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For the first months or even years after birth, the baby should be fed on breast 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 a baby can eat melon puree and how to cook it correctly in order to stock up on a delicious treat for the winter.
Useful properties of melon puree
Melon is very beneficial for the growing child's body. It contains a lot of useful nutrients that help a child to develop healthy, cheerful and active. Among them are:
- vitamin C - strengthens the body's immune forces, fights against colds, viruses, pathogenic microorganisms;
- B vitamins - help to form a strong nervous system;
- folic acid - prevents the development of anemia, promotes the absorption of iron;
- vitamin A - strengthens vision, is necessary for the full growth and development of the child;
- nicotinic acid (vitamin PP) - increases the efficiency of metabolic processes;
- phosphorus and calcium - is 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 form that can be assimilated by the body. 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 the watermelon, and in some respects it significantly surpasses it. The properties of the fruit are also valuable and varied:
- contains a high concentration of natural sugars, which are absorbed very quickly and saturate the body with energy;
- magnesium helps to strengthen the nervous system in excitable and restless babies prone to tantrums and whims;
- the 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 worm control;
- a decoction of the seeds will make the baby's hair soft and silky.
Fiber, of which there is a lot of melon, has a positive effect on the digestive tract, helps to cleanse the intestines, and improve the well-being of the child. Its rich vitamin composition allows it to be used in therapeutic diets for certain diseases, for example, tuberculosis, rheumatism.
Features of cooking melon puree for the winter for babies
Pediatricians recommend introducing melon into the diet after a year. It used to be 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 children's nutrition gradually. You cannot immediately give the 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, full of useful substances. In addition, it tastes perfectly with melon. Therefore, for the first time, it is recommended to make apple-melon puree, feed it to the child and observe if there are any allergic reactions, increased gas production.
Ingredients for melon puree for the winter
A caring and thrifty mother will take care of her baby's nutrition in the summer, at the height of the season. To preserve vitamins for the whole year and teach them to your baby in an interesting and tasty form, you can use ripe berries, fruits, vegetables. If we are talking about preparations for the winter for babies, it is better to use the freezing method here, rather than preservation.
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 should be used very carefully in the same way as melons, so when making mashed potatoes, it is better to give preference to safer berries and fruits.
Banana-melon puree has a delicate creamy consistency, which kids love very much for its sweet taste and pleasant pulp. 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 smooth, without lumps. Then you should taste it.
After making the melon puree, pour it into small disposable cups and freeze it using the No Frost system. In winter, it is enough to take out one serving and defrost it in the refrigerator. The fruit mixture will exude a real genuine aroma of freshness, will give the child real pleasure, and will saturate with nutrients important for the developing organism.
A simple recipe for mashed melon for the winter
Before you start making mashed potatoes, wash the melon 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 and soap, dry it with a towel, and then divide it into parts. It is necessary to get rid of not only the peel, but also the greenish layer separating it from the orange pulp.
Next, cut the melon into slices and then into pieces. Dip into a blender bowl, add a little boiled water or apple juice, beat. Pour the resulting mass into small containers designed for freezing liquid products (containers, cups). One serving should have a volume that the baby can eat right away so as not to store the 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 knocking, 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 unripe.
If after the purchase it turns out that the fruit is immature, it is not yet possible to use it for food for babies. The melon should be placed somewhere on a shelf or hung in a room with relatively high humidity and temperatures no lower than 0 degrees. Ripe fruit, even if it has not been cut, must be kept in the refrigerator. In the warmth, ripe melon begins to ripen very quickly and in a short time (3-4 days) can become overripe, start to rot and deteriorate.
The cut melon must be kept in the refrigerator in a special container.If left at room temperature, it will deteriorate within 24 hours. In proper conditions, it can lie for up to 7 days. It is best to cut the melon into pieces and freeze it, so it is stored for 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 grind with a blender, and the puree is ready. It can be added to cereals, mixed with other fruit or berry mass, and can be made from melon puree.
Conclusion
Melon puree will diversify the baby's diet, add a bright summer touch to it, a delicate pleasant taste, give 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 fruit and berry composition and properly freeze melon puree.
