Your baby is growing rapidly, and it is time for him to introduce complementary foods in the form of vegetable and fruit puree. Many mummies ask questions about this in-store product. What excites moms?
Question No. 1. Can store mashed potatoes be better than homemade?
The answer to this question depends on which products you will be making mashed potatoes at home. If you use vegetables and fruits grown in a country house, which is located in an environmentally unfavorable area, it is unlikely that the baby will benefit from such mashed potatoes. If products for cooking dishes are purchased on the market, they also cannot be confidently called useful, because you don’t know how they were grown, what they were processed, or what chemicals they watered. Mashed potatoes from the store, produced by well-known companies, undergo mandatory quality control at several levels.
If we talk about saving the family budget, as well as about time costs, then each family decides for itself.
Question No. 2. Is expensive mash always better than cheap?
On the shelves there is a wide range of vegetable and fruit purees. And the price is different. Applesauer from one producer costs 35 rubles, another - 95. Which product should I choose? For the crumbs you do not regret any money, if only there were benefits.
However, the buyer should remember that not only product quality affects the price, but many other factors. Packaging: mashed potatoes in a jar will be more expensive than in a cardboard box. If the jar is with the original design, then the price will increase even more. Product advertising costs are also included. The more the product is advertised at different levels (television, press), the more expensive it is, because the manufacturer needs to pay back the invested funds. Transportation of products: mashed potatoes of a foreign producer will be more expensive than domestic. Therefore, when purchasing a product, you should pay attention primarily not to the price, but to its composition, date of manufacture, and take into account the taste preferences of the baby. Summary: more expensive - not always better.
Question No. 3. What composition of mashed potatoes is better for crumbs?
Puree for children can be made both from one component, and consist of several.
Vegetable puree
The first vegetables that you need to give your child are zucchini, cauliflower, broccoli. Green vegetables are less likely to cause allergic reactions. However, one should be careful here. If the baby suffers from colic, gas, cabbage puree can aggravate the situation. Cabbage often causes gas formation.
When green vegetables are mastered, you can try mashed potatoes from carrots and pumpkins.And only after that - potato, as it most causes allergies due to the high content of starch.
We also read: Vegetable purees for the first feeding (3 recipes)
Fruit
Fruit puree is introduced into the baby’s diet after the vegetable. You should start with pears and apples, which are low allergenic. Banana and apricot also rarely provoke the development of allergies. What can not be said about peach, it can cause allergic dermatitis. There is a rule: first, puree of fruits is introduced into the lure, which grows in the area where the baby lives. And only after that you can offer crumbs exotic fruits (preferably after a year).
Berry
Any berries should be introduced into the child’s diet very carefully, as they can provoke the development of serious allergic reactions. The safest in this regard is black currant. If the child does not have any negative reactions to this berry, then you can enter blueberries, blackberries, gooseberries. Raspberries and strawberries are the most allergenic berries, so it is recommended to give them to the baby when he turns 1 year old.
Meat
Meat puree can be given to children from 6-8 months. First introduce the baby with mashed rabbit, turkey, which are low-fat varieties. After that, chicken, beef and pork are introduced.
We also read: Introduce mashed meat into the child’s diet
Fish
Fish puree is the most allergenic. It can be introduced into the children's diet after a year. In the event that the child had any manifestations of an allergy, you must first consult a pediatrician. It is recommended to purchase mashed potatoes from marine fish of low-fat varieties: pollock, hake, cod.
Unicomponent and multicomponent puree
One component consists of one product. This type of mashed potatoes should be introduced into the lure in the first place, as it will be easier to identify the manifestation of allergies.
Multicomponent puree consists of several products. For example, meat with vegetables or cereals, fruit and berry combinations, fruits and berries with the addition of cream and milk. This type of mashed potatoes is recommended to be given after the baby has already tried many types of mashed potatoes, consisting of one ingredient. It is best to introduce multicomponent puree after 1 year.
Question No. 4. What should I look for when buying?
In order for complementary foods to bring the child only benefit, you must be able to choose the right products in the store. What should be considered?
- Composition of mashed potatoes. Good-quality purees include vegetables or fruits and water. Nothing more! Salt, sugar, thickeners and vitamin supplements should not be included.
- Shelf life. High-quality mashed potatoes for children mainly have a shelf life of 2 years. If the composition contains milk or cream, then the shelf life is reduced. The label must indicate the date of manufacture and expiration date. Never purchase expired (albeit not by much) products. If a jar of mashed potatoes is opened, then it should be stored in the refrigerator for no more than 24 hours.
- The age of the baby. When buying mashed potatoes, be careful: it should be suitable for your child by age. The manufacturer makes the following marks on the package: “+4”, “+6”, etc. The figure corresponds to the month of the baby's life.
- Important information on the packaging. If the label says “Recommended by the Research Institute of Nutrition RAMS”, then you can safely purchase this puree for your baby. Such products are safe and of high quality. On the package there is information about the degree of fineness of mashed potatoes. Homogenized it is better to purchase for crumbs from 4 to 6 months; mashed - for babies from 7 to 9 months; coarsely ground Suitable for children from 9 months.
Question No. 5. Which packaging is better: can, cardboard or spider?
It is impossible to answer unequivocally. The undoubted plus of cans is environmental friendliness and safety. If the mashed potatoes are spoiled, you will immediately understand this by the characteristic absence of cotton when opening. Through the glass jar it is easier to discern the appearance of the mash. But during transportation, the glass may crack, and the mashed potatoes will be damaged. Mashed potatoes in cardboard packaging cannot break, but such containers are easily wrinkled and damaged.It is good to take spiders with a screw cap for a walk so that the baby can have a bite when he already knows how to hold the package. The choice is yours.
We also read: When and where to start the first lure, how to introduce new products: the basics, tips and rules
Dr. Antsiferova - How to choose baby puree?
Dr. Elena Antsiferova tells how a young mother can choose the right baby puree for a child:
When our children were young, my wife and I cooked them purees, we had our own garden, there were enough vegetables and fruits, whoever said anything, anyway, and our own foods would always be better.
For a long time I did not dare to give the baby complementary foods in the form of mashed vegetables, too many acquaintances said that allergies were possible or would be colic, but our doctor insisted on this. And fortunately, all the fears were in vain, the bunny ate with pleasure and there were no consequences! So do not be afraid of this.
I am a supporter of mashed potatoes cooked with my own hands. First, you see and know what you are doing. Therefore, there is one hundred percent confidence in the freshness, quality of vegetables and fruits and, especially, meat! And now there is a lot of kitchen equipment at hand - it’s easy to cook for the sake of the baby’s health.
Despite the fact that I buy vegetables and fruits on the market, I think it’s better to cook it yourself, if only because the food you just cooked does not require heating and in any case there are more vitamins in it than in a jar that has been lying half a year on the counter!
Here I also conducted an express analysis of all the mixtures. I liked Materna extra care (ordered at baby1care). Gave the child. There was no allergy. It is necessary to give 20ml per feeding, then more and so on, increasing to the desired volume