Yoghurt is amongst the first few food items that can be given to babies. Though mostly curd is made from cow’s milk, it can also be made from buffalo, goat or camel milk. It has immense health benefits for your baby. Here we shall discuss how you may include this superfood in your baby’s diet and avail maximum health benefits from it.
Many paediatricians feel that yoghurt can be given to a baby at around seven to eight months of age. On the other hand, some paediatricians feel that yoghurt is an ideal first solid food for your baby and can be started at around six months of age. It is recommended that you opt for a full-fat version of yoghurt because a baby needs fat for proper growth and development.
Many first-time mommies may wonder, is yoghurt good for babies? Some of these benefits are discussed below:
The chart shows the nutritional value of yoghurt:
Nutrition | Amounts per 100 grams | Nutrition | Amounts per 100 grams |
Energy | 60 calories | Fibre | 0 g |
Water | 88 g | Total lipid | 3.20 g |
Carbohydrates | 4 g | Calcium | 120 mg |
Protein | 3.5 g | Magnesium | 12 mg |
Sugar | 4.5 g | Zinc | 0.50 mg |
Sodium | 40 mg | Potassium | 150 mg |
Iron | 0.05 mg | Thiamine | 0.030 mg |
Phosphorus | 94 mg | Folate | 7 ug |
Vitamin C | 0.5 mg | Vitamin A | 98 ug |
Riboflavin | 0.140 mg | Vitamin D | 0.1 ug |
Vitamin B-6 | 0.030 mg | Niacin | 0.070 mg |
Vitamin B-12 | 0.35 mg | ||
Vitamin E | 0.05 mg | ||
Vitamin K | 0.2 ug |
The above-mentioned values are the approximate values of various vitamins and minerals present in 100 grams of yoghurt.
Usually, all flavoured varieties of yoghurt available in the market are sweetened. Sugar is not good for a growing baby as it may cause tooth decay and weight issues in babies. You may wonder how to check the amount of sugar in yoghurt as yoghurt also has some natural sugar present in it. Therefore, you should look for word sugar or its substitutes such as cane sugar, sucrose, fructose etc. in the nutrition information section on the label. Yoghurt made from full-fat milk should be given to the babies as it is required for baby’s growth.
Though plain yoghurt is really good if you wish to add some twist to it, you may do so. If you are giving yoghurt to younger babies, you may add fruit or vegetable purees to make flavoured yoghurt for babies. However, if your baby can chew, you may add soft fruit or vegetable pieces to the yoghurt to make it more interesting for your baby. The flavoured yoghurt recipes for babies may include apples, bananas, strawberries, avocado, wheat germ or oatmeal to the yoghurt. However, you should refrain from adding honey to flavour the yoghurt until your baby turns one.
Yoghurt may contain probiotics in it, which is very beneficial for your baby’s health. The live cultures or probiotics, which is used for making yoghurt from milk, helps in growing good bacteria in your baby’s gut. However, not all varieties of yoghurt contain probiotics or live cultures in it. Then the question arises how you can establish that a particular brand of yoghurt has good bacteria in it or not. Though there is no sure shot way of establishing the same, you may look for the information on the label.
If your baby is allergic to milk or is lactose intolerant, it is recommended that you do not give yoghurt to your baby without consulting it with your doctor. However, if you are not sure whether yoghurt or any milk product caused the allergic reaction in your baby, you should wait for at least three days before giving it again. This way you will be able to know better if it was yoghurt or any other food item that caused the allergic reaction.
The allergic reaction may cause red itchy spots, swelling around the mouth or vomiting. These symptoms may occur within two to three hours after introducing food.
Though lactose intolerance is not that common in babies, and even if your baby has it, you may give yoghurt to your baby. This is because the yoghurt making process breaks down the much of lactose from the milk making it easily tolerated by babies.
You may have heard, or you may have been recommended by many people to give yoghurt made from cow’s milk but not the milk to your baby, until one year of age. This is because it is difficult for babies to digest cow’s milk in comparison to breast milk or formula milk. Also, cow’s milk lacks essential nutrients and fats that a baby gets from breast or formula milk.
You may take following measures before giving yoghurt to infants:
It is best to give homemade yoghurt to babies, and this is how you can make yoghurt for babies under 1 at home:
So, while cow’s milk is not a good idea for babies, you can always go for yoghurt. Just make sure that you get the unflavoured variety to avoid any dental issues.