Blueberries for children: at what age can you give, how is it useful

The beneficial properties of blueberries for children are very diverse; they contain many valuable substances. But you need to give a berry to children with caution, babies react sensitively to any berries.

Is it possible to give blueberries to children

A small berry contains a lot of vitamins, natural acids and mineral compounds in its pulp. For this reason, it can be beneficial and harmful to children. On the one hand, blueberries saturate the baby's body with the necessary elements, but on the other hand, it can cause irritation of the digestive tract and hypervitaminosis.

Blueberries are not prohibited for babies, but they should not be given earlier than a year.

You can offer blueberries to children, but not immediately after birth, but only from a certain age. It is necessary to wait until the baby's digestive system is fully formed and will be able to assimilate fresh fruits

The value and content of vitamins in berries

The product has a fairly balanced composition. About 6.6 g in it are occupied by carbohydrates, another 1 g is accounted for by proteins, and fats occupy only 0.5 g of the total volume. Among the vitamins in the composition, you can list:

• ascorbic acid;
• vitamin A;
• subgroup B vitamins;
• potassium, iron and magnesium;
• phosphorus and organic acids;
• fiber and tannins.

In small portions, the beneficial properties of blueberries can strengthen the baby's body and supply it with all the main vitamin components.

Why blueberries are good for children

Even if the product is offered to a child not constantly, but from time to time, the beneficial effect will be quite noticeable. The berry will help:

• improve the baby's immunity and protect him from colds;
• improve the body's ability to regenerate and recover;
• increase energy reserves;
• normalize digestion and prevent constipation in a child;
• strengthen the baby's muscular and skeletal systems.

Also, the properties of the berry will be beneficial for the mental development of the child. Fruits supply nutrients to the brain, improve memory and increase learning ability, even in very young children.

Fruits are introduced into the diet little by little - at first, only a few pieces

At what age can children get blueberries

The vitamin composition of the product is very concentrated, so it is not accepted to introduce it into the first baby food. It is recommended to give fruits from 1 year old and only if the child is not prone to allergies.

But if the baby has problems with the assimilation of new products in the diet, skin rashes and beauty often appear, it is better to postpone acquaintance with blueberries until 3 years.

How to add blueberries to your baby's diet

Even after a year or 3 years, a berry product should be introduced into the child's diet with caution. Attention should be paid to product quality, processing and correct dosages.

If the baby is prone to allergies, it is better to postpone the new product until 3 years

What kind of blueberries can children

Blueberries are not the most common berry in Russia. Both in the markets and in stores, you can rarely find it. However, it is best to buy a product in a trusted store. The fact is that no one on the market can guarantee that blueberries were grown in environmentally friendly soil without the use of chemicals. And for the children's diet, you need to acquire the most ecologically pure fruits with beneficial properties.

It is not difficult to choose a quality product, you need to look at the same points as when buying other berries. Fresh blueberries are tough, small, bluish-purple berries without browning, soft areas or blackheads. Fresh fruits should have a characteristic bluish bloom.

It is allowed to add both fresh and frozen berries to the children's diet; in the latter case, it retains all its useful properties. But with dried blueberries, you should be careful, the concentration of vitamins in the dried fruits increases, so it is better to introduce them into the diet later than usual, not earlier than 3 years.

How much can you give children blueberries

From a year of life, children are offered only a few fruits a day in mashed form, for example, in fruit puree. After 3 years, it is allowed to offer the baby 1 large spoonful of fruit per day, and at 5 years old, this portion can be increased to 2-3 large spoons.

Children cannot eat blueberries every day

It is not recommended to include the product in the diet every day, once a week will be enough. In case of an overdose, the product can cause indigestion and allergic rashes, even in adolescents. Therefore, when using it, it is especially important to observe moderation.

Is it possible for children to have blueberries after heat treatment

After boiling blueberries are used to make delicious jellies, jams, preserves, jelly and other drinks and desserts. If you subject the fruits to a short heat treatment, then they will retain not only a pleasant taste, but also most of the useful properties.

Giving processed berries to a child is okay, but extra care must be taken. Fruit drinks, jelly and blueberry-based jams are introduced into the diet no earlier than fresh berries. It is necessary to offer the baby treats that contain sugar in small quantities, no more than 1 teaspoon per day after a year of life.

Blueberry recipes for kids

Blueberries are usually offered to a small child as part of various dishes and drinks. There are several recipes that are especially popular with young mothers.

You can add compotes, fruit drinks and desserts from delicious fruits to the diet

Blueberry compote

To prepare blueberry compote with useful properties for your baby, you must:

• take 50 g of fresh washed berries;
• pour blueberries with 250 ml of water and put on fire;
• when the water boils, boil the berries for another 10 minutes and turn off;
• strain the compote through a sieve or cheesecloth and cool to room temperature.

Sugar-free compote, which is more of a berry broth, will be most useful for a child. You can give it to your baby a couple of teaspoons a day after 1 year, gradually bringing the daily amount to 100 ml.

Blueberry juice

Juice from fresh berries contains a huge amount of vitamins, and its properties can be very useful for a child.It contains iron, ascorbic acid, potassium and other elements - juice is considered more valuable than apple or pomegranate.

So that the properties of the drink do not bring harm to the baby, it must be diluted with water in equal amounts before drinking. The concentrated juice contains too many acids and has an irritating effect on the mucous membranes. After 1 year of life, it is recommended to give juice to the child just a few drops a day, and if there is no negative reaction, then gradually increase the dosage to 100 ml.

Blueberry juice contains maximum beneficial properties

Blueberry Kissel

Delicious jelly can be made from fresh or frozen blueberries, in both cases it will have beneficial properties. The drink is made as follows:

• a glass of berries is poured with 100 ml of water, if the berries are frozen, then they are first defrosted;
• the fruits are rubbed through a sieve and the resulting juice is squeezed through cheesecloth;
• the juice is temporarily set aside, and the grated berries are poured with 2 glasses of water and boiled over low heat for 10 minutes;
• filter the finished broth and add 1.5 tablespoons of starch and 200 g of sugar to it;
• the broth is again put on fire and brought to a boil, and then immediately turned off.

After that, the juice squeezed out of the blueberries earlier is added to the jelly and stirred properly.

You need to offer jelly to a child in the same way as berry juice, starting from 1 year of age, a few drops. If after drinking the drink there is no negative reaction, then the dosage can be gradually increased to 50 ml per day, and then to 100 ml.

Blueberry juice

Berry fruit drink is one of the simplest blueberry-based drinks with valuable properties. To prepare it you need:

• grind 500 g of berries in a blender;
• pass the resulting mass through a sieve and separate the so-called pomace;
• pomace pour 500 ml of water, add a large spoonful of lemon zest, stir and leave for half an hour.

Then the workpiece is filtered through cheesecloth, combined with berry puree and a little sugar is added to improve the taste.

Jams and jams for babies can also be done, but in small quantities

You can give fruit drink to children after a year, the initial portion should not exceed 1 teaspoon. If allergy symptoms do not appear, the amount of fruit drink is increased to 50-100 ml.

Dessert with blueberries and fruits

The kids will love the berry and fruit dessert. To prepare it you need:

• chop a small banana and 2 medium peaches;
• pour fruit into a blender, add 100 g of blueberries and 1 large spoon each of cranberries and raisins;
• add a large spoonful of sugar if desired;
• grind the ingredients, and then pour them with a glass of natural yogurt.

It is better to offer such a delicacy to a child about 2 years old, since there are a lot of vitamins in the dessert. Familiarity with the dish begins with 1 small spoon, then the dosage is increased.

Oatmeal with blueberries

Berries will make oatmeal, which is present in the diet of any child, tastier and healthier. In a small saucepan, bring a little milk to a boil and add the usual portion of oatmeal, then cook for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. A few mashed berries are added to the finished porridge, flavored with salt and butter.

Fresh berries will make oatmeal tastier

Such a dish is well absorbed by children from a year old, if there is no allergy to berries. You can give it to your child for breakfast, although it is not recommended to add blueberries more than twice a week.

In what cases should you not give blueberries to children

Blueberries have strict contraindications for children. You cannot give it to babies:

• in the presence of gastritis with high acidity;
• with congenital heart disease;
• with violations of hemostasis in a child;

Also, you can not give the berry for pathologies of the kidneys and biliary tract due to the high content of acids in the composition.

Allergy to blueberries in children

Like any berry, blueberries can cause allergies in children, despite their many beneficial properties. Intolerance is manifested by symptoms such as redness on the skin and rashes, upset stools and nausea, colic.

The product can cause severe allergies, so the child's condition should be closely monitored

If the properties of the product caused an allergy during the first use, then it must be immediately removed from the diet, and the child should be given Smecta or activated carbon. These sorbents are approved for the treatment of one-year-old babies.

Rules for storage and processing of berries

So that the beneficial properties of blueberries do not turn into harm, it must be properly stored and not missed the terms of use:

1. Fresh berry retains its valuable properties for only 2 days, so it is better to prepare it for the baby immediately after purchase.
2. Frozen blueberries can be stored for up to 2 years in the freezer. At the same time, it is strictly forbidden to defrost and re-freeze it.
3. Dried berries should be kept in a dry, dark place in glass jars, also no longer than 2 years.

Fresh food must be thoroughly rinsed before cooking, even if the berries look perfectly clean. It is best for the child to offer them not as a whole, but in a mashed form, so it will be easier for the baby to cope with chewing the fruit.

Blueberry fruits can be very valuable on the kid's menu.

Conclusion

The beneficial properties of blueberries for children are very extensive, but for the first time it is not necessary to offer the baby fruits before he turns one year old. Dosages should be kept small, an excess of vitamins in berries can be harmful if misused.