Fish for a child 1. Introducing fish into the baby’s menu - the most important recommendations of nutritionists. Fish dishes for children: recipes

Fish is an important, healthy product needed in a child’s diet. Fish is rich in proteins, amino acids and a whole range of minerals, such as iodine and phosphorus, as well as B vitamins. However, doctors do not recommend rushing to introduce fish complementary foods. Very often this product can cause allergies, so you must follow some rules. What kind of fish can children eat? Let's figure it out.

When can you give

At about the age of 9-10 months, you can gradually begin to offer fish to your little one. But you need to carefully monitor whether this product causes allergies. If even the slightest allergic signs are observed, it is necessary to postpone feeding fish until the child reaches one year of age.

Which one to choose

Skinny fish (cod, hake, river perch, navaga, pike perch, flounder, etc.) are considered the healthiest for children. Such meat is better absorbed by the child’s body and is less likely to cause allergic reactions.

You can also feed your baby fish with medium fat content (sea bass, herring, trout, sea crucian) if this does not lead to negative consequences and the child eats with pleasure. Feeding fish classified as “fatty” (herring, mackerel, salmon) is strictly not recommended.

Feeding fish should start with pike perch, hake, pollock or saury. Gradually you need to add fish of medium fat content; you can give your child fatty fish only after reaching three years of age.

It is recommended to prepare fish dishes for children from the least bony varieties of fish (cod, hake). It is convenient if the fish is sold in the form of fillets, but bones can also be found here, so you need to be sensitive to this issue.

Dorada (sea crucian) is easy to prepare, because after cooking the bones are easily separated, and the fish itself is juicy and healthy.

Seafood (shrimp, crabs, mussels, crab sticks, etc.) are also not recommended for children under three years of age.

How to cook

The healthiest thing for your baby is boiled fish or fish cooked in a double boiler. It is not recommended to give fried, salted, smoked and canned fish, as well as fish eggs and broths. You can make cutlets from fish; many children really like them because there is no need to pick out the bones.

For children under one year old, fish puree from a jar is perfect. It is prepared in a form convenient for the baby and does not contain seeds that are dangerous at this age.

• boil thoroughly (12-15 minutes after boiling);
• After use, the knife and cutting board should be doused with boiling water (it is better to have a separate knife and board for preparing fish dishes);
• You should not try fish that is not yet ready (sometimes one piece is enough to become infected).

How much to give

Giving your baby fish dishes too often is not recommended, as they can cause an allergic reaction, especially if there is a hereditary predisposition. The optimal amount of fish for a child is 80-90 grams 1-2 times a week. If your baby is allergic to sea fish, he may like river fish.

By following the above recommendations, you will be able to please your baby with such important and useful product like a fish, without fear of an allergic reaction or other negative consequences. After all, the greatest happiness for a mother is her healthy child.

The tender fish meat literally melts in your mouth, and it is not surprising that many children prefer it to chicken or veal. The content of useful substances in it depends on the season, habitat and species. Children are recommended to cook mainly sea fish, as it contains less salts, more iodine and nutrients.

Why is fish good for children?

The main value of fish lies in its easily digestible protein. In addition, it contains a whole set of important essential amino acids that a growing body needs. They are like construction material for cells internal organs, including the brain, these elements are also necessary for muscle growth.

Fish is useful not only for its protein, it also contains other substances that have a positive effect on the child’s health:

• vitamin D - it is extremely important for the formation of the skeletal system; the regular presence of fish in the diet of a grown-up baby - best prevention rickets;
• vitamin A - participates in protein synthesis, normalizes metabolism, increases the body's resistance, helping it fight viral and inflammatory diseases;
• ?3 and ?-6 fatty acids - needed for construction muscle cells, participate in metabolic processes;
• iodine - important element, which is involved in many processes, in particular, it is necessary for the proper functioning of the thyroid gland;
• fluorine is important for the formation of a strong skeleton.

In addition to the substances mentioned above, fish contains phosphorus, calcium and potassium. In terms of the content of useful elements in fish, it is significantly superior to meat and many other products.

There are other benefits too. Fish meat is better digestible than, for example, veal, beef or chicken. Thus, according to the results of the studies, it was found that on days when a person eats only fish, abstaining from eating meat, the load on the pancreas decreases by approximately 2 times.

What kind of fish can be given to children?

Important! In some types of fish, the fat content can reach 33%. Low-fat types, such as salmon or sea bass, are suitable for children. Good river fish include carp or trout, the meat of which is particularly tender and has a refined taste. In total, there are three categories of fish based on fat content:

• Low-fat. Its fat content does not exceed 4%. This category includes: hake, pollock, perch, pollock and navaga.
• Medium fat content - up to 8%. Catfish, catfish, carp and sea bass. The pleasant taste of these varieties is combined with the tenderness of the meat.
• Fatty fish: from 8 to 30%: sturgeon, pink salmon, mackerel, herring.

It is best to start with low-fat varieties of fish, and after the baby gets used to them, gradually expand his diet. It is categorically not recommended to offer fish with a high fat content to children under one year old, as it is less digestible and can cause disorders in the fragile digestive system child.

Not only the type of fish matters, but also the method of preparing it. We all love fried foods, but if you want to cook perch or trout for your baby, it is best to stew them or, if the baby is already a year old, bake them. Light fish soups are also useful.

Introducing fish into your baby's diet

It is better to introduce fish into the baby’s menu no earlier than your daughter or son turns 8 months. The best option for the first fish course is puree without salt and spices. Some mothers advise adding a little starch to it as a thickener - this should not be done, since the baby’s stomach is not yet adapted to process it. Use a blender to grind the fish. First you need to boil it, after which you can add just a little butter.

Under no circumstances leave the prepared portion for the next feeding - fish is only useful in its fresh form; intensive bacterial growth begins quite quickly in the finished product. Other tips:

• the size of the first portion is no more than 1–2 g, every day it can be increased little by little and brought to 40-50 g by the year;
• up to 12 months, offer the baby fish, crushed to a homogeneous mass - without lumps; when the child grows up, you can give him fillet “crumpled” with a fork with small pieces;
• It is advisable not to add salt to fish dishes - they already contain it in sufficient quantities for this age;
• red fish are more likely to cause allergies, so choose white varieties, such as hake, cod, pike perch or silver carp;
• Fish can be introduced only if the baby is healthy and has not been vaccinated within the past week;
• Complementary foods should be given before breastfeeding.

After the first “tasting”, monitor the baby’s condition. Make sure that no rashes have appeared on his body, his temperature has not risen, and his stool is normal. The optimal serving size for fish at 8 months is 10–30 g, when the child grows a little - you can offer no more than 50–60 g per day, at one and a half years you can increase the piece of fish to 70 g, and for a two-year-old baby - up to 80 g.

After a year, the portion can be increased, and fish should be on the child’s menu no more than 2-3 times weekly. It is recommended that children not be given red fish varieties until they reach 2–3 years of age. Also, do not offer them herring or other pickles. Fried fish should be prepared only after the child is 3 years old. Please note that children under 6 years of age should not be smoked, but even at an older age this category of fish is not considered healthy.

Fish dishes for children: recipes

Fish soufflé

Ingredients: 100 g of fish, preferably sea fish, a chicken egg, some white bread, which can be replaced with oatmeal if desired, 100 ml of milk, butter for greasing the mold.

Steam the fish to make it easier to separate the meat from the bones. Grind the boiled fillet with a blender, add the yolk, milk and soaked bread to the mixture. Beat the egg white separately and add it to the puree. If you wish, add a little salt. Before putting the mixture into the molds, do not forget to coat them with butter. Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes. The dish is designed for children from 1 year.

Trout in dough

You will need 120-150 g of trout, 5-6 quail eggs, 50-70 ml of milk, a little carbonated mineral water, a little wheat flour for dredging, olive oil. Cut the fillet into portions. Prepare the batter separately: beat the eggs with a mixer, add a little salt, milk and sparkling water, as well as flour. Stir until a homogeneous mixture without lumps is obtained. Dip pieces of fish in batter and fry in olive oil. Due to the carbonated water, the “fur coat” comes out very light and airy. The dish is suitable for children from 3 years old.

Steamed cod cutlets

Ingredients: 250 g cod, a small onion and the same carrot, 50 g wheat bread, 1 tbsp. l. milk, chicken egg, herbs - to taste. Cod can be replaced with pollock or any other type of white fish. Grind the food in a meat grinder (cod, vegetables, bread soaked in milk), add a little salt, and mix thoroughly. Form small cutlets, roll them in flour and place in a steamer. Cook for about 20-25 minutes. Serve with side dish.

Delicious fish dishes always increase children's appetite. Important! Use only high-quality products to prepare them, and do not store them in the refrigerator for a long time, as they lose their beneficial properties when stored for a long time.

There is one special category of parents: their children eat fish. Answering everyone else, including me, to the question: “How do you do it?”, some shrug their shoulders in bewilderment: “We didn’t do anything special, we just love fish very much. We lived in Vladivostok as children, fish and seafood were constantly present on our table, and fishing was our favorite pastime,” others say much the same: “In our family, we all, including children, eat fish because we like it.” like".
I would add to this the ability to choose and properly prepare this delicate product.

Useful properties of fish

• Fish is a source of complete proteins and essential (not synthesized in the body) amino acids; it contains the same amount of them per unit weight as lean meat.
• White fish contains small amounts of fat, while the fat in other types of fish (salmon, mackerel, herring, sardines) contains omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are important for development nervous system and are good for the heart and blood vessels.
• Marine, and freshwater fish are a valuable source of microelements: iron, zinc and selenium, which, although present in smaller quantities than in meat, are just as well absorbed.
• Sea fish is the main source of iodine, which accumulates in it from the marine environment. This is important because almost all regions of Russia have mild or moderate iodine deficiency.

How to choose fish?
The fish must be absolutely fresh, this is the main condition. Buy fish where it is properly stored and sold quickly. If, approaching the fish department, you smell a specific smell, do not even approach it.
When you buy fresh fish, ask the seller to peel back the gills and smell: no fishy smell, just a slight aroma of sea water.

• clear eyes,
• dense, shiny scales,
• natural color and moisture,
• elasticity to the touch,
• a subtle smell of the ocean instead of a persistent fishy stench.

For some reason, buyers are prejudiced against fresh frozen fish, considering it a less valuable product than chilled fish. However, the peculiarities of fishing are often such that the caught fish is cut up, immediately frozen and put on the shelves in this form. Proper freezing does not change its beneficial properties at all, and the ice glaze, which is present in minimal quantities from a conscientious manufacturer, protects the fish from oxidation and drying out.

Such fish should be defrosted slowly, on the refrigerator shelf at the lowest temperature: this is safe and allows you to preserve its texture and taste. Of course, fish should only be frozen and thawed once.

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF), an independent international environmental organization, has issued a special guide for fish consumers in Russia, which introduces all interested parties to the peculiarities of catching (or growing) fish and seafood and gives recommendations to buyers.
This guide can be downloaded.

What kind of fish can children eat and how should they cook it? Tips with examples
Children usually have two complaints about fish - the bones and the actual fishy taste. Therefore, you need to choose the least bony fish and try to remove all the small bones using special tweezers. Another option is cooking fish cutlets or meatballs. If you are preparing them from lean fish, be sure to add a little butter to the minced meat. Something as simple as adding a teaspoon of sugar per pound of minced fish will also enrich the taste of the cutlets. This technique is used by manufacturers of canned fish for baby food.

As for the taste of fish fillets, in addition to the impeccable freshness of the fish itself, marinades can help. If you bake the whole fish, add herbs and lemon slices to the belly. When using fillet, you can rub it with a marinade of olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and add slightly mild mustard (for a child over three years old) and honey (or sugar). Variations are possible - instead of lemon juice and mustard, use a little soy sauce. Or the simplest option: salt, a little ground pepper, olive oil, fresh thyme.

It is very important that the fish is fully cooked, but in no case is it too dry: then it is simply inedible. I have an old edition of Baby Nutrition from 1957 - “a book on how to feed a child properly in order to raise him healthy and strong.” This guide recommends simmering the fish pieces in water at a low simmer for 30 minutes. It seems to me that this is too long, and besides, boiled fish is an amateur dish, but baked or grilled fish will probably be a success.
If a child likes pasta (I haven’t come across children who don’t like it) with white sauce, it’s quite possible to add small pieces of fish fillet to it.

What fish dishes and products are best avoided?

• Up to three (and preferably up to seven) years of age, children should not be offered strong fish broths and soups, fish jellied fish, caviar, beloved by grandmothers, is also prohibited: due to the very high fat content, salinity and the presence of preservatives, caviar is not a children's product.
• You should not offer children dried and smoked fish.
• Surrogates like crab sticks have no place in baby food either.
• If your child's mom, dad, or other blood relatives have a proven allergy to any type of fish, shellfish, or crustaceans, you should consult your doctor before giving your child any of the above.
• The key to fish consumption is moderation (1-2 times a week as much as your child will eat) and variety. Pollution of the World Ocean due to human economic activities and modern technologies aquaculture forces us to be more careful about the fish we eat.