When can a child have cheese and what kind? Cheese for baby feeding. Quail egg omelette

* Milk *

410. Milk after a year.

Milk contains almost all the nutrients needed
to the human body: proteins, fats, carbohydrates, mineral salts and almost all vitamins. Children receiving adequate nutrition are provided with all these substances (except calcium) without milk. Milk is the only product that contains a lot of calcium, so it is advisable that the child drinks from up to 1 liter of milk per day (in any form).
But remember that many children drink different amounts of milk on different days. Therefore, the surest way to preserve a child’s love for milk is to never persuade him to drink more than he wants. If after a few weeks the baby has not returned to his previous norm (750 g), think about what other form you can give him more milk.

411. Instead of plain milk.

Porridge requires a lot of milk to prepare. Milk is included in various puddings, ranging from curd mass to rice pudding. You can make vegetable and chicken soups with milk instead of water. You can cook pasta, mashed potatoes and many other dishes with milk.
It is better not to add various substances to milk to change its smell and taste. But if necessary, you can add cocoa or hot chocolate to the milk, or drink it cold with the addition of some syrup. Usually chocolate causes diathesis and gastric disorders in young children, so it is not given until 2 years of age. Vanillin can also be added to milk. But do not make the milk too sweet, so as not to interrupt the child’s appetite.
Unfortunately, any novelty quickly becomes boring, so a child can also quickly get tired of flavored milk, especially if the mother persuades him to drink a little more on the first day when he drinks less than one glass. I would like to repeat once again that when parents tell a child: “Drink some more chocolate milk” (or something else), then the child loses the desire to drink this milk.
Cheese is a very healthy dairy product. 30 g of hard cheese contains the same amount of calcium as 230 g of milk. You need 3 times more processed cheese than hard cheese to get the amount of calcium contained in a glass of milk. There is little calcium in cottage cheese. In terms of calcium content, 1 glass of milk is equivalent to 300 g of cottage cheese.
Since cottage cheese has little fat, it is very easy to digest and you can eat a lot of it. Cottage cheese is eaten salted or mixed with grated cheese or boiled vegetables. Due to its high fat content, cheese should be given little by little. It can be eaten simply in pieces or in the form of sandwiches; Many dishes are sprinkled with grated cheese if the child refuses milk in all its forms. If he is allergic to milk, he should receive calcium in some other form as prescribed by his doctor.
Butter or margarine should be introduced after a year and very gradually, adding it to vegetables and spreading it on bread. Cream should also be given little by little, pouring it over porridge, puddings or fruit for a child with a good appetite. It takes time for the body's digestive system to adjust to increased fat intake.

* Meat, fish, eggs *

412. Meat.

413. Fish.

You can gradually start feeding fish (white, lean) for about a year. It is baked, boiled or fried. Crush the fish with your fingers and remove any bones before giving it to your child. Fattier fish varieties are introduced into the menu gradually after a year. Some children like fish, but most don't like it and there's no point in insisting.

414. Eggs.

This is a very valuable product in any form: hard-boiled or in a bag, in the form of scrambled eggs or used to prepare various dishes and drinks. It is advisable for the child to eat one egg per day. If he likes eggs, sometimes 2 eggs a day is okay.
If the child does not like meat or fish or if you cannot get them, then his protein needs will be satisfied with 3/4-1 liter of milk and 2 eggs per day, plus vegetable proteins contained in cereals and vegetables.
If your child does not like eggs or they cause allergies, then regular consumption of meat is even more necessary.

*Vegetables*

415. Different types of vegetables.

During the first year of life, your baby has probably eaten most of the following vegetables: spinach, peas, onions, carrots, asparagus, zucchini, pumpkin, tomatoes, celery, potatoes.
By the age of one year, the child should switch from pureed food to mashed food with a fork and in the form of pieces. (Of course, some vegetables can also be given in pureed form.) The peas need to be crushed so that the child does not swallow the peas whole. If you gave your child only easily digestible vegetables before one year, then after a year try less popular and more difficult to digest vegetables: cabbage (including cauliflower), turnips, parsnips. Their harsh taste can be softened by boiling them in two waters. Some children like these vegetables and digest them well; other children refuse to even try them. Corn grains are given only after 2 years. Very young children swallow corn without chewing, and it comes out undigested in the feces. Give your child only soft corn. Cut the kernels not too close to the base so that the kernels open up; at 3-4 years old you can feed corn directly on the cob, but cut each row of kernels in the middle so that they open up.
Easily digestible raw vegetables begin to be fed between one and two years, if the child has good digestion. The best of them: peeled tomatoes, lettuce, grated carrots, finely chopped celery. These vegetables must be well peeled. Give them a little at first and see how the child digests them. You can season raw vegetables with orange or sweetened lemon juice.
At the same time, if the child has good digestion, you can start giving vegetable juices. Raw vegetables and their juices are much healthier than boiled vegetables, in which some of the vitamins and mineral salts are destroyed during the cooking process and dissolve in water.
If your child temporarily stops loving just boiled vegetables, think about vegetable soups: pea, tomato, onion, spinach, beetroot, corn and mixed vegetable soups.

416. Vegetables can be replaced with fruits.

Suppose a child refuses vegetables in any form for several weeks. Vegetables are a very valuable product as a source of vitamins, mineral salts and fiber. But various fruits contain most of the vitamins and mineral salts and the same amount of fiber. If a child takes vitamins in concentrates, drinks milk and eats meat and eggs, he receives those salts and vitamins that are low in fruits. In other words, if your child doesn't eat vegetables but likes fruit, he has nothing to lose. Give him fruit 2-3 times a day and forget about vegetables for several weeks or even months. If you don't insist, your child will most likely fall in love with vegetables again after a while.

* Fruits *

417. In what form to give them.

During the first year of life, the child apparently tried the following fruits, boiled or canned: pureed apples, apricots, prunes, pears, peaches, pineapples and raw ripe bananas, apples, pears. A one-year-old child can be given some of these fruits not in pureed form, but in pieces. Canned fruits that adults eat are not as healthy for children because the syrup is too sweet. If you give children canned compotes, then at least drain the sweet syrup.
Raw fruits, such as oranges, peaches, apricots, plums, and seedless grapes, are provided between one and two years if the child has good digestion. Raw fruits must be very ripe. Cut off the peel for a child under 4 years of age. If you leave it, you should wash the fruit thoroughly to remove any chemicals that have been sprayed on the fruit trees.
Usually, raw berries are not produced until 2 years old. Strawberries often cause rashes. Until the child learns to chew well, mash the berries so that he does not swallow them whole. Remove the pits from the cherries until he learns to do it himself by spitting them out. Whenever you start giving berries, do it gradually and stop if your baby starts to have diarrhea.
Melons and watermelons should be given carefully at 2 years of age, in small portions in a mashed form.
Dry fruits - prunes, apricots, figs, dates - can be given uncooked from 2 years of age. Dry fruits should be washed very carefully and given sliced as a fruit salad or whole.

* Porridge and dinner *

418. Porridge.

Your one-year-old child probably already eats various cereals, made from children's semi-finished products or boiled: oatmeal, wheat and others that the whole family eats. Feed your baby cereal as long as he likes it, once or twice a day. Remember that children like either solid or almost liquid food. They usually don't like a sticky consistency. Therefore, make the porridge liquid.
If your child is tired of one porridge, offer him another one that he did not like before. You can occasionally give boiled unpolished rice, hominy, semolina porridge. Children often prefer dry porridges (buckwheat, millet, etc.), because adults and older children eat them. Wheat and oatmeal porridges are the healthiest because they are rich in vitamins and mineral salts (corn and rice porridges are less valuable).

419. Bread and cereals.

If your child is tired of porridge for breakfast, you can give him toasted bread, a bun made from wholemeal flour, rye flour or oatmeal. Bread is the same porridge, only baked, and is just as healthy. The fact that the bread is cold and not hot, like porridge, does not matter and does not reduce either its nutritional value or digestibility. Spread the bread with a thin layer of butter or margarine (after a year). You can spread a layer of pureed fruit or a little jam on the bread if your child likes it that way.

420. Dinner.

Mothers often complain: “He’s tired of porridge and I just don’t know what to feed him for dinner.” If you are going to give your child several dishes for dinner, then you need to remember a simple rule so as not to feed him two hearty dishes for one dinner and two light ones for another. This is the rule: 1) fruits or vegetables; 2) a filling, high-calorie dish.
A hearty dish can be porridge, which your child will like much more if you add slices of raw or boiled fruit, or finely chopped dry fruit, or honey.
An older child can be given sandwiches instead of porridge. It is still difficult for a one-year-old child to eat a sandwich, and he will still split it into pieces. But closer to 2 years old, he will cope well with a sandwich. For sandwiches, use rye or wholemeal bread. Spread it with a thin layer of butter, cottage cheese or melted cheese. You can add a little jam, honey or sugar if the child does not eat sandwiches without sweets. But I would not recommend getting carried away with sweets. Sandwiches can be made with a wide variety of foods: raw vegetables (lettuce, tomatoes, grated carrots or cabbage), boiled or chopped dry fruits, eggs, herring, chopped poultry or meat, cheese (grated or melted, and later sliced). For children over 3 years old, you can put a little mayonnaise on the sandwich.
As a hearty dish for dinner, you can serve broth or soup with rice, pearl barley or pasta, into which you can throw in some croutons.
In addition to the egg received for breakfast, or instead of it, you can give an egg (in any form) for dinner. Place the egg on the bread or crumble the bread into the soft-boiled egg.
You can give plain cookies by spreading them with something or crumbling them into a cup with warm or cold milk. You can crumble bread or croutons into cold or hot milk.
Potatoes are a very filling dish and are quite suitable for dinner if the child likes them. Sometimes you can give pasta and vermicelli.
Instead of the first hearty dish, followed by boiled or raw fruit, you can first give boiled vegetables or a vegetable or fruit salad, and after that - milk or cereal pudding, and for an older child, ice cream.
Bananas are a wonderful dessert and a very filling dish. They can sometimes replace porridge for breakfast. You can give cottage cheese or desserts made with gelatin (preferably with fruit). But they do not contain enough calories and, therefore, do not fully satisfy the child's appetite.
There are children who always eat little food containing starch and do not seem to need it. They get enough calories from milk, meat, fruits and vegetables and gain weight normally. They get enough B vitamins from these same foods. So, the last thing you should worry about is bread, cereal and other high-calorie foods, even if the child has gone without it for several weeks.

*Less valuable and junk food*

421. Cakes, pies, cookies.

These products are undesirable for children because they are prepared mainly from premium flour, sugar and fat. Since they are very high in calories, the child quickly gets full, but receives almost no vitamins, mineral salts, fiber and proteins. This kind of food is called “incomplete”. It only satisfies the child's appetite, but deprives him of essential nutrients that he could get from other foods.
Of course, a child can occasionally eat pies and cakes (for example, on a birthday). If you give them regularly, you will deprive him of essential nutrients. There is no point in making pies at home if there is no special need for it.
Cream cakes are especially dangerous. Cream is an excellent environment for bacteria to multiply, especially if the cakes are not stored in the refrigerator. Stale cakes are often the cause of severe poisoning.

422. Sweets.

They are also undesirable because they quickly satisfy the child’s appetite and are harmful to his teeth. If a child happily eats porridge with fruit without sugar, then there is no need to add it. But, if a little sugar or a spoonful of honey, in your child’s opinion, makes the porridge very tasty, then sweeten it without talking. But don't let him add too much sugar. Calmly and firmly move the sugar bowl away from him. Jelly, jam, and canned fruit (except for special canned fruit for children) contain too much sugar and therefore should not be fed to the child frequently. If he eats bread and butter with only jam, then spread it just a little, just for taste. If the whole family eats canned fruit, you can give it to your child too, but without the syrup. Raisins, prunes and dates, if a child eats them regularly, are harmful to the teeth because they stick to them for a long time.

423. Sweets, fruit water, ice cream.

This is an unhealthy food, and children usually eat them between feedings, which is especially harmful for both teeth and appetite. It won't hurt your child if he eats candy or ice cream for dessert after dinner with the whole family. But at all costs, avoid giving your baby sweets between feedings. It is not recommended to give sweets regularly, even on the third day. To avoid getting your child used to sweets, do not keep them at home and do not buy your child ice cream or fruit water. But a school-age child will inevitably learn about the existence of such “joys.” If a child only wants sweets from time to time, then it is better to give in to his desire so that he feels that he is “the same as everyone else.” But, if he constantly eats sweets and especially if he has bad teeth, then parents should allow sweets only on special occasions.

424. Often parents themselves instill in their child a love of candy.

Children love candy. Their “hungry”, growing bodies require additional calories. But an unspoiled child is unlikely to eat a lot of sweets. Some young children do not like candy or sweets at all. In her experiments, Dr. Clara Davis found that if you let your child decide what to eat, he will eat sweets in reasonable quantities.
I think that parents often unwittingly instill in their children an exaggerated love of sweets. For example, a mother says to a child: “Until you eat spinach, I will not give you ice cream” or “If you eat all the porridge, I will give you candy.” When you promise and keep the promise (or any reward), it increases desire. The effect is the opposite of what the mother needs. The child eats spinach and porridge that he hates, and he craves candy and ice cream even more. As a joke, I would advise bribing a child differently: “I won’t give you spinach until you eat ice cream.” But seriously, I advise you to never hold back one dish until your child has eaten another. Let him think that simple food is as good as sweet food.

425. Corn, rice and premium flour are less valuable products than wholemeal flour and oatmeal.

Corn and rice are poor in vitamins and valuable proteins (even before processing) compared to oatmeal, rye flour and wholemeal wheat flour. Processing grain deprives it of most of its vitamins, mineral salts and fiber. Therefore, foods such as white bread, pasta, cookies, rice, hominy, etc. should be given less frequently. Unpolished brown rice is healthier than polished white rice.
You may think that I am exaggerating the dangers of sweet and starchy foods. In many families, children eat approximately as follows: breakfast - porridge (very sweet) and bread with jam; lunch - pasta, white bread and jam; afternoon snack - ice cream and soda water; dinner - cornflakes, pies and pudding. Even if with such a diet the child eats both meat and vegetables, still 2/3 of his menu is “junk” food.

426. Coffee and tea.

They are not suitable for children because they fill the space in the stomach that belongs to milk, and in addition, they contain an stimulant - caffeine. Most children are active enough without caffeine. You can add a tablespoon of liquid tea or coffee to the milk if your child likes to do everything “in an adult way.” But it’s better and easier not to give these drinks to your child at all.

* Frozen food *

427. Frozen foods are just as good for children as fresh and canned foods, if they are prepared correctly.

Freezing affects food in the same way as cooking, that is, it brings it into a state in which it is better absorbed by both humans and bacteria. In other words, cooked and thawed food spoils faster than raw food.
Milk, products prepared with milk, vegetables, poultry, various fillings are easily spoiled foods that cannot be kept out of the refrigerator for a long time.

*Eating out of schedule*

428. Be prudent.

Many young children need a snack between two meals. But between feedings, not all foods can be given and not at any time, so as not to interrupt the baby’s appetite.
Fruit and vegetable juices and fruits are quickly and easily digested and are less likely than other types of food to contribute to tooth decay. Milk stays in the stomach much longer and therefore can suppress the baby's appetite. But there are children who cannot eat enough at one time and feel hungry and tired much earlier than the next feeding. It is better for such a child to give milk outside of the schedule. Then by the next feeding he will not be too exhausted and his appetite will be better.
Do not offer your baby cakes, pies or sweet cookies between feedings. They have three disadvantages: they are high in calories, low in vitamins and other nutrients, and harmful to teeth. Even hard crackers and bread stick to the teeth for a while and are therefore not particularly suitable for this purpose.
It is best to give your baby a snack halfway between two feedings or no later than 1.5 hours before the next feeding. But even to this rule there are exceptions. Some children, having drunk juice between feedings, still become so hungry and angry before the next feeding that, having found a reason for hysteria, they refuse to eat at all. If you give such a child a glass of juice as soon as he returns home from a walk (even if there are 20 minutes left before lunch), this will improve both his mood and his appetite. So, what and when to give between feedings is dictated by common sense and the needs of your baby. Many children do not need to snack outside of their schedule at all. As a last resort, you can change the feeding schedule and continue to stick to it for a long time.
Some mothers complain that the child does not eat well at the table, but asks to eat outside the schedule. This problem arose as a result of the fact that the mother persuaded and forced the child to eat during the established feeding hours and, conversely, refused to feed him between them. Persuasion only deprives the child of appetite. If this continues for several months, then the sight of the dining room is enough to make him sick. But as soon as lunch is over (although the child has eaten very little), his stomach returns to its natural state and requires food, like any healthy empty stomach. The solution to this problem is not to deny the child food at the wrong time, but to try to make the procedure of feeding at set hours so pleasant that he looks forward to it with pleasure in advance. The food should be tasty and have an appetizing appearance so that the baby eats it with more pleasure than what is offered to him between feedings.

*Breakfasts, lunches, dinners*

429. Sample menu

Breakfast:
1) fruit or fruit juice;
2) porridge;
3) egg;
4) milk.
Lunch (or dinner):
1) meat, fish or poultry (or an additional egg);
2) vegetables (raw or cooked);
3) potatoes;
4) raw fruit (occasionally pudding);
5) milk.
Dinner (or lunch):
1) a hearty dish, for example: porridge or bread or sandwiches or potatoes or soup with crackers, croutons, pasta, noodles, etc. or eggs in any form with bread or (but not often) pudding, pasta;
2) vegetables or fruits, raw or boiled;
3) milk.
In addition: vitamins in concentrates - daily; fruit or juice between feedings, if necessary; wholemeal bread - with every meal, if you want.

Cheese is a healthy product, and it can bring a lot of benefits to your baby. But it should be introduced into the diet in a timely manner, and not all varieties can be eaten by children. So how to choose cheese for complementary feeding and at how many months/years should you start giving it?

A variety of dairy products are slowly introduced into the diet of a child older than one year (starting from 12-years-old). And not only kefir, but also cottage cheese and cheese. “Milk” is needed to provide children’s diet with substances for growth and full development.

In addition, it is important for children to begin to develop taste habits in time, otherwise they will be capricious in food and refuse foods that are beneficial to health.

When mothers forget that children should be offered a little cheese per year, they give preference to the more familiar cottage cheese and yoghurt. And in vain, because a high-quality product contains many useful substances.

100 g contains an average of 23 g of proteins, which are easily absorbed by the child’s body. Vitamins: A, B2, C, B6, E, B12, D. Lots of calcium, potassium, phosphorus.

The composition of the product can be richer, it largely depends on the variety: fused, sausage, solid, semi-solid, curd etc.

Benefits of cheese for children's bodies:

contains a lot of calcium necessary for teeth, bones, hair, nails and skin;
rich in protein, which is easily digestible and is needed for tissue formation;
helps to gain weight;
quickly satisfies hunger;
energizes;
forms correct taste habits;
is a source of fatty acids that are beneficial for the skin, internal organs and brain;
has a beneficial effect on vision.

Thus, cheese must be included in the diet of babies starting from 12 months. There is no need to be afraid that this rather high-calorie product can cause harm. After all, children quickly use up energy.

What varieties are suitable?

Of course, you shouldn’t skimp when buying cheese for your child. It is necessary to choose solid varieties with a low salt content without unnecessary additives: dyes, flavors.

Kids can be given hard cheeses similar to Maasdam: sweetish, tender, with large holes and a fat content of no more than 20%. Also pay attention to “Poshekhonsky”, “Russian”, “Oltermani” from trusted manufacturers.

Theoretically, you can treat your baby to curd cheeses. But most of these products displayed on store shelves contain flavorings and other additives that can cause allergies and other more serious health problems.

Smoked sausages and processed cheeses should absolutely not be given to children. Moreover, processed ones are prohibited, as well as those that have a creamy consistency, and cheese curds like “Friendship” in foil wrappers. They contain a lot of salts. Plus they are very fatty. Parents should also know that processed and sausage cheeses are made from production waste.

Fancy blue cheeses should not be offered to children under 7 years of age. They increase the risk of allergies and negative skin reactions.

It is advisable to give your child “Maasdam” as the first cheese - it has a pleasant sweetish taste, which kids usually like and is easy to chew. It is rarely counterfeited, and all production rules are followed in production, which serves as a guarantee of safety for the baby’s health.

Why not earlier than a year?

Sometimes parents love their children so much that they unwittingly harm them. A simple example: out of a desire to diversify the menu, a mother treats her beloved child with meat, cheeses or fruits. This is strictly forbidden.

The little man’s body is ready to accept cheese only once a year. It is then that the gastrointestinal tract begins to produce the necessary enzymes. Moreover, for some children this may happen a little later, for example: at 13 months or even at one and a half years. Therefore, it is necessary to introduce new foods into the diet strictly at a certain age. And the exact answer to the question: “When?” – the reaction of the child’s body will tell you.

How to give and how much?

A one-year-old baby can have either one slice a day or one spoonful of grated cheese mass. It is advisable to treat your child to cheese 2-3 times a week, not more often.

If you don't like the treat, try a different variety. Does the child refuse to eat anything? Don't force it.

At the age of 3 years, you can give your child about 10 g of cheese per day, including on buttered sandwiches. It is better in the morning, when the baby’s body is most ready to absorb proteins.

Take bread with butter and cheese with you on long walks - such a snack will only bring benefits.

Grated cheese can be added to your baby’s favorite dishes (broccoli, boiled potatoes, pasta, tomato soups), or to prepare puree soups.

Try to diversify the children's menu by offering them “adult”, beautifully presented dishes. After all, it is at this age that taste preferences and attitudes towards food are formed for all subsequent years.

How to choose?

There is no need to buy vacuum-packed cheeses for your child - they are usually unripe and do not have a very pleasant taste.

It’s also not worth saving: cheap products are either spoiled or of poor quality. All cheap cheeses contain additives that reduce the cost of production and threaten your baby with allergic reactions. And their taste leaves much to be desired. The baby will simply refuse to eat, and will even retain a dislike for all cheeses for the rest of his life.

It is better to buy from a familiar saleswoman at the market or in a good supermarket, where the cheese is cut from a large circle.

If you want to purchase a already packaged product, then carefully read the composition. The label should not indicate “cheese product.” This is a surrogate, and it will not bring any benefit, only harm.

Testing for reaction

It’s not enough to buy good, high-quality cheese for your child; you need to test it. To do this, on the day of complementary feeding, all other unfamiliar foods are excluded from the diet. In other words, the menu on this day should be as familiar as possible to the baby.

At lunch, the child should cut off a small (about 2x2 cm) piece of cheese. Better yet, grate it onto one spoon.

Give your baby a new treat and watch his reaction carefully. If you start spitting, stop feeding. But even if the product is received with a bang, don’t give the supplement.

Observe your child during the day to see if there are any skin rashes, complaints of abdominal pain or other gastrointestinal disorders.

If everything went well, cheese can be given 3-4 times a week. For variety, you are allowed to alternate different varieties, without forgetting about quality.

But if the baby starts crying or his stool changes, it is necessary to temporarily stop introducing cheese into the diet. Perhaps the child’s body is not yet ready to digest this product.

Possible harm

Low-quality cheeses can negatively affect the baby's health. And lead to obesity, nausea, dermatitis, allergic reactions. They are also capable of causing such strong disgust in a child that it will last a lifetime.

In some cases, even high-quality, expensive cheese should not be given to children. Contraindications include cases when your child:

suffers from a bad reaction to fatty foods (nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea);
prone to gaining excess weight;
has diseases of the gastrointestinal tract;
I just don't like cheese.

As you can see, good cheese practically cannot harm a child. The main thing is not to force him to eat and make sure that the child does not eat too much.

Do you have allergies?

Most often, people are allergic not to cheese, but to one of its components (spices, herbs, flavorings). But the product itself can become an allergen if a child is intolerant to dairy components (in this case, cow’s milk protein).

Symptoms:

diarrhea;
vomit;
skin rashes;
nausea;
asthma attack;
skin itching;
increased body temperature;
blisters.

Attention! As a rule, allergic reactions in children are very severe, including severe shortness of breath and anaphylactic shock.

If you find similar symptoms, first of all you need to give the child a lot of water, it is advisable to rinse the stomach, inducing vomiting.

In case of severe suffocation, you should immediately call an ambulance and give an antihistamine.

Fortunately, cheese allergies are rare.

Many parents diligently monitor their children's diet. Pediatricians advise feeding the baby correctly so that unforeseen health situations do not arise in the future. If your baby has grown, it’s time to gradually introduce complementary foods into his diet.

Product benefits

Is it possible to give cheese to babies? The product is rich in calcium and proteins; they are absorbed faster than the proteins contained in milk and cottage cheese. It contains vitamins A, PP, B; microelements – phosphorus, pantothenic acid.

The composition of the product confirms its value. It should be present in baby food, fully forming bones, hair, and teeth. Cheese has a beneficial effect on vision, improves metabolism, strengthens the walls of blood vessels, and improves mood, thanks to the serotonin contained in it.

The smallest children, children under 6 months, should not be offered cheese as complementary foods. The protein contained in the product overloads the kidneys, and fats and salts are poorly accepted by the child’s body.

From what month can a baby be given cheese?

From 8 months, pediatricians recommend introducing cottage cheese into complementary foods. It's better if mom cooks it herself. You can add half a teaspoon of grated or mashed with a fork product to your baby’s porridge. With cheese, beneficial substances will enter the baby's body. This cheese is very similar to cottage cheese.

From the age of 9 months, a child can be introduced into complementary foods with cheese of a uniform consistency, without seasonings, and a little salty. Add it to food, a teaspoon, 2 times a week.

By 10-11 months of life, you can give your child soft curd cheese, industrially produced, in small quantities.

How to give cheese to a baby if he refuses?

The baby will like its delicate taste; its soft consistency makes it easy to mix it with porridge or add it to pureed natural vegetables.

At what age can a child fully try a tasty, healthy product?

At 1 year, the digestive system will stabilize, immunity will increase, the strength of the intestinal walls will increase, and the risk of allergic reactions to an unfamiliar cheese product will decrease.

Rules for feeding cheese

Cheese is not a main dish or a side dish for a child, it is a nutritious food supplement. It should be given in small portions, alternating with eggs, cottage cheese, and meat. As a source of fats and proteins, cheese can be included in the diet.

You need to start complementary feeding with 5 grams per day, by the age of two the portion increases to 30 grams. Cheese should be taken in the morning, before lunch, when digestive enzymes are most active. It is combined with other products: pasta, vegetables, bread, to balance the necessary carbohydrates, proteins, fats.

The method of serving the product depends on the age of the child. It is better for children three years old to add grated cheese to their food. Pediatricians do not recommend combining it with foods that contain proteins and fats, such as butter and meat. This will put additional stress on the digestive organs - the stomach, intestines, as well as the pancreas, kidneys, liver, leading to their failure.

From 4 years old, a child can be given cheese in slices. The baby’s body will receive useful substances, and by chewing a tasty product, the jaw muscles will be well strengthened.

Product selection

Not all varieties are suitable for little ones. What cheese is best to give to a baby? You should not buy cheap cheese for your child; you should approach the choice responsibly. An inexpensive product may be of poor quality and cause allergies in the baby. It is better to choose low-fat, lightly salted cream cheeses, without various additives.

The child's body accepts soft cheeses well. There is no need to offer children hard cheeses until they are one year old.

The healthiest thing for a baby is homemade cheese. Cooking technologies at home must be strictly followed. And the store sells high-quality cheeses; you need to learn how to choose them correctly. When the baby turns one year old, Russian cheese is ideal for him, and later let him try Mozzarella and Parmesan.

Fat content

When purchasing, parents must control the fat content; it should not exceed 45%. Cheese with low fat content is not recommended for children; in the absence of fat, the body does not absorb calcium.

From the age of one and a half years, pickled and fermented milk cheeses are added to the diet. Little gourmands will like Adygei, Suluguni, Georgian. They have less fat content than rennet products, but more salt.

Cheese is a high-calorie dairy product, but children are active - they jump, run, and play, especially on a sunny summer day. Calories burn quickly, there is no need to count them, a healthy baby does not have a tendency to become overweight. From the age of 3, children begin to be introduced to a new assortment, starting with Poshekhonsky or Dutch. To diversify the baby’s diet, it is necessary to introduce new varieties, excluding melted and smoked ones.

You should avoid feeding your child blue cheese; the additive often causes severe allergies. When can you treat your child to an unusual product? From the age of 6, the body will become stronger and the child will be able to try the delicacy.

Allergies in children

Cheese is a favorite and popular product for many. Convenient for daily use, does not require preparation. The product is rich in a large number of useful substances. It has many types, many get acquainted with new tastes.

Not everyone can enjoy eating a product that often causes allergies. Infants, their delicate bodies are exposed to substances that cause this disease.

In most cases, it appears on the components of a dairy product. Allergy appears in young children as an intolerance associated with the characteristics of the reaction to a certain product. An allergy to cheese occurs in an infant due to the body's inability.

Having a negative predisposition to certain components of classic cheese, the baby often accepts products produced from or derived from plants well. For example, Tofu cheese, familiar to many, is made from soy milk.

The younger the child, the less protected the vital systems are. The resulting reaction to the product is more pronounced in the baby and can take on a complex nature.

The child develops symptoms of the disease:

Quincke's edema;
dyspnea;
attacks of suffocation;
dangerous intestinal disorders;
dehydration of the body, which in a short time leads to a sad outcome;
anaphylactic shock.

If you are allergic to this dairy product, it is better to avoid it. Checking your baby’s normal tolerance to the reaction to cheese will help you avoid serious consequences.

To find out if your baby has an allergy, do a small test. The baby should be given a small piece of the product. If small spots on the body and loose stools do not appear in the evening or morning, add cheese to your child’s food.

At the first symptoms of negative changes in the condition, the product causing the allergy should be excluded from the diet after observing the child’s behavior. A new attempt to include cheese in your baby’s diet should be repeated after a few weeks, after consulting with your pediatrician.

Children like cheese, they need to start complementary feeding correctly, on time, and monitor the baby’s health. A tasty product will help your child grow up strong and smart.

Transparent slices and cubes that crumble under light pressure, blue mold and a spicy, smoked taste - all this is about cheese. One of the most interesting and delicious products in the human diet, depending on the variety, it acts both as a daily dish and as a rare delicacy. Cheese is used for snacks and breakfasts, added to baked goods, and baked with vegetables and meat. It is difficult to imagine a person who has never tried any of the varieties of this product.

Many young mothers are faced with a choice: to give or not to give cheese to their baby. On the one hand, fermented milk products are recommended in the children's menu, and on the other hand, cheese is a rather difficult product to digest.

The benefits and harms of cheese

Whatever the type of cheese, they are all made from natural milk. Special enzymes are added to it, which allow the liquid to coagulate and form a denser substance. Soft varieties are prepared in just a few hours, while hard ones can be kept in a special brine for several years.

The calorie content of a fermented milk product can range from 110 to 420 kcal per 100 grams, depending on the variety. The protein content ranges from 7 to 30 g, fat from 4 to 33 g, and carbohydrate content from 0 to 20 g. The salty delicacy contains many useful substances. For example, a large number of B vitamins, vitamins A, C, D, E and PP. Many micro- and macroelements such as iron, potassium, calcium, selenium, zinc and iodine. In addition, it contains fatty acids such as pantothenic acid. And, of course, the milk protein casein.

There are many reasons why this product can be introduced into children's diets as early as possible. But not earlier than 12 months of age.

100 g of cheese contains more protein than animal meat. In addition, casein is absorbed by the body of a one-year-old child better than animal protein.
Many babies under 24 months of age often experience indigestion and even allergic reactions to natural milk. To ensure that your baby receives all the necessary vitamins and microelements, you can introduce hard cheeses into his diet. Most often, the child’s stomach and intestines do not react so sharply to this fermented milk product.

Any dairy products are a rich source of calcium, which is so necessary for the normal formation of the bone skeleton and for the growth of infants. There is at least 10 times more calcium in cheese than in cottage cheese. And in terms of taste and structure, its use is much more pleasant.
The development of internal organs and muscle tissue of a little man is facilitated by the high content of vitamins and amino acids, which are found in large quantities in various cheeses. Phosphorus and zinc are beneficial for the nervous system and the formation of brain cells.
The high calorie content and nutritional value of cheese allow you to quickly restore strength after prolonged activity for your baby. This is especially true during the period when he learns to walk, and parents begin to engage in his first exercises or outdoor games.

Only hard varieties can be introduced into the diet of a one-year-old child, and it is better to postpone soft and processed cheeses until they are 2-3 years old, since they contain an order of magnitude less nutrients, and their digestion is still too difficult for such a small organism. Unfortunately, not every child will benefit from such an innovation. There is a list of certain diseases for which experts recommend refraining from consuming this fermented milk product:

with individual lactose intolerance;
for pyelonephritis and other diseases of the kidneys and genitourinary system;
both with high and low acidity;
for hypertension and problems of the cardiovascular system.

First try

You should not try to feed your child cheese before he reaches 12 months - this is unanimously not recommended by all pediatricians. The fact is that in infancy the digestive system is still unable to cope with such a complex fermented product, no matter what beneficial properties it may have. However, you don’t need to wait strictly until your birthday either. The first complementary feeding can be done at approximately 11-13 months in stages.

At the first stage, you can offer your child a very tiny piece weighing 2-3 g. You should not try to force your baby to swallow cheese if he does not like the taste or consistency. Also, do not give in to whims and give too large a portion for the first time, no matter how much your baby asks for more. The next day or after two days, the portion can be doubled. It is necessary to more closely monitor the child’s stool and well-being during periods of such tastings. to instantly track deterioration in health or an allergic reaction.

The last stage of introducing cheese into a child’s diet is to gradually increase the amount of the product to the daily requirement. Up to three years, this norm is about 10 g of product, and preschoolers can already eat about 50 g of hard cheese.

Do not overuse salty delicacies, this can lead to fluid stagnation in the body and swelling.

What types of cheese are best for a child?

During the first feeding and until the age of 2–2.5 years, it is best to give the baby low-fat cheese with low salt content and without spices. The product should not be smoked or semi-smoked, its fat content should not be more than 50%. In the first year, it is best to feed the baby with Maasdam, Gouda or Russian varieties. You can choose softer varieties, for example “Creamy” or “Smetankovy”, the main thing is that it is not melted.

After reaching 2 years of age, you can introduce saltier, brine cheeses into the menu, for example, Mozzarella or Suluguni. If there is a deficiency of potassium, you can add Emmental or Cheddar to them.

Preschoolers can add Parmesan or Mascarpone to their diet, but blue cheeses are still best left for adults. The child’s body can respond to them with acute allergies, pain in the intestines and problems with stool.

Recipes

Many children love to eat different cheeses in their natural form or as part of small sandwiches. But sometimes you want to pamper your baby with something useful, but unusual.

Souffle

Soft cheeses are perfect for making a delicate creamy soufflé. Ingredients you will need:

4 chicken eggs;
30 g butter;
70 g grated soft cheese;
1 teaspoon honey;
0.5 tbsp. spoons of sifted wheat flour.

First of all, you need to prepare a sauce from honey, butter and flour. 10–15 g of butter is heated in a small ladle, honey and flour are added to it. The mixture is cooked until thickened with constant stirring. Yolks mixed with 50 g of grated cheese are added to the finished sauce. To make soft cheese easier to cut with a grater, you can first put it in the freezer. The whites are whipped in a separate bowl and added to the egg-cheese mixture with a spatula or spoon. The mold is greased with the remaining butter and filled with a mixture of all products, sprinkled with the remaining grated cheese on top. Bake the soufflé at 180 degrees for 15–20 minutes, serve slightly cooled, but not cold.

Quail egg omelette

Quail eggs are considered one of the healthiest eggs for a baby. The omelette made from them is very tender and airy, and the cheese will give it a special aroma and taste. To prepare you will need:

4 quail eggs;
50 ml medium fat milk;
1 teaspoon wheat flour;
15 g of hard cheese (for children over 3 years old you can use Parmesan, for younger children it is better to limit yourself to Dutch);
vegetable oil;
salt to taste.

Wash the eggs thoroughly, break them into a deep plate and add salt. Pour milk into them and beat with a mixer or whisk by hand. Gently fold the flour into the whipped mixture, leaving no lumps. Grease the omelette pan with sunflower or olive oil, pour in the egg mixture and place in an oven preheated to 160 degrees for 5 minutes. Sprinkle the half-ready omelet with grated cheese on top and leave to bake for another 5-7 minutes until the cheese shavings melt on its surface.

In addition, do not forget about contraindications and the fact that it is not a mandatory element of baby food. At what age to give cheese to a baby and whether to give it at all, only the child’s parents decide at their own discretion.

In the next video, Dr. Komarovsky will tell you when, what and how much fermented milk products can be given to a child without harm to health.

Advantages of cheese All mothers know that it is very healthy.

It contains a lot of up to 25% milk protein. And this is more than in meat. Moreover, protein is valuable, 95% digestible. Cheese proteins are easier to digest than meat proteins and even than milk proteins. Cheese protein may not cause allergies in babies who have had an allergic reaction to cow's milk. Because the protein in cheese is partially broken down during the manufacturing process. It is exposed to enzymes and lactic acid bacteria.
Cheese contains a lot of calcium, almost eight times more than milk and ten times more than milk, and processed cheese contains approximately three times less calcium than hard cheese.
Cheese contains a lot of fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, B vitamins, and nicotinic acid.

Flaws

Cheese contains a lot of fat and salt. This limits its use in baby food.

Which one is possible?

The fat content of different types of cheese ranges from 7 to 75%

When and how much is possible

It is clear that for a child with an immature digestive system, such a product, if given as an independent dish in large quantities, will be difficult to digest. Therefore, cheese is added to the child’s menu only after a year. And in small quantities, as an addition to main dishes.

It is recommended to start introducing cheese into your child’s menu at the age of 1 year.. If a child receives enough milk, kefir and cottage cheese for his age, the recommended average daily intake of cheese is 5 g. This does not mean that it is strictly necessary to give the child 5 g of cheese every day. You can give 10-20 g a couple of times a week. But not all at once and not separately. And, as an addition to other dishes.

For a child under two years old, it is best to sprinkle grated cheese on meat and fish puree. Or add it to cottage cheese or pasta.

When a child learns to chew food well, he can make sandwiches with cheese.

If the baby does not want to eat kefir, milk and cottage cheese, the daily amount of cheese in his diet can be increased to a maximum of fifty grams. But you still need to start with small quantities. And distribute the daily amount of cheese evenly throughout the day, giving it in addition to other dishes.

Melted and smoked

The healthiest for children are hard and semi-hard cheeses with a mild taste.

Processed and smoked cheeses are not recommended for children. Since they contain a lot of spices and food additives. They contain even more salt, sugar, milk, cream, margarines, vegetable oils, melting salts, citric acid, flavor enhancers, flavorings, etc. are added.

Processed and smoked cheeses are not healthy foods for children. They can be given in small quantities to children over 6 years of age.

Allergy to cheese

Mild varieties of hard and semi-hard cheese are products with a low degree of allergenicity. Since in cheese, as well as in fermented milk products, milk protein is in a partially split state.

Highly allergenic products include

Soft cheeses.
Blue cheese - allergies most often occur to mold fungi.
Processed and smoked cheese - an allergic reaction occurs to food additives.

I would like to believe that the article helped you decide when to give cheese to children. Stay healthy!