Many mothers are worried that getting their child used to baking, sandwiches, and an invariable piece of bread for first and second courses will lead to excess weight.
The child is given the first slice of bread at seven months, and by one year he receives it twice a day - for lunch and dinner. Also one year old child You can already introduce us to a bun. And this is just the beginning! The minimum set of flour products, which is stipulated by the standards for children aged two to five years, includes, in addition to ordinary bread, pies, cookies, crackers, and croutons. But often mothers, trying to maintain their figure, refuse baked goods themselves and do not give them to their children: after all, these are pure carbohydrates!
How much bread can a child have?
Indeed, white bread consists of carbohydrates (mainly starch) by 40–55%, so excess flour threatens children with excess weight. Just don't forget one thing important point: carbohydrates to the body small child vital because they supply it with energy. This means that their deficiency is no less dangerous for children: it leads not only to a lack of body weight, but also to delayed growth and development.
You just need to observe moderation in everything. You won’t feed your baby sugar from morning to evening! In the same way, you cannot increase the share of bread for a child at the expense of dairy and vegetable foods and meat.
A child from one to three years old should receive 60–80 g of wheat bread and bakery products per day, and at four to five years old – 100–120 g of both, plus 50 g of rye bread, which can only be given to children after three years of age.
This means that the baby can eat a piece of bread with the first and second lunch course and dinner, plus a bun or pie for an afternoon snack. And on some days the child is allowed to have breakfast and an afternoon snack with two or three cookies or a couple of sandwiches with milk or tea.
Which sandwiches are the healthiest for a child?
Well, kids really like sandwiches. There is nothing wrong with this if the “filling” of such a dish is correct.
Let it be thin pieces of low-fat cheese, boiled meat (veal, beef, beef tongue, turkey or chicken breast), doctor's sausage (up to 2-3 years - special for children), hard-boiled egg, as well as paste made from fresh cottage cheese or unsalted feta cheese with dill.
Sprinkle the child's sandwich with finely chopped herbs and add pieces of thinly sliced tomato, cucumber, apple, radish, and a leaf of green lettuce. The more greens and vegetables there are, the healthier the sandwich!
Plant fiber will slow down the absorption of the carbohydrates contained in white bread, preventing a sharp rise in blood sugar levels followed by a rapid drop, as usually happens when a child eats just bread and butter. But some parents also sprinkle it with sugar at the request of the little sweet tooth. Never do this!
And it’s better to postpone caviar sandwiches until three years of age: after all, despite all its usefulness, it is, firstly, too salty for the baby, and secondly, it is very allergenic.
The child does not want bread. What to do?
It happens that children happily eat bread on its own, but at the same time, with obvious reluctance, they eat soup and main courses with it. Meanwhile, the adults insist that the bread should not be forgotten, although there is no need for this!
If the baby does not suffer from excessive thinness and eats well with the first and second courses without bread (we give it mainly to create a feeling of fullness), let him eat the way he likes best. And the 2-3 pieces per day allotted to him can be partially turned into croutons and added to soup (again, if the child doesn’t mind) or put on sandwiches.
It’s not scary if the baby does without bread at all: one way or another he will get his dose of “flour” carbohydrates from pancakes, pies and other baked goods.
A dislike for bread and flour products may be a consequence of an allergy to the gluten protein contained in wheat grains, which manifests itself skin rashes and indigestion. In some children, gluten intolerance occurs in utero and leads to chronic disease small intestine– gluten enteropathy (celiac disease). It is characterized by abdominal pain and bloating, frequent stool grayish color, child's retardation in weight and height, allergic manifestations.
Anyone healthy child, even in an inveterate capricious person, you can arouse interest in food if you serve it with imagination. For example, kids usually get delighted with tiny canapé sandwiches, which are made from bread crumbs lightly toasted in a toaster, cut out in the shape of different figures - stars, diamonds, squares, circles, triangles, ovals... You can melt cheese on them, or you can spread them them with liver pate, crushed yolk with a teaspoon of sour cream and sprinkle with dill.
Black or white? Choosing bread for a child
Children under three years old should not eat rye bread, although it is healthier than wheat bread. The fact is that black bread (unlike white bread) contains difficult-to-digest oligosaccharides - raffinose and stachyose. Oligosaccharides are the same carbohydrates, only more complex than glucose and sucrose, but simpler than starch.
And in children early age, and also every tenth older child (as well as adults) does not have enzymes in the intestines that can break down raffinose with stachyose. And no matter how much you tell such people, both big and small, about the benefits of black bread, the result will be unchanged - food intolerance with increased formation of gases and abdominal pain.
Many parents have heard about the benefits of bread with bran or whole grains. It is definitely better than white, which is made from grain that has been peeled from the shell, and it is in it, as we know, that vitamins and fiber that are beneficial to health are found. But do not forget that fiber acts on the gastrointestinal mucosa like a hard brush.
Not every adult can easily tolerate such an effect, so bran is categorically not recommended for people with sensitive stomachs and intestines. And in a child, the mucous membrane is much more delicate than in adults. As a result, bran can provoke gastritis with enteritis or speed up intestinal motility so much that the baby gets a stomach ache, like appendicitis, and diarrhea begins.
Never insist that your baby eat some product that he does not like (including bread). After all, he resists, as a rule, not because of an empty whim, but because his body does not accept this or that food. And the task of parents is to understand, together with the pediatrician, why this happens.
For example, temporary gluten intolerance often develops due to viral infection, therefore, flour products are excluded at such a moment, and the baby is offered only white, dried bread, observing the reaction. If the bread “doesn’t work”, then there’s no need - give your digestive system a week or two to recover.
Note to mom
Even types of bread that are healthy for a small child cannot always be included in a child’s diet.
- In any case, it is not recommended to give freshly baked bread to your baby for two reasons. Firstly, it is too soft and does not require chewing, and it is very important to work on children’s teeth.
- And secondly, by causing strong fermentation in the intestines, such bread, as nutritionists say, transforms digestive system into the distillation apparatus. It is not for nothing that experts equate it to alcohol-containing products. And the baby’s body certainly doesn’t need the alcohol formed during the fermentation process!
“That’s why it is recommended to dry fresh bread a little - not to the point of hardening, of course, but so that each slice dries out a little on both sides, but remains soft inside. You can leave it open for an hour or two or keep it in a preheated oven for a while.
“But it’s also dangerous to offer very dry, crumbling bread slices to a baby: what if he inhales small particles?”
- “Old” bread, produced more than three days ago, is also not suitable for children, since mold has already grown in full swing. And just because you don’t see it yet doesn’t mean that the loaf retains its pristine freshness.
Bread in Rus' has always been used not only as an addition to main dishes, but also as an independent food product. IN modern conditions this component of the diet is one of the most significant.
For many inexperienced mothers, the question of when a child can be given bread is of keen interest. After all, this product contains a lot of elements that are essential for human health.
Often young parents tend to play it safe when it comes to bread products, fearing that their child will be allergic to bread. Specialists in baby food They rightfully claim that babies need this product from the age of seven months.
This is the age when you can give bread to a child with certain restrictions.
White bread is easily absorbed by the child's body. Its composition is somewhat depleted in useful substances compared to other varieties of the product. But it has a positive effect on the child’s growing body, especially if he has indigestion.
Brown bread, as well as all varieties of cereal and bran products, contain a large amount of fiber and lactic acid bacteria. You need to give bread to a child with extreme caution, observing the reaction of his body, and as for the indicated varieties, they can be given to the baby only after a year of life.
- high-quality bread contains elements of iron, magnesium and vitamin E, so it is very useful for children with increased body weight;
- The presence of B vitamins in bread, in particular B1, is very important for the growth period. It is extremely necessary for the formation and activity of the central nervous system, as well as the launch of metabolic processes that break down carbohydrates. A deficiency of this vitamin manifests itself as weakness, drowsiness, and irritability;
- vitamin B 2 stimulates the growth process. If it is deficient, the condition of the hair and skin baby, as well as mucous membranes;
- What is important for a child is the structure of the product itself, which effectively cleanses the surface of the oral cavity from harmful bacteria and develops the chewing mechanism. Bread breaks down into fibers as it passes through the digestive tract, cleanses it of breakdown products and helps remove them from the body.
In addition, tasty and fragrant bread enhances the secretion of gastric juices and stimulates appetite.
Bread as complementary food for babies
You can benefit from bread if you know how much and when to give this product to your child. It is also important to have a clear idea of which varieties to use. After all, for an organism at the stage of formation and growth, dyspeptic-type disorders may occur.
Allergies also occur less frequently, and this entails a long break in taking bread products, depriving the child of important therapeutic properties.
- You should start feeding bread from the age of seven months; it should be given to your baby in specially designed forms, these are: baby cookies or crackers that do not contain any additives;
- You can give your child bread in ordinary forms from white flour when he or she reaches the age of 8 months; the amount of it in the diet should be no more than three grams. Upon reaching the age of one year, the daily portion can be increased to 20 grams. If the newborn does not absorb this amount, there is no cause for concern. Any amount of the product will have the desired therapeutic effect;
- Upon reaching the age of 2 years (and not earlier), the time comes when rye and bran products are allowed to be given. You can introduce such varieties into your diet earlier if recommended by your doctor. In younger children, the enzyme system may not be able to cope with the specific composition of such products;
- Salt-free varieties can be introduced into the diet only on the special recommendation of specialists, if there are objective indications for this in the form of renal or heart failure.
Home-made bread in the baby’s diet
The widespread use of home bread makers has raised another question: can children safely consume their products. The answer is ambiguous:
- if a child has allergic reactions to a store-bought product, you can try giving him home-made baked goods, excluding provoking components from its composition;
- If the child is no more than 2 years old, he should absolutely not be given freshly baked, much less hot, bread. It must be cooled completely for three hours;
- It should be taken into account that home-made concoctions may not be fully baked. This circumstance can be checked using the compression method. If, after removing the load, the baked goods easily return to their original state: the bread is baked sufficiently. If there is residual deformation of the loaf, it is strictly not recommended to give it to a child; such a product is poorly digested in the child’s body.
By keeping track of the above points, you don’t have to worry about the health of the baby who tried bread for the first time. But for some time you need to monitor his reaction to the new product.
When you start giving your child bread, you need to follow a few simple rules:
- The child's piece should be slightly larger than his mouth so that he cannot fit it into oral cavity entirely.
- To prevent the child from separating a piece, it is better to give him a piece with a crust. An accidentally formed piece in the mouth can enter the respiratory tract.
- When buying bread for a child, you need to pay attention to its composition indicated on the label. The presence of flavorings, stabilizers and other unnatural additives is a sign of unsuitability for feeding a baby. Parents have the right to demand from the seller a quality certificate with full list ingredients.
- Until the age of three, it is better to avoid feeding your child bran products due to its coarse structure.
- The best time to start feeding your baby bread is summer.
Conclusion
Bread is popular and useful product nutrition. Thanks to its rich composition of vitamins and microelements, it is certainly useful and simply necessary for a child’s growing body.
I don’t think anyone will have to explain that a child’s body has significant differences from an adult’s body. Therefore, for proper development the child needs special care. Improper nutrition can easily provoke digestive diseases, allergies, or infectious diseases in a child.
Of the great variety of products, I would like to dwell on the discussion of such a seemingly simple but important product as bread.
At what age and what kind of bread should I give my child?
About half of bread is carbohydrates, which are represented mainly by starch. Bread made from rye flour has a high content of substances such as oligosaccharides, which it cannot digest and utilize. children's body due to the lack of enzymes necessary for this.
Thanks to the aroma of bread, digestive juices are released in the body, which helps improve digestion and absorption of food.
Starting from , pediatricians recommend adding crackers and baby cookies to your child’s diet. If the child cannot chew yet, then you can dissolve the crackers in milk. Bread can be given starting from about 3 grams per day. By one year this norm is increased to 20 grams, by three years – to 80 grams. Rye and freshly baked bread are not recommended to be included in the diet.
For children from 1.5 years old, various drying products, crackers, bagels are recommended. When choosing these products, you should pay attention to the content of various additives that can cause an allergic reaction. If you have such an item as a sandwich maker, then you yourself, without making any extra effort, can prepare bread products that do not contain additives that are dangerous to the child’s body. There are sandwich makers with various attachments in the form, for example, animals, or some other fairy-tale heroes. Such bread will undoubtedly be interesting for a child.
It is better to refrain from eating confectionery products, cookies, gingerbreads, and buns.. As is known, the consumption of these products contributes to obesity, including in children. Depends on nutrition in childhood appearance person in adult life.
Foods that crumble easily, such as excessively dry foods, should not be given to a child who has not yet learned to chew well, because he or she may choke on them.
Bread has long been considered one of the main components of the human diet. Most people cannot imagine their breakfast or lunch without this product. Its aroma and crispy crust attracts both adults and children. However, this flour product should be introduced into the diet of a small child with extreme caution. Often, young mothers have a question about whether it is possible to introduce such a product into their baby’s menu. About when you can give bread to a baby and how to do it, we'll talk Further.
Is bread a healthy food?
Bread contains great amount useful substances. However, there is a very widespread opinion that the benefits of a product made from finely ground flour are very questionable, especially in cases related to the nutrition of children. Is it so?
In their desire to make their baby’s diet more varied, mothers often add foods that a small child’s body is not able to cope with. The main product that is mistakenly introduced to young children is bread. Is bread a healthy food?
The answer here is ambiguous. If bread is made using the correct technology and from high quality raw materials, then it will certainly be very useful, because it contains:
- iron;
- vitamins of group B and PP;
- phosphorus;
- magnesium;
- calcium;
Additionally, it contains large amounts of fiber, which helps improve metabolism and work. gastrointestinal tract generally. But this does not mean at all that bread should be given to the baby.
Manufacturers sometimes add excessive amounts of baking powder and thermal yeast, which only worsens human health. Therefore, it is preferable to bake it yourself at home.
Still, you shouldn’t give bread small child, even if it is of high quality. Pediatricians believe that infants do not need to be given fresh white and rye bread at all, even in the form of crackers.
Due to the presence of a considerable amount of gluten and polysaccharides, the product will not be very useful for the baby. These substances are difficult for an adult to digest, but they can cause very serious harm to the body of such a small child.
Bread also contains gluten, to which children may have an allergic reaction.
From what months should you introduce complementary foods?
Introducing your child to this product should start with those simple baked goods on which manufacturers note that they are made for children. For example:
- Gluten free children's cookies.
- Drying.
- Crackers.
It is important to pay attention to how to properly feed baked goods.
They should be offered to babies over the age of one year and in small quantities. For a one-year-old child 30 grams per day is quite enough. Then the portion can be increased little by little. By the age of three, the portion may be 100 grams.
What product is preferable in the diet of young children? It is necessary to adhere to the correct ratio of rye and white bread in the infant’s diet.
From twelve to eighteen months, the amount of white bread should not be more than 20 grams, and black bread should not be more than 10 grams.
From eighteen months to three years, the amount of bread consumed can be expanded to 50 grams per day, black bread up to 30 grams per day.
Bread eating rules for kids
To prevent bread from causing harm, you should adhere to certain simple rules. There is no need to give it too early. Babies can be given wheat crackers, but not before the child is 9-10 months old.
It is better if ordinary bread is not too fresh - it is harmful to the stomach. The pieces can be dried in the oven or toaster, or dried naturally for 2 days.
If the baby has a tendency to be overweight, then there is no need to give bread with additives in the form of butter.
Giving a small child baked goods with meat or fish is extremely undesirable; such a combination can provoke fermentation in the stomach and intestines.
The same reaction will be caused by a combination of bread and sugar, as well as jam. In addition, the baby does not need an excessive amount of sugar in such a sandwich. It's better to put a spoon on the piece curd mass or a slice of cucumber.
When the child grows up, it is better if parents offer bread made from wholemeal flour or containing bran, because it contains a large amount of fiber and proteins. They promote digestion and strengthen the developing immune system.
Products with a high content of bran are digested more slowly than products made from white flour, and they also remove toxins.
Such products contain vitamins PP, which protect small organism from the emergence and development gastrointestinal diseases. However, it should be remembered that this type of bread may not be well tolerated by children with high acidity.
Benefits and harms
Parents of children should remember that products made from premium flour contain too much starch and are extremely high in calories. But they don’t have enough vitamins.
If you introduce flour products into your child’s diet too early and in excessive quantities, he may experience an allergic reaction, as well as problems with the gastrointestinal tract.
What bread products should you not give to young children?
Butter buns are an undesirable product for complementary feeding, because the benefits from them will be minimal, and overweight- a very real problem.
Often young parents give a piece when teething. However, the baby is able to bite off a piece, but not swallow it and choke. Up to the age of one year, a baby can only be given special baby cookies, adapted to his age. The quantity of this treat should also be reasonable.
Rolls or loaves with the addition of various seeds, nuts and fruits are best offered to children after three years of age. These components can enter the esophagus and cause breathing problems or cause allergic reaction.
Products that are too high in calories, such as French baguette, should be avoided in your baby’s diet.
Even over the age of two years, such a product can be used no more than 100 g per week; an infant’s menu should not include such a product at all.
Many people cannot imagine their life without bread and other baked goods. This is perhaps one of the most versatile foods. What is the situation with adding bread to the diet and how much?
What is bread made from?
This product is made from different types flour with the addition of water and other ingredients (salt, baking powder, yeast, various seeds, nuts, etc.). They receive it different ways: baking, frying or steaming. To make the product, rye, wheat, corn, buckwheat or barley flour is most often used. So, at what age can you give your child bread?
Experts do not recommend doing this for up to a year. The reason is that it must be chewed thoroughly, which infants cannot do. They swallow large pieces and may choke. In addition, baking is not a mandatory product in the diet. Eating bread is an acquired habit; a person can easily do without it.
Bread can be given to small children, but not just any bread. You should take into account the composition of the product and what benefit or harm it may cause to the baby’s health.
The Right Steps
So, from how many months are children given bread? A small child can begin introducing this culinary product after 7 months. The following varieties should be gradually introduced into complementary foods:
- Drying.
- Cookie.
- Crackers.
All these products must certainly be designed for babies, as manufacturers indicate on the product packaging.
In the process of introducing a new product, not only the age of the child is important, but also the form in which it will be done. For example, you can give children cookies that dissolve in the mouth under the influence of saliva. Allergies to these products are excluded because they do not contain gluten and are made from environmentally friendly products. In addition, when eating such cookies, the baby will definitely not choke on crumbs, which cannot be guaranteed when eating bread. But this does not mean that you do not need to control the process; you cannot allow it to completely push the product into your mouth.
When can a baby eat bread?
Are you wondering when you can give your child bread? With the appearance of the first teeth, you can introduce wheat crackers into the diet, but not earlier than he is seven months old. The baby will only benefit from such complementary feeding; he will learn to bite food and scratch his gums.
Cookies, crackers, bagels are given to children only after preliminary softening in mixture, juice, milk or kefir. Over time, these products can act as an independent dish.
Fresh bread can be given one year old baby with main dishes:
- Meat.
- Vegetable puree.
- Soup.
Don’t know when children can be given bread and in what quantity? Many children love soup with the addition of small croutons or omelet with croutons. At the age of 1 year, the norm for bread consumption is 80-100 grams. In this case, the amount of white should not exceed 60 g, and black - 10-15 g.
Interesting! Our grandmothers and great-grandmothers had a tradition of offering bread to the child by cutting off the crust or wrapping the crumb in a cloth napkin. Thus, they replaced the pacifier. IN modern life There is no such need, but some families still honor traditions and try to observe them.
Product benefits
When consuming this product, plant fiber enters the body, allowing it to normalize the activity of the digestive tract and metabolism. But this does not mean that bread should be given to children under one year old; at this age, excess fiber can interfere with the absorption of iron and cause anemia.
Baking harm
Dietary fiber provokes colitis and intestinal inflammation. Black rye bread contains 7% fiber, and white bread contains 3%. It is for this reason that experts advise starting to get acquainted with the product only at one year of age, and not earlier. Moreover, the introduction of complementary foods does not affect this in any way.
Many manufacturers add thermal yeast and baking powder when mixing the composition. This helps reduce the time for “ripening” the dough, and the second ingredient is responsible for the fluffiness of the finished product. Thermo-yeast, after entering the child’s body, begins to be taken out of it healthy vitamins and microelements, using them for your own growth. Therefore, it is recommended to purchase bakery products from trusted manufacturers, or better yet, bake them yourself.
What kind of bread can be given to children?
First of all, this is bread baked from first-class wheat flour. Ideally, you should bake it yourself at home. Only in this case can you be completely confident in the quality of the product and that it does not contain harmful impurities.
If this is not possible, and you have to buy bread in the supermarket, then you need to pay attention to its freshness and integrity. In addition, it is important that the product does not have dents or burnt areas. It is not recommended to buy loaves of bread for a small child; it is better to give preference to the usual “brick”.
At what age can you give your child bread? For babies who have not yet turned one year old, select only high-quality wheat products, then you can gradually introduce rye products. You can try bread with bran no earlier than two or three years, since grains are poorly digested in the bodies of young children and can disrupt digestion.
Important! Under no circumstances should children be given freshly baked products! They contain a lot of gluten, which can disrupt the digestive system.
It is equally important to know how to give bread to your child. For the first complementary feeding, the product should be softened by soaking it in mother's milk or formula. This point must be observed, since small children still do not have a chewing reflex, and they may choke.
How to introduce bread into your baby's diet
Many new parents ask the question: “At what age can you give your child bread?” You can start complementary feeding after 7 months with special cookies or unsweetened crackers for babies. As for bread specifically, experts do not recommend giving it before a year, with the only exception being a home-made product or purchased from a trusted bakery. But the child's age must be more than 8 months.
It is important not only at what age children are given bread, but also how it is done. It is recommended to give the first portion at the beginning of the day so that you can monitor the body's reaction to the new product. The piece should not be more than three grams. If the baby reacts well to the new food, then after two days the portion can be gradually increased. A child is allowed to eat 20 grams of bread per year. This product should be given for lunch in addition to soup or vegetable puree. In the process of increasing the portion, it can be added to breakfast and afternoon snack.
The child does not want to eat bread
Sometimes it happens that parents are tormented by the question of how long they can give their child bread, and after trying it, he refuses it. Or, for example, a child happily begins to eat baked goods as a separate product, but does not want to combine it with the main dish. Adults in this situation begin to insist and swear, although there is nothing wrong with this.
If the child has sufficient body weight and is full of the first and second courses, then he should not be forced, let him eat the way he likes. The food is complemented with bread for a feeling of fullness. And from those 2-3 pieces that he is supposed to eat, you can make croutons for soup (again, if the baby doesn’t mind it) or put it on sandwiches.
Many adults wonder at what month can a child be given bread, but it is worth understanding that not all children love it. There is nothing wrong with the fact that he refuses baked goods altogether. Required dose He can get “flour” carbohydrates from pancakes, pies and other baked goods.
First of all, parents need to understand what causes such dislike for this product. The cause may be an allergic reaction to the gluten protein found in wheat grains.
If the reason is not health, but whims, then you need to try to attract the child’s attention to food. This is very easy to do - show your imagination when serving. For example, all toddlers are delighted with small sandwiches in the form of canapés. They can be made from bread crumbs toasted in a toaster and cut into different shapes (stars, diamonds, squares, triangles, etc.). You can add melted cheese on top, spread liver pate, add crushed yolk with a spoonful of sour cream and herbs.
Children's allergy to bread
Quite often, children have a problem with baked goods. As noted above, this happens due to the high content of gluten and other additives in the product. In addition, such a reaction can occur to yeast, not only in children, but also in adults.
If a child is allergic to a product purchased in a store, it should be replaced with bread baked at home. In this case, you can choose absolutely any flour from the huge assortment presented on supermarket shelves.
Bread allergies can manifest themselves in different ways:
- Constipation or diarrhea.
- Skin rashes.
- Flatulence.
- Whims, refusal to sleep.
- Swelling.
- Nausea and vomiting.
The speed at which reactions occur varies from person to person - from several hours to several days. Often the body reacts to grains such as wheat, rye, barley and oats. Porridges made from these grains also cause allergies.
Getting rid of allergies
If the diagnosis is confirmed, bread should be completely excluded from the children's diet. To get rid of symptoms, doctors prescribe medical supplies:
- Antihistamines(“Zodak”, “Fenistil”, “Zirtek”, “Suprastin”).
- Bronchodilators.
- Anti-inflammatory.
- Immunostimulants.
- Drink plenty of fluids.
Conclusion
It is generally accepted that bread is the boss of everything, but, as you can see, this is not always the case. We decided to study in detail the information about how many months can a child be given bread? They did the right thing, because there is no need to rush in this matter. New flour products should be introduced into your baby’s diet gradually and with caution. And don’t worry if the baby completely refuses bread, listen to him. If the baby is provided good nutrition, then he will receive all the necessary elements.
