When Can Your Child Eat Yogurt? How to Choose Healthy Yogurt
Yogurt is a protein-rich food that can help improve digestion. Yogurt is not only beneficial for adults, but children also need it too. However, since when can children start eating yogurt? Yogurt for children should be like what?
At what age can parents give yogurt to a child?
Yogurt is not only thick milk but is the result of fermented milk. Reported on the Verywell page, you can provide yogurt for children since he was 6 months old.
At the age of 6 months, the child can start eating foods that are more densely textured than before that only breast milk.
If you still feel anxious, it's too early to give yogurt, you can give it at the age of 9 or 10 months. Most parents introduce yogurt at the age of 9 or 10 months.
What is clear, the recommended serving dose of yogurt for children aged 8-12 months is ¼ or ½ cup. When your child is 12-24 months of age, 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.
Be careful choosing yogurt for children
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 original yogurt that does contain probiotics, which are good bacteria that can facilitate digestion. To find out whether a product contains probiotics, you should read food labels first before buying it.
If there is a product label containing active bacteria, it means that the good bacteria in yogurt are still alive and have not been destroyed by the process of making yogurt.
You should also choose plain yogurt, this is 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 sugar or sugarcane crystals, sweetener echo, corn syrup, fructose, dextrose, maltose, malt syrup, sucrose, pay attention to how much. Preferably those that do not contain added sugar or that contain the least added sugar.
If your child is under 2 years of age, it is not recommended to give yogurt with a low-fat label
What if my child is allergic to milk what can I eat yogurt?
If your little one has an allergy to milk protein. It is better not to give yogurt to children first. Discuss with the doctor first, whether it is possible to give children yogurt. Therefore, 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. After you give him yogurt, wait at least the next 3 days if there is an allergic reaction in the child.
For the next 3 days, don't give other new foods so that you can see the cause and effect of yogurt on the child's body.
Common symptoms of allergic reactions such as red spots, itching, swelling around the lips or eyes, vomiting within two hours after eating new foods.
If these symptoms occur, your child may have an allergy. Make sure the condition to your pediatrician.
How to prepare yogurt for children
After choosing plain yogurt, you can mix it with the child's favorite fruit that has been cut into small pieces according to their eating ability.
In addition, you can also make soft foods from a mixture of fruit such as mango or strawberry. After blending, then add this plain yogurt and make a smoothie.
At what age can parents give yogurt to a child?
Yogurt is not only thick milk but is the result of fermented milk. Reported on the Verywell page, you can provide yogurt for children since he was 6 months old.
At the age of 6 months, the child can start eating foods that are more densely textured than before that only breast milk.
If you still feel anxious, it's too early to give yogurt, you can give it at the age of 9 or 10 months. Most parents introduce yogurt at the age of 9 or 10 months.
What is clear, the recommended serving dose of yogurt for children aged 8-12 months is ¼ or ½ cup. When your child is 12-24 months of age, 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.
Be careful choosing yogurt for children
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 original yogurt that does contain probiotics, which are good bacteria that can facilitate digestion. To find out whether a product contains probiotics, you should read food labels first before buying it.
If there is a product label containing active bacteria, it means that the good bacteria in yogurt are still alive and have not been destroyed by the process of making yogurt.
You should also choose plain yogurt, this is 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 sugar or sugarcane crystals, sweetener echo, corn syrup, fructose, dextrose, maltose, malt syrup, sucrose, pay attention to how much. Preferably those that do not contain added sugar or that contain the least added sugar.
If your child is under 2 years of age, it is not recommended to give yogurt with a low-fat label
What if my child is allergic to milk what can I eat yogurt?
If your little one has an allergy to milk protein. It is better not to give yogurt to children first. Discuss with the doctor first, whether it is possible to give children yogurt. Therefore, 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. After you give him yogurt, wait at least the next 3 days if there is an allergic reaction in the child.
For the next 3 days, don't give other new foods so that you can see the cause and effect of yogurt on the child's body.
Common symptoms of allergic reactions such as red spots, itching, swelling around the lips or eyes, vomiting within two hours after eating new foods.
If these symptoms occur, your child may have an allergy. Make sure the condition to your pediatrician.
How to prepare yogurt for children
After choosing plain yogurt, you can mix it with the child's favorite fruit that has been cut into small pieces according to their eating ability.
In addition, you can also make soft foods from a mixture of fruit such as mango or strawberry. After blending, then add this plain yogurt and make a smoothie.
