Can you give orange juice to your baby?
Looking for a simple orange juice recipe for toddlers?
When can you start orange juice for babies?
Have you ever come across a sweet form of orange known as Malta Orange?
Today I bring to you everything about introducing orange juice and a delicious malta orange juice recipe for toddlers.
The citrus fruit orange cultivated worldwide belongs to Rutaceae family. They are mostly known to grow in the climatic conditions like tropical and sub-tropical. Surprisingly, there are varieties of oranges available around the globe like Kona, Joppa, Malta, Gardner, etc. This fruit can be easily peeled and eaten or we can also make juice out of it.
Some facts and uses about oranges:- They are used for garnishing many food items
- Oranges are used for food flavoring for many recipes
- Many products like jelly, oils, and canned foods are produced using orange
Fruits are a tremendous creation of the nature; each fruit has its own set of benefits and values like Orange. Not only its flesh is beneficial but also its fiber, peel, flesh and orangewood stick carry lots and lots of nutritional values.
Oranges are loaded with nutritional values. They are rich in magnesium, calcium, vitamin C, vitamin A, carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins.
Oranges are an important source of nutrition that aids in many health conditions.
The benefits of oranges are as follows.
- Balance blood pressure
- Treat arthritis
- Advantage the brain development
- Provide cardiovascular benefits
- Protect from infections
- Prevent cancer, kidney stones and ulcers
- Provide healthy skin.
Undoubtedly, juices have less fiber as compared to whole fruit. However, since it is difficult for babies to eat the whole fruit, we can always introduce juices. It is always recommended to introduce orange juice to your little one after his or her first birthday.
Babies can be allergic to the acidic nature of citric fruits like orange, lemon etc as their digestive system is sensitive. Always check for diaper rashes and allergies if you are introducing orange juice to your baby.
Most pediatricians recommend introducing citrus fruits only after 1 year to reduce the allergic reactions in babies. It is always better to start giving non citric juices like apple juice to babies. You can refer to the earlier post on introducing juices to baby.
How to give orange juice to your toddler?A sippy cup sized juice intake is a handy option to provide the child one out of four to five daily serving of fruits or vegetables recommended for them.
To not make juices a habit, offer juices on a frequent basis instead of daily basis in an open vessel like a glass/tumbler and not a sipper or a bottle.
Dilute juices with water and serve fresh. The ratio should be 75% boiled cooled water and 25% orange juice.
It is advisable to serve juices to younger children during the first half of the day. Always serve the juice within 20 minutes of preparation. Discard the leftovers to avoid bacterial contamination.
Precautions while giving orange juice to babies and toddlers:- Never introduce packaged fortified orange juices available in the market for babies or kids
- Juices can never be a replacement for the fresh fruits as the bio-availability of nutrients are more in fresh fruits.
- Giving juices in bottles is NOT recommended as it increases the chances of dental carries
- Juice more than 150 ml is not recommended for babies as it interferes with their consumption of breast milk and other solids.
- As citric acid is difficult to be digested by a baby's body, it is always recommended to start orange and other citric juices by the age of 1.
Orange juice recipe for toddlers and kids (using malta oranges):
Peel and deseed the malta oranges. You may also use the oranges without removing seeds.
In a jug add in the oranges, water and sugar. Blend well using a hand blender.
Sieve to get the fresh orange juice.
Serve at room temperature.
Note:
- You may also sprinkle some black pepper powder for a nice flavor for older kids
- You can skip adding water if your kid likes the whole fruit juice
- Do not serve it chilled; it tastes good at room temperature
Do try this orange juice recipe for toddler and we would be glad to hear how he/she liked it! Also check out the mixed fruits milkshake recipe and apple milkshake recipe.
