If you are looking for a variety of snacks for your little one who likes sweet foods, try giving raisins. Yes, you can use the food from grapes that are dried as a substitute for chocolate or sweets that children should not consume as much. However, because of its small shape, you can only give raisins to children at the right time to prevent the risk of choking.
When can a child eat raisins?
Apart from exclusive breastfeeding for six months, you have started to be able to introduce various types of complementary foods for breastfeeding in infants. Usually, you will immediately choose fruit puree (crushed fruit) to increase the intake of vitamins and minerals for children.
In addition to giving fruit puree, you can start introducing raisins or other dried fruit to children of this age. However, this does not mean you can immediately give raisins when the child is just starting to get to know food, you know.
Quoted from Livestrong, new children can eat raisins from the age of 7 to 9 months. At this age, your little one will try to tell you that he is ready to start eating alone. This is usually indicated when your child tries to grab a spoon while you are feeding him, or grabs food from your plate.
Your baby will try to use his thumb and forefinger to pick up raisins and put them in the mouth. This means that you can also use raisins for children to practice children's fine motor skills.
Benefits of raisins for children
Basically, raisins are a good type of food to meet the nutritional needs of children during their development. If examined more deeply, raisins are low in fat and cholesterol so you don't need to worry that your child will be at risk of obesity after eating raisins.
Raisins are also rich in minerals such as potassium, phosphorus, iron, calcium, and magnesium. This combination of minerals is very useful to support children's physical and mental development. In fact, if your child is constipated, raisins can help launch a bowel movement because it contains high fiber.
Be careful when giving raisins to children
Behind the myriad benefits, there are some important things that you must pay attention to. It should be noted that raisins apparently contain high sugar. If consumed in excess, the sugar content can damage the child's tooth layer and cause cavities.
What's more, small forms of raisins are very vulnerable to getting caught between teeth and leaving plaque behind. The more plaque heaps, the child is more at risk of developing dental and mouth problems.
The risk of choking will be even greater if you let the child eat some raisins at the same time. Therefore, parents must monitor their children when eating raisins, don't just leave them alone. Also make sure the child only puts a raisin in his mouth every time he bribes.
If the child is smelling raisins because it's hard to chew or swallow, just leave it alone. No need to be forced to eat raisins. Later when the child has grown bigger you can introduce it again with raisins.
Ask children to brush their teeth after eating raisins
Now, you already know the various benefits and risks of giving raisins to children. Yes, although this type of dried fruit tends to be healthy for children, you also need to maintain the health of your child's teeth and mouth after eating.
So, let's encourage your child to brush his teeth properly after eating. In addition to preventing damage to the child's teeth, you also get the child to always keep the teeth clean after eating until he grows up. Teach your child that this habit is useful for cleaning germs and bacteria that can eat away the teeth.
It would be nice, still consult your pediatrician before you give raisins to children. Because, not all children can eat raisins, especially if your child is not ready to chew or have difficulty swallowing. Therefore, you should ask your doctor about the right time to give raisins for children according to your child's abilities and development.