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The health and harmonious development of the baby largely depends on its adequate nutrition in such an important first year of life. Pediatricians always pay special attention to the first complementary feeding: the transition from breast milk or formula to regular food. And it is difficult to imagine a balanced child’s menu without fish products. We will share with you all the recommendations on what fish to start complementary feeding with and, just as important, at what age you can give fish to your baby.
The experience of mothers today allows us to accurately state at what months you can give your baby fish as complementary foods, and how to properly introduce him to a new product. For a child, the first fish in the diet is the most important, and such an event must be approached very responsibly.
Got hooked
Familiarity with fish should begin from childhood. In addition to the well-known positive effect on the baby’s bones, seafood contains many other, no less useful, properties:
- Proteins, which fish is so rich in, are easily absorbed even by a child’s body, and fill it with all the necessary amino acids.
- Fish can easily be considered food for the mind due to its rich content of magnesium, copper, zinc and Omega-3.
- Scientists have long identified the need for fish oil for the full development and growth of a child.
- Vitamin D has an excellent effect on blood clotting and helps maintain strong bones.
- Essential vitamin A plays an important role in metabolism and protein synthesis.
- Iodine, in turn, ensures proper functioning of the thyroid gland.
- B vitamins are required by the child's body for the normal functioning of the nervous system, maintaining the hematopoietic function of the body and metabolism.
- Vitamin E is also of great importance: it regulates hormonal balance, promotes the absorption of other vitamins and elements, and protects the body's cells.
All these properties speak in favor of the fact that a young child can and even should begin to introduce fish into complementary foods!
It should be taken into account
Seafood, as it turns out, is not without its drawbacks. The most important of them is the high ability to provoke allergies. But it can be easily avoided if you take the rules for introducing fish into complementary foods seriously: you should consider when to give the first fish and which one is better.
Also, every mother should know how to cook fish for a child, because the technology of a children's recipe differs from the usual adult menu.
Age limit for fish
Most pediatricians agree that fish should be introduced into complementary foods for children up to one year old. For babies fed with artificial formula, the permitted age is 9 months. But it is better for breastfed babies to start giving fish for testing at 10-11 months. An infant under this age may react to the product with an allergy.
If a child has already had negative reactions to other foods, then it is better for him not to experiment with fish until he is one year old. In some cases, it will be wise to delay introduction to this product even up to 2 years.
You can check with your pediatrician about the exact age at which months you can offer your baby fish for complementary feeding. The doctor will tell you the answer, taking into account the individual characteristics of your little one. But almost all experts say that a one-year-old baby is already ready to get acquainted with this product.
Fish platter
Fish for babies must be fresh, low-calorie and hypoallergenic. Although the range of fish products is varied, not every item is suitable for a small child.
- Most often children are given cod, hake, perch, salmon and haddock. If you choose between sea or river varieties, then marine fish species are better suited for the first feeding. The river one is doubtful due to the possible pollution of the waters in which it floats.
- Among the species that most often initiate allergies, the leading position is occupied by red fish. For this reason, it is prohibited for very young children.
- The answer to the question at what age you can give your child fish as complementary foods also depends on the type of product. For example, some are not suitable for children under 3 years of age due to increased fat content, such types include salmon, halibut, eel and catfish. Any fried fish is also contraindicated for children under 3 years of age.
- Some mothers are interested in when to give their child delicious smoked fish. Alas, this delicacy cannot boast of any benefits, so it is strictly contraindicated for children under 6 years of age. And even after this age it is undesirable.
- When to add a baby to the menu? fish broth or soup? Until a child turns 3 years old, they are prohibited for him due to the content of extractive substances that are formed during cooking.
Remember that it is always better to offer fresh fish to children for later cooking.
How to enter into the menu
There is nothing complicated in the rules for introducing fish into a baby’s diet, but their importance is enormous! Their implementation determines how well the child will perceive the product and, in part, whether he will like it when he grows up. And loving fish is very useful, so we recommend developing this gastronomic addiction from early childhood.
- Experts advise starting complementary feeding with just 1-2 g of fish dish, after which you should traditionally monitor the baby’s reaction. If fever, rashes and changes in stool do not bother you, you can gradually increase the portion. When a child turns one year old, he should already be able to digest 40-50 g of fish per day.
- Fish feeding is usually one of the later in the first year of life and occurs after the introduction of vegetables, meat, yolk and cottage cheese to the menu.
- Offer your child a freshly prepared product, because it is in its fresh form that fish dishes can provide all their benefits.
- A baby under one year old can only be given pureed fish cooking; lumps are unacceptable.
- It is best to introduce fish complementary foods before breastfeeding and in the first half of the day.
- Often, introduction to seafood occurs after the introduction of meat into the baby’s diet. In this case, fish dishes are offered to the child twice a week instead of meat dishes.
- Of course, fresh fish is the best option for your baby, but frozen fish is also acceptable. Just don’t defrost it completely: just dip the thawed puree into boiling water for complete cooking.
- You can introduce fish only if the baby is healthy and feels great.
- The reason to postpone this complementary feeding a little will be vaccination, which was carried out within a week before the planned introduction to fish.
If it’s summer and unbearably hot weather, then even in this case you should be patient with feeding fish. This product is perishable and can be extremely dangerous for a baby’s weak stomach.
Fish metamorphoses
There are so many fish dishes that have not been invented! Prepare a variety of culinary masterpieces from this healthy product, so that as your child grows older, you can dilute his menu with new dishes. In the meantime, he is just learning his first complementary foods, the best option for him would be fish puree for children.
You are unlikely to like the recipe for toddlers, because it does not allow the presence of seasonings and spices. But the baby, who is not yet aware of the existence of these taste enhancers, will happily gobble up the new delicacy. And when he finally gets used to it, the delicacy introduced into complementary foods can be diversified by adding carrots, dill or parsley.
As your child gets older and learns to chew different types of food, you can start giving him boneless pieces of boiled fish, and then other fish foods.
Maintain proportions
For each age, there is a certain portion norm for how much fish and fish puree can be given to children, in particular:
- if you start complementary feeding with this product at 8 months, then the portion for it ranges from 10 to 30 g;
- at the age of 10 months the norm reaches 40 g;
- at 10-11 it increases by another 10 g;
- at one and a half years old, a baby can master 70 g of fish in one serving as much as possible;
- a two-year-old child has already matured up to 80 g of fish delicacy.
The first fish in the diet: video
The simplest recipe
Fish for baby puree can be either boiled or steamed. In this standard recipe we use the first option:
- 120 g of fish fillet should be cooked for about 20 minutes.
- After this, the cooled piece is cooled and crushed in a blender. Alternative option: you can mince it 1-2 times until it becomes a paste.
- Add a little vegetable oil and milk to the resulting puree (many recipes recommend taking 2 teaspoons of ingredients, but less is possible).
- After this, the puree is sent to a low heat to bring to a boil.
Ready-made puree to help mom
More and more mothers are choosing store-bought fish puree as complementary foods. And this decision is based on several advantages:
- finished products undergo careful control and are safe for children;
- save mothers time;
- There are also financial savings: today, high-quality fish fillets are quite expensive;
- Manufacturers add cereals or vegetables to many versions of ready-made purees and make their product even more healthy and nutritious;
If you refuse fish
It also happens that a child flatly refuses to eat an unfamiliar product in complementary foods, which usually greatly upsets his mother.
- A tasty discovery for a child will be the combination of fish with a product that is already familiar to the baby, for example, a vegetable introduced into complementary foods.
- Often the baby is confused by the characteristic smell of fish, but it is easy to get rid of it. To do this, you can sprinkle the puree with lemon juice or add healthy herbs with a bright smell, such as parsley or dill.
- Try a little trick: come up with a fairy tale or an interesting story about a fish. Or read a ready-made one, about brave pirates or beautiful mermaids. It has been proven that a playful approach to food makes the eating process very interesting. The baby may not even notice how he swallows the treasured healthy piece.
If these methods do not work, and the child has not lost his categorical decision not to eat fish, do not be upset, but simply offer him the dish a few weeks later. There is a high probability that next time he will eat the product with pleasure.
It is also possible that the child simply did not like fish puree for complementary feeding. But he can appreciate steamed cutlets or casserole, which he can start giving him a little later.
The delicate taste of fish that melts in the mouth will surely appeal to a child of any age, and you will be happy with the enormous benefits that the product generously provides to your child.
When your baby masters dishes made from vegetables, porridge, cottage cheese and meat, it is time to introduce him to fish products. How and at what age is it best to do this?Along with dairy products, eggs and meat, fish is a source of complete, high-quality protein. At the same time, each of these products contains unique, inimitable proteins that differ from others in amino acid composition. That's why nutritionists recommend a varied diet.
The flesh of the fish is tender; it does not contain coarse connective tissue fibers and films, which are abundant in meat. Therefore, fish proteins are easily digestible: the percentage of their absorption is 93-98% (for example, meat proteins are absorbed by 87-89%). The amino acid composition of fish proteins ideally matches the needs of the human body and is perfectly absorbed by it. All types of fish are distinguished by a high content of minerals (zinc, copper, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus and especially iron); fish also contains quite a lot of vitamins: A, D, B2, B12, PP. Sea fish is also rich in iodine, which is necessary for the proper development and functioning of the thyroid gland. Fish fats are high in polyunsaturated fatty acids, including the omega-3 group. These fatty acids play an important role in the construction of cell membranes, especially for nerve tissue and the retina of the eyes; are precursors for the synthesis of tissue hormones - biologically active compounds that regulate metabolism in body tissues. Fish is one of the few natural sources of omega-3 fatty acids.
Where to begin?
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To introduce your child to fish, low-fat varieties are suitable: haddock, cod, pollock, flounder, hake. You can cook fish at home or use ready-made canned fish for baby food. You should start with ¼ teaspoon, usually in the form of fish puree, preferably during one of the morning feedings, so that you can carefully monitor the baby until the evening. Allergic manifestations may take the form of skin rash, regurgitation or vomiting, and stool disorders. As a rule, they are observed several hours after encountering the allergen.
Sometimes allergic reactions develop only to sea fish or, conversely, only to river fish.
If you notice certain allergic manifestations in your baby after you gave him a taste of a fish dish, you should refrain from further acquaintance with this variety. Wait a week or two, offering your baby only those foods that he is already accustomed to. After the condition returns to normal, you can try giving him a different type of fish. Sometimes allergic reactions develop only to sea fish or, conversely, only to river fish. Often children who are allergic to one type of fish can easily tolerate other types. It may also happen that the same type of fish, say, causes allergies when prepared at home, but is well tolerated in canned (that is, industrial) form, or vice versa.
If the first meeting went smoothly and you did not notice any negative manifestations, the next day you can offer your baby 1 teaspoon of fish. If everything is fine in this case, you can gradually increase the daily dose to the age norm. In one feeding, a child aged 9-10 months can eat about 50 g of fish, by 11-12 months you can offer him up to 60-70 g. Fish proteins have one more property: an allergy to them is often associated with an accumulation effect. This means that if you offer fish dishes too often, the risk of developing allergic reactions to them increases significantly. That is why fish products should be offered to your baby no more than 2-3 times a week, and to potential allergy sufferers (of course, those who can tolerate a specific type of fish) - once a week.
Beware of allergies!
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If you suddenly notice anxiety in your baby, pallor or bluishness of the face, combined with difficulty breathing, immediately call an ambulance and give the child any antihistamine (for children under 3 years old, ZIRTEK or FENISTIL drops in an age-appropriate dosage are preferable). If you notice an immediate allergic reaction in your baby, you should be extremely careful in the future if you start preparing this type of fish for other household members. Fish is in a sense a unique product: an allergic reaction can occur just from its smell! The fact is that usually the smell of food is caused by volatile low-molecular compounds that are practically incapable of causing an allergic response. But the fishy smell is caused by protein molecules and therefore can cause an allergic reaction in predisposed people.
Fish products are replaced on selected days with corresponding meat dishes. At first, it will be easier for your baby to cope with fish puree; later it can be replaced with fish puddings, fish balls or steamed cutlets. At 1 year old, the baby can already be offered boiled or baked fish prepared for the rest of the family. In all cases, you should carefully remove all the bones from the fish, even the smallest ones, because the baby is not able to separate them on his own and may choke. Try not to offer your baby fatty fish, as they can cause intestinal upset. Fish broths are not used in baby food until about 3 years of age: they are too saturated with extractive substances, which are unnecessary stimulants for the immature digestive system of babies, and do not have particularly valuable properties. Also, children under 3 years old are not offered caviar and seafood, as dishes with a high allergenic potential.
Culinary secrets
* It is better to thaw frozen fish in salt water (8-10 g of salt per 1 liter of water): this reduces the loss of minerals that is inevitable during defrosting. It is generally not recommended to completely defrost fillets. Slightly thawed fish are washed in cold water and cooked.
* Fish cooked whole or in large pieces is always tastier and juicier. The less liquid taken for cooking, the better the result will be. Steamed fish will retain the greatest amount of nutrients.
* Many chefs recommend poaching as the main method of cooking fish, primarily sea and ocean fish. This is the name for boiling fish in a small amount of water with one or another flavoring additives - butter, lemon juice, herbs and spices (onions, carrots, parsley or celery root, dill, bay leaf). In this case, the loss of valuable nutritional properties is minimized, and the taste of the fish is significantly enriched and refined. Only “red” fish is often cooked without spices. Poaching time for portioned pieces is 10-15 minutes, for large fish - from 25 to 45 minutes.
* When cooking or poaching, it is better to lower the fish into already boiling water, then immediately reduce the heat. Fish cooked over high heat becomes overcooked and tasteless.
Making a choice
For cooking, subject to tolerance, it is better to use sea fish: it is rich in iodine, which is necessary for the functioning of the thyroid gland. In addition, it is believed that freshwater fish “collect” salts of heavy metals, which can contaminate the waters of rivers and lakes. Trout is considered the best freshwater variety, worthy of a little gourmet.
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You can also use special canned food for children. Most often, fish is not produced in its pure form, but as part of fish and vegetable and sometimes fish and cereal dishes. Vegetables help enrich the final product with dietary fiber, which fish is poor in, which significantly increases the biological value of the dish. To make canned food for children, sea fish (cod, hake, pollock, salmon) or river fish (pike perch, trout) are used. Typically it ranges from 10 to 30% of the product weight. Potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, zucchini, pumpkin, green peas, and beans are used as vegetable components. Canned cereals include rice, pearl barley, buckwheat, semolina, corn, and oats. Sometimes canned fish dishes, along with a small amount of fish oil, also contain vegetable oils - olive, sunflower, soybean, corn, rapeseed, and sometimes animal fats - butter.
To improve the taste of the final dishes, herbs and spices are added. Ascorbic acid may be added as a preservative.
Cooking fish dishes at home
Fish puree
Fish fillet (without skin) - 60 g,
milk and vegetable oil - 1 tsp. spoon.
Boil the fillet in a small amount of water for 15-20 minutes, cool, mince or beat in a blender, after removing all the bones. Add milk, butter, salt, mix well and bring to a boil over low heat.
Steam fish soufflé
Fish fillet - 100 g,
milk - 25 g,
flour - 3 g,
egg - 1/3 pcs.,
butter -5 g.
Boil the fish fillet, remove all bones. Pass through a meat grinder with a fine grid, add thick milk sauce (boil the milk with flour for 5-8 minutes), butter, egg yolk, mix, carefully fold the whipped white into the minced meat. Place the mixture in a greased form and cook in a water bath under the lid for 15-20 minutes.
Fish pudding
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potatoes - 1/2 pcs.,
oil - 2 teaspoons,
milk - 2 tbsp. spoons,
egg - 1/4 pcs.
Boil the peeled potatoes until fully cooked, drain the water, mash with a wooden pestle so that there are no lumps, and dilute with milk. Boil the fish in salted water, remove all the bones. Finely chop the pulp, mix with potatoes, lightly salt, add melted butter (1 teaspoon), yolk and white whipped into a thick foam. Grease the mold with oil, pour the mixture into it, close the lid, place in a water bath and cook for 20-30 minutes.
Fish meatballs
Fish fillet - 60 g,
wheat bread - 10 g,
yolk - 1/4 pcs.,
water - 10 ml,
vegetable oil - 4 ml.
Remove the bones from fish fillets (for example, cod), pass through a meat grinder with a piece of bread soaked in water, add egg yolk and vegetable oil, mix thoroughly. Form balls from the resulting mass, place in a bowl half filled with water and cook over low heat for 20-30 minutes.
Steamed fish cutlets
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milk - 25 ml,
white bread - 10 g,
egg - 1/4 pcs.
Pass the fish fillet through a meat grinder, add white bread soaked in milk, mix, pass through the meat grinder again, add salt, beat the egg and mix until a homogeneous fluffy mass is obtained. Form cutlets from the mixture, steam them, placing them on the grate of a steam pan (special grate inserts for cooking steamed dishes in regular pans can be purchased in the hardware departments of department stores), for 20-30 minutes.
Apaeva Dorofeya, pediatrician
The tender fish meat literally melts in your mouth, and it is not surprising that many children prefer it to chicken or veal. The content of useful substances in it depends on the season, habitat and species. Children are recommended to cook mainly sea fish, as it contains less salts, more iodine and nutrients.
Why is fish good for children?
The main value of fish lies in its easily digestible protein. In addition, it contains a whole set of important essential amino acids that a growing body needs. They are like a building material for the cells of internal organs, including the brain, and these elements are also necessary for muscle growth.
Fish is useful not only for its protein, it also contains other substances that have a positive effect on the child’s health:
- vitamin D - it is extremely important for the formation of the skeletal system; the regular presence of fish in the diet of an older child is the best prevention of rickets;
- vitamin A - participates in protein synthesis, normalizes metabolism, increases the body's resistance, helping it fight viral and inflammatory diseases;
- ?3 and ?-6 fatty acids - needed for the construction of muscle cells, participate in metabolic processes;
- iodine is an important element that is involved in many processes, in particular, it is necessary for the proper functioning of the thyroid gland;
- fluorine is important for the formation of a strong skeleton.
In addition to the substances mentioned above, fish contains phosphorus, calcium and potassium. In terms of the content of useful elements in fish, it is significantly superior to meat and many other products.
There are other benefits too. Fish meat is better digestible than, for example, veal, beef or chicken. Thus, according to the results of the studies, it was found that on days when a person eats only fish, abstaining from eating meat, the load on the pancreas decreases by approximately 2 times.
What kind of fish can be given to children?
Important! In some types of fish, the fat content can reach 33%. Low-fat types, such as salmon or sea bass, are suitable for children. Good river fish include carp or trout, the meat of which is particularly tender and has a refined taste. In total, there are three categories of fish based on fat content:
- Low-fat. Its fat content does not exceed 4%. This category includes: hake, pollock, perch, pollock and navaga.
- Medium fat content - up to 8%. Catfish, catfish, carp and sea bass. The pleasant taste of these varieties is combined with the tenderness of the meat.
- Fatty fish: from 8 to 30%: sturgeon, pink salmon, mackerel, herring.
It is best to start with low-fat varieties of fish, and after the baby gets used to them, gradually expand his diet. It is strictly not recommended to offer fish with a high fat content to children under one year old, as it is less digestible and can cause upset in the child’s fragile digestive system.
Not only the type of fish matters, but also the method of preparing it. We all love fried foods, but if you want to cook perch or trout for your baby, it is best to stew them or, if the baby is already a year old, bake them. Light fish soups are also useful.
Introducing fish into your baby's diet
It is better to introduce fish into the baby’s menu no earlier than your daughter or son turns 8 months. The best option for the first fish course is puree without salt and spices. Some mothers advise adding a little starch to it as a thickener - this should not be done, since the baby’s stomach is not yet adapted to process it. Use a blender to grind the fish. First you need to boil it, after which you can add just a little butter.
Under no circumstances leave the prepared portion for the next feeding - fish is only useful in its fresh form; intensive bacterial growth begins quite quickly in the finished product. Other tips:
- the size of the first portion is no more than 1–2 g, every day it can be increased little by little and brought to 40-50 g by the year;
- up to 12 months, offer the baby fish, crushed to a homogeneous mass - without lumps; when the child grows up, you can give him fillet “crumpled” with a fork with small pieces;
- It is advisable not to add salt to fish dishes - they already contain it in sufficient quantities for this age;
- red fish are more likely to cause allergies, so choose white varieties, such as hake, cod, pike perch or silver carp;
- Fish can be introduced only if the baby is healthy and has not been vaccinated within the past week;
- Complementary foods should be given before breastfeeding.
After the first “tasting”, monitor the baby’s condition. Make sure that no rashes have appeared on his body, his temperature has not risen, and his stool is normal. The optimal serving size for fish at 8 months is 10–30 g, when the child grows a little - you can offer no more than 50–60 g per day, at one and a half years you can increase the piece of fish to 70 g, and for a two-year-old baby - up to 80 g.
After a year, the portion can be increased, and fish should be on the child’s menu no more than 2-3 times weekly. It is recommended that children not be given red fish varieties until they reach 2–3 years of age. Also, do not offer them herring or other pickles. Fried fish should be prepared only after the child is 3 years old. Please note that children under 6 years of age should not be smoked, but even at an older age this category of fish is not considered healthy.
Fish dishes for children: recipes
Fish soufflé
Ingredients: 100 g of fish, preferably sea fish, a chicken egg, some white bread, which can be replaced with oatmeal if desired, 100 ml of milk, butter for greasing the mold.
Steam the fish to make it easier to separate the meat from the bones. Grind the boiled fillet with a blender, add the yolk, milk and soaked bread to the mixture. Beat the egg white separately and add it to the puree. If you wish, add a little salt. Before putting the mixture into the molds, do not forget to coat them with butter. Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes. The dish is designed for children from 1 year.
Trout in dough
You will need 120-150 g of trout, 5-6 quail eggs, 50-70 ml of milk, a little sparkling mineral water, a little wheat flour for dredging, olive oil. Cut the fillet into portions. Prepare the batter separately: beat the eggs with a mixer, add a little salt, milk and sparkling water, as well as flour. Stir until a homogeneous mixture without lumps is obtained. Dip pieces of fish in batter and fry in olive oil. Due to the carbonated water, the “fur coat” comes out very light and airy. The dish is suitable for children from 3 years old.
Steamed cod cutlets
Ingredients: 250 g cod, a small onion and the same carrot, 50 g wheat bread, 1 tbsp. l. milk, chicken egg, herbs - to taste. Cod can be replaced with pollock or any other type of white fish. Grind the food in a meat grinder (cod, vegetables, bread soaked in milk), add a little salt, and mix thoroughly. Form small cutlets, roll them in flour and place in a steamer. Cook for about 20-25 minutes. Serve with side dish.
Delicious fish dishes always increase children's appetite. Important! Use only high-quality products to prepare them, and do not store them in the refrigerator for a long time, as they lose their beneficial properties when stored for a long time.
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Despite its usefulness, fish is different in that it contains many allergens that very young children cannot cope with. And some parents don’t know when to introduce fish into complementary foods.
So, fish is considered to be a late complementary feeding. Most pediatricians agree that fish should appear on a baby’s menu no earlier than eight months. If a child shows signs of an allergy, this product will have to be put off for a long time - at least two or three years, until the body gets stronger. Since fish is a late complementary food, before it appears in the diet, the baby must get used to cereals, meat and dairy products. If you delay in introducing these foods, you will have to wait with fish - first prepare the child’s body for the simplest food, and only after that move on to the heavy one.
Introducing fish into the diet correctly
The rules for introducing fish into a child’s diet are very important and no one has canceled them, so we will definitely list the most important ones:
- you need to start complementary feeding with half a teaspoon, then increase the dose;
- During the first two weeks, fish should not be given more than twice a week;
- In no case should you give more than the established norm, because an allergy may appear.
Fish for first feeding
It is important to know exactly what kind of fish to start feeding your child with, because not all varieties are suitable for the first feeding. Let us list the properties that characterize the ideal fish for a small child:
- dietary;
- low calorie;
- fresh;
- low-allergenic.
In addition, many experts argue that only sea fish should be in a baby’s diet, citing the fact that river fish absorbs too many toxins and heavy metal salts, which are found in large quantities in our polluted rivers. An exception, perhaps, can be considered trout, which never lives in dirty water and always moves to more environmentally friendly areas of reservoirs and rivers.
Moving on to specifics, let's say that when feeding for the first time you can focus on the following types of fish: sea bass, hake, cod, pollock. These are lean white fish varieties that are highly digestible.
Hake has a lot of vitamins, calcium and potassium. Eating this fish strengthens the immune system and promotes better functioning of the stomach and intestines. A good option is whiting, which can give a head start to many types of fish in terms of sodium, manganese, iodine and cobalt content. Cod has the most tender meat and a very pleasant taste, so even the pickiest baby will definitely like it (note to those who constantly have problems introducing new foods to their diet). In addition, cod contains vitamins A and D. Pollock is no less healthy, and its liver is the best source of vitamin A, which plays a key role in maintaining healthy skin, hair, teeth and nails.
Fish is the main source of vitamins PP, B1, B6, B12 and phosphorus; a lack of these substances threatens the baby in the blood, resulting in a disruption in the body’s oxygen supply.
A little later, you can offer your baby varieties of fish with medium fat content. These include trout, catfish, and carp. They are no less useful than the varieties already listed, but their fat content does not allow them to be introduced into the diet until the child’s digestive tract is not sufficiently developed.
The advantage of children's canned fish
Finding truly fresh fish nowadays is not so easy, because even fishermen at the market cannot always be trusted, and stores mostly bring frozen fish, which may have been frozen and defrosted many times during transportation. Therefore, conscientious parents can only rely on canned children's food, which is produced on an industrial scale. In their production, only fresh fish is used, which passes all sanitary checks. Hygiene standards established by the Ministry of Health are also observed.
Note to parents: pure fish canned food for children is not very common. Mostly mixture products are produced, for example, “Tuna with vegetables”, “Trout with vegetables”. In such canned food, the fish content ranges from 10 to 15 percent. The remaining 90 percent is occupied by various cereals or vegetables. When choosing canned food, it is very important to read its composition - it should not contain products that are not already present in the child’s diet or that may cause an allergic reaction.
How much fish can a child eat depending on age?
The age of a child greatly affects the amount of food his body needs. If you don't know how much fish a child can eat at 1 year or 8 months, there is a risk that you will overfeed him and cause an allergy that might not exist. A table will help you avoid making mistakes, which will indicate the number of fish for different ages.
What should you avoid when introducing fish into your baby’s diet?
Firstly, until the child is one year old, he should never be given caviar, because it is very difficult for the body and most often causes allergic reactions.
Secondly, the baby should not eat dried, salted, smoked fish and canned fish, which are not part of commercially produced baby food.
Thirdly, it is better not to experiment with other seafood (shrimp, mussels, crabs, rare varieties of fish, fish with red meat) until the child is at least one and a half years old.