Bottle gourd is a tender green vegetable and an excellent source of nutrition for babies. It is one of the safest vegetables, and you can introduce it as the first solid food for your baby. Bottle gourd is known to treat constipation and digestion problems in babies. In addition to being nutritious, bottle gourd is known for its high water content. In this article, we highlight the important aspects of bottle gourd for babies such as the right time to introduce it, how you can give it, side effects, and precautions you must take.
A vegetable commonly found in every Indian household; the bottle gourd is predominantly grown in Asian countries. We call it by names like lauki, sorakai, opo squash, and doodhi. It is a bland vegetable and can be bitter sometimes. Babies can have this in their solid diet. It is a good source of many nutrients and is easily digestible too.
In This Article
- Is Bottle Gourd Safe For Babies?
- When Can You Introduce Bottle Gourd to Your Baby?
- Nutritional Facts of a Bottle Gourd
- Amazing Top 7 Health Benefits of Bottle Gourd For Babies
- Precautions to Take While Introducing Bottle Gourd to Babies
- Are There Any Side Effects of Bottle Gourd on Babies?
- Top 3 Healthy and Tasty Bottle Gourd Recipes For Babies
- FAQ’s
Is Bottle Gourd Safe For Babies?
Bottle gourd is one of the safest vegetables your baby can have in their solid diet. It does not cause any allergies or indigestion in babies. Due to its easy-to-digest qualities and vegetable and high fiber and water content, this is a good vegetable to incorporate into your baby’s diet once they begin with solids.
You can introduce bottle gourd once the baby is seven to eight months old, and there are many ways to introduce this vegetable to a baby. Bottle gourd is a highly nutritious vegetable and helps regulate body heat in babies. Bottle gourd balances vital body functions by providing adequate vitamin C and other minerals like calcium, potassium, sodium, and iron.
When Can You Introduce Bottle Gourd to Your Baby?
You can introduce bottle gourd to your baby once they are ready for solids at around the 6th to 7th month mark. It is a very easy-to-digest vegetable and provides the nutrition a young baby needs. Bottle gourd provides hydration as well which is vital for babies who are starting solids and need water to digest the food. You can give your baby steamed and mashed bottle gourd puree as one of the initial weaning foods for your infant.
Nutritional Facts of a Bottle Gourd
The nutritional facts of bottle gourd per 100 g are in the table below.
| Nutrients | Value |
| Carbohydrates | 3.60 g |
| Fiber | 1.33 g |
| Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) | 14 mg |
| Calcium (Ca) | 13.33 mg |
| Iron (Fe) | 0.53 mg |
| Sodium (Na) | 1.87 mg |
| Potassium (K) | 165.33 mg |
| Protein | 0.53 g |
| Water | 40.0 g |
(Source)
Amazing Top 7 Health Benefits of Bottle Gourd For Babies
Lauki is one of the best vegetables for health and wellness and is the best first food for babies. Among many, we list the top five health benefits of lauki for babies.
1. Acts as a Laxative
Bottle gourd acts as a laxative for babies. Yes, it can treat constipation and other stomach-related problems in babies. Bottle gourd is rich in fiber and water content, and the water helps for better digestion and regulates acidity, fiber works in treating constipation.
2. Excellent For Deworming
The paste of bottle gourd seeds works as stomach deworming medicine for babies.
3. Prevents and Treats Urinary Tract Infection in Babies
Babies do not drink enough water and may experience urinary tract infections. A bottle gourd can help treat this because of its high water content. Giving bottle gourd puree to your baby can wash out the bacteria that cause infection and regulates water content in the body.
[Read : Urinary Tract Infection in Babies]
4. Works as a Coolant in Summers
Due to its high water content, bottle gourd works as a coolant. It keeps the body cool by removing excess heat. It also reduces thirst in babies during summer.
5. Contributes to Heart Health
Bottle gourd promotes healthy heart functioning as it contains the essential nutrients required for the body. Introducing and habituating a baby to eating bottle gourd can help them maintain a healthy heart.
6. Protects the Liver
Vitamin C present in bottle gourd detoxifies the cells. Detoxification helps reduce oxidative stress and boosts liver function. It will also rejuvenate the antioxidants of the body.
7. Skin and Hair Health
Apart from the above, Lauki is good for the skin and hair of babies.
Giving bottle gourd to your baby with other solid foods can help them gain all the above benefits.
Precautions to Take While Introducing Bottle Gourd to Babies
There are a few precautions that you need to follow before introducing bottle gourd to your little one.
- Select a fresh bottle gourd. An old bottle gourd is hard to cook and may result in indigestion in babies.
- The bottle gourd that you select must have a light green color stem on it.
- A dark or black stalk indicates an old and unusable bottle gourd.
- Peel the hard outer layer and steam the bottle gourd to preserve the nutrition.
- Cook the bottle gourd properly before feeding it to the baby.
- Before giving a bottle gourd or any new vegetable to your baby, always follow a three-day gap rule.
- Make sure to follow age-appropriate feeding. If your baby is six months old, two tablespoons of vegetable puree should be enough. You can increase the quantity slowly.
Are There Any Side Effects of Bottle Gourd on Babies?
So far, bottle gourd is one of the safest vegetables that babies can have as their first food. It does not cause any side effects. However, consult your doctor if you are concerned about your baby’s solid diet.
Top 3 Healthy and Tasty Bottle Gourd Recipes For Babies
Understandably, it is hard to figure out so many recipes with each vegetable we choose for our babies. Here we have listed some great recipes with bottle gourds for babies.
1. Bottle Gourd Soup For Babies
Select a tender bottle gourd, steam it, cool and blend it well. You can add a pinch of cumin powder to the soup and feed your little one. Do not add salt if your baby is not a year old.
2.Bottle Gourd and Apple Mash
It might not work with just a single recipe, and that is when the apples come to the rescue. Lauki and apple puree is another fine solid food to feed a baby. It will taste sweet and delicious for your baby to eat without a break.
[Read : Baby’s First Food Apple Puree]
3. Lauki Dal
It is essential to introduce dal into your baby’s solid diet. You can cook moong dal and lauki to make a medium consistency soup and feed your baby with a pinch of cumin powder into it.
Bottle gourd is one of the prime vegetables in Indian households. It is very beneficial for babies in their growing phase. You can introduce bottle gourd to your baby by making different recipes. Lauki does not pose any dangerous allergy to babies. However, it is better to consult your doctor before giving any new food to your baby.
FAQ’s
1. How Do You Cook Bottle Gourd For a Baby?
You can make different recipes with bottle gourd for babies. However, ensure not to boil but always steam cook bottle gourd to preserve all the nutrients.
2. Can We Give Lauki to a Six Month Old Baby?
Babies can start on solids once they are six months old. You can introduce bottle gourd along with all the vegetables at that age.
3. Does Bottle Gourd Cause Colds in Babies?
Bottle gourd contains 90% of water in it. It acts as a coolant, and regulates body heat, but does not cause colds.
Read Also: Onion for Babies- Health Benefits and Easy Recipes
