The first products pediatricians offer to start complementary foods are zucchini. When breastfeeding, they are recommended to be administered from six months, and with artificial feeding from 4-5 months. How to cook zucchini for the first feeding? The article will discuss the rules of cooking vegetables, healthy recipes and their benefits.
The benefits of zucchini for babies
Vegetable has a positive effect on the children's body due to its following properties:
- How to cook zucchini for feeding? Usually it is given to babies in the form of mashed potatoes, due to which it is well perceived by its body. The vegetable improves the digestion process, prevents the occurrence of constipation. The inclusion of zucchini in the lure protects the baby from colic and bloating.
- Excellent ratio of potassium and sodium. The first element has a positive effect on the nervous and muscle system of the child. It also saturates the brain cells with oxygen and prevents allergies.
- Zucchini low in fiber and high in water. The first lure should not irritate the stomach with a large amount of dietary fiber. Water in a vegetable leaches toxins from a child’s body.
- Zucchini has a delicate texture.
- Together with complementary foods, an additional amount of copper and iron begins to enter the child's body. This is especially important, because in the first months of life, many babies suffer from physiological anemia.
The positive aspects of applying zucchini do not end there:
- Ease of preparation, even a novice hostess can handle this.
- Affordable price, especially in summer.
- Freshly frozen vegetables can be added to foods at any time of the year.
- Mom does not spend a lot of time on cooking.
- Allergies in eating vegetables are rare.
The opinion of nutritionists
Zucchini improves bowel function, free it from toxins and cholesterol. Vegetables remove excess water and prevent the development of obesity.
Calorie content of fruits per 100 g is 27 kcal.
Zucchini surpasses pumpkin in the content of minerals such as phosphorus, magnesium, potassium and calcium. Its pulp contains 2 times more vitamin C, but less sugar.
If the baby is overweight, there is no better vegetable to feed.
Rules for entering complementary foods
Vegetable puree appears on the baby’s menu closer to 6 months, when the baby is breast-fed, and with artificial breastfeeding after 4.
How to cook zucchini for the first feeding? Before cooking vegetables, you must consider the main input rules:
- mashed potatoes should be uniform, without salt and sugar;
- for the first time, it is best to offer the child puree in the morning at 11 o’clock or at lunchtime - 14.00;
- initially - complementary foods, and only then breastfeeding or a mixture;
- for the first time give 1 teaspoon of mashed potatoes, after 7 days - increase to 50 g;
- by 7 months the baby should eat 100 g, and by the year - 150 g;
- if the baby refuses mashed squash, you can offer a dish in a week or use other vegetables that a pediatrician can recommend;
- Do not give zucchini when it's hot outside or the baby is sick.
With the introduction of the fetus into the diet, it is necessary to establish a certain measure. If the child has a good appetite and wants to eat more, it is not recommended to do this. To avoid any problems with digestion, use the required amount of zucchini.
Before starting feeding, you need to get the advice of a pediatrician, he will tell you the correct scheme.
Food diary
How to cook zucchini for the first feeding of babies? Before starting the introduction of complementary foods, parents need to keep a food diary. In it, mom will be able to record all the baby’s reactions to new products:
- bloating;
- redness or rash on the skin;
- anxiety and whims of the child;
- violation of the stool or increased flatulence.
If parents have found at least one of these symptoms, then you need to cancel complementary foods and consult a pediatrician. He will tell you when you can start introducing new food. This usually happens within a month. When introducing new mashed potatoes into the diet, it is best to choose one-component dishes, i.e. cooked from one product. A mixture of vegetables makes it difficult to identify the exact "culprit" of allergies and other symptoms.
Contraindications
Before you cook zucchini for the first feeding, you need to make sure that the child does not have hyperkalemia. With this disease, kidneys that do not cope with the task of eliminating potassium from the body suffer. Also, zucchini is not allowed for children suffering from renal failure of various origins.
An adverse reaction after eating zucchini is peeling on the skin. The reaction is considered absolutely normal and completely unrelated to allergies. To prevent this, in zucchini puree, you need to add water in which the vegetable was boiled, or breast milk.
Selection and harvesting zucchini
How to cook zucchini for the first lure? The most reliable way to cook is to get mashed potatoes from vegetables grown on your own site. They can be steamed or boiled at home.
If the baby was born in the summer, he will have to try his first lure in the winter, you can find fresh zucchini in the store, but their quality is doubtful. They may include nitrates and other harmful substances.
The options for solving the problem include:
- Freeze fresh zucchini for the winter. You need to purchase fresh green young vegetables, their length should be 20 cm. Gentle pulp will easily remove seeds. When choosing fruits, it must be borne in mind that the surface should be smooth and shiny, without spots.
- Mashed potatoes in jars. Any products on store shelves are certified. It is important for parents to familiarize themselves with the composition. Ideal option: zucchini and pumpkin. It is advisable to avoid the composition of mashed pear-shaped zucchini. It is an analogue of pumpkin, and for the first feeding is completely unsuitable due to allergies in babies.
Meat protein, olive oil, greens can go to the zucchini.
Frozen product
How to cook zucchini for the first feeding? Initially, you need to prepare the vegetables. Young fruits are not able to be stored for a long time due to the fact that they have a thin peel and a lot of water. Large vegetables can persist for a long time, but they are not suitable for the first feeding. They have a coarser structure and lower nutritional value compared to young zucchini. And therefore, ideal for freezing - it is necessary to apply just such fruits. Do this as follows:
- zucchini are thoroughly washed and finely cut the skin;
- remove the top and the stalk, these are the places where nitrates are located;
- you don’t need to remove the middle, you just need to cut the zucchini into circles, the thickness is no more than 3 cm, the fruits can be laid in one layer in a bag for freezing.
Some mothers use disposable cups for this. For the first days of feeding, small containers are taken, and then a little more. From above they can be covered with cling film or foil.
How to cook zucchini infants for feeding? Before cooking, you should not wait for the vegetable to thaw completely. As a result, a porridge-like consistency can be obtained from it. It is best to put frozen zucchini in water and cook for 5-7 minutes. Once it is cooked, it is crushed with a sieve. You can choose the most suitable option: for a couple or in a slow cooker. The usefulness of the resulting dish will not be affected.
How to cook zucchini for the first feeding
Before starting the process, the correct processing of the fetus is carried out. To do this, you must:
- Rinse the zucchini in cool water.
- For complementary feeding, remove the skin from the fetus and rinse it again.
- Products purchased at a store or market must be soaked for 2 hours in a salt solution. Zucchini for this is cut in half. This is done in order to get rid of the possible presence of nitrates in the fruits.
How to cook zucchini for feeding? Here are some simple and fully accessible recipes.
In a pan, zucchini is prepared as follows:
- Water for cooking vegetables is filtered or purchased. It is pre-boiled.
- Vegetable is cut into cubes and boiled in boiling water for 10 minutes.
- Ready zucchini is ground in a blender. Cooking for more than 10 minutes is not recommended that the vegetable does not lose its valuable vitamins.
How to cook zucchini for the first feeding? In a slow cooker, vegetables are prepared as follows:
- The fruit is freed from the peel and seeds, cut into rings.
- Stacked in a slow cooker.
- Before starting the cooking process, you must press the "stew" or "steaming" button. Time is 10 minutes.
- Grind the fruits in the same way as indicated in the previous recipe, or other most convenient.
How to cook a child's zucchini for the first feeding? Steaming the fruit happens as follows:
- Pour water equal to 1/4 of the volume of the container into the pan. Install a sieve or colander on top.
- Prepared slices of zucchini put in the prepared container.
- Zucchini is exposed to steam when the water boils. To make the process go faster, cover the pan with a lid.
Salt the dish is not recommended, it will not benefit the baby. Ready mashed potatoes can be stored in the refrigerator for no more than 4 days.
Conclusion
Zucchini puree is the most useful first lure for the baby. He will saturate his body with useful and nutrients, which will allow the child to develop and grow harmoniously.