Cottage cheese for babies made from milk. Tender cottage cheese for first feeding

Not all adults love cottage cheese; most often this attitude comes from childhood. Perhaps the child was once forced to consume the product in large quantities or was introduced incorrectly. It is very important to make a competent and timely introduction. It is the adequacy of complementary feeding that determines the attitude towards cottage cheese and the benefits it brings to the child’s body.

Content:

The benefits of cottage cheese for a growing body

Cottage cheese contains calcium, which is necessary for normal bone growth and dental health. It is for this purpose that it is most often introduced into complementary foods in the first year of life. The product is remarkably digestible, quickly processed, and does not cause heaviness or discomfort in a fragile stomach.

Other useful properties:

Cottage cheese contains complete protein. This means that it contains the necessary amino acids, without which the growth of muscles, bones, and the functioning of internal systems is impossible.
The product contains vitamin A, which is important for vision development.
Lactic acid bacteria will help normalize the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract and relieve constipation.
Vitamin D will be an excellent prevention of rickets and is useful for the musculoskeletal system.

All these beneficial properties are inherent only in a natural and high-quality product. You cannot buy cottage cheese for complementary feeding on the market or use common analogues made from reconstituted milk and vegetable fats. They don't carry any value.

Video: Doctor Komarovsky about fermented milk products in a child’s diet

Optimal age for cottage cheese feeding

According to established rules, a child is introduced to cottage cheese in the first year of life at the age of 8 months. You can often see a 6+ mark on packages of prepared foods. Yes, the product can be given to the child earlier. Most children perceive it well at six months of age, but for premature acquaintance there must be indications:

the child is not gaining weight well;
rickets or there is a predisposition to it;
low hemoglobin level, anemia;
lack of calcium in the body.

In some cases, artificial feeding is indicated. If milk or infant formula does not cover the growing body's need for valuable substances, you can offer new food at 6-7 months.

Important! You can’t introduce cottage cheese into a child’s diet until six months! The pancreas will be able to fully provide the digestive system with the necessary enzymes only after 6 months.

Rules for introducing a new product

New foods should not be introduced to a child during illness, before or after vaccination, during teething or other problems. It will be difficult for the mother to track the reaction of the child’s body, since at any moment the temperature may rise, indigestion or diarrhea may appear, and the mood may worsen.

How to properly introduce cottage cheese into complementary foods:

Place the required amount of product in a bowl and heat until warm. It is better to do this in a water bath.
The size of the first serving should not exceed 5 g. By the end of the week, the amount is increased to 25 g. By the year of life, a single serving is 50 g.
If you don’t like the taste, you can add a little fruit or vegetable puree to the dish, but provided that the baby is already familiar with them.
If you stubbornly refuse new food, you need to return to complementary foods after a few days. Gradually, the baby will get used to the taste on the tongue, and acquaintance will definitely take place.

There is no need to give the product daily. 2-3 times a week is enough. But at the acquaintance stage, you can offer complementary foods for 2 days in a row, since the portions are microscopic, and an open package is stored in the refrigerator for exactly 24 hours. Throw away the pack without 0.5 tsp. cottage cheese is unreasonable. According to the pediatrician's indications, it is possible to consume cottage cheese daily if the child has rickets or other health problems that require additional vitamins and calcium.

Which cottage cheese to choose

Up to a year of age, it is advisable to use an industrially manufactured product in a child’s diet. It has the right consistency, the right fat content, and a mild taste. In addition, control in the production of baby food is much higher than in ordinary dairy factories.

When choosing, it is advisable to give preference to natural taste. If the child doesn’t like it, you can add any puree or fresh fruit or berries. Curds with fillings and sugar are offered to children later. According to the recommendations of pediatricians, it is advisable not to give them to children before one year of age.

Homemade cottage cheese for children

We are not talking about homemade cottage cheese bought at the market from thrushes. This product can be very dangerous. Many mothers prefer to make a dish for their child themselves. There are a number of reasons for this: there is no way to buy baby food, questionable quality, cost. Only high-quality dairy products are used to make cottage cheese.

Calcined cottage cheese recipe

Compound:
Milk – 200 ml
Calcium chloride solution – 2 ml

Application:
If the milk is unpasteurized, then boil, cool, add calcium, stir. Put it back on the stove, heat it up, but don’t bring it to a hot state. Place gauze folded in 4 layers in a colander. Drain the curdled milk onto a cloth, leaving the whey to drain.

Recipe for baby cottage cheese made from milk and sour cream

Compound:
Milk – 300 ml
Sour cream 10% – 2 tbsp. l.

Application:
Heat the milk to 50°C, add sour cream to it, stir. You can use yogurt or fermented baked milk, the cottage cheese will be less fatty. Cover the dish, wrap it in something warm and leave for 5-6 hours. Drain the separated mass into a sieve or colander with gauze. Leave to separate the whey.

Advice! The higher the temperature of the milk, the drier the curd turns out. To obtain a delicate and soft consistency, it is important not to overheat the product.

Video: Doctor Komarovsky about dairy cuisine, kefir and homemade cottage cheese

Possible harm

If you are intolerant to milk and fermented milk products, cottage cheese can cause serious harm to the child’s body. Bloating and increased gas formation, abdominal pain, diarrhea, rashes on the face and body are just a small part of the possible health problems. That is why, when introducing complementary foods, you need to carefully monitor the child’s condition, his mood, behavior and stool. At the first sign of intolerance, you should immediately discard cottage cheese.

Contraindications:

kidney problems;
bowel dysfunction;
stomach diseases.

It is important to carefully monitor expiration dates. It is very easy to get poisoned from cottage cheese. When purchasing a product in the hot season, you need to reduce the travel time from the store to your home to a minimum. If there are suspicions about the quality of the purchased baby food, then it is not advisable to give it to the child.

From the age of six months, complementary foods begin to be introduced into the child’s diet. Cottage cheese for babies is one of the first types of adult food.

There are general rules for introducing a product into a baby’s diet:

for the first time, give half a teaspoon or less for testing;
in the first half of the day;
day to observe the body’s reaction.

Long-term administration is necessary to determine whether the infant is allergic to cottage cheese. Pure proteins that enter the body may be perceived as hostile. This manifests itself in skin rashes, such as redness and pimples, the child's mouth may become swollen, or intestinal distress may begin, with redness in the anal area.

If there is no negative reaction, within a week you can increase the single serving to 1 tsp. with a slide. By the age of one year, the daily portion should be 50 g.

The benefits of cottage cheese for an infant

Cottage cheese performs 2 main functions:

Calcium supply.
Adjusting the digestive system.

All dairy products are rich in calcium, and cottage cheese acts as the richest “carrier.” For a growing organism, it is very important to have a sufficient amount of resources for the structure of teeth and bones. Calcium will not only strengthen them, but in relation to teeth, it promotes faster eruption. If there is not enough substance, the teeth cannot grow and break through the gums, tormenting the child for a long time.

In relation to the digestive tract, the “correct” cottage cheese performs several functions at once:

normalizes stool and makes it regular;
reduces the level of gases in the intestines;
improves digestion;
reduces alkalinity in the stomach.

This happens thanks to bifidobacteria contained in fermented milk products. By “correct” we mean cottage cheese that meets sanitary and hygienic standards, does not cause allergic reactions and has the appropriate fat content for a child (according to age).

At what age can cottage cheese be introduced into complementary foods?

Cottage cheese is a very fatty product. In this regard, introducing it in the early stages is fraught with diarrhea and disruption of the liver. If the child is on the “average” list, It is recommended to introduce cottage cheese into his diet from 6 months.

The introduction of new products into the infant’s diet must take place under certain conditions:

Normal weight (more about norms).
At least a week has passed since the vaccination.
By this time, the child eats porridge, fruit and vegetable purees.
No bowel problems (temporary upset, constipation).
There are no contraindications.

Regarding children who do not fall under the heading “statistically average”. These are kids:

Underweight.
Overweight.
Allergy sufferers.
Having problems with the intestines or liver.

Infants who are underweight are recommended to start introducing cottage cheese as complementary foods from 4 months, for accelerated weight gain. “Fat people,” on the contrary, are advised to abstain. Newborns who are allergic to cottage cheese are allowed to start eating it from 10 to 11 months. If diseases are detected, it is better to consult a doctor and not make a decision on your own. Parents may not be able to independently identify abnormalities caused by the product. The right thing to do would be to get tested and draw up a menu with a specialist.

When the child has reached the required age, and the mother is ready to begin enriching the baby’s diet with a new dish, she needs to decide which cottage cheese she will start with:

Buy completely ready-made (for children) in the store;
Make a lighter and tastier version for a child from a store-bought adult;
Get pure cottage cheese from the market and make a baby version from it;
Make it at home yourself.

Store-bought cottage cheese

When a mother, due to some circumstances, cannot make cottage cheese herself, she can only buy it. The easiest way is to buy special children's cottage cheese. Many companies produce lines of baby food for infants, with healthy additives. Let's consider the main disadvantages and advantages of ready-made children's curds.

Pros:

no need to waste time cooking;
uniform consistency;
healthy supplements;
the composition is selected with the correct level of fat content and lactobacilli;
compliance with sanitary and hygienic standards in production.

Minuses:

artificial additives are possible;
sugar in the composition;
fillers may cause allergies.

Leading pediatricians recommend starting complementary feeding with these curds. You can choose a brand, choose different flavors and be sure that there are no E. coli in the product, unlike market cottage cheese. The pack always indicates from how many months it can be used. Some flavoring additives are not recommended for use before 6 months.

Closer to the year, when the newborn’s body has become accustomed to the new type of food, the time has come to replace the cottage cheese with an older one. The recipe is simple - add adult cottage cheese, ground with a blender until smooth, into the curd mass (or simply mash with a spoon and fork). Start with a teaspoon per serving and give it to your child for a week. Gradually increase the percentage of cottage cheese, while simultaneously reducing the content of curd mass.

It is advisable to purchase store-bought cottage cheese. The reasons are still the same:

known level of fat content;
guarantee of compliance with sanitary standards;
known production time.

Adult store-bought cottage cheese is often used for infants as the first complementary food. During production, fat is artificially separated at the factory, and it is possible to take cottage cheese with a minimum fat content level of 5%.

There is no point in giving low-fat cottage cheese. It will pass through the child’s body in a “draft”. Without fat, calcium is not broken down and therefore will not be absorbed.

Market cottage cheese is bad on the following points:

it is unknown how much fat it contains;
lack of guarantee of sterility of the preparation process;
unknown condition of the animal from which the milk was taken;
unclear expiration date.

Of course, cottage cheese from the market has more natural ingredients and is much less susceptible to various treatments, but in relation to a newborn this is a minus, not a plus. Its fat content is about 50%. What an adult body processes, a baby can be sent to a hospital ward with severe poisoning and dysbacteriosis.

“Fresh” cottage cheese, only from the counter, can be fed to children after a year, when immunity has formed and the intestines are filled with beneficial bacteria. Also, the liver works on a completely different level. Ideally, from 1.5 to 2 years, market cottage cheese is “mixed” with store-bought or curd mass.

The best cottage cheese for babies

If mom has the opportunity to cook homemade cottage cheese, she should definitely take advantage of it. You can prepare cottage cheese from 3 types of “raw materials”:

From cow's milk

Squeezing homemade cottage cheese through cheesecloth

Cow's milk has a high lactose content, so it can cause upset and is contraindicated for people who are allergic to lactose. Cottage cheese made from this milk has corresponding properties. In addition, cows are capable of contracting human diseases such as tuberculosis and brucellosis, which pass into the milk.

Homemade cow's milk cottage cheese has a wide range of vitamins and minerals that are beneficial to the body, but is not recommended for use by children under one year of age.

From goat's milk

Goat milk for babies has a number of positive aspects, unlike cow milk:

The content of cobalt, which is part of vitamin B12, is 6 times higher.
Fat molecules have a smaller volume, therefore they are broken down and absorbed faster.
Increased content of piacrine in proteins.
Low lactose levels do not cause problems and are acceptable for allergy sufferers.
There is much more beta casein.

Goat milk also has negative aspects:

High fat content.
There is no lipase enzyme that breaks down fat.
It has a specific smell and taste.

Goat milk cottage cheese will be fatty and have a specific taste and smell. It is useful to give to children during teething.

Made from kefir

Kefir itself is neutral. Cottage cheese made from kefir will have the necessary elements to a minimum, the taste will be sour, and the appearance will not be “marketable” at all. However, the benefits of kefir cottage cheese are significant - it has a high content of lactobacilli, which are important for the baby’s intestines, and a low fat content.

Cooking cottage cheese for babies in a slow cooker

In most cases, the recipe is designed to use cow's milk. To prepare cottage cheese for one-year-old children, it is better to use store-bought milk, which indicates the percentage of fat content it contains.

The simplest and easiest recipe for making homemade baby cottage cheese:

1.5 liters of kefir (2.5%);
3 teaspoons 25% sour cream;
1 liter of milk (2.5%).

Cooking method

Mix the ingredients and simmer for 20 minutes. It is important not to boil; perhaps 15 minutes will be enough.
Open the multicooker and stir the contents. Close and leave to “heat” for one and a half to two hours.
After the specified time, open the multicooker, let the contents cool, and then drain through a colander with gauze.

For the development and growth of children, it is very important to introduce cottage cheese into complementary foods. It contains phosphorus and calcium, which are necessary for the formation of the baby’s teeth and bones, as well as for the functioning of the central nervous system and heart muscle. In addition, cottage cheese for children normalizes metabolism and liver function. It contains a lot of vitamin B2 and folic acid, necessary for development and growth. And kefir grains contain many microorganisms that prevent pathogenic flora and reduce the likelihood of intestinal infections. The curd mass also contains a milk protein concentrate, which is the main material for the formation of cells, immune bodies and enzymes. But often toddlers refuse this healthy food for up to a year and, of course, no verbal arguments can convince them. Therefore, it is important to know a number of theoretical aspects and have some practical skills.

Cottage cheese is usually introduced into complementary foods no earlier than 8 or even 9 months. Before this age, there is simply no point in offering it to infants: babies already receive the required amount of protein along with their mother’s milk.

Of course, this is when we are talking about natural (breast)feeding. And store-bought and homemade cottage cheese for children who are bottle-fed, as well as those suffering from rickets or anemia, can be offered from 7 months.

The earlier introduction of new complementary foods implies an excess of proteins in the baby’s diet, which can lead to metabolic disorders and high blood pressure in the future.

There are other cases when you should not give cottage cheese to a child. For example, with allergies, and also if your child’s fontanel closes too quickly.

Finally, cottage cheese for children under one year of age is introduced only after they have tasted vegetables, porridge and fruits. And these products, as we have already said, begin to be introduced gradually and carefully from about 6 months. Here we are again at the 8-month mark stated above.

How much cottage cheese can children have?

If you are introducing cottage cheese into complementary foods for children under one year old for the first time, one teaspoon is enough, but you can make a portion half as much.

Let's watch the body's reaction. If there are no negative consequences of “dating”, we gradually increase the dose. By the age of one year it should be 50 grams per day. And so that your baby doesn’t get bored with the dish, you can make homemade cottage cheese cookies, casserole, and even a pie.

There is no single answer to the question of how much cottage cheese to give to a child of 8, 9, 10, etc. months. Everything here is individual. But increasing the dose is definitely necessary if your child is gaining little weight or develops rickets. In such cases, the additional calcium and protein contained in the curd mass will only be beneficial.

New complementary foods are offered to babies up to one year old every day no later than afternoon tea. It’s also good to do a daily “adaptation”, that is, feed a new product every other day, but in double portions.

What kind of cottage cheese should I give my baby?

There are many recipes on the Internet for making homemade cottage cheese for children. There are some among them that even “clumsy” fathers can do. And at the same time the dish turns out very tasty!

But what kind of cottage cheese you can’t give to a child is the store-bought “adult” kind. Store-bought cheesecakes contain starch, preservatives, dyes and fillers that can cause allergies.

As for dairy products sold on the market, of course, you cannot be 100% sure about them either.

You can also find special children's cottage cheese on the shelves. The name must be confirmed by the absence of any E.

Be sure to look at the expiration date and choose the youngest product. Also, the label should indicate the age of the little one for whom the curd is designed - this will ensure the optimal amount of vitamins that will enter your child’s body with complementary foods.

You should also examine the packaging for scratches and dents - air could get inside through them, but one of the main conditions for storing such food is the tightness of its “container”.

How to make children's homemade cottage cheese (recipe)

Now - some tips on how to make homemade cottage cheese for children.

For example, for a calcined dish you will need 3 ml of calcium chloride solution. It should be dissolved in boiled and cooled milk (300 ml), and then boil the resulting mixture again in an enamel bowl and cool again.

The curd mass is squeezed through a sieve or gauze. However, it is better to consult your pediatrician about its use.

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And to make sour curd you will need one-day kefir with a fat content of 1%. It is boiled (you can use a water bath), and when a clot appears, it is thrown into cheesecloth or a colander and the whey is allowed to drain. Although, to be honest, babies usually refuse such a dish.

Another homemade recipe. Take half a glass of baby kefir and a glass of baby milk. Mix them in an enamel bowl and put on fire, stirring occasionally. Strain the curdled mass. In this case, milk removes the sour taste, which babies usually don’t like.

Homemade or purchased curd mass is offered to a baby up to one year old in a spoon. The second option is to make a mix by spinning it with fruit puree in a blender.

And lastly: remember that you can store baby cottage cheese for no more than a day in the refrigerator.

Cottage cheese is one of the most delicious and healthy fermented milk products, which are introduced as complementary foods in the first year of life. At what age can children be given cottage cheese? It is recommended to do this no earlier than the second half of the year and in small quantities. It is not recommended to give cottage cheese to babies who are intolerant to cow's milk. More details about the features of introducing complementary foods in the form of cottage cheese below.

About this delicious cottage cheese...

Cottage cheese is considered to be unusually healthy due to its content of folic acid, phosphorus, kefir grains, calcium, and vitamin B12. But it is very important for a growing child’s body to absorb micro- and macroelements, essential nutrients, and various vitamins with food. Healthy eating plays an important role in the first year of a child's life. In order for a baby to crawl quite actively, sit steadily, so that he can stand up independently and walk with the correct placement of his feet, he will need normal physical development and proper nutrition. Therefore, the question of whether it is possible to give cottage cheese to children does not arise even among young parents.

Those toddlers who eat cottage cheese in sufficient quantities will subsequently develop strong bones and healthy teeth. Children will gain weight and height well. It is cottage cheese that is the main source of calcium, protein and phosphorus. In addition, cottage cheese can have a beneficial effect on the functioning of the liver, heart muscle, nervous system, and metabolic processes in the baby’s body.

At what age can you eat cottage cheese?

We have already figured out that this dairy product is very beneficial for a child’s health. At what age can children be given cottage cheese? The time for introducing such complementary foods will primarily depend on the type of feeding of the toddler.

Infants who ate exclusively mother's milk for the first six months of their lives can be given cottage cheese to try as early as eight to nine months. But artificial babies who have been receiving various types of complementary foods since four months can get acquainted with cottage cheese a little earlier - already at six to seven months. But in both cases, cottage cheese complementary foods should be introduced only after the baby has mastered juices, dairy-free porridges, fruit and vegetable complementary foods.

How to enter correctly?

So, cottage cheese. At what age can a child be given this product? Of course, not earlier than six months (this was discussed just above). Moreover, at the very beginning, you can offer the baby cottage cheese only in small portions, gradually. To begin with, mom offers only half a teaspoon and within a week increases the amount to the age norm.

As a rule, it is permissible to offer this product once a day, increasing the dose. By the age of one, the baby should eat fifty grams of cottage cheese at once.

How often can you give your child cottage cheese? Everything will depend on how the baby feels. If he is healthy, his mother can feed him this fermented milk product twice or thrice a week. If food intolerance to the product is present (diarrhea, allergic rash), complementary feeding should be discontinued immediately.

Children who suffer from rickets or are underweight should eat cottage cheese every day. If the fontanelle closes early, the mother needs to stop the early introduction of this product.

Before the baby reaches one year of age, it is better to offer him industrially produced baby cottage cheese, which does not contain any fillers. It will be absorbed quite easily and will not cause allergic reactions. But from one to two years old, it is quite possible to use cottage cheese for children with additives from fruits and berries.

Positive aspects of introducing cottage cheese into food

From what month can you give your baby cottage cheese, we have already figured it out. Now let’s find out what are the advantages of your baby consuming this fermented milk product:

Cottage cheese proteins contain all the amino acids that are necessary for the toddler’s body.
When a baby eats cottage cheese, his bone tissue is strengthened.
It is from this product that the baby receives folic acid, vitamins B 12, A, phosphorus, calcium, sodium and other equally valuable components.

Negative aspects of introducing cottage cheese into baby's food

If cottage cheese is introduced to a small child’s menu too early, he may experience some digestive problems:

Cottage cheese should not be given to children if they have kidney disease or intolerance to milk proteins.
If the cottage cheese is industrially produced, fillers are added to it, which can cause allergies.
If curd is stored in unsuitable conditions, it can cause foodborne infections.
If the baby has an intolerance to this product, then diarrhea, a rash will appear, and his behavior will be restless. The baby may complain of cramping abdominal pain and nausea.

What does Evgeny Komarovsky think?

A doctor known to millions of mothers advises starting to introduce cottage cheese when the baby is six months old. Moreover, it should be added to kefir. Komarovsky explains: you should start with this fermented milk product because this group of products is the “closest relative” of both breast milk and infant formula. Therefore, it will be much easier for the baby’s body to digest kefir with cottage cheese than other groups of complementary foods.

The pediatrician suggests adding cottage cheese one teaspoon at a time on the fourth or fifth day of introducing kefir into the child’s menu. In his opinion, the best time for such a dish is from nine to eleven in the morning. If no reaction is noted to this product, the serving can be doubled the next day. This is continued until the volume of the curd is approximately thirty to forty grams for a baby aged six to eight months.

Regular or with additives?

What kind of cottage cheese can be given to children and in what form? This worries many mothers who are just starting to introduce complementary foods to their babies.

At the very beginning, when the little one is just getting acquainted with cottage cheese, it is necessary to give him this product fresh, without any additives. For now, the baby will only try cottage cheese. It is possible that its taste will completely suit the child.

Is it possible to give a child homemade cottage cheese? Yes, of course yes! In addition, the right mother’s decision would be to give the baby cottage cheese that has only recently been prepared and has been left in the open air for no more than two hours.

If the little one does not want to eat unsweetened cottage cheese, or the mother herself wants to somehow diversify the cottage cheese complementary foods, you can add any fruit to it. But dishes prepared with cottage cheese (cheesecakes, casseroles, etc.) should be introduced into the baby’s menu after he is one and a half years old.

Choosing the right...

Today, store shelves are lined with a large number of such baby food products. They are adapted to the needs of babies who are not yet one year old. This product differs from others in its rather delicate taste and consistency, similar to sour cream.

When choosing such cottage cheese, you should pay attention to the packaging, on which manufacturers note a short shelf life. In addition, the product must be within its expiration date, that is, fresh. It is best that the selected cottage cheese does not contain any additives. You should also not give your baby cottage cheese, which is intended for adults, or cheese curds, which contain a variety of flavors.

Healthy recipes

Along with the question of at what age children can be given cottage cheese, mothers are also interested in how to prepare it correctly at home. Doing this, as it turns out, is not so difficult. There are several simple recipes:

Method one. Boil one liter of fresh milk, cool it to a temperature of +35 degrees. Then add about fifty grams of sourdough to it. It can be yogurt, sour cream or kefir. When the milk has soured, place the saucepan with it in a water bath and keep on low heat for about 30-40 minutes. After the resulting homemade cottage cheese is squeezed out, you can also beat it with a blender.

Method two. Curdling milk using calcium chloride. Boil milk (200-300 ml) and cool. Mix with two to three ml of calcium chloride. Bring all this to a boil, and then discard on a sieve. The resulting curd should be pureed with a blender.
Method three. Cottage cheese can be prepared by heating kefir. Pour it into a small saucepan and keep the container over medium heat. Kefir should heat up, but not boil. After a very short time, you can notice that the kefir has divided into a denser mass, which is at the top, and a more liquid mass, which is at the bottom. If the resulting product is placed on cheesecloth, it is easy to remove excess liquid and obtain a very tender curd.

Is it possible to give a child cottage cheese every day? Since children's cottage cheese can be digested completely and very easily, this is quite acceptable. In the first three to five years of life, the baby should get used to consuming cottage cheese daily. After all, it is at this time that the body is actively growing and forming.

For feeding the little ones

For babies aged six months, it is better to choose cottage cheese that was prepared in a dairy kitchen. It differs from the one intended for adults: children's is softer in consistency. And for babies whose chewing reflex is not yet sufficiently developed, this is quite important.

This product can be creamy or milky. Butter contains large amounts of fat. Since it is quite nutritious, you should not offer your toddlers other foods that contain a large amount of calories on this day. But in milk cottage cheese the amount of fat is reduced. It is perfect for children who are overweight.

Some mothers are used to making cottage cheese for their little ones on their own. This is also quite good, you just have to follow the rules of hygiene. It is quite possible to make sour or unleavened cottage cheese from kefir that was prepared especially for children. It is not recommended to use market cottage cheese for feeding children, as well as those made from sour milk. So, we found out at what age children can be given cottage cheese. It should be noted that only a pediatrician can determine when the time comes to eat this fermented milk product and how much it can be given to the baby. In some cases, the doctor may limit the amount of cottage cheese or completely exclude it from the baby’s diet.

Cottage cheese is an extremely healthy and high-calorie fermented milk product. It contains a number of substances necessary for the normal growth and development of the baby. It must be introduced into complementary foods along with juices, cereals and purees.

If the timing of inclusion of crumbs in the diet is not observed, cottage cheese can pose a certain danger, since it is not the easiest product for the still immature digestive system.

Why is cottage cheese so important?

Substances that are present in large quantities in cottage cheese:

proteins (protein);
lipids (fats);
phosphorus;
calcium;
vitamin B2;
(AT 9).

In addition, the fermented milk product contains a lot of fats, which are perfectly absorbed by the child’s body and become an excellent source of energy for it.

Proteins are essential for the growth of every cell; Proteins and amino acids are the “building blocks” that build tissue (in particular muscle tissue). Babies who do not receive enough protein grow and gain weight very slowly. One of the milk proteins, albumin, is necessary for the biosynthesis of antibodies, so it plays an important role in the formation.

Calcium and phosphorus are required for the growth and strengthening of bones and hard tissues of the tooth (enamel and dentin).

Vitamins B2 and B9 are necessary for the full mental and mental development of the baby.

Note:cottage cheese contains a large number of lactic acid bacteria. They are part of the normal intestinal microbiocenosis. These microorganisms are directly involved in the process of digestion and strengthening of general (nonspecific) immunity.

Optimal timing for introducing cottage cheese into complementary foods

It is advisable to introduce cottage cheese when the child is 6-8 months old. In the second half of life, the intestines are already populated with a sufficient number of lactobacilli necessary for normal digestion, and the body’s enzyme systems function quite actively.

Even at these standard times, you need to give fermented milk product in small volumes. Adaptation of the baby’s digestive system to the “common” table should occur gradually. Children, as well as children, begin to receive porridge a little earlier.

The indications are:

(anemia);
calcium deficiency in the body;
slow (compared to norms) weight gain;
since birth.

If two or more of the listed indications occur, curd can and should be given from 6-7 months.

The most important indication for late complementary feeding with cottage cheese (from 9 months of age and even later), and possibly for completely abandoning it, is individual hypersensitivity to dairy products, in other words, to cow's milk. It is also necessary to postpone the inclusion of fermented milk products in the diet if a breastfed baby gains weight too quickly. It is also worth holding off on using cottage cheese if the fontanelle has previously closed, indicating, among other things, a high level of calcium in the body.

Clinical symptoms of food intolerance:

on the skin;
increased gas formation in the intestines (manifested by rumbling in the tummy);
restless behavior;
sleep disorders;

Note:Taking into account the listed indications, parents, of course, themselves are able to determine the optimal timing for introducing cottage cheese into the diet, but it is still better to consult with the pediatrician observing your child.

How much cottage cheese is given at the beginning of complementary feeding?

Foods high in fat and protein are absorbed by the digestive system somewhat slower than carbohydrates. Even the most delicate cottage cheese poses a rather serious burden for the baby’s kidneys and gastrointestinal tract. In this regard, it is better to start complementary feeding with minimal volumes. At first, the child should be given no more than half a teaspoon of cottage cheese. The baby is unlikely to immediately like this new product for her, and, most likely, she will not eat anything else. Cottage cheese should be given regularly - initially 2-3 times a week, and then every day.

Important:You should not feed your child cottage cheese after 6 pm, so as not to provoke colic in the stomach at night.

Cottage cheese is an additional product; it is given after the main feeding immediately before a portion of mother's milk or artificial milk formula.

The total volume of cottage cheese given per feeding is gradually increased from half a teaspoon to 30-50 grams. It is not recommended to give a larger amount, even if the child really liked it.

Optimal portions by age:

Cottage cheese for first feeding should be prepared on the basis of milk or kefir with a low fat content (1%). This is especially important if the baby has difficulty digesting lactose and animal fats. Only natural products that contain no preservatives or synthetic dyes or fragrances can be introduced into the diet. Any synthetic components can cause an allergic reaction and worsen the digestion process.

Note:When the child has been receiving cottage cheese regularly for several weeks, you can start adding fruit puree to this product. Most kids like this mixture.

How to make cottage cheese for your child yourself?

Currently, it is not a problem to purchase cottage cheese in a specialized baby food store. However, at first, it is better to prepare this product yourself at home. Most kids love sweet cottage cheese made from a mixture of cream and kefir.

Important:remember that you should not store the prepared curd for more than a day, even in the refrigerator. It should only be fresh so as not to cause additional digestive problems!

It is advisable to prepare the product for the first complementary feeding only with 1% baby kefir. Since very little curd is required for daily feeding, it is enough to take no more than 200 ml of kefir. It needs to be poured into a spotlessly clean glass jar or, for example, into an enamel pan. The container should be placed in a water bath, and when the kefir begins to curdle, turn off the stove. The resulting curd needs to be cooled and placed in a fine sieve. If necessary, you can squeeze it further. If the product is not completely homogeneous, it is recommended to wipe it through clean gauze folded in several layers.

Note:The average “yield” of the product is 50 g of curd per 100 ml of kefir.

Once you are sure that homemade cottage cheese does not cause digestive problems for your baby, you can use an alternative method of preparing the product for first feedings. You need to take 2 tbsp. l. kefir and 200 ml of pre-boiled milk, and combine these ingredients in a saucepan. Then the container is placed on low heat and wait until the mass curdles (this usually takes about 15 minutes). To remove excess whey, the curd is placed on cheesecloth. This product has a slightly sweet taste, so children eat it with great pleasure.

Advice! In pharmacies and specialized stores you can purchase the drugs Narine, Bifidumbacterin and Lactobacterin. They contain live bifidobacteria and lactic acid microorganisms. These remedies, used to treat intestinal dysbiosis, are used by many mothers as a starter for preparing homemade fermented milk products. To get tasty and healthy kefir, you just need to add them to boiled milk, put the container in a warm place, and wait about 1 day.

There is another very common recipe. A glass of milk is poured into a saucepan, brought to a boil, and 10 ml of calcium chloride solution purchased at the pharmacy is added. Then the container is immediately removed from the heat, and the curdled mass is discarded. Thus, extremely healthy baby food enriched with calcium salts is obtained.

“Store” curds are divided into milk, cream and combined. Their fat content varies from 3.8% to 10-15%:

Dairy Recommended for children with low physical activity and (or) high rates of weight gain, as well as for children with diabetes. Their fat content does not exceed 5%.
Creamy useful for active children who are underweight.
IN combined There are vegetable fats, the polyunsaturated fatty acids of which are necessary for the formation and normal functional activity of the structures of the central nervous system.

Natural vegetable or fruit purees are added to some industrially produced curds - carrot, banana, pear, blueberry, etc.

Chumachenko Olga, pediatrician