Watermelon for children: when and how much to give?

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

The question of at what age you can give watermelon to children worries many mothers. Especially with the onset of the velvet season. After all, you really want to treat your baby to a juicy ripe berry. Below we will analyze whether watermelon is so useful for young children.

The composition of watermelon and its benefits

The juicy red berry is rich in the following nutrients:

• Magnesium;
• Folic acid;
• Pectins;
• Highly digestible sugars and fructose;
• Iron compounds;
• Vitamin C;
• Beta carotene;
• Lycopene;
• Cellulose.

As a result of this composition, watermelon has the following effect on the body of a child and an adult:

• Gently cleanses the kidneys due to its diuretic properties;
• Helps with anemia;
• Promotes the full growth and development of a small organism with the help of folic acid;
• Maintains water balance, which is especially good for the body in hot weather. Watermelon contains 92% of water;
• Protects against the development of bronchial asthma;
• Promotes the full development of the cardiovascular system;
• Protects against sunstroke;
• Improves vision and prevents eye problems;
• Strengthens the immune system;
• Removes toxins from the body;
• Promotes the strengthening of bone tissue;
• Neutralizes stool problems in babies with constipation.

Some nutritionists recommend offering watermelon to babies 11 months and older. Other experts are inclined to believe that the berry can be given to children over the age of five.

At what age can children be given watermelon

Experts are allowed to give watermelon to children from one year of age. And here you need to adhere to the rule of eating berries:

• The first portions of a juicy treat can be given to a baby a year or a little older. The first portion should be very tiny. After the treat, wait a day and take a closer look at the baby. Does he have skin rashes, upset stools, abdominal pain. These are important points to pay attention to.
• From one to two years, the daily portion of watermelon can be 50 g. In this case, a piece of berry must be completely pitted. Be carefull. Small bones can enter the respiratory tract.
• At the age of two to three years, a child can already be given 100 g of watermelon daily, but not more. Too large portions can put stress on the kidneys. For a fragile organism, this is undesirable.
• From three to five years old, the baby is allowed to eat 150 g of watermelon per day.
• After five years, a preschool child can safely eat one or two skibki of sweet berries.

Interesting! How many calories are in a watermelon?

Contraindications

Even if you adhere to the recommended norms of watermelon per day for your baby, there are a number of contraindications in which you should not give a berry to a child. These are:

• Chronic kidney problems;
• Diseases of the genitourinary system;
• Heart problems;
• Diarrhea.

Advice: if you are in doubt whether it is worth giving a watermelon to your baby and how much you can offer your child per day, it is better to consult your family doctor.

Be sure to give your baby only ripe berries. Remember that if in the section the watermelon is loose, has dense yellow streaks, its skin is soft in places, it means that the fruit is heavily saturated with nitrates. In this case, the child may get poisoned.

In addition, it is worth remembering that the early fruits offered on the market in June and July are not suitable for consumption by children. Most likely they are grown using growth stimulants. Such berries will definitely not benefit a small body. It is best to wait for the melon season - August-September.

How to choose the right watermelon

In order for a ripe fruit to be a joy to you and your child, follow these recommendations when choosing it:

• You should not buy watermelons at spontaneous points of sale - along highways and roads. Here they accumulate salts of heavy metals, exhaust. They are extremely difficult to wash off with running water. This means that the berry will harm the baby.
• Pay attention to the appearance of the watermelon. In a ripe fruit, the peel is even, dense over the entire surface, and does not have dents.
• A fully ripe berry has a dry, yellowed stalk. But at the same time, it must be strong and elastic.
• In the context, the berry has an even red color. Veins, if any, are white, not yellow. And there are very few of them.

Interesting! The benefits and harms of watermelon

Tip: To test the quality of a berry at home, mash a small amount of its pulp in a bowl of clean water. If it just dimmed, then the watermelon is of good quality. If the water turns red, most likely the watermelon is stuffed with potassium permanganate.

And a few more recommendations:

• Before giving the watermelon to your child, wash it thoroughly with running water.
• Then taste the berries yourself. Eat a standard serving for yourself and wait an hour and a half. If you reacted normally to the berry, then it can be given to the baby as well.
• Before treating a child with a watermelon, remove the peel from it. Remember, the highest concentration of nitrates is about 3 cm from the skin. All this must be cut off boldly. Be sure to remove all bones.
• If the berry was stored in the refrigerator, warm it a little at room temperature before offering it to the child.

And remember, it is better not to rush into new foods in the diet for your baby if you are in any doubt about something. Believe me, in his life he will definitely taste a watermelon.

Now you also know at what age you can give watermelon to children.