How many fish can you have in 1 year? What kind of fish to give to a child: choosing varieties and dishes. Which fish is the healthiest?

Fish is a valuable and healthy food product that contains all the amino acids necessary for a growing body.

Any fresh fish, sea or river, contains a lot of easily digestible protein, which a child needs for full development and growth. In addition, fish contains polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are necessary for the normal formation nerve tissue, as well as minerals and vitamins for the formation of bones and teeth.

These valuable components help the baby grow up healthy and strengthen his immune system. But we must not forget that some types of fish are very allergenic, and besides, fish products can be a source of infection with various pathogenic organisms. Therefore, for baby food, you need to choose only fresh fish and subject it to thorough heat treatment. Today we’ll talk about what kind of fish can be given to a baby under one year old, what kind of fish can be given to a one-year-old child.

To answer the question of what kind of fish to give to a child, let us first recall what types of fish there are.

We list three main categories:

  • low-fat varieties (no more than 4% fat) - haddock, silver hake, river pike perch, navaga;
  • moderately fatty varieties (no more than 8% fat) - herring, sea bass, catfish, carp, catfish;
  • fatty varieties (more than 8%) - pink salmon, stellate sturgeon, chum salmon, sturgeon, mackerel, saury, herring.

What kind of fish can be given to a child under one year old? A baby under one year old can be given low-fat varieties. For older babies, you can prepare dishes from moderately fatty fish, but the amount of fish products in the diet should be limited. It is better to avoid fatty fish, as the stomach of a one-year-old baby cannot cope with this product.

Children under one year old should not be given caviar, fried or smoked fish. When choosing what kind of fish to give to your child, you need to take into account the method of its preparation. The fact is that fish contains extractive substances (carnosine, purine bases, creatine), which, when cooked, pass into the broth, stimulating the secretion of gastric juice and giving it a specific taste. Excessive stimulation of the digestive glands can lead to their overstrain, so pediatricians recommend introducing fish broths after 3 years.

What fish products to start complementary feeding with?

If you answer the question of what kind of fish to give to a child who is trying it for the first time, I must say that it is better to offer him fish puree in jars without spices and starch. Children over the age of one year can be given fish in pieces. Children under three years old fish dishes It is advisable not to add salt, since salt is naturally found in fish.

If you prefer to cook for your baby yourself, remember that the value and safety of the dish depends on the correct preparation and storage of fish. If you decide to use frozen fish, it must be fresh.

So that the fish does not lose its properties when defrosting. useful properties, you need to thaw it in a saline solution (10 g of salt per liter of water). Rinse the slightly thawed fillet in cold water, place in boiling water and cook for 10-15 minutes over low heat. Rub the fish fillet through a sieve and add a few drops of sunflower oil. The finished fish puree is stored in a closed container in the refrigerator for no more than two days. Before serving, you can mix the puree with products that are already familiar to the baby (porridge or vegetables).

Like any new food, fish should be introduced into the baby’s diet gradually, starting with half a teaspoon. Parents should carefully monitor their child's reaction to a new product. It is better to offer a new dish to the baby for breakfast or lunch, and if the test went well, then in a few weeks you can increase the amount of complementary foods to the age norm - 50 g per day of low-fat fish or 100-150 g of fish-vegetable puree:

  • up to one year - 30-60 g per day;
  • at one and a half years - 70 grams;
  • for a child two to three years old - 80 grams.

In the future, meat puree can be replaced with fish puree once or twice a week.

What kind of fish can a one-year-old child eat?

After the baby turns one year old, you can already prepare various dishes from fish fillets. Thinking about what kind of fish to give to a one-year-old child? It is worth paying attention to low-fat and low-fat varieties of fish. You can cook cod, trout, pike perch, navaga, perch, pollock or hake. You cannot prepare dishes from bony fish, as the bones can damage the baby’s mucous membranes or get stuck in the throat. Choose fish varieties with few or large bones.4.4 out of 5 (7 votes)

You can start introducing fish into your child’s diet at 8 months. If your baby has already reached this age, you are probably interested in how to prepare fish for the first feeding. We offer 5 fish recipes for children with photos, and not only among them.

Fish for the first feeding should not be fatty. Give preference to white varieties of fish: hake, cod, river perch. These fish varieties are low allergenic.

Fish puree: fish recipe for children under one year old

You will need:

  • fish fillet (without skin) - 60 g,
  • milk and vegetable oil - 1 tsp each. spoon.

Preparation:

  1. Boil the fillet in a small amount of water for 15-20 minutes, cool, mince or beat in a blender, after removing all the bones.
  2. Add milk, butter, salt, mix well and bring to a boil over low heat.

You will need:

  • fish fillet - 60 g,
  • wheat bread - 10 g,
  • yolk - 1/4 pcs.,
  • water - 10 ml,
  • vegetable oil - 4 ml.

Preparation:

  1. Remove fish fillets (for example, cod) from bones and pass through a meat grinder with a piece of bread soaked in water.
  2. Add egg yolk and vegetable oil, mix thoroughly.
  3. Form balls from the resulting fish mass, place in a bowl half filled with water, and cook over low heat for 20-30 minutes.

You will need:

  • fish fillet - 100 g,
  • milk - 25 g,
  • flour - 3 g,
  • egg - 1/3 pcs.,
  • butter -5 g.

Preparation:

  1. Boil the fish fillet, remove all bones.
  2. Pass through a meat grinder with a fine grid.
  3. Add thick milk sauce (boil milk with flour for 5-8 minutes), butter, egg yolk, stir, carefully fold in the beaten egg whites into the minced meat.
  4. Place the fish mass in a greased form and cook until cooked in a water bath, covered, for 15-20 minutes.

You will need:

  • fish fillet - 100 g,
  • potatoes - 1/2 pcs.,
  • oil - 2 teaspoons,
  • milk - 2 tbsp. spoons,
  • egg - 1/4 pcs.

Preparation:

  1. Peel the potatoes and cook until fully cooked.
  2. Drain the water, mash or puree with a blender so that there are no lumps, and dilute with milk.
  3. Boil the fish in salted water, remove the bones.
  4. Finely chop the fish pulp, mix with potatoes, lightly salt, add melted butter (1 teaspoon), yolk and white whipped into a thick foam.
  5. Grease the mold with oil, pour the mixture into it, close the lid, place in a water bath and cook for 20-30 minutes.

Fish cutlets for children: fish recipe with photo

You will need:

  • fish fillet - 80 g,
  • milk - 25 ml,
  • white bread - 10 g,
  • egg - 1/4 pcs.

Preparation:

  1. Pass the fish fillet through a meat grinder.
  2. Add white bread soaked in milk to the minced fish, stir and mince again.
  3. Add salt, beat the egg and stir until a homogeneous fluffy mass is obtained.
  4. Shape from mass fish cutlets, steam them for 20-30 minutes.

Taisiya Lipina

Reading time: 5 minutes

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Fish is healthy protein product which is enough rarely able to provoke allergic reactions. At the same time, fish often causes pseudo-allergic manifestations. This means that after eating a significant amount of fish, a person is bothered by the symptoms of a common allergy - rashes, itching, redness, but they are not caused by malfunctions immune system, but by excessive consumption of a product rich in histamine.

Fish in the diet of children under one year of age - how to properly introduce fish into a child’s menu and which one to start with?

It’s worth introducing fish into your child’s diet from 8 months. This should be done gradually, starting with a small piece - the size of half a teaspoon will be sufficient for the first time. Fish It is best to grind or beat with a blender as an addition to vegetables or cereals, and It is necessary to give it to the child 2-3 times a week. During the period when the baby is 8-12 months old, the volume of fish consumed can be increased to 100 grams at a time.

Fish is well accepted by the child's body, as it is an easily digestible protein. It contains polyunsaturated fatty acids, without which proper metabolism is impossible, as well as important vitamins – A, E, D, B vitamins, and microelements – phosphorus, fluorine. For example, Omega-3 fatty acid prevents the occurrence of cardiovascular diseases by lowering blood cholesterol levels. In addition, fish is rich in iodine, which is very important for the proper functioning of the thyroid gland.

It is important to know! Iodine is found mainly in marine fish, but in freshwater fish its amount is half as much.

It is necessary to start introducing fish into complementary feeding for infants with low-fat marine varieties. Hake, cod, perch, navaga, pike perch and flounder are best suited for this. It is advisable to give one type of fish during the first month of complementary feeding, and then try the rest.

What fish should not be given to children: table of contraindications by type of fish

Every mother should remember that some foods that are well accepted by the adult body can harm the child. This also applies to fish.

The fact is that all fish are divided into three groups - low-fat (skinny), medium-fat and fatty. Based on this classification, fish is introduced into a child’s diet from a certain age.

Remember! The fattest fish are mainly deep-sea oceanic or marine species. The percentage of fat in the fillet of such fish is up to 33%. Naturally, a child’s body will not be able to digest such fatty foods, and a teenager’s body does not always cope with this task easily.

Such fish themselves eat carrion and the remains of other fish, and therefore their meat often contains very few useful substances, but there is a lot of dangerous ones. Moreover, the habitat of the fish should also be taken into account - it is best to purchase varieties that are found in local or nearby latitudes and are caught from natural bodies of water. After all, fish grown for sale in private reservoirs and artificial conditions, mainly feeds on special growth hormones, which are designed to ensure maximum short term increase the weight of the livestock.

Important!

Naturally, there will be practically no vitamins and microelements left in such meat, but the hormones that regularly enter the body have a negative impact on the well-being of both the child and the adult. For example, it is better to avoid species such as pangasius and tilapia, which are quite often found on the shelves of our stores.


The benefits of different types of fish for the growing body of children and adolescents

High-quality and properly selected fish will be very useful for a child. Firstly, it is an easily digestible protein that saturates the growing body with strength and energy. Secondly, it is a source of all necessary amino acids and vitamins.

Children under 3-4 years old should absolutely not eat fatty fish., and you should be careful with medium-fat ones. The fact is that the children's pancreas cannot yet cope with the heavy load that it has to feel when digesting fatty foods. This, in turn, can cause many problems, such as ulcers, gastritis or constipation. But in the period from 10-12 years, on the contrary, growing the body needs more fatty acids, such as Omega-3 and Omega-6, and they are contained to a greater extent in fatty varieties of fish.

The child’s diet should include 200-300 grams of salmon, mackerel or herring 2-4 times a week. Keep in mind that this should not be salted or smoked fish, but baked or steamed. Only in this case will it be beneficial to the body and not cause harm to it.

Interesting to know! 2% of children are allergic to sea fish. To meet the fatty acid needs of such children, they should eat freshwater trout, since it contains the maximum amount of Omega-3 and Omega-6, unlike other freshwater species, in which they are practically absent.

Undoubtedly fresh fish- an ideal option, but it is not so easy to purchase it for people living far from the sea coast. Therefore, choose fresh-frozen options for your child.

On a note

It is better to defrost sea fish in slightly salted water, which resembles its real habitat - sea ​​water. This way, all the beneficial vitamins and substances will be preserved as much as possible in the fillet.

Children from 8 months of age need to grind and grind fish in a blender until pureed, or buy ready-made canned baby food from trusted manufacturers. As soon as the child develops a chewing reflex, you can try giving him small pieces of fillet. It is soft and does not require much effort when chewing.

Nutritionists recommend that children under the age of three steam fish, boil it in unsalted water, or bake it in the oven. If a child refuses to eat unsalted fish, then during its preparation you can add a pinch of salt directly to the water, and not on the fillet.

Be sure to eat fish with your whole family at least twice a week - and the well-being of all family members will definitely please you. Your family will get sick less often colds, experience constipation and forget about what dizziness caused by low hemoglobin is!

Fish is undoubtedly healthy and deserves a special place in the baby’s menu, but it must be introduced into the children’s diet correctly. When is the first time to cook fish for a toddler and how to do it?

pros

Fish is useful product, because it contains many substances necessary for the growth and health of the baby. These include complete proteins that are easily digestible, unique fats that are scarce in other products, and a large list of microelements. In addition, fish differs from meat in having a more delicate structure, so it is easier to digest:

  • The proteins that fish is rich in are easily digestible. They contain all the amino acids necessary for a child’s body, including a lot of methionine, tryptophan, taurine, and lysine.
  • Fish is an excellent source of fat-soluble vitamins, particularly A, D and E, as well as healthy Omega fats.
  • Fish does not contain coarse connective tissue fibers or refractory fats, so the enzymes of the children's digestive tract easily process this product.
  • Sea fish has a rich mineral composition, for example, it contains a lot of iodine and fluorine.


Sea fish is considered healthier than river fish

Which fish is healthier - sea or river?

You can include both fish caught in the sea and species that live in rivers in your child’s diet. At the same time, it is recommended to start with varieties of sea fish. What are the differences, similarities and benefits for the human body between river and sea fish, see the table:

River fish

Sea fish

Contains small amounts of Omega fats

Contains many Omega-3 and Omega-6 fats

Minerals

Large amounts of calcium and phosphorus

Large amounts of magnesium, manganese, calcium, iodine, phosphorus, fluorine, zinc, chromium, iron and other elements

Assimilation

Fast and very easy

Fast and easy

Allergy risk

Low

Price

Cheaper than sea

Available in a wide range of prices

Freshness

Sold live or fresh chilled

Sold chilled, but often frozen

Danger

It is often contaminated with harmful substances that enter the fish from the reservoir, and is also often a source of worms

Less likely to be polluted, therefore safer than river water

Cooking features

It is quite problematic to clean, and some varieties are not recommended for baby food due to the abundance of small seeds

It is easier to clean because the bones are large and present in fewer numbers

Harm

The main disadvantage of fish is its high allergenic potential. That is why, for babies with allergies to any food, fish is introduced later, very carefully and only during a period when allergic processes are not aggravated.


Fish is very healthy, but is not suitable for early feeding for children prone to allergies.

Please note the following:

  • If a fish swam in polluted water, it absorbs harmful compounds from the reservoir, for example, metal salts.
  • Fish that has not undergone heat treatment is dangerous due to an increased risk of infection with worms and pathogenic bacteria.
  • Fish dishes spoil quickly, so children are given food that contains fish only when it is freshly prepared.
  • Herring can be given to a child from the age of two.
  • Fatty fish such as salmon, eel, catfish or halibut should not be given to children under three years of age.
  • It is not recommended to fry fish for a child, or offer smoked fish to a child under 3 years of age.

Do allergies happen often?

Fish is considered one of the highly allergenic foods, so dishes made from it are given in minimal quantities, checking the reaction of the child’s body, after which the serving is gradually increased. A baby may react to the introduction of fish into the diet with nausea, a rash all over the body, abdominal pain, diarrhea, itchy skin, and swelling of the lips. If the baby develops such signs, stop feeding fish and consult a pediatrician.

You can try again to introduce fish into the children's menu at 2-3 years of age. If the little one again reacts to a fish dish with negative symptoms, you should exclude fish from his diet, and so that the body does not suffer from a lack of nutrients, start giving the baby vitamin D and Omega fats in the form of a dietary supplement.


Fish contains many nutrients, so if you refuse to include it in your diet, you need to consume some food additives

At what age is it best to give?

Fish feeding is recommended for healthy babies from 10 or 11 months. The first fish a child tries should be one of the low-fat varieties. If you are prone to allergies, your introduction to fish dishes should be postponed for at least a year.

Fatty fish, such as mackerel or pink salmon, are recommended for children over three years of age.

Introduction to the diet

Fish appears in the diet of babies after they get used to meat complementary foods, and until they are one year old, meat dishes are not given on the same day as fish. Introduce your child to fish with 1/2 teaspoon of this product. Then the amount of fish in the daily menu is adjusted to a serving of 50 to 70 grams, while offering fish to the toddler twice a week.

Calculate your complementary feeding table

Indicate the child's date of birth and method of feeding

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Create a calendar

Which fish is best for first feeding?

The first fish that a baby can try must be fresh, low-fat and low-allergenic. Compliance with these characteristics is observed in cod, hake and salmon. You can also give your baby pollock, blue whiting, navaga, sea bass and haddock.

In what form can it be given for the first time?

Children under one year old are given fish puree, and later they are offered small pieces of boiled fish, as well as various fish dishes. First, let your little one try the fish without spices or other additives. Further, dill, carrots, parsley and other seasonings will help improve and diversify the taste of fish dishes for a child.


Fish with spices is tastier, but it is only suitable for old enough children

For fish dishes on the menu for small children, it is worth buying fillets so that the little one does not get bones.

How to cook?

The best option preparing fish for baby food will be steamed. You can also boil the fish in a small amount of water. Cooking small pieces of fish is enough for fifteen minutes, but large parts or whole fish will have to be cooked for half an hour or longer.


Steam treatment will retain maximum nutrients in fish

Fish puree

To prepare fish puree, take 120 grams of fish fillet and two teaspoons of milk and vegetable oil. After boiling the fish for about twenty minutes, cool it and grind it in a blender or meat grinder. After adding butter and milk, the fish should be placed on low heat and brought to a boil. Such puree in the form of a finished product can be stored in the refrigerator for 48 hours in a tightly closed container.


To introduce fish into the diet, it is best to give it in the form of puree.

Fish balls

Grind 120 grams of lean fish fillet in a meat grinder, as well as 20 grams of pre-soaked bread. Add half an egg yolk, two teaspoons of vegetable oil and a pinch of salt to the resulting mass, and after mixing thoroughly, make small meatballs. Place them in a saucepan and fill with water until the meatballs are half immersed in it. These meatballs are simmered over low heat for about twenty minutes.

You will need half a boiled potato, which needs to be mashed by adding milk (2 tablespoons), as well as vegetable oil (about 2 teaspoons). Separately, you need to boil the fish fillet (about 100 grams) in slightly salted water. After combining the chopped fish and potatoes, add half a beaten chicken egg and after mixing, pour the mixture into the mold. This pudding needs to be cooked in a water bath or in a double boiler for about 30 minutes.


Many kids like fish pudding

Fish puree in jars

Jars of ready-made fish puree have the following advantages:

  • The product is already ready, which saves mom’s time and effort.
  • Fish in such jars has been tested and is guaranteed to be safe for babies.
  • Many fish purees come in combinations of fish with cereals or vegetables, so you get a nutritious, complete meal in every jar.

The only disadvantages include the high cost of such food. In addition, the range of such purees is usually not very extensive.

Is it possible to give canned fish?

Special canned food for children is allowed to be given from the age indicated on the packaging. Canned fish that adults eat should not be given to children under 4 years of age.

Watch the Babadu Academy video for the recipe for making fish dumplings.

  • The first portion of fish puree should be a maximum of half a teaspoon.
  • It is best to treat your baby to a new product for breakfast, then you will be able to evaluate during the day how your baby reacted to fish feeding.
  • Fish dishes are usually given twice a week, replacing meat products with them at the third feeding (lunch). Also, because of its ease of digestion, fish can be given to your baby for dinner.
  • For small children, it is preferable to steam or boil fish. You can also bake it in the oven or cook it in a slow cooker.
  • If you bought frozen fish for your child, you should not defrost it completely. Let the fillet melt a little, then place it in boiling water and cook for about 10-15 minutes over low heat.
  • If you are planning to cook river fish for your baby, the first broth should be drained. As soon as the fish boils, drain the water, add clean water to the product and then cook until cooked.
  • It is not recommended to mix several in one dish for a child. different types fish.
  • Always give your baby only freshly prepared fish dishes.


Start complementary feeding with half a teaspoon, if there is no negative reaction, gradually increase the portion

Usage guidelines for infants and older children

What to do if the child does not want to eat?

For the first introduction to fish, choose a product that your child loves (for example, zucchini) and combine fish puree with it. To remove the pronounced fishy smell, you can sprinkle the fish fillet with lemon juice before cooking, and also cook the fish with herbs (dill, parsley).

Tell your child about the usefulness of fish, as well as stories related to the sea, for example, about pirates or mermaids. Never force your child to eat fish dishes if the baby categorically protests. Eliminate fish from the menu for a while, and later try offering it in a different form. Perhaps the baby doesn’t like fish puree, but he won’t refuse a steamed cutlet.


Try cooking fish in various options

  • It is best to buy fish for the children's menu in stores where there are documents confirming the quality of the product.
  • Examine the fish carefully, looking at the gills (they should be red) and eyes (in a fresh fish they are transparent and clear, while in a spoiled fish they are cloudy and dry).
  • Pay attention to the fins of the fish - they should not be damaged.
  • Fresh sea ​​fish will always have clean shiny scales without mucus.
  • Smell the product - the fish should not have any unpleasant or pungent odor.
  • Apply a little pressure to the fish carcass. If there is a hole left, the product is not entirely fresh. High-quality fish that has been recently caught will have elastic and dense meat.

Your baby has already grown up a little and is beginning to explore the taste of new foods that you offer him. Starting from 9 or 10 months, you can include in the diet, which is so rich in minerals, amino acids and, naturally, proteins, which are very useful for a growing child’s body. But parents should know how much and what kind of fish they can give their child.

As you know, fish is divided into fatty, low-fat and medium fat.. So, you need to start introducing your baby to this product with low-fat varieties of fish. These include pollock, sea bass, flounder, hake, pike perch, and cod. You can introduce your child to medium-fat varieties (catfish, perch, trout, carp) a little later. But introduction to pink salmon, sturgeon, halibut, mackerel and herring (fatty varieties) should be delayed until at least three years of age.

Give your baby fish very carefully., because this product quite often causes allergies, most of all this concerns children with allergies. An allergy may not be caused by the fish itself, but by the substances contained in it. Therefore, if a negative reaction is noticed, then it is better to postpone the acquaintance to a later date. It is precisely because of the high degree of allergenicity of red fish (chum salmon, salmon, salmon, etc.) that one should not rush to introduce it into the baby’s diet.

For food, the child should buy fresh fish, but if this is not possible, then fresh frozen fish will do. When purchasing, pay attention to the condition of the product; if the fish is shrouded in a rather large shell of water, then it is better to refuse such a purchase; the fish has probably been frozen several times, and there is nothing useful left in it.

Having studied what kind of fish can be given to a child, let’s proceed to the issue of preparation.

When preparing fish, parents should be careful and careful. The main rule is that there are no bones in the fish. I think parents can imagine the danger of a bone getting into a child’s throat. To do this, you can choose not very bony varieties of fish, or fish with large bones, or generally give preference to fillets. But in any case, you should be very vigilant in checking for the absence of bones.

In order for the fish to retain most of the nutrients, it is better to defrost it in salted water.. The fish can be stewed or steamed, and be sure to mash with a fork until pureed. A one-year-old child can already have boiled, baked or fried fish, and these can already be separate small pieces.

And finally, let's talk about quantity. You need to start introducing your baby to fish products with half a teaspoon, but not more than once a week. The portion needs to be increased gradually and it can already reach 60-70 grams. In the period from one to two years, the portion can reach up to 100 grams and can be given twice a week.