At what age can a child be given tomatoes? Tomato recipes for the little ones

Tomato - a tasty, beautiful vegetable and containing a lot of useful elements. But at the same time, he is a fairly strong allergen. Therefore, when deciding at what age you can give tomatoes to a child, this fact should be taken into account.

The benefits of tomato

First you need to figure out what is actually so useful in this vegetable:

1. Tomato contains a large amount of carotene - a trace element that helps maintain and restore vision. Accordingly, children's eyes, the tomato will be useful.
2. The content of pectin in a sufficiently large volume positively affects digestion. In addition, this trace element reduces the level of bad cholesterol and, accordingly, blood pressure.
3. Tomatoes, like cucumbers, are more than half composed of water. Accordingly, this vegetable enhances the functioning of the kidneys. But at the same time, deciding at what age you can give tomatoes to a child, do not forget about such a childish problem as enuresis. Therefore, do not feed the baby with this vegetable before bedtime.
4. Tomatoes contain trace elements: iron, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iodine, copper. Tomatoes - a storehouse of vitamins B, A, C, PP and E.
5. Red ripe vegetable contains volatile, which fight bacteria.
6. Acetic, tartaric acid, glucose, fructose and mineral salts are also found in tomatoes.
7. There is a unique substance in tomatoes - lycopene. He is able to fight cancer cells. Moreover, the lycopene content increases with the heat treatment of the vegetable.

When to give a vegetable to a baby?

So how many months can a child start eating tomatoes? Despite all the obvious benefits, a tomato should not be given to a baby who is not yet a year old. Why is that? Tomatoes look beautiful on the table, improve the taste of many dishes and increase appetite. And people, especially those who have their own farmsteads, strive to “fortify” children as early as possible. Often, disputes can be heard between parents. Someone begins to give children borsch from 6 months, and someone is afraid of new rashes.

Pay attention to these points.

Therefore, we first consider the dangerous moments that should be paid attention to. In a word, we learn about the dangers of tomatoes for very small peanuts:

• Possible allergic reactions. Like all brightly colored vegetables, tomatoes are a strong allergen.
• When deciding at what age you can give tomatoes to a child, keep in mind that too much vegetable can provoke a so-called imaginary allergy. This is when the baby is covered with spots and he has lacrimation, nasal congestion.
• A large amount of fiber contributes to bloating and discomfort in a small child.
• Thinking about when to start giving the child tomatoes, keep in mind that they are only useful in the season. But in winter, their positive properties are very doubtful due to the content of nitrites and nitrates.

Tomatoes on the kids menu. When to add to the diet of babies?

So at what age is it recommended to give a child tomatoes? Based on all of the above, we can say that a bright tasty tomato should be offered to a baby no earlier than 11-12 months. Like any new product, you should start with half a teaspoon of juice. Thinking about at what age to start giving tomatoes to children, note that tomatoes must be cooked. This must be done until the baby is 1.5 years old. The best choice would be a tomato in the form of vegetable puree or as part of a first course. In the absence of allergic reactions, you can mix different types of vegetables.

When to start a child to give tomatoes from the garden? If you follow the recommendations of pediatric doctors, you should wait until the age of 1.5 years and the onset of summer. But in this case, the tomato must be scalded and peeled. To “pacify the acid”, it is better to mix tomato puree with zucchini, cabbage or potatoes. By the way, in order to better absorb the contained carotene, you should offer your baby a piece of a delicious vegetable with vegetable oil.

Tomato goes well with potatoes and boiled meat. Offer your child such a dinner, and he will only benefit him. But in this case, you should definitely give your child milk, otherwise you will be provided with an unpleasant night. And another interesting fact. Tomato, due to the acid contained in it, increases the appetite of the baby. After two years, you can safely give salad, borsch and stew, which include tomatoes. Of course, if previously there were no unpleasant consequences from the use of tomatoes.

Contraindications for the consumption of tomatoes

Tomatoes should not be given to a baby if he has the following problems from birth:

1. Gallstone disease and any suspicion of it.
2. Pathology of the digestive system.
3. Kidney disease.
4. Allergic reactions.

Salted and pickled tomatoes are not given to children under 3 years old. Ketchup and sauce are recommended not to be included in the children's menu as long as possible. Tomato juice can be given, but not salted. Now we will consider simple ideas of dishes with tomatoes for the children's menu.

Tomato soup

A very healthy dish for kids. To prepare you will need:

• Half a carrot.
• Zucchini (about 50 gr.).
• Pumpkin - 100g.
• 4 inflorescences of cauliflower.
• 2 tomatoes.

Wash all vegetables, except tomatoes, thoroughly, chop and cook until cooked. Grind the tomato with a blender or sieve. Add it to the soup at the end of cooking. After another 3-4 minutes, we throw greens into the first dish. We eat with pleasure!

Vegetable Puree

For cooking you will need:

• potatoes - 2 pcs.;
• zucchini (about the size of a potato);
• carrot;
• broccoli;
• a tomato;

You need to boil all the vegetables until cooked and chop with a blender. Bon Appetit.

Conclusion

Now you know at what age you can give tomatoes to your child. In addition, you are aware of how and with what it is better to combine them. We hope that our recommendations will help you.