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The first months or even years after birth, the child should be fed with mother’s milk. However, this does not always work out, and here baby food comes to the rescue, which includes products that are suitable in their properties for the age of the child. These are artificial mixtures, cow’s milk, some types of cereals, vegetables and fruits. It is important to know at what age you can eat baby melon puree and how to cook it properly in order to stock up on a delicious treat for the winter.
Useful properties of melon puree
Melon is very useful for a growing child’s body. It contains a lot of useful nutrients that help the child to form healthy, cheerful and active. Among them are:
- ascorbic acid – strengthens the body’s immune forces, fights colds, viruses, pathogenic microorganisms;
- vitamins of group B – help to form a strong nervous system;
- folic acid – prevents the development of anemia, promotes the absorption of iron;
- vitamin A – strengthens vision, necessary for the full growth and development of the child;
- nicotinic acid (vitamin PP) – increases the efficiency of metabolic processes;
- phosphorus and calcium – necessary for the growth of bones, teeth;
- iodine – supports the functionality of the endocrine system;
- zinc – provides health to hair, nail plates;
- iron – participates in the hematopoietic function, the formation of red cells;
- copper – provides oxygen transfer to internal organs;
- cobalt – participates in the formation of the musculoskeletal system, cell renewal, hematopoiesis.
Melon, like corn, contains gold in a digestible form. The element has a positive effect on the functioning of the immune system, helps the body fight viruses and bacteria. The rich composition makes the melon no less useful than a watermelon, and in some respects it significantly surpasses it. The properties of the fruit are also valuable and diverse:
- contains a high concentration of natural sugars, which are very quickly absorbed and saturate the body with energy;
- magnesium helps to strengthen the nervous system of excitable and restless babies, prone to tantrums and whims;
- a high content of pectins helps to free the body from accumulated toxins and toxins coming from food, air, water;
- potassium strengthens the heart, serves as a mild diuretic;
- melon seeds can be used as a child-safe dewormer;
- decoction of seeds will make the baby’s hair soft and silky.
Fiber, which is abundant in the melon, has a positive effect on the digestive tract, helps cleanse the intestines, and improve the well-being of the child. The rich vitamin composition allows it to be used in therapeutic diets for certain diseases, such as tuberculosis, rheumatism.
Features of preparing melon puree for the winter for babies
Pediatricians recommend introducing melon into the diet after a year. Previously, it is allowed to introduce fruit into baby food if the child has kidney problems. But abroad, melon in the diet of babies can be found from 6-8 months.
It is necessary to introduce sweet fruit into the diet of children gradually. You can not immediately give a melon in its pure form, and even in large quantities. Puree for babies should consist of several ingredients, the main of which should be a vegetable or fruit that is already well known and familiar to the baby.
For example, applesauce is recommended as one of the first complementary foods. It is low-allergenic, easily digestible, rich in useful substances. In addition, the taste is ideally combined with melon. Therefore, for the first time, it is recommended to make apple-melon puree, feed it to a child and observe if there are any allergic reactions, increased gas formation.
Ingredients for melon puree for the winter
A caring and economical mother will take care of her baby’s nutrition in the summer, at the height of the season. To keep vitamins for the whole year and teach them to your baby in an interesting and tasty way, you can use ripe berries, fruits, and vegetables. If we are talking about preparations for the winter for babies, it is better to use the freezing method, rather than conservation.
Melon goes well not only with apples, but also with various berries, banana, peach, plum, avocado, mango and many others. Already from the age of 7 months, it is allowed to introduce raspberries, blueberries, black and red currants, and cherries into the diet. Raw apricots and peaches, like melons, must be used very carefully, so when making puree, it is better to give preference to safer berries and fruits.
Banana-melon puree has a delicate creamy texture, which kids love very much for its sweet taste and pleasant pulp. By combining melon with berries, you can enrich the puree with a lot of vitamins. The selected ingredients must be placed in a blender and beat until a homogeneous mass without lumps. Next, you should taste it.
After preparing the melon puree, it is necessary to pour it into small disposable cups and freeze using the No Frost system. In winter, it is enough to get one serving and defrost in the refrigerator. The fruit mixture will exude a real genuine aroma of freshness, give the child real pleasure, saturate with nutrients that are important for the developing organism.
A simple winter melon puree recipe
Before proceeding with the preparation of mashed potatoes, the melon must be washed well. This fruit grows on the ground and has bacteria on its skin. When cut, some of them fall on the knife, and then on the pulp of the fruit. Therefore, you need to wash the melon under running water with soap, dry it with a towel, and then divide it into parts. You should get rid of not only the peel, but also the greenish layer that separates it from the orange pulp.
Next, cut the melon into slices first, and then into pieces. Dip in a blender bowl, add a little boiled water or apple juice, beat. Pour the resulting mass into small containers intended for freezing liquid products (containers, cups). One serving should have a volume that the baby can eat immediately, so as not to store thawed melon puree for a long time – it will be fresh for only a few hours.
Terms and conditions of storage
Melon, unlike watermelon, is difficult to choose by knock, you need to look at its tail. It should be dry and thick. And at the opposite end – the crust is soft and sagging, the softer it is, the sweeter the melon. Also, there should be no spots on the skin of the fruit, this indicates that the melon is ripe and not overripe.
If after the purchase it turns out that the fruit is unripe, it is not yet possible to use it as food for babies. The melon should be placed somewhere on a shelf or hung in a room with relatively high humidity and a temperature of at least 0 degrees. Ripe fruit, even if not cut, must be stored in the refrigerator. In heat, a ripe melon begins to ripen very quickly and in a short time (3-4 days) can become overripe, begin to rot, deteriorate.
The cut melon must be in the refrigerator in a special container. If you leave it at room temperature, it will spoil in a day. In proper conditions, it can lie up to 7 days. It is best to cut the melon into pieces and freeze, so it is stored the longest, until the new season.
In winter, it remains to carefully remove it from the freezer compartment, let it thaw slowly in the refrigerator. Then mash with a fork or chop with a blender, and the puree is ready. It can be added to cereals, mixed with other fruit or berry mass, and prepared melon puree soup.
Conclusion
Melon puree diversifies the baby’s diet, brings a bright summer note to it, a delicate pleasant taste, gives energy and health. It will not be difficult for mothers to prepare such a dish for the winter. It remains only to successfully choose the ratio of the fruit and berry composition and freeze the melon puree correctly.