With the onset of the summer months, parents try to introduce as much as possible fresh fruits and berries into the child’s diet, and this is correct, since it is during this period that all vitamins are well absorbed by the body, nourishing and strengthening cells and preparing them to fight various infections.
In today's article, we will understand the useful and harmful properties of watermelon, and try to find out at what age you can give a watermelon to children.
Sweet and juicy pulp, with funny black speckles of seeds, is very popular with peanuts, but many parents are very concerned about the question - is it worth taking the crumbs and treating them with a piece when he is not yet a year old? Why not try and buy a watermelon until the end of August or the beginning of September?
A few main reasons to introduce watermelon in a children's diet
Before you start discussing the issue of when you can give a child a watermelon, you should understand its beneficial properties and effects on the body.
1. Delicate and juicy pulp ideally maintains the correct water balance in the body. Watermelon consists of more than 90% water, which will protect the baby's body from dehydration in the hot season. And scientists even proved that the electrolytes in the composition help prevent the occurrence of sunstroke in adults and children.
2. In a quality product - it contains a lot of lycopene, which prevents the occurrence of asthma and protects the cardiovascular system from diseases. Also in the watermelon there are also karatinoda, for example beta-carotene, which has a beneficial effect on the organs of vision.
3. The use of watermelon perfectly stimulates and protects the immune system, due to the high content of vitamin C. And the presence of magnesium has a beneficial effect on accelerating the growth of muscle tissue in babies.
Interesting fact! Many people are sure that because of the sweetness, watermelon should not be consumed by people, including children with increased body weight. But this is completely wrong, the use of watermelon, on the contrary, is shown in such cases, in addition, the sugar content in the watermelon does not exceed 6-7%.
Acquaintance of a baby with a watermelon - when and how to enter into the diet?
It is not easy to answer immediately the question of whether a watermelon can be a one-year-old baby. Some of the doctors are sure that you should not offer a treat until 4-5 years of age. But in the West, on the contrary, doctors are sure that you can give a quality product as early as 10 months old, follow the reaction, and if everything goes smoothly, you can safely enter the watermelon into the baby’s diet. So at what age can you give watermelon to children?
Russian pediatricians are sure that it is not worth introducing a watermelon into the diet of a small family member before 1-1.5 years, believing that due to the high fiber content in the baby, digestion problems and other disorders of the digestive tract may appear.
For the first time, the portion of the berry should not be large, a piece weighing up to 50 grams will be enough, and try not to introduce other new products into the diet so that within 2-3 days you can easily track the appearance of the reaction to the product.
How to enter the watermelon for the baby in the menu?
To avoid negative consequences, many parents try to make the first moments of acquaintance with a new product - unforgettable. That is why they make mistakes, for example, by cooking on the basis of watermelon - a refreshing soup or juice. This is wrong, it is in this situation that it is worth departing from the principles and offering the baby just a piece of pulp.
Be sure to remember that the accumulation of nitrates, as a rule, is located near the peel, so it is best for the baby to offer a piece from the very center, besides there are fewer seeds.
Before use, it is recommended to rinse the watermelon well, you can use a stiff brush and even laundry soap. Then you can pour boiling water over the berry and rinse in running cold water. In no case do not wipe the watermelon after washing it - while it dries, all possible bacteria that remain on the surface will die.
A few words about the risk of an allergic reaction
An allergy risk is possible not only if the product itself is not of high quality, but also when parents exceed the norm of using the product according to age. To avoid this, just remember that:
• Up to 2 years, the norm is about 100 grams per day;
• Up to 3 years, the norm of consumption of watermelon pulp is 250 grams.
Symptoms of an allergic reaction include symptoms such as:
• Gastrointestinal Disorder - nausea, vomiting, diarrhea;
• The appearance of a rash on the skin;
• Causeless runny nose.
Why can watermelon poisoning occur in a child?
Symptoms of poisoning with this fruit (berry) in children are much stronger and more pronounced than in adults, and parents often just don’t realize that the baby’s poor health is the result of poisoning with watermelon. In children, the blood volume is noticeably less, the gastrointestinal tract is not yet fully formed - therefore, such a situation can be dangerous to their health.
Symptoms usually appear in the first 4 hours and look like this:
• Fluid and frequent stools;
• Due to lowering blood pressure, dizziness may begin;
• Change in heart rate, from low to high, intermittent or intermittent;
• rapid or slow breathing;
• Drowsiness and severe lethargy.
In rare cases, the limbs can become cold, the nails and nasolabial triangle - turn blue, heart failure occurs.
What should parents do in such situations?
If parents noticed at least one of the above symptoms, then immediately take the following measures:
- You can put an enema, with a warm solution of chamomile (medium brewing), or use clean boiled water;
- Be sure to call an ambulance - and do not give the baby any medications. In case of poisoning, they will be prescribed by the attending physician, who will observe the condition of the baby. If the baby is very thirsty, you can give him clean drinking water (no gas) or sweet tea.
Choosing the right watermelon for the child
At what age can I give watermelon to children and how to choose it? If you think that the best way to choose a quality product is to knock on it, or ask the seller to cut a piece, then you are deeply mistaken. These methods do not always work, unfortunately. A quality watermelon should be oval, without cracks, dents or other damage.
A good watermelon should weigh more than it seems visually.
The above method for cutting a piece or cutting the fruit into pieces is completely unacceptable. Such a fruit can be infected with E. coli or other bacteria and microbes, but you are not sure about the cleanliness and sterility of the knife that was manipulated.
After cutting the watermelon at home, you should pay attention to the internal veins in the pulp - they should be light and soft. If their color is yellow and they are tough, then the product contains a large amount of nitrates. A tasty and healthy watermelon should not be of uniform color inside, a good watermelon the closer to the center the brighter.
You can check if the watermelon is stained with chemicals using water, just drop a small piece of pulp into it. If it remained clean, then everything was fine, and if it turned pink or red, then the watermelon was artificially pumped with dyes and sugar.
And before treating the child to a useful treat, it is advisable for parents to try it on their own. If after a couple of hours there are no negative consequences, the pulp can be safely offered to the child.
It should be noted that the cut fruit is not recommended to be stored, even in the refrigerator for more than 24 hours. And the storage of berries in the refrigerator is permissible only if the product is packed with food wrap or a large clean bag.
We told you how to make the right choice when buying, what the portion should be and what to do if the baby has a negative reaction or poisoning after eating it.
