Do not carelessly give yogurt to babies, this is a guide for choosing it

Yogurt is a protein-rich food and can help improve digestion. Yogurt is not only beneficial for adults, babies and children also need it. However, when is the right time to give yogurt to babies?

At what age can parents give yogurt to babies?

Yogurt is not only thick milk, but it is processed from fermented milk.

You can give yogurt to your baby since he was 6 months old.

This is because at the age of more than 6 months, babies can start eating foods that are denser textured than before, which only breast milk.

Foods with a dense texture are called complementary foods (MPASI).

If you are still worried about giving yogurt to your baby, you can give it around 9-10 months of age.

Also consider serving sizes of yogurt appropriate for the baby's age at this time.

The recommended serving dose of yogurt for babies ages 8-12 months is usually ¼ or ½ cup.

When your baby is 12-24 months old, you can give him more than ½ cup of yogurt.

Apart from considering when to give it, you also have to be careful with the type of yogurt you buy, especially if your baby has a cow's milk allergy.

Typically, dairy products (dairy product) is not recommended for babies until they are at least 12 months or 1 year old.

However, the exception is yogurt and cheese for babies that can be consumed before 12 months of age.

But again, this of course should be considered according to the condition of the body and the needs of the baby so that it can still provide optimal benefits.

What are the benefits of yogurt for babies?

Yogurt is good for babies because it is useful and nutritious.

Yogurt intake can help meet the nutritional needs of the baby so that there are no nutritional problems in the baby.

Besides being easy to find, yogurt contains probiotics and protein in it.

This probiotic content can support the immune system's work to keep the digestive system from attacking bad bacteria that cause digestive problems.

Not only that, the lactose content in yogurt is also less than whole milk.

It's just that, if the baby has been diagnosed with lactose intolerance or cow's milk allergy, you should pay attention to whether he shows allergic symptoms, reports from the New Kids Center.

This is because babies who are allergic to cow's milk are at risk for experiencing yogurt allergies, especially if the yogurt is processed from cow's milk.

So, it would be nice to have further checkup with the pediatrician if he seems to be experiencing allergy symptoms.

Be careful choosing yogurt for babies

Yogurt can indeed be a healthy snack for the baby. However, yogurt can also be junk food for children.

This is because some brands of yogurt contain added artificial sweeteners, artificial coloring, high fructose corn syrup, and thickening agents.

Yogurt like this should be avoided and not given to your little one.

In addition, choose real yogurt that does contain probiotics, which are good bacteria that can facilitate digestion.

We recommend that you read food labels before buying them to find out if the product contains probiotics.

If there is a product label that contains active bacteria, it means that the good bacteria in the yogurt are still alive and have not been destroyed by the yogurt making process.

In addition, choose plain yogurt to reduce the possibility of additional sweeteners and dyes that are unnecessary for children.

Also read the nutritional value information listed on packaged yogurt for added sugar.

Usually the lactose sugar content is safe enough for your little one because it is natural from yogurt, not an added sweetener.

If there are words for sugar or sugar cane crystals, sweetener echo, corn syrup, fructose, dextrose, maltose, malt syrup, sucrose, pay attention to how much they contain.

We recommend that you choose one that does not contain added sugar or that contains the least added sugar.

If your child is under 24 months, it is not advisable to give yogurt with a low-fat label

Can you give yogurt if your baby is allergic to cow's milk?

If your little one has an allergy to milk protein, you should first avoid giving yogurt to children.

As mentioned earlier, babies who are allergic to cow's milk are at risk for experiencing yogurt allergies.

Discuss with the doctor first whether it is possible if you give yogurt to babies as a mixture of baby food and baby snacks according to the MPASI schedule.

Because, yogurt also contains lactose like milk even though the lactose content is slightly different.

If you don't know the condition with certainty, give it a try and see the effect.

Quoting from the Sleep Baby page, after you try giving yogurt to babies, wait at least the next 3 days and see if there is an allergic reaction.

For the next 3 days, do not give any other new foods so that you can see the cause and effect of the yogurt on the baby's body.

Lactose intolerance is actually rare in babies, but that doesn't mean it's impossible.

Sometimes, babies who have lactose intolerance are still safe to give yogurt. Unlike other dairy products, yogurt is usually easier for the baby's stomach to tolerate.

However, to be more sure, try to get your little one's condition checked by a pediatrician when it is known that they have lactose intolerance, especially if they experience symptoms of cow's milk allergy.

Common symptoms of an allergic reaction include, red spots, itching, swelling around the lips or eyes, vomiting within two hours of eating a new food.

If these symptoms occur, chances are your baby is experiencing allergies.

How to prepare yogurt for your little one

Once you've chosen and bought whatever type of yogurt your baby can afford, you can just give it away.

In order not to get bored quickly, you can also process yogurt into various complementary menus at the main meal or for a snack.

But apart from that, here are some easy ways to prepare yogurt for babies:

1. Mixing yogurt with fruit

Yogurt can be mixed with your little one's favorite fruit.

You can cut your little one's favorite fruit into pieces that can be eaten.

2. Make soft foods from a mixture of fruit

In addition, you can also make soft foods from a mixture of fruit such as mango or strawberry.

To make it easier for your little one to eat, try crushing the fruit but it's not so smooth and then mixed with yogurt.

You can also add toppings in the form of honey for babies and cheese according to the dosage.

3. Make yogurt with cereal

A mixture of a bowl of yogurt with cereal can be a breakfast menu option for your little one.

As another variation, you can add pieces of fruit for babies to further enrich their nutritional content, including vitamins for babies.

4. Yoghurt smoothie

You can also give processed drinks with a yogurt mixture for your baby.

You can blend one or several types of fruit at the same time. After blending, then add this plain yogurt and make a smoothie.

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