I can’t stress enough that it’s important to give your baby wholesome nutrition, and while grapes are often a debatable subject when it comes to baby food recipes, I won’t back down and I will give you good reasons to include grapes into your child’s diet.
A lot of parents wonder when they should introduce grapes into their baby’s nutrition plan. Unless your pediatrician says otherwise, 6 months is a good age. If you’re considering an earlier start, consult your doctor, as babies under 6 months usually require pureed foods. Plus grapes contain their best nutritional value in their skins, and your baby’s stomach might not be ready to digest them at a very early age.
Now, back to nutritional value. Grapes are a very rich source of vitamin B, C, potassium and manganese. They also contain very crucial anti-oxidants – those that keep heart disease and cancer at bay. It’s helpful to know that you can actually choose grapes with a higher nutritional value by their color.
Grapes with redder skins contain anthocyanin, which is a very powerful nutrient, so choosing red or black grapes is most beneficial for your child. I recommend choosing red grapes also because they’re sweeter than white grapes. Mind you, this point is only valid if you haven’t peeled away the skins.
Try going for bunches that are not overripe, store them in the fridge and wash them only before you want to use them, otherwise they will go bad very quickly. Make sure the grapes you’re buying are seedless as seeds may be a choking hazard! As we’re on the subject of safety, always cut grapes into quarters if you’re giving them to your kid as a finger food!
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