contained in cheese, it improves brain function.

Chewing thissolid enough product, babies develop their jaw apparatus.

Cheese is good even for babies diagnosed with lactose intolerance, because during its production all the lactose remains in the whey.

Add to this a harmonious combination of proteins and fats - and there will be no doubt about the benefits of this delicious product for the child's body.

Which children should wait with cheese

With all the beneficial properties of cheese, a large amount of proteins and fats contained in this product can overload the digestive system of a baby that is not yet strong. Therefore, it is better not to give this product to children with digestive tract problems.

Doctors do not recommend it for babies with diseased kidneys either - because of the high content of s alt, which provokes fluid retention in the body.

Rennet and s alt also complicate the work of the pancreas.

Some babies are allergic to cheese products. When can you give cheese to a child with such a pathology? If the crumbs are prone to allergies, you will have to introduce him to delicious cheese no earlier than he is a year and a half old, or even later.

Due to the high fat content of the product, cheese should also not be given to young children who are obese and often constipated.

At what age can you give cheese to a child

If it is recommended to give cottage cheese and kefir to babies from the age of six months, then cheese nutritionistsIt is advised to enter into the diet no earlier than 11-12 months. The reason is simple - this product is more difficult to digest, and a small fragile body is not yet ready to process it.

The child's digestive system is more or less stabilized only at the age close to one year. The walls of the intestines of the child are strengthened, due to which the risk that pathogenic bacteria can penetrate into the blood of a small person and allergic reactions to an unfamiliar product will appear is significantly reduced.

By the year, the pancreas begins to produce the required amount of enzymes. This is when you can give cheese to your baby.

Which cheese is best for baby

It is also important what kind of cheese can be given to a child up to a year old. The first varieties should be uns alted and without spices. That is, you need to start cheese complementary foods with Dutch, Poshekhonsky, Parmesan, Russian and similar varieties. Other varieties need to be added more carefully, and this should be done gradually.

The fat content of this product is also very important. You can give babies cheese with a fat content of about 45. More fat is harmful to the child's body, because it overloads the pancreas and liver of the child, and the calcium contained in it is less absorbed in cheese with a lower percentage of fat.

The menu of a one and a half year old child can already be diversified by the introduction of sour-milk and pickled cheeses: Suluguni, Georgian, Adyghe.

But you shouldn't teach crumbs to processed cheeses and smoked cheeses! This also applies to cheeses.noble mold.

When can you give cheese to a child of these types? Not until he is 5-6 years old.

How much cheese to give and in what form

When can I give cheese to a child and how much to start with?

The first time you need to give the crumbs no more than 5 grams of cheese. This is the maximum daily allowance for an infant.

Up to two years, the amount of cheese can be gradually increased to 30 grams per day. But at the same time, you need to give it only 2-3 times a week.

Pediatricians do not advise giving cheese to babies in combination with meat and butter, so as not to overload children's kidneys, liver and pancreas.

If you want to treat your little son or daughter to a sandwich with butter and cheese, which you yourself love, know that you should not do this, since such a combination of products is harmful for a fragile child's body.

Until the age of three, experts advise giving grated cheese to babies. And only from this age can a fermented milk product be offered cut into small pieces.

Morning or evening?

Young parents are interested in when they can give their child cheese: in the morning, afternoon or evening. Does it matter what time of day you feed your baby?

Experts recommend treating the little man with this tasty and nutritious product in the first half of the day, since it is at this time that enzymes work most actively, which will contribute to faster processing of cheese by the child's body.

With the above conditions, loving parentsdiversify the menu of their child with a tasty and he althy product and do not harm the fragile children's body.