When Can Babies Eat Yogurt
Babies can start eating yogurt as soon as they start eating solid food. In general baby starts eating solid at the age of 6-9 months and yogurt is the best choice for babies to start solid food because it comes with added benefits and rich in nutrients like Calcium, Protein, Vitamins.
Based on the options available in the market, we can try Plain, unsweetened yogurt, Flavored yogurt or the one topped with fresh fruits. For kids of age 2 year or above and adults, it is ok to eat flavored yogurt but for small kids plain, unsweetened yogurt that is made from whole milk is the best option.
Why plain unsweetened yogurt is best from babies
Choosing plain yogurt is the best choice to avoid added sugar, because sugar products can cause tooth decay in infants. You can avoid yogurt with added sugar by checking the ingredients label on the product and look for options like corn crystals, corn sweetener, cane crystals, cane juice, maltose, sucrose, honey, glucose. These ingredients indicate availability of added sugar in the yogurt as well in any of the baby food products.
Plain unsweetened yogurt made from whole milk is important because babies need fat in their diet and to match the necessary calories needed by babies, we should avoid fat free or reduced fat dairy products.
If your baby is not showing interest in eating plain unsweetened yogurt, then you can make it better by adding natural flavors from fruits and vegetables. Mashed avocado and apple puree are some option to taste it good. For babies younger than 1 year, you can add fruit flavor by mixing it with pureed fruit, edible by babies when their tooth is underdeveloped. For older kids it is OK to add sliced fruits and vegetables that are cooked and slices in soft small pieces. Avoid giving honey to kids younger than 1 year of age as it may contain bacteria that can cause serious electrolyte imbalance in children of that age.
How can you identify is your baby is lactose intolerant?
Make it a practice to wait for at least a day or two before introducing any new food to the baby, this practice may help in identifying food items your baby is allergic to. Common symptoms of allergies because of food items are- itchy red spots, patches on the skin, vomiting in 2-3 hours after eating food, swelling in the eyes and near lip areas. Don’t give any food to you baby if they start showing discomfort or any sign of above mentioned symptoms and have them checked with the doctor to take precautionary actions.
Also check, When Can Babies Drink Water and Things to do if baby is forming gas
