When can i feed my baby oranges

When Can Babies Eat Oranges?

Written by WebMD Editorial Contributors

Reviewed by Dan Brennan, MD on March 12, 2021

Oranges may seem like a healthy choice since they are full of vitamin C, but the acidity of the fruit might not be good for your baby's digestion and might cause an allergic reaction. To avoid a bad reaction, you should wait until after one year of age to allow your baby's digestive system to mature.

Introducing Your Baby to Oranges

By the time your baby is one year old, they might seem like an old pro at trying new foods. Or maybe they've learned to be cautious of new foods that taste different than what they're used to. Either way, have fun introducing a new category of foods to your baby’s diet — citrus!

Oranges have to be peeled before eating, and the membrane left around individual slices may still be tough after the skin has been removed. You can start out by offering canned mandarin oranges first since the outer membrane is softer and more palatable. Just make sure the canned fruit doesn't have added sugar.

If your baby doesn’t like oranges at first, continue offering them on a regular basis. You might have to offer a new food a few times before your baby begins liking it. Citrus fruits have a distinct flavor that may take time to get used to.

Nutritional Benefits of Oranges for Your Baby

Oranges are well known for having a high dose of vitamin C, which helps your immune system stay strong. But oranges also have other nutrients like potassium, folate, and thiamin. Additionally, oranges have high water content, so they help your baby stay hydrated.

How to Prepare Oranges for Your Baby

The first time your baby eats orange, cut the pieces up to be about the size of your baby's fingertip to prevent choking. Gradually cut the pieces bigger as your baby grows. If the orange is too acidic at first, try mixing it with other foods like yogurt. This helps cut the acidity as your baby adjusts to a very new taste.

You may be tempted to offer your baby orange juice, but be sure to check nutrition labels for added sugar. You shouldn't give juice to babies under one year old, and even if your baby is old enough, make sure to only give them 100% fruit juice.

Tips for Introducing New Foods to Your Baby

Before offering solid food for the first time, ask these questions:

Can my baby hold their head up independently? This is an important developmental milestone for eating solid food.
Is my baby interested in eating? Your baby may watch you eat with interest, or even try to grab your food and taste it. When you offer your baby a spoon, they should open their mouth to eat.
Can my baby move food to their throat? If you offer food with a spoon, your baby may push it out with their tongue first. This is called the tongue-thrust reflex. With time they will learn to use their tongue to push the food to the back of their mouth and swallow.

‌Offer a variety. As your baby starts to eat solid foods, they need variety in their diet. This helps ensure your baby is receiving all of the nutrients they need and also helps expand their palate for new tastes.

Normalize new foods. Once you introduce a new food to your baby and you've confirmed they aren't allergic to it, try to offer it to them again at least twice a week. Not only does this familiarize your baby with new foods, but it can also prevent food allergies from developing. Additionally, when your baby is learning to eat, they watch you. Make sure you offer them the same foods the rest of the family is eating for encouragement.

Consider Allergens. By the time your baby is 12 months old, they should be introduced to each of the common allergenic foods:

Cooked egg
Creamy peanut butter
Cow’s milk (dairy)
Tree nuts (such as cashew or almond paste)
Soy
Sesame
Wheat
Fish and other seafood

‌By introducing these foods early in life, you can reduce your baby’s chance of developing food allergies. Only introduce one new food at a time, and wait at least three days before introducing another so you can monitor your baby’s response to the food in case of an allergic reaction.

If you notice your baby having an allergic reaction, stop feeding them that food immediately. If the reaction is characterized by swollen lips, eyes, or face; hives; or vomiting, call their pediatrician. If you suspect anaphylaxis, characterized by swelling of the tongue or difficulty breathing, call an ambulance immediately.

What Parents Need to Know

Medically reviewed by Laura Marusinec, MD — By Modern Weng, DO on January 25, 2016

At first glance, this might seem like an odd question. Why are we talking about oranges in particular? What makes them different from any other fruit you might feed your baby?

Well, when you think about it, they’re different in quite a lot of ways. Oranges, unlike bananas, pears, or melons, are a pulpy, stringy, citrus fruit. Those factors make a difference in when and how you should feed it your baby for the first time.

The most common age recommended for the introduction of citrus fruits is around 12 months. You want to be sure that your baby is older and successfully chewing foods before introducing oranges. Though pediatricians no longer recommend delaying a child’s exposure to foods to prevent allergies — in fact, it seems that eating some foods earlier may help prevent some reactions — the issue with oranges and other citrus fruit is not just possible allergies, but also the reaction that babies can have to the acidity and the risk of choking.

Here are some points to keep in mind.

Citrus fruits are acidic, which means when the fruit is metabolized it produces acid. Though adults’ stomachs can handle the acidity of an orange, babies’ stomach are much more sensitive and may not react well to the level of acidity.

If babies are given oranges too early, the acidity may, in some cases, cause diaper rash and redness around the mouth. This doesn’t necessarily mean that your baby has an allergy to the fruit. It’s simply a skin reaction to the acidity.

The acidity may also cause an upset stomach or increase acid reflux symptoms if your child has problems with acid reflux.

As with most parenting decisions, it’s best to use your common sense here. Do you or other members of your immediate family have food allergies? Has your child routinely suffered from acid reflux? Are you considering giving a large scoop of pulpy orange to a 2-month-old? In those cases, it would be wise to wait a little longer to give your child acidic fruits.

If, on the other hand, your child is around 12 months old and you have no reason to suspect they have allergies, then go ahead and dish it up.

One of the tricky parts of feeding babies oranges is the clear membrane that holds the sections together. Those can be hard for even adults to gnaw through.

You can try either cutting up each section into small pieces or peeling off the membrane yourself. For those of you who aren’t interested in an afternoon of membrane peeling, canned mandarin oranges are both small and have thin membranes.

You don’t have to worry that your baby isn’t going to get enough vitamin C just because they aren’t eating oranges. Babies only need around 35 mg of vitamin C per day. You can get that from a bunch of other baby-friendly fruits and vegetables, including:

sweet potatoes
watermelon
strawberries
peas
papaya
kale

Introduce oranges slowly and in small amounts. A few small spoonfuls a day might be a good place to start.

Watch for any reaction during the next two to three days. Look for reddening skin around the mouth and keep track of whether or not they develop a diaper rash. Diaper rashes may, of course, be unrelated to citrus fruits, but it’s important to pay attention just in case the two are related. If your child has hives, swelling, vomiting, wheezing, or trouble breathing, seek medical attention right away.

Make sure the pieces of orange are cut into very small pieces (e.g., smaller than the size of a dime. ) And, always stay with your baby when they are eating.

Watch out for and remove the membrane and any seeds that might be difficult for your child to get down.

When you’re ready to move beyond slices, here are a few other ways to incorporate oranges into your baby’s meals:

orange ice pops (this can be frozen orange juice or a mixture of pureed oranges and yogurt)
orange juice and carrots (it sounds gross, but for some reason oranges bring out a special something in carrots)
orange smoothies
orange chicken

Introducing new foods to your child is one of the pleasures of that first year of parenting. Sometimes a few extra precautions are needed to make sure that your little one can enjoy them safely.

90,000 at what age can you give an orange to a child

Content

1 Benefit for children
2 from how many months you can give an orange to a child
3 Rules for the input of
4 Why is Allergies
5 Harmonies and contraindications
6 How to give
- 6. 1 Orange juice
- 6.2 Orange dessert
- 6.3 Candied fruits
7 Rules for choosing an orange
8 Conclusion

Knowing about the healing properties of citrus fruits, about the ability to compensate for the deficiency of minerals and vitamins, young parents are at a loss when it is possible to give an orange to a child. Since the tropical fruit is an allergen, it has a number of restrictions, it is necessary to follow the generally recognized rules for introducing it into the diet of children under one year old.

Benefits for children

Even the smell of citrus has a beneficial effect on the body. Essential oils reduce anxiety and uplift mood.

Useful properties of orange:

Freshly squeezed juice strengthens bone tissue, helps to keep calcium in the child's body.
Tropical fruits increase appetite, prevent constipation, eliminate indigestion.
Orange juice contains pectins and the pulp is rich in fibre. These substances remove harmful compounds and toxins from the body, improve appetite.
Systematic consumption of oranges regulates the work of the heart and liver, improves immunity.
Fresh oranges contain significantly more magnesium and potassium than other fruits. In addition, the chemical composition of the product includes aminocarboxylic acids, minerals, vitamins (biotin, groups B and E), ascorbic acid. Also monosaccharides, phytoncides, sucrose and fructose.

Tropical fruits help reduce inflammation and purify the blood.

At what age can an orange be given to a child?

Before introducing oranges into complementary foods for children (not earlier than the baby is three months old), mothers need to eat 1-2 slices of tropical fruit. After feeding, the reaction of the child is observed for at least five hours. If there are no colic and allergies, a woman can periodically (not more often than after 3-4 days) consume ½ of the fetus.

You can give an orange to a child when he reaches 10 months

At 9-10 months, the child is allowed to eat the fruit on his own. Start with ½ slice, peeled from the film and seeds. A treat is offered to the baby in the morning to observe how the body reacts to the product throughout the day. If everything went well, after a few days the portion is increased to one slice. A one-year-old child can add a few drops of freshly squeezed orange juice to compote or not hot tea. Always monitor the condition of the baby.

Important! If a child has an allergy, an orange can be given to him no earlier than three years.

The whole fruit is allowed to be eaten by a child at the age of 5-6, every other day

Rules for introduction into the diet

How to introduce an orange into the diet of a baby:

The product is started with a few drops of freshly squeezed juice. If the allergy to the fruits does not manifest itself, each time the dosage is increased by a few drops.
At first, the interval between the use of citrus fruits should be 3-4 days.
Do not give packaged juices to children. They contain carcinogens and other components from which the body has no benefit.

It is strictly forbidden to introduce oranges into the child's diet along with other citrus fruits. If one of them is intolerant, it will not be easy to identify the allergen.

Why allergies happen

Allergies are caused by the body's reaction to the active substances contained in the tropical fruit. In particular, the rash is caused by amines, salicylates and benzoates. If the concentration is exceeded, they can cause allergies even with the normal functioning of the immune system.

Important! Among all representatives of citrus fruits, it is oranges and tangerines that are the most dangerous provocateurs of allergies.

Harm and contraindications

Despite the mass of healing properties, an orange can harm a child's body. It is dangerous for high acidity of gastric juice and diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.

When orange is contraindicated:

idiosyncrasy;
inflammatory processes in the lining of the gastrointestinal tract;
diseases of the endocrine system.

Children under 6 years of age should not be given orange peel. It accumulates a large number of harmful components.

Important! A proven fact - orange juice corrodes tooth enamel.

How to give

Orange is a multifunctional fruit. It is consumed fresh (children are given without peel, films and seeds), used for decoration and supplementing dishes.

Orange juice

Unlike packaged juices, freshly squeezed juices contain live organic acids and vitamins

Children are given juice from a few drops (3-5 ml). To soften the taste, it is recommended to dilute it with water in a ratio of 1: 1. If there is no reaction to an orange, you should still not exceed the norm, no matter how much the child likes the product. It has the property of irritating the gastric mucosa. Up to six years, a single serving should not exceed 30-50 ml, from 7-10 years the volume is increased to 70-100 ml.

Orange nectar can be combined with other juices. For example, apple or carrot.

Orange dessert

Children over one year of age are allowed to introduce orange desserts into the diet

Ingredients:

two medium-sized citruses and carrots;
150-200 g sour cream;
50 g raisins.

How to cook:

Wash the orange, remove the peel, white film and stones. Dismantled into fibers.
Carrots are washed, peeled, grated.
Mix the orange and carrots and add the rest of the ingredients.

The dessert is thoroughly mixed. If necessary, add a little sugar, sprinkle with lemon juice.

Candied fruits

Babies who have problems with weight or have been diagnosed with diabetes should not eat candied fruits

Recipe:

Oranges are washed with a sponge. To remove bitterness from the skin, the fruit is placed in a saucepan, poured with boiling water.
From above, the berries are pressed down with oppression so that they do not rise to the surface, but are completely in the water.
After 10-15 minutes the product is taken out, dried with a towel or wiped dry with a paper towel.
The fruit is cut into rings 0.5 cm thick, put in a saucepan.
Syrup is prepared from 1 kg of sugar and 250 ml of water. After it boils, pour it into a saucepan with orange rings, leave for 10-12 hours.
After the specified time, the syrup is drained, brought to a boil, poured into a container with candied fruits.
Manipulations are repeated until the crust becomes translucent. Then the pan, along with candied fruit and syrup, is placed on the stove. After boiling, boil over low heat for 5-7 minutes.
Transfer the candied fruits to a colander, set aside until the syrup has completely drained from them.

Place dried candied fruit on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. The pallet is sent to an oven preheated to 80ᵒС, the door is not closed.

Orange selection rules

Factors to consider when choosing an orange for a child:

The small size of the fruit ensures that the pulp is sweet.
Navel-shaped fruits are the perfect introduction to citrus fruits for babies. In such berries there are no seeds, they are juicy and sweet.
The ratio of the weight and size of the fetus. A ripe fruit has a greater mass than an unripened specimen of the same complexion.
Ripe citruses produce a persistent aroma.

The thickness of the skin does not affect the sweetness of the berry. Also, do not judge the immaturity of the fruit by its color. Fruits with a bright orange color ripened in the sun, and paler specimens in the shade.

Conclusion

To prevent health problems, introducing an orange to a child in complementary foods, you must choose a high quality product, do not violate the dosage. If an allergic reaction occurs, consult your family doctor.

The introduction of complementary foods. At what age can you give your child orange and citrus fruits

Currently, the child must be at least 11-12 months old before introducing orange and citrus fruits into the baby's diet. Why so late? The fact is that orange and other citrus fruits have a high acidity and because of this they can greatly irritate the baby's gastrointestinal tract, which is still very weak for taking such food.

Are oranges and citrus fruits good for babies?

Unfortunately, oranges, like all other citrus fruits, are an acidic fruit and most often cause skin rashes in babies under 12 months of age. Acid can cause a severe rash on the baby's field and even rashes appear around the baby's mouth due to the high level of acidity in the fruit.

Many parents neglect the above and give their babies oranges or orange juices, as well as other juices made from citrus fruits, while the babies do not have any allergic reactions.

If you want to introduce an orange or other citrus fruit to your baby before the recommended age, just watch for any reactions. As with other acidic foods, if your child is sensitive to such foods, you may want to wait and only introduce oranges after their first birthday.

We all know that oranges contain vitamin C; Did you know that one orange contains approximately 12% crude fiber? Oranges are not just a great source of vitamin C, but they contain a huge amount of other vitamins and nutrients.

Orange (peeled)

VITAMINS:

Vitamin A - 346 IU
Vitamin C - 82 mg
Vitamin B1 (thiamine) - . 09 mg
Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) - .07 mg
Folic acid - 0.59 mg
Iodine - 48 mcg

Contains some other vitamins in small amounts.

MINERALS:

Potassium - 232 mg
Phosphorus - 32 mg
Magnesium -15 mg
Calcium - 60 mg
Sodium - 2 mg
Iron - .18 mg

Also contains small amounts of manganese, copper and zinc.

Which fruits are considered citrus fruits?

Oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruits, tangerines, pomegranates, kiwis are considered citrus fruits Many people think that pineapple is also a citrus fruit, but this is a big mistake.

Pineapple is not considered a citrus fruit - can my child eat pineapple?

Pineapple is not a citrus fruit (it is actually a bromeliad). However, it can be sour. Processed pineapple tends to be less acidic due to its sterile processing with sugar syrup to be packaged in jars for sale in stores.

If your baby does not have any food intolerances and does not show a tendency to rash from food, then you can try giving pineapple to your baby at 10 months. Many parents feed their babies pineapples from 8 months.
Trample pineapple in puree and add it to yogurt and even chicken. Pineapple has a fibrous composition, if it is too fibrous and the fibers are harder, steam the pineapple pieces. Thus, it will soften, become soft, and then you can give it to your baby.

Baby orange recipes

Orange puree?

No, you don't have to make orange puree. It is better to peel the orange and then cut into slices or if the fibers are too hard, just make freshly squeezed juice. The child will drink it with pleasure. This juice is much healthier than store-bought.