Summer can be a real bummer for babies. It makes them irritable and cranky. It saps their energy. It leaves them fatigued.
The best way to beat the heat and keep your babies happy and hydrated is by introducing some fruity goodness (and cooling veggies) into their diets.
Juicy fresh watermelon
With 92% water content, watermelons are great way to keep the body hydrated. Babies even love the look of this big fruit: vibrant green outside and bright red inside. Serve this fruit as a juice if your baby is less than 18 months old or cut it into little cubes (without seeds, please!) if he is older. If your baby is 4 years old or more, you can get creative and surprise him with a fruit pizza (yes you read that right). Start by slicing a watermelon; deseed the slices; join the slices together and place them to form a circle. Then keeping the watermelon as a base, add a few strawberries, followed by banana, and lastly blueberries (if you can find them or else skip them) and presto your fruit pizza is ready!
To peach his own
Be sure to include this orange-yellow fuzzy fruit in your child’s diet. Peaches are rich in antioxidants, vitamins A & C, riboflavin, potassium & fibre. They improve vision and help boost immunity. Babies who are just being weaned away from breastmilk, can be fed pureed peach to start with.
Majestic Mango
The mango is luscious, sweet and just yummy. Mangoes are already in season and that is no ‘aam baat’. The king of fruits is easily digestible and is rich in vitamins, minerals and carbohydrates and does wonders for the eyes.
Apricots for your tots!
These fruits are a storehouse of nutrients. Apricots contain an important antioxidant called Lycopene. They are also a natural sugar source, containing vitamins A, B, C, E & K, calcium, iron etc. Apricots can be pureed or blended with mangoes to make a mango apricot smoothie for your little one.
Very berry healthy
Summer time is a good time to munch on berries (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries), as they are abundantly available. They are rich in vitamins and soft enough for your li’l one to chew on. You can even puree them or add them to your kids’ cereal and yogurt.
Here’s something more…
Apart from these fruits there are certain vegetables like cucumber, tomatoes, broccoli, cabbage etc. that need to be a part of your child’s meal. Kids love these crunchy veggies and can easily handle them once they are about 18 months old. They are a great source of minerals and fiber. And speaking of babies, let’s not forget A for Apple and B for Bananas. Give the apple of your eye lots of his namesake fruit, mashed, pureed or softened with milk.
PS. Before you run off to prepare a fruit pizza, do let us know in the comments below if you have a special summer recipes to share.
