From what month can you give cottage cheese to a baby ~ Children's City Clinic No. 1 of Magnitogorsk

When should you start introducing cottage cheese?

Find out how the first 1000 days of life shape your baby's healthy future.

Breast milk still provides all the nutrients your baby needs, but it's time to think about introducing complementary foods.

As the child grows up, he gains more and more baby teeth, which means he develops biting and chewing skills. Accordingly, it changes.

We believe breast milk is the ideal nutrition for babies and strongly support the World Health Organization's recommendation of exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of a child's life.

We also recognize that breastfeeding may not always be accessible to parents. Whatever feeding option you choose, the Nestlé Baby&me Club is always here to provide the latest science-based information so you feel supported and confident that you are giving your baby the best nutrition.

Cottage cheese is not rich in calcium alone

The main reason for introducing a milk treat to a baby is the enormous benefits of the product. In addition to its excellent taste and pleasant consistency, it has carefully preserved a storehouse of valuable properties for the child’s body:

As for the vitamin composition, it is quite decent in cottage cheese: the product contains vitamins A, PP, B2, B6 and B12.
Phosphorus, together with calcium, is responsible for strong bones and teeth, as well as healthy growth.
The product boasts the content of a unique protein called albumin: it ensures the development of antibodies that strengthen the immune system.
The product is also useful for children due to its prebiotics, which are responsible for healthy digestion.
The treat also strengthens the nervous system.
The ability of cottage cheese to increase appetite and promote weight gain is also important.

As you can see, the benefits of the treat are obvious. Therefore, the urgent question for all mothers is when a baby can finally get acquainted with a valuable product.

Introduction of complementary foods: new baby food products at 6, 7, 8 months.

Elena Fateeva Doctor of Medical Sciences, founder of the national school of pediatric nutritionology, pediatrician and nutritionist, professor of the Research Institute of Nutrition of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences

Add cottage cheese
Kefir - pros and cons
Bio? Bifido?
Egg yolk

So we got to dairy feeding. “Can’t you get by with my milk? - a mother whose child is breastfed will note. “Why does the baby also need cow’s milk?” Indeed, it is better to do without cow's milk in the first year of life, but the products obtained from it should take their rightful place in the baby's diet.

Rules for introducing a new product

New foods should not be introduced to a child during illness, before or after vaccination, during teething or other problems. It will be difficult for the mother to track the reaction of the child’s body, since at any moment the temperature may rise, indigestion or diarrhea may appear, and the mood may worsen.

How to properly introduce cottage cheese into complementary foods:

Place the required amount of product in a bowl and heat until warm. It is better to do this in a water bath.
The size of the first serving should not exceed 5 g. By the end of the week, the amount is increased to 25 g. By the year of life, a single serving is 50 g.
If you don’t like the taste, you can add a little fruit or vegetable puree to the dish, but provided that the baby is already familiar with them.
If you stubbornly refuse new food, you need to return to complementary foods after a few days. Gradually, the baby will get used to the taste on the tongue, and acquaintance will definitely take place.

There is no need to give the product daily. 2-3 times a week is enough. But at the acquaintance stage, you can offer complementary foods for 2 days in a row, since the portions are microscopic, and an open package is stored in the refrigerator for exactly 24 hours. Throw away the pack without 0.5 tsp. cottage cheese is unreasonable. According to the pediatrician's indications, it is possible to consume cottage cheese daily if the child has rickets or other health problems that require additional vitamins and calcium.

Add cottage cheese

Cottage cheese is one of the first dairy products in a baby's diet. It contains milk protein concentrate, which has high biological value, and milk fat, which is easily absorbed by the child's body. Children first try cottage cheese, a source of calcium and phosphorus necessary for the formation of bone tissue, at the 7-8th month of life. Getting to know this product, which contains, among other things, B vitamins, niacin, and folic acid, starts with 1/2 teaspoon. Within a month, the daily volume of cottage cheese consumption by the baby should be increased to

Keep in mind that even by the end of the first year of life, the amount of cottage cheese in the baby’s daily diet should not exceed 50 g! The baby's kidneys may not be able to handle large amounts of this product due to its high protein content. Initially, the baby should be offered pure cottage cheese that does not contain additional components, produced specifically for baby food. It has a soft consistency, which is important for children who do not yet know how to chew. In addition, children's cottage cheese is adapted to the characteristics of the child's body, which is characterized by physiological immaturity of the gastrointestinal tract.

When choosing cottage cheese, its fat component is also important. Kids, of course, will like the creamy version of fat), but it’s better to start the first acquaintance with its dairy counterpart (all fat). The latter type of cottage cheese is ideal for children with increased body weight. If your baby is not gaining enough weight and height and has a poor appetite, then you should pay attention to fruit curds, which have a higher carbohydrate content.

When can complementary foods be introduced?

Previously, it was considered normal to introduce cottage cheese into a baby’s complementary foods at six months of age. However, according to modern doctors, this age is not suitable for consuming such a heavy product (a large amount of protein puts a serious burden on the child’s kidneys and negatively affects metabolic processes and blood pressure). Therefore, pediatricians advise introducing fermented milk products into the baby’s diet only from 8 months (sometimes from 10-12).

What causes constipation in babies?

Before you start feeding your baby, you should consult a specialist. In certain cases, product consumption is limited or completely eliminated. Also, you should not rush to introduce complementary foods if the baby suffers from allergies or colic. If intestinal upset occurs, you should discard the product.

On a note. In some cases, the pediatrician prescribes the introduction of complementary foods from 6-7 months, which is most often associated with rickets, weight loss and being on IV.

You can give cottage cheese up to 3-4 times a week. Usually the product is offered as an afternoon snack or an additional dish for breakfast.

The introduction of the product should start small, namely with half a teaspoon, which is 5-10 g. If the baby accepts the food normally, the portion can be doubled. Gradually, the one-time volume will vary from 30 to 40 g. The maximum amount of cottage cheese in one serving is no more than 50 g (for babies up to one year old).

Scheme for introducing cottage cheese in the first year of life

Kefir - pros and cons

Despite the positive properties of kefir, pediatricians do not recommend introducing this product into the diet of children before one month of age. The composition of “adult” kefir does not meet the physiological needs of a child in the first year of life, so the baby must be offered kefir created specifically for baby food. If the baby is bottle-fed, then the introduction to kefir can take place a little earlier - at 6-7 months.

The child’s gastrointestinal tract is just developing, so there is no need to rush into introducing adult foods into the diet. When choosing kefir, carefully read the packaging: labeling is required indicating what age the product is intended for. Fermented milk products for children have a delicate taste and low acidity, which is why they are digested comfortably.

Kefir should be introduced into children's diets gradually, starting with 30 ml, increasing the volume of product consumed to 200 ml by 9 months, which corresponds to the volume of one feeding.

What kind of cottage cheese should I feed?

What kind of cottage cheese can you give to your baby? You should not give your child a product purchased at the market or in a dairy store. For a seven-month-old baby, it is advisable to make cottage cheese yourself or buy special cottage cheese for babies from a dairy kitchen.

The children's product differs in the processing method and has a delicate, uniform structure, it does not irritate the mucous membrane of the small stomach and has a low percentage of acidity.

There are several types of children's cottage cheese:

creamy;
lactic.

Creamy is recommended for children who are underweight, as it has a certain fat content and nutritional value.

Children with reduced weight can be offered creamy cottage cheese every day with various nutritious fillings - fruits and berries in the form of puree. Chubby babies should be offered low-fat milk curds. If a toddler eats fatty cottage cheese every day, he will quickly gain excess weight.

What to do if your baby doesn’t like pure cottage cheese, even with banana? In this case, you can prepare a soufflé with fruit or a casserole. At the age of 6-7 months, it is not recommended to bake pieces of fruit: it is better to add puree. At the age of eight months, when the baby is already familiar with pieces of solid food, you can add small slices of banana or apple to the soufflé.

You cannot store cottage cheese for more than 24 hours even in the refrigerator, so your baby needs a fresh portion of complementary foods every day.

Bio? Bifido?

Kefir, bio-yogurt and bifikefir differ not only in names, but also in the content of microflora, thereby having different effects on the microbiocenosis of the gastrointestinal tract. Kefir contains milk fungi that stimulate the growth of intestinal microflora. The prefixes bio- and bifido- indicate that kefir is additionally enriched with bifidobacteria, which contribute to the development of the intestinal microflora.

Probiotic bacteria that fight pest microorganisms are real workers. Therefore, if your child tolerates all types of kefir well, then you should not give preference to any one. To achieve a healing effect, the baby’s body must receive different types of probiotic bacteria.

Possible harm

If you are intolerant to milk and fermented milk products, cottage cheese can cause serious harm to the child’s body. Bloating and increased gas formation, abdominal pain, diarrhea, rashes on the face and body are just a small part of the possible health problems. That is why, when introducing complementary foods, you need to carefully monitor the child’s condition, his mood, behavior and stool. At the first signs of intolerance, you should immediately discard cottage cheese.

Contraindications:

kidney problems;
bowel dysfunction;
stomach diseases.

It is important to carefully monitor expiration dates. It is very easy to get poisoned from cottage cheese. When purchasing a product in the hot season, you need to reduce the travel time from the store to your home to a minimum. If there are suspicions about the quality of the purchased baby food, then it is not advisable to give it to the child.

“It’s time to introduce cottage cheese to the baby’s complementary foods,” my mother-in-law told me in a general’s tone, so that you couldn’t object. “After all, we are still very small! “- I was indignant in response, having finally decided. Most modern young mothers know by heart that cottage cheese is necessary, but at what age and in what proportions?

Mom knows what is good for her baby.

Egg yolk

Egg yolk is also a source of protein in a child’s diet. For convenience, it is added to vegetable puree. Yolk appears on the baby's menu at the age of 6 months (for the first time, offer the baby 1/8 of the yolk, gradually increasing its amount to 1/2 by 8 months). However, it often causes an allergic reaction in children, so you must try it very carefully. Trying to avoid possible allergies, do not rush to replace chicken eggs with quail ones. Contrary to popular belief, an allergic reaction to them occurs with the same frequency as a reaction to chicken eggs.

The information on the site is for reference only and does not constitute a recommendation for independent diagnosis and treatment. For medical questions, be sure to consult your doctor.

Article provided by the magazine “Raising a Child”, No. 4, 2013.

How to teach a child to tie shoelaces. Simple rules

Elon Musk showed his little son with an unusual name

Which doctors should a healthy child under one year old see? Rules and terms

What should you definitely ask the doctor at the maternity hospital? List of 25 important questions

Director Oleg Sentsov became a father of many children. First photo

Vaccination calendar

Pregnancy Calendar

Complementary feeding table

Your Baby

“Your Baby” is a unique Ukrainian magazine for modern parents. On its pages you will find the most complete high-quality information about pregnancy and childbirth, caring for a newborn and small children.

home
First year
Nutrition and complementary feeding

You can start complementary feeding with cottage cheese or introduce cottage cheese closer to 7-8 months. But remember that your baby cannot eat regular store-bought cottage cheese.

Have you already started introducing complementary foods to your baby? It's time to introduce him to fermented milk products. Can a child have cottage cheese? To develop the growth of the baby, it is very important to introduce cottage cheese into complementary foods, since it contains calcium and phosphorus, which are so important for the formation of strong teeth and bones of the baby. These elements are no less necessary to ensure the healthy functioning of the central nervous system and heart muscle, liver function, and normalization of metabolism. In addition, cottage cheese is rich in folic acid and vitamins B2, which promote growth development. And kefir grains in cottage cheese contain microorganisms that minimize the likelihood of developing pathogenic flora, and, accordingly, intestinal infections. Milk protein concentrate is important for the formation of cells, necessary enzymes and immune bodies.

For delicate children's stomachs, there is nothing better than special children's cottage cheese and yogurt. Is it possible to give a child store-bought cottage cheese? Or is it better to make fermented milk products yourself? Let's look into this subtle issue. It is especially acute among those mothers who have chosen the Komarovsky complementary feeding scheme, that is, they began to introduce the baby to solid foods starting with fermented milk products.

It must be said right away: “adult” fermented milk products that are not adapted for baby food are contraindicated for babies. At least until a year. Next, you can offer your child the cottage cheese that you buy for yourself and monitor the reaction. Is your digestion okay, your stool hasn’t changed, your tummy isn’t bothering you, no rash has appeared on your cheeks? Can be converted to “adult” fermented milk.

Why is regular store-bought cottage cheese contraindicated for children under one year of age? The thing is that it has a different composition from special children's products. It has a different ratio of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, and salt can be added, which is completely unnecessary in the first baby food. Because of this, the baby may not receive enough valuable calcium and vitamins, which it will probably receive along with adapted products. Store-bought cottage cheese can be included in the diet when the kidneys can digest the increased content of protein, organic acids and salts, which occurs no earlier than 12 months.

Special children's cottage cheese from the store has a puree-like, uniform texture, which is very important for babies, because the chewing apparatus in babies is still poorly developed. And ordinary store-bought (and even homemade cottage cheese) consists of too coarse protein molecules that are difficult to digest in children's gastrointestinal tract.

How to introduce complementary foods made from cottage cheese to a baby?

Cottage cheese, like other fermented milk products, should be given to the baby once a day. This must be done gradually: starting with 1/4 tsp. and slowly increase to an amount of 20-40 g. You need to increase the portion very slowly in order to reach the age norm no earlier than in a month.

Approximate norms for the amount of cottage cheese in complementary foods:

7 months - 20-30 g
8 months - 30-40 g
9-12 months - 50 g

You can give regular cottage cheese to children after one year, but its portion should not exceed 50 grams, while a baby can eat 100 grams of baby cottage cheese. It is best to give fermented milk products to your baby for an afternoon snack or dinner, combining them with fruits or cereals. There is no need to combine cottage cheese with vegetables, legumes and meat; not every child’s body can process such an amount of protein at the same time.

If you are buying regular store-bought cottage cheese for a child over one year old, then carefully examine the packaging. It must not be damaged, torn, chipped or inflated. Choose products with a minimum shelf life and as fresh as possible. If necessary, cottage cheese can be frozen, but after defrosting it is better to prepare cheesecakes, casserole or some other heat treatment. Naturally, if a baby is allergic to cow's milk protein, then he cannot eat either children's or adult cottage cheese. The exception is special products created on the basis of milk with split protein.

Also, do not forget to study the composition and quality of the product itself. Trust only trusted manufacturers, because store-bought cottage cheese may contain large amounts of starch, preservatives, dyes, fillers and other flavor enhancers that can cause not only allergies, but also cause more serious health problems in the baby.

What does the famous doctor Evgeny Komarovsky think about the benefits of fermented milk products for children?

Traditionally, cottage cheese is considered a very healthy product - it is recommended for pregnant women to eat it every day, in kindergartens and schools they make delicious casseroles from cottage cheese, and it is not without reason that fans of a healthy lifestyle include it in their carefully adjusted diet. It is not surprising that cottage cheese is among the first to be given as complementary food to small children.

The usual recommendation from pediatricians is that a baby should be introduced to cottage cheese no earlier than 2 months after the start of complementary feeding. This applies to both breastfed and bottle-fed children, but in practice it looks like this:

if the child tried the first complementary foods at 4 months, then cottage cheese can be given to him at 6-7;
if the first complementary feeding began at 6 months, then the turn for cottage cheese will come at about 8-9.

Benefits of cottage cheese

The usefulness of the product can hardly be overestimated, especially when it comes to baby food - for a growing organism, the issue of normal development is most relevant. Due to the rich content of vitamins and other useful substances, cottage cheese:

Strengthens the immune system.
Improves memory.
Stimulates the digestive system and normalizes metabolism.
Strengthens hair, nails, tooth enamel.
Promotes effective memorization.
Gives strength, vigor, energy.
Improves the condition of the skin and gums.
Stimulates brain function, strengthens nerve cells.
Provides intensive muscle development.
Serves as a prevention of atherosclerosis.

Important! In order for cottage cheese to really have a beneficial effect on the baby’s body, the product must be fresh and of high quality. In addition, not all varieties of cottage cheese offered by modern manufacturers are suitable for children.

Composition and nutritional value

The composition of children's cottage cheese must strictly comply with special requirements, one of which is the production only from fermented milk products that have undergone the ripening procedure and were subsequently subjected to heat treatment. Cottage cheese is based on whole milk, the production process of which maintains a fat content of 2.8% or more.

The main feature and advantage of this product is that cottage cheese allows you to compensate for the lack of phosphorus and calcium in the child’s body. These microelements largely determine the process of formation and normal growth of teeth and bones. In addition, the product is easily and quickly absorbed by the child.

Cottage cheese contains the following beneficial microelements:

Vitamin A (prevents eye health, improves vision);
Vitamin D. Particularly relevant in winter, when sunlight is in short supply. An essential substance, the lack of which in a child’s body can lead to the development of a very serious disease - rickets;
Easily digestible protein (promotes active formation of muscles and bone tissue);
Albumin (increases the body's protective properties by stimulating the production of antibodies);
Lactobacilli (thanks to them, cottage cheese, like any other fermented milk product, improves metabolism and optimizes the digestion process);
Also, as a supplement there can be various food additives, pieces of fruit, etc.

On a note. Pediatricians do not advise parents to give their babies cottage cheese with additional ingredients. The baby should eat a pure product without unnecessary additives, otherwise the baby may have digestive problems. In addition, many components of this kind are strong allergens, and sweeteners increase the risk of developing caries and obesity.

Composition of baby cottage cheese

How much cottage cheese can you give your child?

The first portion should be no more than half a teaspoon, and it should be given in the morning so that the mother has the opportunity to track any negative reactions that may appear. Of course, cottage cheese is not mushrooms or an egg, the child’s body is unlikely to react too strongly to this product (for example, with abdominal pain or allergic rashes), but if parents have doubts, feeding with cottage cheese can be postponed for some time , and then try again.

What to focus on? Modern pediatricians believe that by the age of one year a child can eat up to 50 grams of cottage cheese per day. Of course, this should not be a prerequisite - not all children are happy to eat this product, and there is no point in force-feeding it. If you wish, you can make casseroles or other desserts from cottage cheese, which children like much more.

At what age should you start eating cottage cheese?

When a child can be given cottage cheese as complementary food depends primarily on the type of feeding of the baby. Infants who received only breast milk up to 6 months can try cottage cheese at 8-9 months. Artificial babies who receive various types of complementary foods from 4 months can become familiar with cottage cheese at 6-7 months. But, in both cases, cottage cheese complementary foods are introduced after the baby has mastered juices, vegetable and fruit complementary foods, and dairy-free porridges.

First feeding
First time juice
The child has trouble eating from a spoon

How to properly introduce curd complementary foods?

The curd delicacy should only be offered to a healthy baby to try for the first time, no later than afternoon tea, and only when the little one is in a good mood. You should not introduce a new product three days before and three days after a preventive vaccination. Actually, these rules apply to the introduction of any new product into the diet.

How much cottage cheese can you give your child?

When introducing any product for the first time, including cottage cheese, the child should be offered ½ - 1 teaspoon. It’s good if the baby likes the new taste. Then you should carefully monitor the reaction of the little one’s body to the newly introduced product. If allergic manifestations do not occur, then you can continue to increase the portion. By the age of one year, the baby should eat 50 grams of cottage cheese daily. Sometimes, for medical reasons, the pediatrician advises to slightly increase or decrease the amount of cottage cheese complementary foods.

Make homemade cottage cheese or buy it at the store?

On store shelves today there is a large selection of baby cottage cheese prepared for complementary feeding of babies up to one year old. This curd is adapted to the needs of the baby’s still immature digestive system, has the consistency of thick sour cream and a delicate taste. As a rule, children eat it with pleasure. When buying baby cottage cheese in a store, you should choose packaging with a short shelf life, the freshest by production date and without additives.

The ideal option for a baby would be cottage cheese made from whole milk from homemade Burenka.

The recipe for making homemade cottage cheese is simple:

Boil 1 liter. milk. Cool to about 35 Co, add 50 g of starter (kefir, yogurt or sour cream are suitable). After a few hours, the milk will sour into yogurt. Place the bowl with yogurt in a water bath and place on low heat. After about 30-40 minutes. the cottage cheese will be ready. All that remains is to let the serum drain. Homemade cottage cheese must additionally be ground in a blender. You can add berries or fruits.

There is no need to give your child cheesecakes stuffed with flavorings and various additives, as well as “adult” cottage cheese, as complementary foods.

For what diseases should children not be given cottage cheese?

Contraindications for consuming cottage cheese are kidney diseases. Cottage cheese, as well as other dairy products, are not given to children with milk protein intolerance.

In any of these cases, consultation with a pediatrician is necessary.

READ ALSO: Is it possible to give kefir to children under one year old?

Pediatricians advise introducing complementary foods to infants after six months. If the baby is on mixed or artificial feeding, complementary feeding can be started as early as 4-5 months. The age at which the transition to adult food begins depends on several indicators. By this point, the baby should be able to sit up independently, be interested in adult food, and not push out the spoon. In addition, you will notice that the baby only needs breast milk.

You should not start complementary feeding if your baby is sick or stressed. For example, during prolonged separation from mother, during teething, during a cold, or when moving.

When introducing complementary foods, it is important to know what food and from how many months to give the baby. Pediatricians recommend starting complementary feeding with vegetable puree, and then gradually switching to fermented milk products and milk porridges. However, the famous doctor Komarovsky, on the contrary, advises first giving cottage cheese and kefir, since these products are closest to the composition of breast milk. Therefore, the baby’s transition to adult nutrition will be easier.

You can find a detailed feeding schedule at this link.

Cottage cheese in pedagogical complementary foods

It is worth saying a few words about how to properly give cottage cheese (and other fermented milk products) during pedagogical complementary feeding.

The first thing that is important to remember is that complementary feeding does not have the goal of feeding the baby, it is just an introduction to new food. Therefore, you need to give the product to your child when he himself shows interest in it.

Don't forget about microdosing. The smaller the child, the less amount of product you can give him. “Too much” with cottage cheese can lead to digestive problems – loose stools, increased gas formation, and abdominal cramps.

If you have kidney disease, cottage cheese will be completely contraindicated for a small child, and if you are intolerant to milk proteins, this product should be given very carefully.

Types of industrial baby cottage cheese

Children's cottage cheese has optimal acidity for the child's stomach and is rich in proteins, calcium and phosphorus. Children's cottage cheese is made from natural (whole) milk or normalized, i.e., brought to a certain percentage of fat content by high-temperature processing. In the preparation of fermented milk products, bacterial ferment (lactic acid bacteria) is used. Children's cottage cheese has different percentages of fat content: from 3.8 to 10% and higher.

Industrial children's cottage cheese is:

Dairy, which contains a reduced amount of fat - 3-5%. It is recommended for use by overweight children, diabetes mellitus, and physical inactivity.
Creamy, with fat – 10–15%. Due to its calorie content, it is prescribed to children with malnutrition - underweight and hyperactivity syndrome.
Combined, where some animal fats are replaced with vegetable fats. It contains 6% fat and added polyunsaturated fatty acids necessary for the functioning of brain structures.
With fruit and berry and fruit and vegetable natural fillings. Apricot, banana, pear, apple, blueberry, black currant, and carrot are added to it. It is distinguished by the presence of carbohydrates. And the pleasant taste will appeal to children with poor appetite and lagging behind in physical development.

How to choose cottage cheese for a child?

If your baby is healthy, then you can give him regular cottage cheese, which you eat yourself and which you like. Just make sure that it is not expired; if there is any suspicion that the product is spoiled, it is better to throw it away and buy a new one.

For children with allergies and those babies who have already had digestive problems, it is safer to give special children's cottage cheese. Just not curd cheeses and other similar products that contain a huge amount of additives! Baby cottage cheese should be intended specifically for complementary feeding - such a product will not cause negative reactions in the child, since no foreign components are added to it. Give preference to foreign manufacturers; their products are usually of higher quality.

You can also prepare cottage cheese for your child at home. One of the simplest recipes:

Pour one-day kefir into a saucepan and place in a water bath.
Cook it over low heat for about half an hour until the product curdles.
Remove the pan from the heat and place in a bowl of cold water.
When the cottage cheese has cooled, place it on a sieve to drain the water, and then rub through the same sieve.

As a result, from about 600 grams of kefir you will get 100 grams of homemade cottage cheese, which you can safely give to your baby.

← Previous The waters broke: how long after birth
Child’s sleep by month: routine and norm Next →

How to make homemade cottage cheese

At what temperature can you walk with a newborn?

To make cottage cheese from milk, you will need 300 g of the main ingredient and 3 g of calcium chloride. The components are mixed and brought to a boil. Next, remove the cottage cheese from the heat and wait until it cools down. Then the product is poured into gauze to drain the liquid.

To prepare kefir cottage cheese, you will need one percent kefir (200 g of the product allows you to get 50 g of cottage cheese). The component is heated in a water bath until clots appear. Then the “brew” is removed from the heat, allowed to cool and poured into cheesecloth to drain off excess liquid. Before feeding, you can add a little sour cream to the cottage cheese.

On a note. On the recommendation of Dr. Komarovsky, many mothers add homemade cottage cheese to kefir.

Making homemade cottage cheese

Beneficial features

Cottage cheese is one of the main sources of protein and mineral salts, in particular calcium salts. And proteins and calcium are exactly what a rapidly growing body urgently needs. Due to the high content of calcium and phosphorus, it is indispensable for complementary feeding and further baby food. Moreover, both elements are contained in an easily digestible form. This means that with cottage cheese the child receives substances that promote the growth of bones and teeth and strengthens cartilage tissue.

The amino acids contained in the product are useful for everyone, but especially for children. The product contains animal protein, which is used in the formation of tissues and the proper functioning of the body as a whole. Depending on the fat content, it contains from 14 to 18 percent protein. Almost as much as in meat. Vitamin complex: B1, B2, PP, C, has a healing effect, especially on the nervous and immune system.

It is advisable to make the first complementary feeding with cottage cheese, as it contains lactic acid bacteria, which will help in the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract and relieve constipation.

Where to begin

Experts advise starting with half a teaspoon per day. We tried it. Liked. I was afraid of a negative reaction from the baby. Fortunately, the allergy passed us by. The tummy didn't bother me either.

Slowly but surely.

A friend’s child reacted terribly to fermented milk complementary foods: he was capricious, diarrhea, and covered in a rash. She unknowingly continued to treat him with the allergen. During the next trip to the pediatrician, it turned out that it was necessary to stop feeding the child a product that caused allergies even at the first symptoms.

A friend became worried: “Is this for life now? “The specialist explained: “If the baby has a predisposition to allergies at the hereditary level, then, most likely, yes. But if the little one’s body simply recognizes the new product as foreign to itself, then everything will be fine. We just need to wait a little."

- This dish is clearly not for me!

Inspired, I went to prepare a new portion of delicious treats for my little one. Many sources say that this product, rich in vitamins and nutrients, can be stored in the refrigerator for 1-3 days. I am wary of such advice.

First: the result of my labors may be saturated with the odors of other food stored in the refrigerator (even with the lids closed). The result may be the baby refusing to eat.
Second: in any fermented milk environment, harmful bacteria multiply at high speed. Personally, I don’t want to poison my child with spoiled food.

How to make cottage cheese at home

Recipe No. 1

Required ingredients:

Milk;
Calcium chloride solution (can be purchased at any pharmacy).

To keep the curd soft, do not let all the whey drain out.

The amount of milk is determined individually. For the first complementary feeding, it is better to take 200-300 milligrams of milk, boil it and let it cool. Add calcium chloride to the cooled milk at the rate of 1 milliliter of the drug per 100 milliliters of milk. Stir the solution and bring it to a boil again (but do not boil). Place the curdled milk on a sieve. Let the whey drain a little, but not much, so that the future product is not too thick. Rub the resulting mass through a sieve with a spoon to achieve a uniform consistency. Feeding your baby!

Recipe No. 2

This method was suggested by my mother. My little one really likes this dish.

Required ingredients:

Milk;
Sour cream (can be replaced with yogurt).

Healthy child, calm mother!

We heat the milk to 40-50 0C (if it is from a package, then it has already been sterilized, and the beneficial substances evaporate when boiled). It is better to boil cow's milk bought at the market.
Add 3-4 tablespoons of sour cream to warm milk.
Let's shake up the resulting substance.
Close the pan with a lid and wrap it up.
Leave the milk and sour cream in a warm place overnight. In the morning the mixture turns into thick kefir.
Place the pan on the fire and bring to a boil over low heat.
Pass the separated mass together with the whey through a sieve.
If desired, wipe the resulting curd.

A toothless baby will happily eat pureed tender cottage cheese.

Recipe No. 3

Homemade cottage cheese for babies can be prepared without sourdough. To do this, you will need fresh kefir (no older than a day). Heat 200-300 grams of kefir over low heat until the whey separates, let it drain a little through a sieve and wipe the resulting mass. This kind of cottage cheese turns out to be sour and not all children like it, but it is also healthy.

Unfortunately, not everyone will appreciate cottage cheese made with kefir.

At what age can a child be given cottage cheese?

Pediatricians may argue about other products whether they can be consumed by babies, but everyone recommends cottage cheese for children under one year old. This helps children get on their feet and walk faster, since the product contains several important ingredients for the formation of bone and muscle tissue.

When is the best time to start giving cottage cheese depends on whether the baby is bottle-fed or natural-fed.

In the first case, the doctor advises starting to do this at six or seven months. And if a child feeds on mother’s milk, then the period when the child can be given cottage cheese shifts by one and a half to two months. Fermented milk products begin to be given after the introduction of fruits, vegetables, porridge with water and meat.

Also, if a baby has problems with the formation of bone tissue in the first year of life, which leads to rickets, then the need for calcium increases sharply, and the doctor may recommend introducing foods containing easily digestible forms of calcium earlier. The timing also shifts when the baby is not gaining weight well.

But it is not recommended to give cottage cheese to children who have kidney problems, as well as those who are intolerant to milk protein.

Main questions

Mothers discuss all important issues regarding the first feeding and the introduction of new foods among themselves and with the pediatrician. But questions still remain. Here are the main ones:

How to start complementary feeding?

Based on the fact that at the age of eight months the baby begins to produce special enzymes that promote decoupling, you should begin to introduce cottage cheese for babies without additives and fillers.

The algorithm is similar to introducing any other unfamiliar food:

the child must be healthy (exceptions include conditions when treatment is necessary, for example, rickets);
you need to wait at least a week from the moment of the last vaccination;
the next vaccination should not take place within the next 2-3 weeks;
a long trip or relocation is not expected, that is, a change of scenery;
the weather is normal for the season, there is no excessive heat, which in itself can contribute to skin rashes or bowel disorders;
You need to start with a tiny dose and gradually increase it.

If you follow all the rules, you can say with confidence that cottage cheese will only bring benefits to your child.

When, with what frequency and how much to give?

How often should I give cottage cheese to a child under one year old? It all depends on your diet. This product should be given between meals. The frequency depends on how long this product has been in your baby’s diet. If it is at least 2 months, then you can divide the dose into 2 times. This way the product is better absorbed. At the same time, the daily norm for a one-year-old child should be about 50g.

When is the best time to give it? Some give cottage cheese regardless of the time of day, others only in the morning. There are mothers who simply make sure that the product is fresh and, regardless of the time of day, feed the baby immediately after preparing it. There are studies that suggest that calcium is best absorbed after six in the evening.

How to give?

How to give cottage cheese to a child? Like all fermented milk products, it should be given in thoroughly washed containers. At first, spoons and plates can be subjected to heat treatment, that is, doused with boiling water. If cottage cheese for complementary feeding is stored in the refrigerator, then you need to warm it to room temperature. If you are in a hurry, place the dishes in a container of hot water and heat in a water bath.

You should start with cottage cheese in its pure form, without additives. But if a child refuses unsweetened cottage cheese, then you can add some fruit or postpone introducing this product for a couple of weeks. Casseroles, cheesecakes and other cottage cheese dishes appear in the baby’s diet after 1.5 years.

Which cottage cheese is better?

In the modern world, manufacturers of fermented milk products provide a large selection of curds for children. Therefore, let’s look at what types of cottage cheese there are:

Dairy (fat content no more than 5%). It is recommended for children who are inactive and, as a result, gain weight.
Creamy (10-15% fat content). Recommended for babies who are not gaining much weight, as well as for those who move a lot.
Combined (about 6% fat content). Contains elements that help strengthen the nervous system.

Some doctors confidently recommend giving only factory-made fermented milk products for up to a year, which are prepared on special equipment and have passed a sanitary inspection.

Some are of the opinion that if you keep the kitchen clean and the cooking rules, then homemade will be much healthier. Firstly, you see what it is made from, and secondly, it will definitely be fresh.

How to store?

Only in a cool place, preferably in the refrigerator. If the product is purchased, then the opened pack should be consumed within a day. Therefore, for children it is better to buy a small package. Homemade can be stored for 2-3 days. But it will still be better if you do it once.