When to Start Giving Frozen Yoghurt for Babies

When we were small we were told that we need to drink a lot of milk in order to grow well. While this is true, in this day and age we need to find alternative ways to get the goodness of dairy products into children, such as flavoured milks, yoghurt and the latest treats  frozen yoghurt for kids.

In recent years it has come to light that many children are lactose intolerant and that the one thing which we have always believed to be the best natural food- milk- is to blame. When I had my children I was told that they should not be given fresh milk until they were a year old. However, products made from milk were fine to give once the child was over 7 months, such as rice pudding, custard and yoghurt.

The cultures in yogurt decrease the lactose and help break down the hard-to-digest milk proteins. This is why babies can eat yogurt, but not drink milk, before one year, but this recommendation is for the baby who has no history of dairy sensitivities or allergies. In many cultures, yogurt is actually one of baby’s first foods! There are many companies which now provide frozen yoghurt for baby palettes. There are different ways of serving up frozen yoghurt for babies and these can lead to some messy fun.

Ideas on how to serve frozen yoghurt to your baby:

• Spoon some into a bowl and let baby practice using a spoon!
• Pop some into a mesh feeder and let baby chew on it – great to soothe teething gums too!
• Using a Popsicle mould, give baby the pop on the stick – ensure that you keep watch as the frozen treat is eaten so that baby doesn’t hurt herself with the pop stick!
• Using ice trays, pop out the frozen yogurt cube and let baby eat it with his hands. Most babies love to feel the cool cube in their hands!

When it comes to getting children to choose between unhealthy ice cream and the healthier frozen yoghurt, flavours are the key to success. You need to make sure that you offer a wide range of interesting flavours and that the frozen yoghurt tastes just as rich and creamy as the ice cream which children will always prefer.

If you are making frozen yoghurt at home, then get the kids involved with the preparation. Children love to eat things which they have helped to make, so get them to give you a hand with the mixing and the preparation of the fruit to add the flavours. They will enjoy pouring into containers and moulds and allow them to make suggestions as to the frozen yoghurt flavours they would like to try.

Frozen yoghurt for kids is a healthy dessert and especially if you make it at home, you can control the amount of sugar and fat which it contains. There are also healthy versions of frozen yoghurt for babies which are available in the market to buy.

Fro Yo Swirled Frozen Yoghurt is the Latest Popular Dessert

I heard the term fro yo- frozen yoghurt- a few years ago when a nephew took me out for a treat. Since then, fro yo has caught on so well that there are now so many companies which produce and market the treat as an alternative to ice cream.

Fro yo- yoghurt which is flavoured and then frozen- is lighter than ice cream and often has a tangy flavour. It is lower in sugar and fat and therefore touted as being a healthy dessert which can be enjoyed by adults, children and even babies. Even those who cannot tolerate milk can often have a small amount. However, remember that yoghurt contains lactose, a protein in milk that is difficult to digest if a child has lactose intolerance. Symptoms include stomach pain, gas, nausea, cramps, bloating or diarrhoea.

Yoghurt offers several health benefits, including protein and probiotics, but may not be a good choice for all children. If your child has health problems, talk with the doctor about whether yogurt is a healthy option to include in the diet. For some kids, a moderate amount of yogurt may be suitable, while other children may need to avoid it completely.

You also need to be aware that some yoghurt is loaded with sugar and fats, so be careful. A container of yogurt can contain up to 26 grams of sugar, making it easy to exceed daily intake recommendations. If your child really enjoys yogurt, look for one that is geared for kids, some of which are lower in sugar. Reading labels is the best way to find a yogurt that aligns with your child's health goals.

It is hard to get kids to stich with a healthy diet in these days of fast food and unhealthy snacks. When faced with the choice between a healthy piece of fruit or an ice cream cone, it must indeed be a very special child who will choose the former. This is leading to many health problems for the young people of today with obesity and diabetes on the increase and this in turn leading to further problems such as heart disease.

When you are looking for healthy yoghurt, frozen or not, choose a non-fat yoghurt, which contains no fat, but still includes all the nutrients that make yogurt a healthy food. It is also recommended choosing a yogurt that contains 15 to 20 calories per ounce, or 90 to 120 calories for a 6-ounce container.

The thing to be careful with is that although fro yo has very little or no fat, it is easy to make the mistake of adding so many extra calories with the topping that you select. Fro yo swirled frozen yoghurt is the new favourite dessert in my family but I have to ensure that when it is served there are no toppings such as heavy syrups and sauces. These add calories as do nuts, dry fruit and other toppings, even fruit if it is too heavy such as bananas.