Cranberries for babies are a healthy snack option or not, requires quite some discussion. Cranberries are acidic fruits that come in various forms, including fresh, dried, and processed forms like juice. The fruit’s unique nutritional and therapeutic features inspire parents to include it in their child’s diet. The benefits of cranberry for newborns, on the other hand, are still being studied. This post covers all you need to know about cranberries, including their advantages, potential side effects, and how to feed them to your baby.
Can You Give Cranberries To Babies?
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (USFDA), cranberries are “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) to consume as food (1). Besides, the fruit has a remarkable phytochemical profile that holds considerable health benefits. Thus, cranberries can be considered a good food choice for babies and toddlers.
At What Age Can Babies Have Cranberries?
Fresh cranberries have a sharp sour to tangy taste and are acidic in nature. Therefore, the fruit should only be fed in a cooked or baked form to infants after the age of eight months. There is also a general belief that babies should not be fed berries before the age of 12 months. Thus, it is best to consult a nutritionist or a pediatrician before adding cranberry to your baby’s diet. It is especially crucial when the infant has gastrointestinal issues, such as gastric reflux, where concentrated cranberry products may cause problems.
How Much Cranberry Juice Can Babies Drink?
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) advises against the use of juices for babies under the age of 12 months (2). Toddlers between the ages of one to three years can have four ounces (half a cup) of juice in a day (3). If you intend to give cranberry juice to your toddler, then choose 100% cranberry juice without any added sugars. It is best to consult a pediatrician to determine the amount of juice that would be safe for your toddler.
Nutritional Value Of Cranberry Fruit
One cup (110g) of chopped Cranberry provides the following nutrients in comparison to the recommended intake value for each nutrient (4) (5). Sources: U.S. Department of Agriculture and World Health Organization
Possible Health Benefits of Cranberries For Infants
Cranberries are likely to provide some vital health benefits to your baby. Some of them are discussed in brief below. Although research is limited, the nutritional profile of cranberry may also provide possible benefits to gastrointestinal and cardiovascular health (11). It is pertaining to these and several other desirable health-benefiting properties of cranberry that the health industry has marked it as potential “functional food.” However, there are some side effects of cranberries that should be checked while you plan to introduce the fruit to your baby.
Possible Side Effects Of Cranberry For Babies
Cranberry and several of its products, such as cranberry juice, could have some of the following side effects. Proper selection and storage of cranberries is also important to ensure your baby’s safety.
How To Select And Store Cranberries?
You could follow some simple steps to select and store cranberries in the best way possible.
How to select cranberries
According to EWG, cranberry is not a “dirty dozen” food and hence is less likely to be contaminated with pesticides. Nevertheless, it is best to purchase organic cranberries. You can also consider the following steps for the right selection of cranberries.
How to store cranberries
When selected and stored well, cranberries can be safely included in your infant’s diet. Yet, some standard precautions also need to be followed.
Precautions To Take While Introducing Cranberry To Babies
Below are some precautions that you must take while feeding cranberries to your baby.
Scrumptious Cranberry Recipes For Babies
Cranberry is a versatile food that can be used to prepare several delectable recipes. You can prefer fresh cranberries for baby food, although canned, frozen, and dried cranberries can also be considered.
1. Cranberry puree
This is the ideal recipe when you want to introduce cranberry to your baby. Introduce the puree in small amounts and then increase the quantity gradually. You will need:
1 cup whole cranberries (fresh or frozen) 1/2 tsp jaggery powder (optional) 1 cup of water
How to: Tip: Once your baby is well-acquainted with the taste of cranberry, then you can add this puree to banana puree, apple puree, or orange mash. You can also add it to baby cereal or other solid foods such as muesli.
2. Frozen cranberry yogurt
Frozen cranberry yogurt is a good summer recipe that you can start feeding your baby at the age of eight months.The recipe has all the goodness of cranberries with added protein and gut-friendly bacteria from Greek yogurt. You will need: (servings — 1)
1 cup cranberries (fresh or frozen) 3tbsp honey ½ tsp brown sugar ¼ cup blueberries 1 cup unsweetened Greek yogurt
How to:
3. Cranberry and coconut milk smoothie
This quick and easy-to-prepare recipe is ideal for babies of about eight months of age. The recipe has coconut milk that intensifies its nutritional value while also making it delectable. You will need:
1/2 cup cranberries (frozen) 1 cup coconut milk 1 ripe banana or mango 1tsp dry fruit powder 1 cup water
How to: Tip: You can also add chia seeds to this recipe to enhance the nutritional value of the smoothie.
