From what age and when can you give a child a cucumber?
With the advent of summer and the emergence of a wide variety of vegetables for sale, introducing a complementary food mom thinks about whether cucumbers are useful for the little one, and when you can introduce your baby to such a product. Also, parents are interested in what form it is best to give a piece of cucumber.
pros
- This vegetable is rich not only in water, but also in mineral salts of iodine, potassium, silicon, sulfur, enzymes, fructose, essential oils, as well as vitamin C and carotene.
- Fresh cucumber juice is noted for its ability to destroy some types of bacteria, including staphylococcus.
- Cucumber belongs to the hypoallergenic vegetables.
- Grated cucumber or fresh juice from this vegetable has soft laxatives properties.
Minuses
- Fresh cucumbers in the menu of nursing mothers can cause digestive problems in babies.
- Cucumbers should not be used for children who have chronic diseases of the digestive system and kidneys.
- The baby can choke on a small piece of cucumber, as it is slippery and smooth. This is especially true for salted vegetables.
- In a store bought in a store or on the market there can be a high content of nitrates.
- Eating such a pickled vegetable can cause diarrhea, swelling, strong thirst and a rash.
From what age is it better to give?
Cucumber to enter as a feeding advise after a year. An earlier exposure to this product can lead to colic.
The benefits of pickled and pickled cucumbers are much less for a child’s body than fresh ones, since vinegar and salt are used in their preparation, and there is almost no remaining vitamins and other beneficial substances in them after processing. And although such products are often very popular with children, still it’s not worth giving them up to the age of 2-3 years. Some doctors recommend acquainting a child with pickled vegetables at the age of 5 years.
Enter into the diet
After giving year old toddler a small piece of cucumber, follow the reaction to this product. If the child has discomfort or pain in the stomach, set aside acquaintance with cucumbers for a later period.
In what form can I give?
Fresh cucumber should be peeled, and then give the child whole or grated. If the cucumber that you are going to hand to the child is grown in your garden, the skin can not be removed - just rinse the fruit well.
Also, cucumbers can be offered to one-year-old children in the form of different salads, seasoning with vegetable oil. You can offer the child and a salad of cucumber and boiled eggs, dressed with sour cream. Since the combination of cucumber and tomato salad puts strain on the baby's digestive tract, it is recommended to give such dishes to grown children.
How to choose a suitable cucumber?
For baby food is best to buy cucumber soil varieties. Choose for the baby dense cucumbers with a rich color and matte skin. Do not buy fruits that have bruises, cracks or blemishes.Excessively large (overripe) vegetables for feeding children are also not suitable.