When your baby has mastered dishes from vegetables, porridge, cottage cheese and meat, it’s time to introduce him to fish products. How and at what age is it better to do it?

Along with dairy products, eggs and meat, fish is a source of complete, high-quality protein. At the same time, each of these products contains unique, inimitable proteins that differ from others in their amino acid composition. This is why nutritionists recommend a varied diet.

The flesh of the fish is tender, it does not contain coarse connective tissue fibers and films, which are abundant in meat. Therefore, fish proteins are easily assimilated: the percentage of their assimilation is 93-98% (for example, meat proteins are assimilated by 87-89%). The amino acid composition of fish proteins ideally meets the needs of the human body and is perfectly absorbed by it. All types of fish are different high content mineral substances(zinc, copper, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus and especially iron), fish also contains a lot of vitamins: A, D, B2, B12, PP. Sea fish, in addition, it is rich in iodine, which is necessary for correct development and functioning thyroid gland... Fish fats are high in polyunsaturated fatty acids, including the omega-3 group. These fatty acid play an important role in the construction of cell membranes, especially for nerve tissues and the retina of the eyes; are precursors for the synthesis of tissue hormones - biologically active connections regulating metabolism in body tissues. Fish is one of the few natural sources fatty acids of the omega-3 group.

Where to begin?

Introduce fish into the diet healthy baby follows about 3-4 weeks after the introduction of meat complementary foods, that is, at 9-10 months. However, it must be borne in mind that fish is one of the strongest food allergens, therefore, for children with allergies, an introduction to the diet fish dishes start after 1 year and with extreme caution. Ideally, especially in babies with a pronounced allergic predisposition, the beginning of fish feeding is coordinated with an allergist observing the child.

For acquaintance of the kid with fish, they are suitable not fatty varieties: haddock, cod, pollock, flounder, hake. You can cook fish at home or use ready-made canned fish for baby food. You should start with ¼ teaspoon, usually in the form of fish puree, preferably in one of the morning feedings, so that you can carefully observe the baby until the evening. Allergic manifestations can take the form skin rash, regurgitation or vomiting, upset stools. As a rule, they are observed several hours after meeting with an allergen.

Sometimes allergic reactions develop only to sea fish or, on the contrary, only to river fish.

If you notice these or those in the crumbs allergic manifestations after having given him a taste of a fish dish, one should refrain from further acquaintance with this variety. Wait out a week or two, offering your baby only those foods to which he is already accustomed. After the condition has returned to normal, you can try giving him a different kind of fish. Sometimes allergic reactions develop only to sea fish or, on the contrary, only to river fish. Often, kids who are allergic to some types of fish tolerate other varieties quite calmly. It can also happen that the same type of fish, for example, causes allergies when home cooking, but well tolerated in canned (i.e. industrial) form, or vice versa.

If the first acquaintance went smoothly, and you did not notice any negative manifestations, the next day you can offer the baby 1 teaspoon of fish. If everything is in order in this case, you can gradually increase the daily dose to age norm... In one feeding, a child aged 9-10 months can eat about 50 g of fish, by 11-12 months you can offer him up to 60-70 g. Fish proteins have one more property: allergy to them is often associated with the effect of accumulation. This means that if you offer fish dishes too often, the risk of developing allergic reactions to them increases significantly. That is why fish products should be offered to the baby no more than 2-3 times a week, to potential allergy sufferers (of course, tolerating a particular type of fish) - once a week.

Caution, allergies!

Allergic reactions should be treated with particular caution. immediate type(they appear almost immediately after eating), which, although rare, unfortunately, can occur when eating fish. The most harmless of these reactions is urticaria. More formidable include redness and / or swelling of the lips soon after eating, hoarseness. Similar symptoms may be signs of the development of Quincke's edema - dangerous condition characterized by swelling of the tissues of the face, and in 20% - and the mucous membrane of the larynx, which makes breathing difficult.

If you suddenly notice anxiety, pallor or blueness of the face, combined with difficulty breathing in the baby, immediately call ambulance"And give the child any antihistamine(for children under 3 years of age, ZIRTEK or FENISTIL drops in an age-specific dosage are preferable). If you notice an immediate type of allergic reaction in your baby, you should be extremely careful later if you start cooking this type of fish for other household members. Fish is, in a sense, a unique product: an allergic reaction can arise from its mere smell! The fact is that usually the smell of food is caused by volatile low molecular weight compounds that are practically unable to cause an allergic response. But the fishy smell is due to protein molecules and therefore can cause allergic reaction in predisposed people.

Fish products are substituted for the corresponding meat dishes on the selected days. At first, it will be easier for the baby to cope with the fish puree, later it can be replaced with fish puddings, fish balls or steamed cutlets. At 1 year old, the baby can already be offered boiled or baked fish, prepared for the rest of the family. In all cases, all bones, even the smallest ones, should be carefully removed from the fish, because the baby is not able to separate them on its own and may choke. Avoid offering oily fish to your baby as they can cause intestinal disorder... Fish broths are not used in baby food up to about 3 years: they are too saturated with extractives, which are unnecessary stimulants for the immature digestive system kids, but especially valuable properties at the same time do not differ. Also, children under 3 years old are not offered caviar and seafood, as dishes with a high allergenic potential.

Culinary secrets

* It is better to thaw frozen fish in salt water (8-10 g of salt per 1 liter of water): this way, the loss of minerals, which is inevitable during defrosting, is reduced. It is generally not recommended to completely defrost fillets. The slightly thawed fish is washed in cold water and heat treated.

* Fish, cooked whole or in large pieces, is always tastier and juicier. The less liquid is used for cooking, the better the result will be. Steamed fish will preserve the largest number nutrients.

* Many chefs recommend steaming as the main method of cooking fish, primarily sea and ocean fish. This is the name of boiling fish in a small amount of water with certain flavors - butter, lemon juice, herbs and spices (onions, carrots, parsley or celery root, dill, Bay leaf). In this case, the loss of valuable nutritional properties reduced to a minimum, and the taste of fish is significantly enriched and refined. Only "red" fish is often cooked without spices. The priming time for portioned pieces is 10-15 minutes, for large fish- from 25 to 45 minutes.

* When boiling or simmering, it is better to lower the fish into already boiling water, and then immediately reduce the heat. Fish cooked over high heat becomes soft and tasteless.

Making a choice

For cooking, if tolerated, it is better to use sea fish: it is rich in iodine, which is necessary for the thyroid gland to function. In addition, freshwater fish are believed to "collect" salts heavy metals which can pollute the waters of rivers and lakes. The best variety from freshwater, trout is considered worthy of a small gourmet.

Any fish is especially tasty in winter and spring, until it has spawned. If you are buying whole fish, pay attention to its freshness. Fresh fish have clean, bright red gills that are prominent and light eyes, smooth shiny scales. The appearance of mucus in the gill slits, a film on the eyes, tarnished or in places peeled scales cast doubt on the quality of the product. Chilled fish is stored in the refrigerator for no more than 2-4 days. If you are used to purchasing frozen fish, know that properly frozen carcasses, when tapped, emit ringing sound, outward signs the freshness of frozen fish is the same as that of chilled fish. The flesh of freshly frozen fish is white or pale pink in color, and for frozen fish it is darkish in color. It is recommended to store frozen fish in the refrigerator no more than 2-3 days, and after defrosting, use it immediately. Dents on the carcass, yellowness of rancid fat and its smell indicate improper storage of fish.

You can also use special canned foods for children. Most often, fish is not produced in its pure form, but as part of fish-vegetable and sometimes fish-cereal dishes. Vegetables help enrich the final product dietary fiber, in which fish are poor, which significantly increases the biological value of the dish. For the manufacture of canned baby food, they use sea fish (cod, hake, pollock, salmon) or river fish (pike perch, trout). It usually constitutes from 10 to 30% by weight of the product. Potatoes are used as a vegetable component, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, zucchini, pumpkin, green pea, beans. Of cereals, canned food includes rice, pearl barley, buckwheat, semolina, corn, oats. Sometimes canned fish dishes along with a small amount fish oil also contain vegetable oils - olive, sunflower, soybean, corn, rapeseed, and sometimes - and animal fats - butter.

For improvement taste herbs and spices are added to the final dishes. Ascorbic acid can be added as a preservative.

Cooking fish dishes at home

Fish puree

Fish fillet (without skin) - 60 g,

milk and vegetable oil- 1 hour each spoon.

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. Add milk, butter, salt, mix well and bring to a boil over low heat.

Steam fish soufflé

Fish fillet - 100 g,

milk - 25 g,

flour - 3 g

egg - 1/3 pcs.,

butter -5 g.

Boil fish fillets, remove all bones. Pass through a meat grinder with a fine grid, add thick milk sauce(boil milk with flour for 5-8 minutes), butter, egg yolk, mix, carefully add whipped protein into the minced meat. Put the mass in a greased form and bring to readiness in a water bath under a lid for 15-20 minutes.

Fish pudding

Fish fillet - 100 g,

potatoes - 1/2 pc.,

oil - 2 tsp,

milk - 2 tbsp. spoons,

egg - 1/4 pcs.

Boil peeled potatoes until cooked, drain the water, mash with a wooden pestle so that there are no lumps, and dilute with milk. Boil the fish in salted water, separate all the bones. Finely chop the pulp, mix with potatoes, add lightly salt, add melted butter (1 teaspoon), yolk and protein whipped into a thick foam. Grease the form with oil, put the mass in it, close the lid, put on water bath and cook for 20-30 minutes.

Fish meatballs

Fish fillet - 60 g,

wheat bread - 10 g,

yolk - 1/4 pcs.,

water - 10 ml,

vegetable oil - 4 ml.

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

Steam fish cutlets

Fish fillet - 80 g,

milk - 25 ml,

white bread - 10 g,

egg - 1/4 pcs.

Pass the fish fillet through a meat grinder, add soaked in milk White bread, stir, mince again, salt, beat an egg and stir until a homogeneous fluffy mass is obtained. Form cutlets from the mass, steam them by placing them on the grate of a steam pan (special grate inserts for cooking steamed dishes in ordinary pots can be purchased from the household departments of department stores), for 20-30 minutes.

Sooner or later, a time comes when every mommy asks about including fish in her child's diet. At what age and with what steps should you start to innovate in the baby's nutrition - find out in the article! In general, fish is a unique product by its nature. The percentage of protein assimilation by the body is, depending on the ingredients accompanied by the dish and dietary habits, about 98%. No less stunning are the beneficial properties of the inclusion of this product in the menu.

What are the benefits of seafood?

Magnesium, zinc, copper, fluorine and iodine contained in fish have predetermined its popular name - “food for the mind”. Protein, amino acids, enzymes affect human body positively. But its main advantage is the presence of Omega-3 fatty acids. Regular use in the food of dishes containing seafood, will prevent the occurrence of diseases of various kinds. Such an ingredient will also be able to synthesize antibodies, form and maintain the body in healthy condition... A natural question arises: when and what kind of fish can you give your child?

According to doctors, the optimal period for feeding fish to the children's table is 10-12 months. However, it should be noted that the inclusion of a product in a child's diet is purely individual. For babies of brave mothers, mashed potatoes, broths and cutlets with the addition of fish are not scary even at 9 months. Other parents remain on the side of the specialists. They begin to feed the child with similar dishes at the recommended time or later. The allergenic nature of seafood and the experience of mothers have confirmed: a child should be protected from mussels, seaweed, shrimp and crabs for up to 3 years. Remember, these organisms act as biological filters for seawater!

Let's go shopping

Baby food requires special attention... At first it seems that the fish has only merit, but this is not so. She also has significant drawbacks, which cut the frequency of consumption by her children. First, the product can act as an allergen. Secondly, there is a danger of fish bones getting stuck in the throat. Thirdly, not every adult will like the specific smell and taste of seafood. Nevertheless, in the nursery age, the child's gastronomic preferences are not given special attention. After all, his habits are just forming. Hence, it is worth focusing on the quality and type of the product served.

Should be served skinny, non-greasy, low-allergenic and fresh. Among the low-calorie representatives of the reservoirs on the shelves of stores, you can easily find perch, hake, gilthead or cod. The latter and her “family members”, by the way, should be rationally included in baby food when the child reaches the age of one year. A benign fish is distinguished by the integrity of the scales, fatness, carcass density or the mobility of the animal. The gills should be pink or red. Be sure to pay attention to the shelf life of the product. The right decision would be to give preference to fresh or fresh frozen fish. Examine the fins and eyes: there should be no films or damage!

What kind of fish should be served for children? Cooking a meal for a little eater

So, we figured out what kind of fish to give the child. Now let's figure out how to deal with it. So, for cooking delicious food necessary:

1. Peel the carcass, rinse and, chop, send to freeze.
2. Defrost before direct cooking.
3. Immerse in water brought to 100 degrees.
4. Boil for 30-40 minutes.
5. After heat treatment remove bones from the fish. Be careful at this stage.
6. Send the fillet along with boiled vegetables to a blender, where to bring the products to a puree state.

Fish for a child who knows how to chew is suitable if you cook it in the form of meatballs or cutlets. It is better not to introduce broths cooked on the basis of seafood saturated with extractive substances into the diet of a baby under 3 years old. This threatens with unnecessary stress on the young gastrointestinal tract.

Canned fish for children

Special canned meals are a great option for busy moms. It should be borne in mind that feeding a child with such prepared food cannot be attributed to cheap pleasures. And from here follows an additional material burden on the shoulders of the parents. In addition, a self-prepared lunch or dinner will never raise concerns about the quality and safety of food consumed by a child. However, it is not worth slandering manufacturers of baby food because of the following factors:

• Finished products are always certified and tested by specialists who know what kind of fish children can eat and what they can't.
• As an addition, cereals and cereals are added to the puree. It not only nourishes, but also strengthens the child's body.
• The little gourmet loves filling the jars.

The fact of saving time of always busy housewives is also attractive, so it's worth a try.

Fish consumption frequency

If your child is one year old, and green light on the introduction of fish into the diet is given, do not overdo it. The first taste will be indicative. The child may simply not like the fish or cause an allergic reaction. Observe the condition carefully skin and mucous membranes.

Take a note: Allergies can affect certain strains. In this case, the unsuitable fish is not given to the child anymore. It should become a taboo: stop consuming the irritant for several weeks. After the "recovery" period, return to eating the product, giving preference to a new type.

Fish food starts with one teaspoon. If tolerance is normal, then the portion can grow back to normal within a few weeks. For clean fish, the indicator is 20-30 g / day. Maximum dose vegetable and fish puree reaches 100 g. It will be rational to add a "sea" or "river" ingredient to the weekly diet of a little gourmet with a frequency of 1-2 times.

After 9-10 months in the diet little man you can gradually turn on the fish. Fish contains many vitamins, useful microelements, proteins and amino acids, which are so necessary for the child's body. Animal proteins are indispensable for a small growing organism, as they are building material... But caring dads, mothers and grandmothers need to know exactly what kind of fish can be given to a child under one year old.

What kind of fish can I give to a child under one year old?

Choosing a variety of fish

It is impossible to give fatty fish to a baby under 3 years old. It is also advisable to transfer the acquaintance with fish of medium fat content for later.

• For a start, it is better to introduce the little man to lean fish - cod or hake.
• Allowed varieties include pollock and pike perch.
• Do not offer your child a large portion right away, even if they like the new dish.
• Fish can cause allergies. Therefore, you first need to check if the baby has an allergic reaction to the new product.

Young children are best served with fresh fish. On the extreme case fresh frozen is also suitable. Choosing fish in freezer, you need to pay attention to her condition. If there is a lot of ice around the fish, it means that it has been frozen more than once.

Fish for children under one year old: cooking features

Before you cook fish for a child under one year old, you need to make sure that there are no bones.

• If a bone gets into the throat of a 9 month old baby, it will be terrible.
• Therefore, it is better to buy fillets right away or choose fish with large and few bones.
• If you had to buy frozen fish, you need to properly defrost it in order to minimize the loss of nutrients.
• The water in which the fish will be thawed must be well salted.
• You don't need to cook any sophisticated dishes.
• It is enough to stew the fish or simply steam it.

Check the finished meat for bones and mash in mashed potatoes. If the child already has teeth, the meat can be fed in small pieces. A kid older than a year can already be offered delicious baked or boiled fish.

Fish for children under one year old should be present in the diet in small quantities. For the first time, it is enough for a child to give half a teaspoon, each time increasing the portion to 70 g by 12 months. A child from 9 months to a year is supposed to eat fish every 7 days. Older children can be given fish and fish dishes twice a week, increasing the portion to 100-110 g.

With its nutritional value, fish is not inferior to meat, but due to the smaller amount connective tissue, is more easily absorbed by the body. This product will provide children with the necessary correct exchange substances. Also, the kids will get in charge of good vision, and, involved in the formation and strengthening of skeletal muscles. Fish contains a rich list of substances useful for children: phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, potassium, sodium, iron, fluorine, as well as iodine, the amount of which is important for stimulation mental abilities and neuromuscular development.

Choosing fish for baby food

What kind of fish can you cook and offer to your baby? The baby's pancreas is not able to cope with fatty foods, therefore complementary feeding of a child up to 12 months old start with low-fat varieties:

• Lean (skinny)- cod, pike perch, hake, pollock, river perch, flounder, navaga. They have a fat content of up to 4%. It can be introduced into the nutrition of children from 9-11 months.
• Medium fat- sea bass, sea carp, trout, pink salmon, herring, sturgeon, chum salmon. They have a fat content of 4-8%. Suitable for feeding children from 1.5-2 years old.
• Bold- salmon, mackerel, herring, eel, omul. Have a fat content above 8%. It is introduced into the nutrition of children no earlier than 3-4 years old.

What kind of fish should not be given to a child?

What product quality should you avoid?

May be dangerous for children fish raised in private waters... To accelerate growth, the fry are fed special hormones. It is harmful to use such a product.

It is better to use fresh or chilled fish, in which nutrients are preserved to the maximum.

How to determine how long a product has been on the counter and how fresh it is?

O good quality they say the following signs:

• The scales adhere tightly to the fish and shine.
• The eyes are bulging, without cloudiness.
• The gills are rather hard, bright red or pink in color.
• When you press on the abdomen, the dent quickly disappears. Abdominal distention is a sign of spoilage!

How long can the product be stored after purchase?

You can keep fresh fish in the cold for up to 2 days, and if it is frozen, then up to 3-6 months. When not on sale fresh product, you can buy frozen fish fillets or whole carcasses in stores.

When buying, you should ask about the date of catching and freezing. It is important to consider how much time has passed since the day of freezing: the fresher the product, the more trace elements it contains. An even transparent crust of ice indicates that the product has not been defrosted.

To save maximum amount microelements, fish must be thawed in lightly salted water... After defrosting, you can carry out another suitability test: Pay attention to the condition of the product. When the pulp disintegrates, does not hold its shape and resembles a rag, this means that the product is spoiled. Do not cook such fish for babies. Any suspicion of poor quality cannot be ignored, because the health of children is more important than money spent.

Correct feeding - how and at what age?

Children under one year old it is imperative to cook or steamed the fish... You can not give babies a fried product, and even more so salty or smoked.

It is important to consider that fish is an allergen... According to statistics, fish products cause an allergic reaction in 2% of babies. early age... The risk is increased when a parent or older child has a similar problem. When the body responds to complementary foods with allergies, it is best to take a break for two weeks and then try other types of fish. Persistent rejection of any fish products indicates that complementary foods should be postponed until the age of one year.

If there is no allergy, you can give your baby fish from 9-11 months.

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 a child, fish and seafood were always present on our table, and fishing was our favorite pastime, "others say about the same thing:" In our family, we all, including children, eat fish because it is 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 per unit of weight as lean meat.
• White fish carry 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 trace elements: 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 them from sea environment... This is important, since practically in all regions of Russia there is a 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 stored and sold quickly. If, when approaching the fish department, you feel a specific smell, do not even approach it.
When you buy fresh fish, ask the seller to peel back the gills and sniff: no fishy smell, just a slight aroma of sea water.

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

For some reason, buyers are prejudiced against frozen fish, considering it a product of less value than chilled fish. However, the peculiarities of the fishery are often such that the caught fish is butchered, immediately frozen and in this form goes to the counters. Freezing it properly doesn't change it in the least. useful properties, and ice glaze, which is present in minimal quantities from a conscientious manufacturer, protects the fish from oxidation and drying out.

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

World fund wildlife(WWF) - an independent international environmental organization - has issued a special guide for fish consumers in Russia, which acquaints all interested parties with the peculiarities of fishing (or growing) fish and seafood and gives recommendations to buyers.
This guide can be downloaded.

What kind of fish can children take and how can a child cook it? Tips with examples
Children usually have two complaints about fish - the bones and the fishy taste itself. Therefore, it is necessary to choose the least bony fish and try to remove all small bones using special tweezers. Another option is to cook fish cakes or meatballs. If you cook them from lean fish, be sure to put a little in the minced meat butter... A simple action such as adding a teaspoon of sugar to a 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 baking whole fish, place herbs and lemon slices in the belly. When using fillets, you can grate 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 - take a little instead of lemon juice and mustard soy sauce... Or the simplest option: salt, a little ground pepper, olive oil, fresh thyme.

It is very important that the fish is completely cooked, but in no case overdried: then it is simply inedible. I have an old 1957 edition of Baby Food - "a book on how to feed a baby properly to raise him healthy and strong." This guide recommends boiling fish chunks in water at a low boil for 30 minutes. It seems to me that this is too long, and besides, boiled fish is a dish for everyone, but baked or grilled fish will probably be a success.
If the child loves pasta (children who don't like them, I have not come across) with white sauce, it is quite possible to add small pieces of fish fillet to them.

What fish dishes and foods are best to avoid?

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