That is why young parents, especially those who like to eat juicy melons in the summer, often add their children to this berry from an early age. Meanwhile, melons and gourds can harm babies, so they should be treated with special caution in order to introduce them into the diet of small carp.
In this article, we will tell you from what age you can give a baby a melon, so as not to provoke the development of health problems.
How many months can I give a melon to a child?
The question is, how many years or months it is possible to give a melon to a child, is complex enough, because, on the one hand, this berry is extremely useful, and on the other hand, it can cause serious harm to the child's body. So, melon pulp is very hard to digest, and toddlers under the age of one year are basically unable to cope with it.
In addition, melon is very poorly combined with other products, especially with milk. That's why you can offer this berry to a child only after a while after eating. Otherwise, the use of melon baby, most likely, will cause a malfunction of his digestive tract.
Do not forget that melons that are grown for sale, very often contain a large number of nitrates, as well as other chemicals that improve their taste characteristics. Of course, such ingredients can greatly damage the health of small children, so ideally kids should be given only products from their own melons.
If this is not possible, it is necessary to wait for the natural ripening of the berries, or the onset of the end of the summer period. Early fruits, which can now be purchased in early summer or even in winter, are grown under artificial conditions under the influence of growth accelerators, so they can not under any circumstances be offered to children under 11 years of age.
Finally, young parents should understand that melons, just like any other melon culture, can cause an allergic reaction in the baby. Her symptoms include the following:
- rashes on the body that resemble hives;
- nasal congestion or rhinitis;
- coughing;
- swelling of the mouth and throat area, itching;
- headache and dizziness;
- suffocating seizures;
- nausea and vomiting;
- diarrhea.
In case of individual intolerance of the product, its use is better to postpone to 5-6 years, when the baby's organism becomes less susceptible to various allergens.
Thus, answering the question of the age at which children can be given a melon, it is necessary to single out a few points:
- For children up to a year, this berry is contraindicated categorically.
- Starting from 12 months, a small amount of melon pulp can be inserted very carefully into the ration of crumbs, but only in the absence of contraindications, such as diabetes and any chronic diseases of the internal organs.
- If the digestive tract is disturbed, it is better to introduce the baby to the melon and other melon crops.
- A small child can be given only ripe fruits, ripened naturally, which were not spoiled or crumpled during storage or transportation.
- After cutting, melon fruits must be stored in the refrigerator and not more than 24 hours, after this time they can cause the development of intestinal infections.
Even in the absence of contraindications, the daily dose of melon for a small child should be limited depending on its age, namely:
- Kids from one year to two can eat no more than 50 grams of melon pulp per day;
- two-three-year-old carpoys are allowed to eat up to 100 grams of melon per day;
- finally, boys and girls over 3 years can eat up to 200 grams of berries a day.