16
2018
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10
Improper ways of eating fruit can make babies look unattractive? What other 'pitfalls' are you unaware of?
Everyone knows that fruits are good for you, as they provide the body with rich dietary fiber, vitamins, and other nutrients. However, babies are different from adults; their digestive systems are not fully developed yet. Eating fruits like adults do is definitely not suitable for them. Today, Dr. Zhang Ling, a pediatrician at Meihua, will talk about how babies aged 0-3 should eat fruits. Let's take a look! Regarding teeth, a special survey on oral health and behavior shows that 88% of surveyed children have varying degrees of dental caries. In addition to oral hygiene habits, parents should know that different ways of eating fruits can also affect the development of their baby's teeth.
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Everyone knows that fruits are good for you, as they provide rich dietary fiber, vitamins, and other nutrients for the body. However, babies are different from adults; their digestive systems are not fully developed yet. Eating fruits like adults do is definitely not suitable for them. Today, Dr. Zhang Ling, a pediatrician at Meihua, will talk about how babies aged 0-3 should eat fruits. Let's take a look!
About Teeth
A special survey on oral health and behavior shows that 88% of surveyed children have varying degrees of dental caries. Besides oral hygiene habits, parents should know that different ways of eating fruits can also affect the development of their baby's teeth.
58% of children eat fruits at home, with parents helping to cut them into small pieces and placing them on a plate. This action by parents seems caring, as they believe cutting fruits into pieces makes it easier for children to bite. However, this practice is actually very detrimental to teeth. In fact, the jawbone needs to be exercised during its growth and development, and hard foods can help with the development of the jawbone. Conversely, this can lead to a lack of chewing exercise for the teeth, which may result in misaligned teeth and incomplete jaw development.
About Babies at Different Stages
1. For babies aged 6 months to 1 year, the following methods can be adopted:
1) Peel the fruit and cut it into small pieces. After boiling water in a pot, place the fruit into the boiling water, cover the pot, and cook for 3 to 5 minutes.
2) Drink fresh fruit juice: Wash and peel fresh fruits, such as watermelon, apples, pears, oranges, etc. Cut the flesh into small pieces, remove the seeds, and place them in a bowl. Use the back of a spoon or sterilized gauze to squeeze out the juice. If you have a juicer at home, you can directly use it to extract the juice. For younger babies, it is recommended to add a little water to adjust the sweetness.
3) Make fruit puree for the baby: After the baby is 4-5 months old, you can start feeding them fruit puree. First, wash the fruit, then scrape it into a puree with a small spoon. To prevent the fruit from oxidizing and changing color or getting contaminated, it is best to scrape it fresh as you feed.
2. For babies over 1 year old, the following methods can be adopted:
1) Eat whole fruits, but be sure to wash and peel them beforehand, as many fruits have a layer of wax on their skin that cannot be washed off easily. It is best to peel them for peace of mind.
2) Here, we pediatricians want to remind parents to be especially careful when giving children small round fruits like grapes and cherries to avoid choking hazards.
3) When eating pineapple, be sure to soak the slices in 1%-2% salt water for about 20 minutes, or heat and cook the pineapple. Why do this? Mainly because pineapple contains protease, which can cause skin itching and other allergic reactions. After this treatment, not only can the protease be destroyed to prevent allergic reactions, but it will also make the pineapple taste sweeter.
About Different Constitutions
When choosing fruits for babies, it is best to select based on the baby's constitution. If the baby has a hot constitution, common symptoms include a thick tongue coating and constipation. In this case, give the baby cool and cold fruits, such as watermelon, bananas, pears, kiwis, and mangoes.
If the baby has a cold constitution, characterized by a preference for warmth, fear of cold, cold limbs, and frequent urination, then warm and hot fruits should be given, such as lychee, peaches, longan, and citrus fruits.
For babies with indigestion, they should eat cooked apple puree, while constipated babies should eat raw pears or pear juice mixed with raw apple puree.
Some fruits may cause allergies, such as mangoes, peaches, pineapples, citrus fruits like lemons, oranges, grapefruits, and also strawberries, red plums, and bayberries, which often lead to allergic symptoms in babies. However, it ultimately depends on each baby's constitution, and close observation of the child's reactions is necessary when introducing new foods for the first time.
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