With the onset of summer, each person gets the opportunity to strengthen their immunity by receiving the necessary vitamins from ripe fruits, vegetables and berries. Many parents who do not have enough experience wonder at what age a child can give a melon. After all, it contains a sufficient concentration of minerals and vitamins that are so useful to our body. Most experts are inclined to believe that melon contributes to the proper development of the child's body, and also strengthens its immune system as much as possible.
Beneficial features
If you know at what age you can give a melon to a child and include it in your diet, then you can achieve the maximum positive effect.
Beneficial features:
- Blood formation. Melon contains a huge amount of folic acid (almost three times more than any kind of apple).
- Vitamin A and beta-carotene present in the fruit have a positive effect on the growth and vision of crumbs.
- Thanks to the presence of potassium, the cardiovascular system is strengthened.
- Ascorbic acid greatly enhances immunity.
- Magnesium and carbohydrates improve the nervous system.
- Melon is an excellent laxative. Having fiber in its composition, it will be useful for the gastrointestinal tract.
- Useful properties include the presence of nicotinic acid, which helps the body absorb carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.
- Melon contains a sufficient amount of pectin, which is responsible for the removal of toxins.
Melon for children under one year old
Almost all experts agree that melons should not be given to children under one year old. If you do not adhere to the recommendations, then you can encounter a number of problems:
- Failure of the gastrointestinal tract.
- Diarrhea or flatulence. Even the body of a child over the age of one year is not ready to eat large amounts of melon. Offer your baby a small piece of ripe nitrate-free fruit. It is better to introduce melon into the diet separately from other foods.
- An allergy. In the event that you fed a baby melon and you observe an allergic reaction, then immediately contact your doctor for help.
- Intestinal infection. It must be remembered that improper storage of melons can lead to the appearance and further reproduction of microbes, which are dangerous for the baby’s fragile body.
At what age can a child be given melon?
As you already noticed, melon can not only benefit the baby's body, but also cause serious harm. Most young mothers are concerned about whether melon is an allergen for children or not. Any doctor will answer you that when eating melon, an allergic reaction in the form of urticaria is possible. It is necessary to adhere to simple rules so that there are no health problems.
The first serving should not exceed five grams. Then watch for signs of allergy in the baby. If everything is in order, then gradually, over the course of two to three weeks, increase the serving. However, remember that it should not exceed 200 grams per day for a child who is two years old. If your baby is from one to two years old, the optimal portion is 100-150 grams.
You should not offer melon as a sweet dessert after eating. The best option is serving in the form of a light snack. Notched or half-eaten fruit should not be left on the table, it must be stored only in the refrigerator to prevent the appearance of germs that can lead to food poisoning. It is also not recommended to give the baby a melon that has lain for more than a day in a cut form.
Do not give melon to children who are not yet a year old. An exception may be the case if the baby has kidney problems. However, it is possible to give melon to a child when the attending physician independently includes it in the diet.
How to choose a melon?
Treat the melon selection process as responsibly as possible, especially if you intend to feed the baby with it. First of all, you need to pay attention to the tail, which, unlike watermelons, rarely remains at the melon. If it is, it must be dry.
Try pushing the nose of the melon, which should not be excessively soft or hard. The "nose" of ripe fruit is slightly sagging, moderately elastic.
Melon maturity can be determined by smell. If a pleasant vanilla aroma is felt in the tail area, then you have ripe fruit in your hands. A ripe melon will give itself a sharp and very heavy smell. If you could not catch any flavor, then the fruit has not yet ripened.
The next way to choose a melon is familiar to many. It is enough to slap her on the barrel and listen. The ripe fruit will make a loud sound, but moderately ripe - deaf, with a kind of echo.
Appearance can also tell a lot about the melon. Most importantly, there should be no signs of rot, dark spots or other defects on the surface. The ripened melon has a uniform color, without any green stripes or spots. In no case do not buy fruit that has even the slightest damage on its surface. All kinds of cuts, scratches or bursting of the peel create the ideal soil for the life of pathogenic bacteria, which can provoke the occurrence of salmonella and even botulism.
Nitrate melons
If you know how to choose fruits, and also at what age you can give a melon to a child, this does not mean that you need to run to the supermarket and buy early fruits. As a rule, they are nitrate and a priori can not be beneficial to health, especially a little man. In appearance, it is impossible to determine the nitrate content in the melon, but if you cut it, then all the signs are immediately detected. It will be practically odorless, longitudinal veins will become especially noticeable, the seeds of the fetus will be empty, with a gray tint.
Know the measure
Most likely, your baby, like most other children, will really like the melon, which has a pleasant and sweet taste. However, you do not need to indulge your child, who is naughty and requires supplements. In everything you need to know your measure. Overeating threatens with consequences such as:
- intestinal disorders;
- heart dysfunctions.
It is important to remember that such problems can appear not only in babies, but also in adults. Take care of yourself and your children!