When can a child have fresh cucumbers. Cucumber for children: when (at what age) can a child eat cucumbers? Is there any benefit from cucumbers

At what age can a child eat cucumbers? Should they be given? Will they benefit the child? These questions torment many mothers. Let's try to answer them.

Composition of cucumber

It is 95% water, protein 0.8%, carbohydrates 2.5% (of which mono and disaccharides 2.4%, starch - 0.1%), fats 0.1%, dietary fiber is 1%.

Of the minerals, a rather high potassium content of 141 mg per 100 g of cucumber can be noted. Cucumbers contain vitamins PP, A, carotene, B vitamins, ascorbic acid, folic acid.
For clarity, let's compare the composition of a cucumber with the composition of an apple, because an apple is always positioned as a very healthy product for children.

Comparative composition of fresh ground cucumber and apple per 100 g of product

From the table it follows that the cucumber is inferior to the apple in terms of calories, content of carbohydrates, potassium, iron and fiber, but practically not inferior in the content of such important vitamins as ascorbic acid, folic acid, vitamin A, beta carotene.
And the content of vitamin K significantly exceeds the apple.
Cucumbers are hypoallergenic, 95-97% water, seemingly safe.

• Cucumbers are useful only when fresh, during heat treatment they lose almost all useful properties.
• Only local ground cucumbers are useful in the summer season, greenhouse cucumbers can contain nitrates, so spring long cucumbers from the supermarket are often the cause of food poisoning and indigestion in children.
• Only young cucumbers of small size with green skin and small seeds are useful; yellowed large cucumbers with large seeds will not benefit the child.

So, a small child can only eat cucumbers fresh and in the summer season.

But fresh cucumbers

• They contain a lot of coarse fiber, which can irritate the children's intestines and cause the child to have bloating, stool disorders.
• Fresh cucumbers are not always easy to wash, so they are quite often the cause of intestinal infections in young children.
• Even ground cucumbers in the summer season can contain nitrates, which is especially dangerous for young children.
• Cucumbers have a laxative effect, so they are not recommended for babies with a tendency to diarrhea, but they are recommended
• It is not recommended to give fresh cucumbers to children with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract: gastritis, pancreatitis, biliary dyskinesia.

When and how can a child eat fresh cucumbers?

• • Fresh cucumbers in the summer season can be given to a child only after other types of vegetable purees, cereals, meat and fish purees and, most importantly, purees from fresh fruits and vegetables have been introduced into his diet - this usually happens by 9-10 months.
  • For young children, it is imperative to peel the cucumber from the cucumber, so the cucumber gets rid of most of the coarse fiber that irritates the intestines, from harmful substances and nitrates, which mainly accumulate in the peel, and from impurities and microbes.
  • A slice of cucumber can be given to a child only when he learns to chew well, that is, from about 1.5-2 years old, before that, it is best to rub the cucumber first on a fine and then on a coarse grater so that the child does not choke. There are many parents among parents who like to give their child a slice of cucumber, salted or fresh, to suck on, it seems harmless to them, and the baby seems to be busy with business, it is better not to do this if the baby does not know how to chew - there is a great danger that he will choke.

• Up to 1.5 years, it is better for a child not to give a lot of cucumbers, limit himself to 50 g per day (half of an average cucumber), from one and a half to 3 years it is not recommended to give more than 100 g of cucumbers per day (1 average cucumber).
• Fresh cucumbers excite appetite, stimulate the secretion of digestive glands, so it is recommended to give cucumber salad to a child at the beginning of the main meal.
• For better absorption of vitamin A, E, K and Beta-carotene, which are contained in cucumbers, it is recommended to season the salad with vegetable oil or sour cream (1-2) teaspoons per 100 g of cucumbers.
• It is useful to combine fresh cucumber salad with boiled egg, meat or fish.

Pickled cucumbers for children

Benefit

• Pickled cucumbers retain most of the vitamins,
• They contain lactic acid, which is a prebiotic, creates a favorable environment for the development of beneficial bacteria in the intestines,
• stimulate appetite,
• Favorably affect the stool, due to the sufficiently high content of fiber.

Harm

• Contains a lot of salt
• Destroy tooth enamel
• Irritate the mucosa of the gastrointestinal tract,

Pickled cucumbers for children

Benefit

• They whet the appetite
• They contain fiber, so they can help fight constipation

Harm

• Contain salt, vinegar, heat treated,
• In pickled cucumbers, about 70% of vitamins are destroyed,
• Vinegar has a bad effect on the gastric mucosa and tooth enamel, has a stimulating effect on the nervous system, disrupts sleep,
• Salt is not good for children

Now you know, when and what kind of cucumbers can a child. Stay healthy!

Tomatoes and cucumbers are not among the vegetables that are the first to be introduced into complementary foods for children. Despite their rich vitamin composition, the content of lycopene - a rare antioxidant and many useful minerals, these products should not be offered too early to the child. Everything that a young mother should know about when planning to include tomatoes and cucumbers in complementary foods for babies, we will discuss in this article.

What are the benefits and dangers?

Tomatoes are rich in their vitamin and mineral composition. They contain:

• vitamins: A, K, C, B2 and B6, E, PP
• lycopene - an antioxidant that prevents the development of cancer in the body, effectively strengthens the cardiovascular system
• minerals: iodine (especially important for the normal functioning of the thyroid gland), potassium, calcium, iron (increases hemoglobin levels), zinc, copper, phosphorus, sodium, manganese
• phytoncides - have an antibacterial effect
• fiber - ensures the normal functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, is useful for children with systematic constipation
• acids (citric, malic, tartaric) - normalize metabolism, contribute to the development of a young organism

Tomatoes are dangerous because they can be allergic, they are not suitable for the menu of babies under one year old (their digestive system is not yet able to cope with such food).

Tomatoes and cucumbers are often treated with all sorts of chemicals (to speed up the ripening process, more saturated color, better preservation of the fruit). For this reason, they can be given very carefully to children, giving preference to homemade tomatoes.

Most of all nitrates and chemical compounds accumulate in the peel of tomatoes, so it is recommended that the child peel them.

Tomatoes can negatively affect the child's gastrointestinal tract, causing diarrhea, increased gas formation. They should be especially carefully given to a child with stomach diseases.

Canned tomatoes are harmful for a child's body because they contain a large amount of salt.

Cucumbers are also rich in vitamins (silicon - affects the health of bones, the condition of the joints, potassium - an important element for the development of the nervous system of infants, sulfur - normalizes metabolism, iodine - affects the mental development of the baby). Like tomatoes, these vegetables can cause diarrhea in babies, so they should only be given to a child when their gastrointestinal tract is ready to digest such foods.

When and in what form can you give a tomato and cucumber to a baby?

Tomato juice effectively solves the problem of constipation in infants. Due to the bright red color of this vegetable, babies may be allergic to it. Therefore, when there is such a danger, it is better to postpone this complementary food for at least a year.

You can also try to introduce cucumber into complementary foods after a year, when the baby is already familiar with most other vegetables. Unlike tomatoes, peeling cucumbers is not worth it, as their peel contains many elements that are beneficial to the health of the baby.

After a year, a child can be offered vegetable salads with a low content of vegetable oil (vitamin A, which is rich in both vegetables, is better absorbed with it).

So that dishes from cucumbers and tomatoes do not provoke diarrhea in a child, it is necessary to choose only ripe and juicy fruits, discarding damaged specimens.

If the baby is allergic to red-colored foods, you can try replacing red tomatoes with yellow varieties. Greens are too sour and not suitable for a children's menu. Diarrhea from tomatoes or cucumbers in children after a year can also be caused by an insufficient degree of heat treatment of vegetables.

Allergy to cucumbers is less common than to tomatoes. It is difficult to predict how this vegetable will affect a specific children's body. You can introduce a baby to this vegetable, starting with mother's milk: if after the mother eats the cucumber, he does not show an allergy (you need to observe for 3-4 days), diarrhea or other disorders do not occur, then you can try to give the child a piece fresh cucumber. Because you can introduce a vegetable into the baby's diet only after a year, then usually by this age the baby already has several teeth, and he can try to bite the cucumber himself. Older children can prepare vegetable smoothies with a cucumber base (after three years).

For children born during the winter months, the introduction of cucumber and tomato vegetable foods is best delayed until summer, when local vegetables become available. Products of foreign origin from supermarket shelves are not recommended for a small child. They are often treated with chemicals, so they are more likely to cause diarrhea in the baby. Children are often diagnosed with allergies to such vegetables.

Cucumbers and tomatoes are healthy and necessary vegetables in a child's diet. It is necessary to acquaint the baby with them after the introduction of the main set of products into complementary foods (by the year). For a child, it is necessary to choose only fresh and ripe vegetables, the quality of which you are sure. A predisposition to an allergic reaction to them can be identified when these products are introduced into the diet of a nursing mother: if there is no reaction, it is more likely that it will not manifest itself in the baby himself.

• This vegetable is rich not only in water, but also in mineral salts of iodine, potassium, silicon, sulfur, enzymes, fructose, essential oils, as well as vitamin C and carotene.
• Fresh cucumber juice is noted for its ability to destroy certain types of bacteria, including staphylococci.
• Cucumber is classified as a hypoallergenic vegetable.
• Grated cucumber or fresh juice from this vegetable has mild laxative properties.

Cucumber has many health benefits and tastes good for kids

• Fresh cucumbers on the menu of nursing mothers can cause digestive problems in babies.
• Cucumbers should not be consumed by children who have chronic diseases of the digestive system and kidneys.
• The baby may choke on a small piece of cucumber, as it is slippery and smooth. This is especially true for salted vegetables.
• A vegetable bought in a store or on the market may have a high content of nitrates.
• The use of such a vegetable in a pickled form can cause diarrhea, swelling, severe thirst and a rash in the baby.

What is the best age to give?

Cucumber is recommended to be introduced as complementary foods after a year. Earlier exposure to this product may lead to colic.

The benefits of pickled and pickled cucumbers for the child's body are much less than fresh ones, since vinegar and salt are used in their preparation, and there are almost no vitamins and other useful substances in them after processing. And although children often really like such products, they should not be given before the age of 2-3 years. Some doctors recommend introducing a child to pickled and pickled vegetables at the age of 5.

Always remember that pickled and pickled cucumbers lose almost all of their beneficial properties.

After giving a one-year-old toddler a small piece of cucumber, follow the reaction to this product. If the child has discomfort or pain in the abdomen, postpone acquaintance with cucumbers until a later period.

In what form can it be given?

Fresh cucumber should be peeled and then given to the child whole or grated. If the cucumber that you are going to give to the child is grown in your garden, you can not remove the skin - just wash the fruit well.

Also, cucumbers can be offered to one-year-old children in the form of various salads, seasoned with vegetable oil. You can offer your child a salad of cucumber and boiled egg, seasoned with sour cream. Since the combination of cucumbers and tomatoes in a salad puts a strain on the baby's digestive tract, it is recommended to give such dishes to older children.

After the first feeding with cucumbers and the absence of a negative reaction, they can be combined with other products already introduced into complementary foods. How to choose the right cucumber?

For baby food, it is best to purchase ground cucumber varieties. Choose dense cucumbers for your baby with a rich color and matte skin. Do not buy fruits that are bruised, cracked or stained. Excessively large (overripe) vegetables are also not suitable for feeding children.

Summer pleases us not only with warm days and the opportunity to swim as much as you like. Almost from the very first days, greens first appear on sale, and then vegetables, which allow you to stock up on vitamins for the coming winter. And one of my favorite summer foods is green, crunchy, pimply fresh cucumbers. You can cook delicious and nutritious salads from them, or you can just crunch in the heat when you don’t really want to eat. And cucumbers perfectly quench thirst and hunger, make up for the lack of certain substances.

Many mothers, guided by the desire to pamper their baby with healthy yummy, try to feed their children with cucumbers. But how harmless is this desire? At what age can children still be given this vegetable? And is it possible for kids to pickle, so loved by many of us? Despite the fact that cucumbers are one of the most delicious and healthy vegetables, there are some restrictions in their consumption. It is worth knowing and observing them so as not to harm the young body (especially when it comes to pickles).

Such a useful cucumber

We know from childhood that eating cucumbers is good for digestion, because they contain fiber. And on our own experience, we managed to make sure that they perfectly quench their thirst in the heat and are quite satisfying. But the benefits of vegetables are not limited to this. Cucumbers contain a considerable amount of useful substances:

• vitamin C, so necessary for immunity;
• potassium (useful for the cardiovascular and nervous systems);
• sulfur is also necessary for the nervous system, improves metabolism, strengthens the immune system;
• silicon is needed for nails, hair, skin;
• iodine is an essential element for the normal functioning of the thyroid gland, and therefore for the protection of the whole organism;
• carotene - serves to prevent cancer, is good for the skin and vision.

And all this benefit can be obtained from an ordinary cucumber, if you give your child to eat it sometimes. But still, it is worth following the recommendations of experts on the age at which this vegetable can be introduced into the diet of children, since too early use can be simply harmful.

How to feed children cucumbers?

Many experts do not recommend giving cucumbers to babies until they reach the age of one. This happens due to the fact that the stomach of young children is still too weak to digest such food, and the child may begin colic and increased gas formation.

There is an opinion that it is possible to introduce cucumbers into complementary foods from the age of six months in order to develop motor skills and chewing skills, massage the gums. But still, for such purposes, you can give the child special toys, and experimenting with children's digestion in this way is not worth it.

Naturally, like any new product, cucumbers should be carefully introduced into the diet of a one-year-old child, carefully monitoring his reaction. If nothing unpleasant has happened, then you can safely feed the baby with this tasty and healthy vegetable. To begin with, it is worth grinding the pulp into porridge. And only when the child grows up a little, you can give him a whole cucumber, previously peeled. It will also be possible to make cucumber-based salads, but season them not with sour cream, but with vegetable oil. Try to avoid salt. Many experts believe that until the age of three, this seasoning should not be present in the children's menu.

Here are some simple and tasty salads that you can safely give to your child.

1. Mix cucumber, boiled egg, a little dill and oil. All ingredients should be finely chopped, but it is better to grind them on a grater. When the child grows up, the butter can be replaced with sour cream or natural yogurt. This salad can be a great meal replacement.
2. You can make a salad with the addition of boiled chicken meat or grated cheese, carrots, bell peppers.

In general, cucumber-based children's salads can be made in almost any way. All the vegetables that your baby's body reacts to normally can be added to the dish little by little. True, tomatoes and radishes, so beloved by us, will have to be excluded. These vegetables are still too heavy for a child's stomach.

In addition to the general rules for introducing cucumber into complementary foods, it would be useful to mention what vegetables should be chosen for these purposes. Everything is simple here. Try to wait until the moment when ground cucumbers are already on sale, since there is absolutely no benefit from greenhouses. Yes, and special taste too. Choose small fruits, strong, without yellowness. Try to buy vegetables in large supermarkets or markets where all products are pre-sale tested and there is no risk of buying cucumbers with nitrates.

A little salinity

In our country, not only fresh cucumbers and salads from them are dearly loved, but also various preparations for the winter. Again, the question arises: can children eat pickles? And if so, at what age? Here experts agree - as late as possible. Pickled cucumbers contain salt and vinegar in large quantities, which are simply harmful for children's digestion. And, in principle, pickled vegetables do not contain any benefit - except that they are very tasty. But this adult person can delight his taste without much risk (and then you should limit yourself to consuming such a product, since pickles are food that is quite difficult to digest). For a small child, this product is simply harmful. Therefore, you should not react if the baby is naughty and requires pickles. By the way, there is a risk that slippery pieces can simply slip into the esophagus and the child will choke. With fresh vegetables, this risk is significantly lower. If you want cucumbers to be present in your child's diet, then only fresh and only when he reaches the age of one.

The baby is growing and developing. Along with this, its menu is expanding. In the season of vegetables and fruits, I want to pamper the baby and saturate his body with vitamins. Especially if the fruits are grown in their own garden. During the introduction of complementary foods, young mothers are concerned about when children can be given cucumbers, tomatoes, cabbage and other vegetables. Let's take a closer look at the first.

What's the use?

A cucumber consists of two-thirds of the purest structured water. Heat is the best time to give cucumber to a child. The vegetable will refresh and replenish the water-salt balance. The composition of the cucumber includes such trace elements: potassium, iodine, zinc, chromium, potassium, sulfur, phosphorus, cobalt, magnesium, fructose. It also contains ascorbic and folic acids, vitamins A, K, PP, B1, B2. Separately, it is worth paying attention to the presence of iodine in cucumbers. The use of crispy treats will be an excellent prevention of deficiency of an important trace element.

These green vegetables are high in fiber, which aids in the digestion process. Cucumber has a beneficial effect on the pancreas. The product is easily digested and does not require her participation, giving the body a rest. Fresh vegetables are good for children. Heat treatment almost completely destroys vitamins. Pay attention to the appearance of cucumbers. Benefits will bring small specimens with small seeds and bright green skin. Overripe large yellow vegetables contain few nutrients. And more seeds can cause bloating.

At what age can cucumbers be given to a child?

Vegetables are introduced into the diet of babies at 7-8 months. They start with the lightest and non-allergenic: zucchini, cauliflower, potatoes. In the diet of crumbs, vegetable and fruit purees, homogenized meat and fish will appear. Closer to the age of one, the period begins when children can be given cucumbers. Offer the baby a small piece and follow the reaction to the product.

Damage from cucumber

Nursing mothers and children under one year old need to carefully introduce cucumbers into the diet. Coarse fiber, which the vegetable is rich in, can provoke colic and intestinal upset in the baby. Consider the season. Summer is the only time when children can be given cucumbers. Only ground specimens are suitable for feeding babies. Greenhouse vegetables contain nitrates. In no case do not offer babies early cucumbers. They contain a large amount of harmful substances that cause severe eating disorders. Vegetable juice irritates the gastrointestinal mucosa. If the crumbs have problems with the gastrointestinal tract, then you should consult a doctor before starting complementary foods. When you can give a cucumber to a child, only a doctor can decide.

How to give cucumbers?

For the smallest cucumber, you need to peel it. Even in season, it may contain nitrates. The peel of vegetables is a coarse fiber, which is difficult for the delicate digestive tract of children to cope with. Offer a one-year-old baby a grated cucumber seasoned with olive oil or low-fat sour cream. A baby can eat a whole or sliced ​​\u200b\u200bvegetable in 1.5-2 years. If you are not sure about the quality of the product, then before using it, it is better to soak it in salt water for 2 hours. In this case, you need to change the water several times.

Pickled cucumbers - for kids

Previously, grandmothers and mothers offered babies a salted version of the product, without thinking about how many months you can give a cucumber to a child. When the teeth erupted in the crumbs, they gave him to scratch their gums. But do not underestimate the benefits of barrel cucumbers. Among the advantages of the product are the following factors:

1. Salted barrel cucumbers retain most of the vitamins. The lactic acid they contain is a breeding ground for beneficial bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract.
2. The product improves appetite.
3. A large amount of fiber favorably affects the stool.

As for the harm, it consists in the following points:

• Such cucumbers are distinguished by a high salt content.
• Acid destroys tooth enamel. Therefore, giving children who are teething to scratch their gums is not a good idea.
• The product irritates the gastric mucosa. Nutritionists and pediatricians agree that 3 years and not earlier is the age when children can be given salted cucumbers.

In addition to salted ones, canned pickled cucumbers are present in the diet of adults. Their usefulness is questionable. During heat treatment, 70% of vitamins are lost, which are few in this vegetable. The only benefit of canned cucumber is that it stimulates the appetite, and the fiber it contains helps to cope with constipation. Unfortunately, there is vinegar in the preservation. It destroys tooth enamel. Excites the nervous system and interferes with normal sleep. In addition, a large amount of salt in the marinade is bad for children's kidneys. Offer canned cucumbers to children from 5-6 years old in limited quantities. They are good for toddlers with poor appetite. The product diversifies the diet of children in the winter.

Vegetable salad in the diet of crumbs

Parents want to quickly make the diet of the crumbs look like their own. So, vegetable salads gradually appear in the baby's menu. To the question of when a child can be given cucumber, fresh tomato, bell pepper and other vitamin-containing foods in one dish, nutritionists answer ambiguously. On the one hand, a crunchy vegetable is not an allergen and may be present in the diet of a one-year-old baby. On the other hand, red tomatoes can cause allergies. And the combination of these vegetables is considered difficult for digestion. It is better to offer such a tandem to a baby after two years. In the heat, children (from 1.5-2 years old) can be offered okroshka from kefir, eggs, potatoes and green onions. If possible, harvest together in the country or in the garden. The child will be interested. And he will eat such a dish with pleasure.

A younger crumb can be offered a salad of grated cucumber, eggs seasoned with vegetable oil, low-fat sour cream, unsweetened yogurt. In order to assimilate the carotene that the product contains, it should be consumed with any fats. In the cool season, imported vegetables are sold in supermarkets. They look and feel like plastic. Never give these products to children. They are treated with chemicals that can cause severe poisoning and severe allergic reactions. Offer your kids only fresh natural vegetables.

The summer-autumn period is rich in a variety of vegetables and fruits. One of the first on the shelves of stores, and then in the country, there are juicy green cucumbers. And how many mothers want to diversify the children's menu, and even fortify it! What are the benefits of cucumbers for children, we will tell in this article.

What are the benefits of cucumbers

Can children give cucumbers? And what benefit will they bring? Almost every mother asks these questions, worrying about the health of her baby.

Cucumber is rich not only in water, which contains dissolved mineral salts. The skin of the vegetable contains a small amount of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and carotene. And that is not all. Cucumber contains potassium, silicon, sulfur, iodine, fructose and fiber, which stimulates digestion. It contains a lot of vitamins, enzymes that improve digestion, and essential oils that increase appetite, and tartranic acid perfectly regulates the processes of carbohydrate-fat metabolism.

Fresh cucumber juice can destroy some microorganisms, including Staphylococcus aureus.

What is the role of trace elements contained in cucumber

1. Silicon affects the health of hair, nails, teeth and skin. Its deficiency in children leads to the development of anemia, hair loss, softening of the bones, joint diseases and many other pathological conditions.
2. Potassium is no less necessary for the child's body than silicon. It regulates the water-salt balance together with its partner - sodium. In case of imbalance, the nervous system and muscles begin to suffer. Also, this microelement is simply necessary for the normal functioning of many organs (liver, kidneys, brain, heart) and the endocrine system in both adults and children.
3. Sulfur is responsible for the normal course of metabolism, improves immunity, has a positive effect on the formation of the nervous system, helps to strengthen muscle tissue, especially in adolescents, when there is an intensive growth and development of a young organism.
4. Iodine is almost the most important trace element needed primarily by children. It is responsible for the normal functioning of the thyroid gland, contributes to the development of mental abilities, participates in the formation of immunity and has a positive effect on the functioning of the nervous system. Naturally, with its lack, a failure will occur throughout the body. The child will be lethargic, his performance and attention will decrease, irritability and constant fatigue will appear.

Contraindications to the use of cucumbers by children

• Nursing mothers should exclude fresh cucumbers from their menu, because, passing into breast milk, some substances can cause abdominal pain, flatulence and stool thinning in the baby.
• Children older than 3 years are contraindicated in the use of cucumbers only if the child has chronic diseases of the kidneys, stomach and intestines.

At what age should you give your child cucumbers

Doctors recommend introducing cucumbers into the children's diet after a year. And all because the body of a baby-baby does not yet produce enough enzymes to digest all vegetables and fruits without problems. Sometimes a cucumber in babies can cause colic due to the fiber it contains.

But if the season of vegetables is in full swing, and there is very little left before a year old, then it is quite possible to introduce the baby to new tastes a little earlier. Especially if the child does not suffer from food allergies.

In addition, the cucumber has hypoallergenic properties, because it is not without reason that it is a relative of the zucchini, which pediatricians often recommend to be one of the first to be introduced into the child's diet in the form of mashed potatoes or as part of soups.

How to choose the right cucumber for a child

It is not difficult. It is advisable to buy soil varieties. Such cucumbers should be dense, 10-15 cm long. Their color is rich, and the skin is matte. All this indicates that the vegetables were plucked quite recently. And in no case should you take cucumbers with cracks, spots or bruises.

In what form can you give a child a cucumber

Cucumber should not be offered to children under one year old, and older ones can and should gradually introduce this healthy vegetable into the diet.

Closer to the year, the baby can be offered grated cucumber, previously peeled. Older children will happily crunch a whole cucumber on their own. At the same time, only purchased vegetables should be peeled. Cucumbers grown on their own plot should be washed well enough and given to the child.

After a year, the baby can be offered not just a juicy cucumber, but

o and various children's salads. Only you should fill them not with sour cream or mayonnaise, but with any vegetable oil - olive, sunflower. To begin with, it is recommended to give babies mono-salads, and then gradually add greens and tomatoes to them. By the way, everyone's favorite combination of cucumber + tomato gives a big load on the child's stomach, so it is administered last to already grown children.

Pickled and pickled cucumbers: benefit or harm

Salted and pickled cucumbers are less beneficial for the child's body, because they contain salt and vinegar added during cooking. But babies often like them so much that mothers have to listen to long concerts until their beloved child gets her way in the form of a small slice of pickled cucumber. Still, you should not give such vegetables to children under two or three years old, since pediatricians generally do not recommend adding table salt to children's dishes in the first years of a child's life. In general, there is practically no benefit for children from pickled and pickled cucumbers. A child may well choke on a smooth slippery small piece of cucumber. And this is already dangerous.

They tend to give to children with the onset of summer, when the first vegetables appear on the beds. Many kids themselves are drawn to mouth-watering fruits, seeing them on the common table. Pediatricians advise caution: carefully select cucumbers and “do not overdo it” with their amount in the children's diet.

Is there any benefit from cucumbers

Many people use this product solely for pleasure, not considering it very useful. Indeed, almost 95% of the mass of a cucumber is water. But this is not a sign of worthlessness. This vegetable has a lot of fiber, salts of sodium, potassium, zinc, copper, fluorine, phosphorus, vitamin C, K, carotene. All substances are balanced, easily absorbed by the body.

Cucumbers contribute to the normal functioning of the intestines, stimulate the movement of food through the digestive tract, prevent the appearance of a feeling of heaviness in the abdomen and constipation. A fresh cucumber for a child is useful for developing chewing skills. In addition, it helps to strengthen the body's immune defenses, supplies the body with essential vitamins, and has a mild diuretic effect.

In hot weather, cucumbers quench thirst for a long time, refresh, and prevent a shift in salt balance. For young children, this is extremely important.

Cucumber for a child: from what age

Despite the harmlessness, it is impossible to give a cucumber to a child as part of the first complementary foods. This vegetable is eaten raw, and only heat-treated mashed fruits are allowed for babies.

It is dangerous to offer cucumber in microdoses - a slippery piece can get into the trachea and cause suffocation.

The right age to give a cucumber to a child is 1–1.5 years.

By this period, the digestive tract is ready to process solid food, it secretes all the main enzymes. The specific time, from how many months to feed, parents must set themselves.

Even with a sufficient set of teeth, the first portions need to be crushed: on a grater, in a blender. Fruits - peel and seeds.

1. For starters, 30 g of grated cucumber is enough. It is desirable to eat it on its own, without additives.
2. Gradually, the portion can be increased to 70–100 g once, including in the diet 3–4 times a week.
3. Children over 2 years old can not wipe cucumbers, cook them with tomatoes, add them to vegetable salads, use them as a side dish for meat dishes, fish. It is also recommended to make smoothies, squeeze juice for natural vitamin cocktails.

Cucumbers are hypoallergenic, but if abused, they can cause dyspepsia in babies: colic and bloating, diarrhea, stomach cramps.

To avoid this, you should not combine them with dairy products, sour fruits and sweets. With caution, you need to eat cucumbers for diseases of the stomach, intestines or kidneys.

For baby food, complex cucumber dishes are undesirable: salads from canned foods, snacks with smoked meat and other delicacies.

In the process of processing, they are saturated with vinegar, salt, lose most of the vitamins. Lactic acid, which is produced in pickled cucumbers, is good for digestion, but can harm the enamel of children's teeth.

To improve appetite, homemade canned cucumbers can occasionally be offered to a child, but after soaking in water. Purchased blanks should be avoided. They may contain hazardous chemicals.

Which cucumbers to choose

Whether a child can have a cucumber also depends on the type of fruit and the time of year. Seasonal vegetables are the healthiest. Children should be offered only soil varieties: small, strong fruits with bright green skin and embossed spines (as in the photo). They should be tasted before serving to children. Under the sun, too much bitterness sometimes accumulates in the pulp.

Greenhouse hybrids, especially long and smooth ones, are undesirable. In them, the content of salts and vitamins is several times lower. And when growing such species, harmful chemical compounds are often used.

Overripe cucumbers should also be avoided. These are usually large cracked fruits with a thick yellowed skin. There is nothing useful in these anymore. Strange-looking: spotted, too pale or dark vegetables are also not worth buying. They usually grow in poor soil.

By the first year of life, babies can already taste many foods. Sometimes parents are interested in whether it is possible to give cucumbers to a one-year-old child, whether they will harm him, whether they will cause allergies, and also what pediatricians think about this.

Most experts believe that cucumbers for a one-year-old child will not bring any harm.

These vegetables contain a huge amount of valuable components. Potassium, which is present in cucumbers, regulates water-salt metabolism. Silicon helps strengthen teeth and bones, which is very necessary for a growing organism.

Cucumbers also contain sulfur, which is responsible for the normal course of many physiological processes in the body and strengthens the nervous system. Cucumbers are rich in water, but at the same time they contain a lot of trace elements and some vitamins and fiber are present.

Already by the first year of life, cucumbers can be introduced into the diet of babies. Some pediatricians advise introducing them as complementary foods as early as 11 months.

It is very important to give the child cucumber in small quantities at the initial stages in order to exclude the possibility of allergies. To begin with, you should offer the baby no more than half a teaspoon of cucumber puree. Further, the amount of the product can be increased to several spoons.

Cucumber, as a rule, does not cause allergies, but such cases still happen. Pediatricians recommend introducing a vegetable as the first complementary food, as an independent dish, and not as part of multi-component purees. In this case, the mother can easily determine that it was the cucumber that caused a certain reaction. If no reaction followed, parents can continue to safely offer this product to the baby.

Cucumbers should not be consumed by nursing mothers, as this product can cause fermentation in the digestive tract. This can cause intestinal upset in an infant, especially if he is not even a few months old. For children older than a year, this advice is no longer so relevant.

It is very important to choose the right foods for the first complementary foods. Cucumbers must be fresh, without damage, cracks. Yellowed vegetables are not suitable for baby food.

It is better to give preference to vegetables grown on your own, or buy them from friends involved in home gardening. In modern stores and supermarkets, vegetables are sold that are very high in nitrates and pesticides.

Seasonality is also important. Pediatricians advise giving cucumbers to babies in the summer season. In winter, as a rule, you can only buy low-quality vegetables, which contain a lot of nitrates.

Before you give a cucumber to a baby, you need to wash it, peel it, and then grate it. When the child gets older, you can give him a whole piece of cucumber.

Cucumber should be offered fresh to the baby. Salted, pickled vegetables are categorically not suitable for feeding babies.

If parents doubt whether a cucumber is suitable for their baby, they can replace the vegetable with zucchini, which must first be stewed in a small amount of water.

There are contraindications to the use of cucumber. Such a product should not be offered to children with diseases of the kidneys and gastrointestinal tract. If parents doubt whether it is worth introducing certain foods into the baby's diet, they can always consult with the local pediatrician. The doctor will give valuable recommendations, taking into account the state of health of the child.

Cucumbers are rarely included in baby purees, which can be bought in stores. That is why pediatricians recommend that such vegetables be included in the diet. Older kids can be offered multi-component purees with grated cucumber.

Fresh cucumber is suitable as a complementary food for one-year-old babies. At the same time, it is very important to choose high-quality vegetables, be sure to peel them and grate them. Cucumbers grown in the backyard are great for feeding children.