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When can baby start eating yogurt?
During the first months of food diversification (which takes place between 4 and 6 months), breast or infant milk should remain the staple of baby’s diet, recall the National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety (ANSES) and the High Council for Public Health. However, you can add infant milk-based yoghurts to meals from 6 months old. And from 8 months old, you can also introduce cow’s milk yoghurts, such as small Swiss, cottage cheese, or even unsweetened whole milk yoghurts.
As with solid foods, the principle is to introduce them to new foods every day, so at the beginning, 1 to 2 teaspoons are enough. Proceed food by food, in isolation: if your baby is tasting yogurt for the first time, you must not have introduced a new food a few days before, nor a few days after. Listen to your child’s needs, based on their needs and pace. “Baby can quickly switch to a small whole Swiss, or half a pot of cottage cheese, ”adds our expert nutritionist, Pascal Nourtier.
Note: as breast or infant milk remains the basis of baby’s diet, yogurt should not replace it.
Why give baby yogurt?
Yogurt is a great source of calcium for your baby, which is essential for his health. Another advantage: it is a practical food, because it can be served as much for lunch as for snack or dessert. It also provides essential vitamins and minerals for your child. Our expert nutritionist recalls that: “Phosphorus, vitamins A, B2 and B12 participate in the growth, the formation of red blood cells and the proper functioning of the nervous system of the child”.
What yogurt can be given to babies from the age of 5 months?
From 6 months, you can give baby yoghurts made from infant milk. However, this is not essential, because breast or infant milk already provides him with all the nutritional contributions he needs. “From 8 months, when the diet is already diversified, and feedings or bottles less frequent, we can give the child cow’s milk yogurt, which concentrates the calcium intake necessary for the baby”, specifies Pascal Nourtier. What about yoghurts made from vegetable milk, soya for example? According to the dietitian, these are “processed”, and do not provide more nutrients than cow’s milk: “I advise parents to give yogurt made from whole cow’s milk instead, because it is more natural. . In addition, your child’s intestine is suitable for digesting cow’s milk, ”adds the expert. Exception: if a lactose allergy your baby has been diagnosed by a doctor. In this case, the pediatrician will prescribe lactose-free medical milk, as well as lactose-free yoghurts.
There are different types of yogurt for toddlers. Choosing from this wide range is not easy! Our expert advises you to “keep things simple”. Here are our tips for choosing baby yogurt.
The different baby milk products
Plain yogurt or petit-suisse sugar-free
Yogurtnatureis the best choice. It is preferable to flavored yogurts, according to Pascal Nourtier, because it contains less sugar and generally fewer ingredients.
When you give your baby plain yogurt, do not add sugar to it. Your child will learn to love it as it is. It is indeed preferable not to develop a taste for sweets in children.
To control the amount of added sugar and vary the flavors, flavor the plain yogurt yourself by adding, for example, fruit puree, fruit compote without added sugar, or after 1 year, honey.
To note : 0% dairy products are avoided. To grow, baby needs fat and energy. Therefore, favor products containing between 2 and 10% fat.
Flavored yogurt or whole milk fruit
Flavored yogurts (eg: vanilla, strawberry, etc.) or fruit yogurts should be avoided because they contain a lot of sugar. If you give it to your child, mix them with an equal part of plain yogurt to make them less sweet.
There are also sweet fruit yoghurts mainly with fruit puree. Although some of these yogurts contain more sugar than others, they all contain significantly less sugar than traditional fruit yogurts. Read the ingredient list to find the ones that contain the least amount of sugar.
Drinkable yoghurt for children
Most children’s drinkable yogurts are very sweet, they are therefore to be avoided. However, if you do, choose the less sweet. Among the drinkable yogurts specially intended for children, some contain 5 g of sugar per 93 ml portion: a good choice!
Homemade drinkable yogurt
It’s also easy to make a homemade smoothie to replace store-bought drinking yogurt. Just mix natural yogurt, milk and fruit.
Greek yogurt
In addition to being a good source of calcium, “Greek yogurt is an excellent source of protein”, emphasizes our expert Pascal Nourtier. Even though it contains more protein, Greek yogurt is safe to feed toddlers. Choose the natural version.
Vegetable yoghurt
There are several options to replace dairy yogurt: plant-based yogurts, which can be based on almond, coconut, soy… “These plant-based yogurts all contain less protein than dairy yogurt,” recalls Pascal Nourtier.. ” Dairy yogurt is therefore better in this regard, he concludes. In addition, vegetable yogurts may contain long lists of ingredients, including food additives and a lot of sugar, as well as an unnatural calcium intake, unlike cow’s milk ”. They are therefore not to be favored in the diet of a toddler.