Canned Foods In Baby Food

The choice of children's canned goods today is huge. But many mothers are worried about the question: will these products be useful for the baby?

The choice of children's canned goods today is huge. But many mothers are worried about the question: will these products be useful for the baby?

Juices, fruit, vegetable, fruit-vegetable, meat and fish purees - domestic and foreign manufacturers offer the widest and most diverse range of canned goods for children. But still, many mothers prefer to prepare all these products themselves, and it's not even a matter of price (the cost of children's canned goods is often biting), many are concerned about their usefulness and safety. How are these canned goods prepared, what is included in their composition, will the treats from the jar not harm the baby?

About quality and safety

"All children's canned goods, which end up on the counters of Ukrainian stores, undergo strict quality control: sanitary-hygienic, chemical-technological, microbiological," all manufacturers say in one voice. This means that canned goods must be prepared from selected raw materials and only from certain varieties (when it comes to vegetables and fruits). The equipment also has special requirements, first of all it must be made of stainless materials.

All children's canned goods are clearly divided into age groups. The main requirements proposed for canned goods should be as follows: they should have a high calorie content, excellent taste, contain vitamins, micro- and macroelements stipulated by GOST, and, of course, have the correct ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates (1:1:2).

Many mothers are afraid of preservatives and various additives, so you should know that the use of chemical preservatives, various spices, dyes, flavorings and flavor additives in baby food is strictly prohibited, and absolutely harmless ascorbic acid is used as a preservative. In addition, progressive technologies of heat treatment and vacuum packaging provide the possibility of long-term storage of the product. But, of course, you need to carefully read the package. After the jar is opened, its storage period is usually no more than 24 hours.

And more. It is believed that the additional usefulness of such products is due to enrichment with certain vitamins, but nutritionists claim that synthetic vitamins are practically not absorbed by the body, so such "enrichment" even if it occurs, can be considered nothing more than a marketing maneuver - the product will not become more useful

Consider the age of the child

This information must be indicated on the jar, but sometimes parents ignore it, hurrying to please the baby with something new, and the result of such haste is an allergic reaction. Therefore, before choosing one or another jar, focus on the capabilities of your baby's gastrointestinal tract.

Follow the manufacturer's recommendations. So, clarified (without pulp) juices and homogenized puree are recommended for children up to six months, after 6 months you can introduce pureed products, but after 9 months, when the baby already has several teeth, you can start experimenting with coarsely ground products. Thus, moving step by step, you will gradually prepare the child's gastrointestinal tract for adult food, and the easier it will be for him to switch to food from the "common table".

Sometimes, of course, one cannot do without "excesses". Even to such a safe product, the baby may develop an allergy. This does not mean that the allergy is precisely to this product, perhaps the child is allergic in principle to, for example, green peas, and it is precisely in the composition of this vegetable puree. Therefore, if you know that a child has a similar problem, then when choosing a jar, be careful and always read the composition.

Basic rules for using canned food for children

Give the product in a small portion - ½ - 1 teaspoon. If you notice that something is wrong (diarrhea or an allergic reaction on the skin), do not offer this product again. At least a month.

You need to start with monoproducts, for example, apple juice, carrot puree, etc. If the body reacted without problems, after some time start introducing multi-component canned foods.

Introduce new foods gradually. Wait for an interval of 3-4 days.

If the baby is breastfed, do not rush to introduce complementary foods. If the child is "artificial", start as early as possible, but, of course, not in the first months of life, and preferably after consultation with the pediatrician.

If the food from the jar seems thick to you, it can be diluted with water, breast milk, mixture or vegetable broth.

When you open the jar, be sure to pay attention to the characteristic pop. If it sounded, then the jar was hermetically closed, if not, it is better not to offer the product to the child. But in tin cans, the lids should be retracted when they are "inflated" - this indicates that the product is spoiled.

It is better to warm canned food in a steam bath, having previously transferred it to a saucer or a special children's plate. It is also possible in the microwave, but the product may heat up unevenly. But it is better not to allow reheating - it leads to the destruction of all useful substances.

When storing the product in the refrigerator, it is necessary to transfer the product from the tin jar to a glass one, since the product will oxidize in the tin under the influence of oxygen and become unusable.