Raisins are storehouses of nutrients and an important member of the dry fruit family. These little delicacies in golden, green, or black color are loved by everyone, and babies are no exception. Raisins are widely used in cooking, preparing desserts, baking, or as a snack. How safe is raisins for babies?
In fact, with high nutritional value and plenty of health benefits for babies, raisins are considered “little gems”. Read along to know 6 Health Benefits of Raisins for babies
In This Article
- Why Raisins?
- Nutritional Value of Raisins
- Is It Safe To Give Raisins To Your Baby?
- Top 6 Health Benefits Of Raisins For Babies
- When to Introduce Raisins to Babies?
- How To Include Raisins In Your Baby’s Diet?
- Are There Any Side Effects of Raisins For Babies?
- Precautions While Feeding Raisins To Your Baby
- FAQ’s
Why Raisins?
Dry Fruits are incomparable when we talk about fulfilling the daily dose of nutrients in your baby’s diet. Talking about raisins, they are an excellent source of carbohydrates, potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium, etc., that gives a lot of health benefits to babies.
It is considered the best food for relieving constipation, it is anti-microbial and one of the top nutrient foods that should be added to a baby’s diet. Raisins are healthy alternatives to candies and chocolates as the best grapes are dried to form raisins.
Nutritional Value of Raisins
Raisins are nutrient-dense and pack a punch. A small amount of this dry fruit goes a long way in providing many of the important nutrients and minerals for a growing baby. Here is the nutritional value of raisins for babies as listed by the Food and Nutrition Research Journal published by the National Library of Medicine.
Energy 129 kcal
Dietary fiber – 1.6 g,
Total fat – 0.2 g
Total sugar 25 g
Potassium – 322 mg
Magnesium – 14 mg
Iron- 0.8 mg
Is It Safe To Give Raisins To Your Baby?
The answer is certainly YES! However, you need to be a little cautious before you start adding raisins to your little one’s diet. The best age to start giving your baby raisins is once he is around 8-10 months old as this is the time when the jaw of your baby is strong to chew raisins.
The best time to give raisins to your baby is along with his meal as this will reduce the risk of the cavity. Since babies have a habit of putting everything in their mouth, you should be careful about the choking hazards that can be possible because of the small size of raisins.
Also keep in mind that although raisins do not contain any extra sugar, they do have natural sugar that is present in grapes before they are dehydrated. So avoid eating them in excess. Remember, moderation is the key here.
Top 6 Health Benefits Of Raisins For Babies
Here are some of the top benefits of raisins for babies
1. Act As Natural Laxative
The amount of dietary fiber found in raisins is high, thus it is the best food when it comes to getting rid of constipation in babies. Regular intake of raisins helps to improve your baby’s bowel movement and boosts their digestive system. Raisins can be offered to babies by boiling them in water and then crushing them to make a smooth paste
2. Best Source of All Useful Minerals
You cannot ignore the importance of minerals in your baby’s diet for proper growth and development. Raisins are full of iron, potassium, magnesium, calcium, and phosphorous. All these minerals are very necessary for the mental and physical development of the baby
3. A Tonic For Fever
When a child is ill, as a parent, you may find it really tough to feed your baby. Their appetite will go for a toss. But raisins are sweet in taste and are best to give to your sick baby. Raisins also work as tonic for fever and are helpful heal your sick baby
4. Increases Hemoglobin
Once the baby starts growing, it is essential to keep a check on their haemoglobin levels. As raisins are full of iron, they are useful in making new red blood in your baby’s body. So, if you want your baby to grow in a healthy manner then it is essential to add raisins to his diet
5. Prevents Acidity
One more benefit of raisins is reducing acidic levels in your baby’s body. Raisins reduce the chances of acidosis thus ensuring your baby’s good health
6. Heals Brain Injuries
According to a recent study, regular intake of raisins can actually heal brain injuries in babies. They are also useful to protect the central nervous system and apart from these raisins can also benefit by increasing your baby’s memory.
When to Introduce Raisins to Babies?
Due to their shape and texture, raisins can be a major choking hazard for babies. For this reason, you must introduce whole raisins to your baby only at around 18 months of age. But you need not deprive younger babies of the nutritional goodness of these dry fruits.
You can introduce well-cooked and properly mashed raisins to babies who have crossed 6 months of age and have started solids. The sweetness and the yummy flavor of these make them an instant hit with most babies.
Once your baby is comfortable with finger foods at around one year, you can introduce them to soft-cooked whole raisins and later slowly introduce them to whole raw raisins once you feel confident that they won’t be a choking hazard for your baby anymore.
How To Include Raisins In Your Baby’s Diet?
As the little ones don’t have teeth to chew raisins, you can boil the raisins in water and once they get cold, then you can crush them, make a paste of it and then feed your baby.
Apart from this, raisins can be an interesting addition to certain recipes for your baby. It can be used for garnishing dishes like your baby’s cereals or can be mixed in pancake batter or you can add it to bread and other baked food items.
Are There Any Side Effects of Raisins For Babies?
As a parent, you must be aware of possible side effects and ill effects of any new food you are introducing to your baby. This will help you be prepared in case your baby experiences any of them. Here we list some of the possible side effects of raisins for babies.
- Babies who are allergic to babies can show reactions such as redness, itching, hives, swelling around the mouth and inside the throat, watering from the eyes, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting etc.
- Since raisins are high in dietary fiber, excessive consumption can lead to gastrointestinal issues such as diarrhea.
- It is also vital to note that raisins do not contain any protein, an important component for a baby’s growth. You should restrict your baby to occasional consumption of these dry fruit in limited quantities.
- Excessive consumption can also lead to undue weight gain due to the presence of high sugars.
Precautions While Feeding Raisins To Your Baby
Raisins are sugary and chewy, which can lead to certain side effects. Some of them are:
- Raisins can stick to your baby’s teeth and since they are high in sugar, this can cause the formation of bacteria. In the long run, it can lead to tooth decay.
- It is necessary to develop a brushing habit in your baby at night to ensure all deposits of raisins are cleared.
- You must not give raisins to your baby during bedtime as it increases the risk of choking.
- Never feed your baby with raisins during traveling like in a moving car as it may lead to choking hazards. Keep in mind that small babies don’t make any choking sounds and you may not be aware of it.
- Make sure that your baby is having one raisin at a time, so make him sit in one place and give him raisins one by one.
- It is better to avoid the juice of raisins, as it can lead to the formation of cavities. Offer raisin juice only in extreme conditions, like when your little one is suffering from fever.
Raisins for babies are nutrient-dense food and provide many vital minerals. But the high sugar and fiber content requires you to feed them in limited quantities to your baby. If you have a family history of allergies, talk to your doctor before introducing raisins to your munchkin.
FAQ’s
1. How Many Raisins Should You Give Your Baby?
You can start with one or two cooked and mashed raisins initially and slowly increase the quantity. Babies over a year old can have up to 10 raisins every day.
2. Do Raisins Help Baby Constipation?
Yes!! Raisins are high in dietary fiber which helps regulate bowel movements and reduces constipation which is a common problem in most babies.
