Many parents may consider grapes for babies since the fruit can add taste, color, and nutrients to a baby’s meal. You can get grapes with seeds or without seeds (seedless), and the fruit comes in various hues such as red, white, green, black, and purple. Grapes are rich in micronutrients and many bioactive compounds, which offer long-term health benefits. You may offer this nutrient-dense fruit to your infant by incorporating it into sweet and savory dishes. But at what age can you safely serve grapes to your baby? In this post, we explain more about grapes, including their potential health advantages, how to choose and store them properly, and suggest some yummy grape recipes to try.
When Can Babies Eat Grapes?
Babies can eat seedless or deseeded ripe grapes as puree or mash from six months of age (1). Once they adjust to the fruit’s taste and digestibility, you can add them to other foods, such as porridge. You can cut seedless or deseeded grapes into smaller pieces and feed them as finger food once the baby is between nine and ten months of age. It is best to introduce them as finger food when the baby has developed the pincer grasp.
How To Cut Grapes For Babies?
First, peel the grapes and then slice each grape lengthwise, that is, vertically, so they can pass through the smaller throats and not widthwise because they can cause choking. Remove seeds, if any. You can further quarter the grape pieces to make them suitable for consumption for young babies who have just begun eating solids. It is necessary to peel and cut grapes lengthwise to prevent accidental choking, which may happen when the baby is served whole grapes. Older babies who can chew a wide variety of solids can eat sliced grapes that have their peels intact.
Nutritional Value Of Grapes
Ripe grapes (green or red) provide several nutrients, antioxidants, vitamins A, K and C, minerals like calcium, magnesium, potassium, dietary fiber, and phytonutrients that can benefit long-term health. Approximately ten grapes (49 grams of grapes) can offer the following nutrients to the baby (2) (3) (4). AI = Adequate intake – nutrient level assumed to ensure nutritional adequacy Sources: U.S. Department of Agriculture and Oregon State University
Possible Health Benefits Of Grapes For Babies
The regular consumption of grapes could provide a baby with the following notable benefits.
How To Select And Store Grapes?
Here are some simple tips to select and store grapes for safe feeding.
Tips for selecting grapes
Pick firm, plump, and well-colored grapes, firmly attached to their pliable green stems. Dry and brittle stems are a sign of poor quality. Some common grape varieties in the U.S. are Thompson seedless, flame seedless, crimson seedless, red seedless, red globe, ruby seedless, Muscat, and sugraone.
Avoid shriveled or soft grapes with pits and spots. Discard mushy, moldy, wet, and oozing grapes with dry and brittle stems. These are signs of poor quality and decay.
Pick fully ripe seedless varieties of grapes for babies. Green grapes are the sweetest and flavorful when yellow-green. Red and blue-black grapes are the best flavored when deeply colored.
Healthy grapes often have a light, silver-colored dusting on the skin, called bloom. Do not discard grapes that have this dusting, thinking it is mud or dirt.
Tips for storing grapes
As soon as you get the grapes home, wash them under cold running water thoroughly. Pat dry with a soft cotton cloth and refrigerate in a perforated plastic bag.
Ripe grapes can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks at around 30 to 32°F (-1 to 0°C). However, it is always best to eat grapes within two to three days. If you plan to store them for longer, store them in the freezer.
Do not store grapes with foods that have a strong aroma, such as onions. Grapes tend to take on the odor from other foods.
Precautions To Take While Feeding Grapes To Babies
Following some simple precautionary steps can make eating grapes safe for babies and toddlers.
Delicious Grape Recipes For Babies And Toddlers
Below are some healthy and delectable grape recipes you can feed to your baby.
1. Apple, banana, grapes puree
You will need:
½ ripe banana ½ apple (stewed) ½ cup red grapes (peeled and deseeded)
How to prepare:
2. Grape and Greek yogurt
You will need:
½ cup green grapes (peeled and chopped) ½ cup unsweetened, plain Greek yogurt ¼ tsp dry fruit powder ⅛ tsp cinnamon powder
How to prepare:
3. Grape and sweet potato casserole
You will need:
1 sweet potato 1 cup red grapes (seedless) 1 cup goat cheese 1tsp olive oil ¼ tsp salt ¼ tsp pepper powder Pinch of cinnamon powder Pinch of nutmeg powder
How to prepare:
4. Red grape smoothie
You will need:
1 cup almond milk ½ cup canned blueberries ½ cup red grapes (peeled and deseeded) ½ cup Greek yogurt 1 banana 1tsp dry fruit powder ¼ tsp nutmeg powder
How to prepare:
5. Grape sorbet
You will need:
1 cup green grapes (deseeded and peeled) 2tbsp jaggery powder 1tsp lemon zest (finely grated) 1tsp lemon juice
How to prepare:
