Buzz
1. Yogurt - Golden Nutrition for Children Aged 10 Months and Above for Superior Weight and Height Gain
Yogurt is a dairy product similar to yogurt, fresh milk, pasteurized milk, etc., but richer in fat, calcium, and protein, providing superior energy for babies. Many people consider yogurt as a food that helps children gain weight and height effectively. Therefore, mothers often supplement yogurt to their children during the weaning period.
In a container of yogurt, besides prominent components like calcium, fat, and protein, there are also additional elements such as fiber, vitamin A, folic acid, potassium, iron, zinc, sodium, phosphorus, and some essential vitamins A, C, E, B2, B12 necessary for the child's daily activities, aiding in better digestion, and strengthening immunity.
Currently, yogurt is a product that many Vietnamese breastfeeding mothers trust to use for their children despite its relatively high price compared to other dairy products like yogurt or cheese. However, the effectiveness of weight and height gain when consuming yogurt can only truly be improved if mothers know how to feed their children at the right time, in the right quantity, and if the child genuinely enjoys eating it, otherwise it could be harmful rather than beneficial.
Optimal Timing for Consuming Yogurt Ensures Superior Weight and Height Gain
According to nutrition experts, mothers should only introduce yogurt to their children when they are 10 months old. At this point, the baby's digestive system is relatively mature and can absorb almost all the nutrients in yogurt without excess like younger children. When starting to introduce yogurt to the baby, mothers should only let the baby taste 1-2 spoons to get used to the taste and see if the baby likes eating yogurt.
In reality, there have been many cases where babies do not like the taste of yogurt, so they refuse to eat it. However, because mothers know it will help the baby gain weight and height, they force the baby to eat it. This is not good for the child because if the baby doesn't like it, even if they eat it, it only increases the risk of obesity or deficiencies in iron, zinc, causing loss of appetite and indigestion. Therefore, no matter how good yogurt is, it's just like any other dairy product such as cheese or yogurt, and mothers should only consider it as a supplementary snack for children's meals. Only when the baby eats yogurt at the right time when the digestive system is mature and genuinely enjoys eating it, can it fully exert its benefits. Another condition you cannot overlook is the appropriate time of day for the baby to eat yogurt. There are 2 most suitable times in a day for the baby to eat yogurt:
2.1. It's Advisable to Give Children Yogurt in the Morning, 2 Hours Away from the Main Meal
Morning is the most suitable time for babies to eat yogurt as it ensures energy supply for the whole day. Many mothers wonder if they should use yogurt to replace breakfast for their children, the answer is NO. No matter how much protein, vitamins, and calcium yogurt contains, it cannot replace breast milk, formula milk, or baby foods eaten during breakfast.
Therefore, mothers should only supplement yogurt in the morning for their children after they have had a full breakfast. It is best to give yogurt to the child when they are hungry and 2 hours away from the main breakfast to evenly distribute energy and not put too much pressure on the child's immature digestive system.
2.2. Best Time to Give Children Yogurt is in the Afternoon, When Hungry, Around 2 Hours After Lunch
Afternoon is also a suitable time for mothers to give their children yogurt because after the afternoon nap, the baby often feels hungry. Eating yogurt will help the child quickly replenish energy and integrate into new games to explore new things around.
The recommended time for children to eat yogurt is about 2 hours away from lunch. If the baby wakes up later, mothers can give them yogurt once a day in the morning to avoid overuse. Eating close to dinner time will make the baby lose appetite and feel full, making it difficult for them to eat much at dinner.
2.3. Avoid Giving Children Yogurt in the Evening
This is a piece of advice for mothers because after the baby has dinner, giving them yogurt will lead to excess energy, the child will become more active, sleep later, disrupt their daily physiological rhythm, or feel bloated and have difficulty digesting, leading to insomnia, which is completely detrimental to the child.
In addition to the right timing, mothers also need to pay attention to the frequency of yogurt consumption per week. Because not every day should babies eat yogurt. Mothers should only let their children use yogurt 3-4 times a week. For babies under 1 year old, half a box each time, while for babies over 1 year old, they can use 1-2 boxes each time according to their needs.
We hope that with the valuable information provided by Mytour.vn, mothers have been able to address any concerns about feeding their children yogurt to support healthy weight gain and height growth.
