Most babies can start eating yogurt as soon as they start eating solids – around 4 to 6 months. Yogurt is an excellent choice for one of your baby’s first foods because it contains calcium, protein, and vitamins. The best option is plain, unsweetened, pasteurized yogurt (regular or Greek) made from whole milk and containing “live cultures.”
What kind of yogurt is best for babies?
Nearly all flavored and fruit-on-top yogurts, even products marketed for babies, contain added sugar, which can contribute to tooth decay and obesity. Doctors recommend that children under 2 years old get no added sugar from their diet. Choosing plain yogurt is the easiest way to avoid added sugar.
To see whether a product has added sugar, check the nutrition label. Look at the line under “Total Sugars” to see how much of the sugar in a product is added sugar. (All yogurt contains some natural sugar in the form of lactose.)
Yogurt made from whole milk is best for babies and toddlers because they need the calories and fat in full-fat dairy products. Don’t offer your child reduced-fat or fat-free yogurt before age 2 unless your healthcare provider advises it.
Greek yogurt is strained for a rich, creamy texture, and has twice as much protein as regular yogurt, making it another good choice for babies. Plus, it’s often easier to find Greek yogurt in sugar-free varieties.
Is yogurt healthy for babies?
In addition to being a good source of calcium and protein, some types of yogurt contain live cultures, also known as probiotics. These are living microorganisms (bacteria) used to convert milk to yogurt, or added to yogurt afterward. They promote the growth of healthy bacteria in the gut, which researchers believe may help with digestion.
How can you tell whether yogurt has this good bacteria? The product label should state that the yogurt contains live or active cultures, which means the organisms haven’t been destroyed by heat during processing. However, a label that says “made with active cultures” does not mean that the yogurt still contains living cultures, only that the yogurt was made with them (as all yogurt is).
It can be hard to tell if a yogurt contains a significant amount of beneficial bacteria. One way is to look for the Live & Active Cultures seal by the International Dairy Foods Association. This seal identifies products that contain at least 100 million live and active cultures per gram. But participation in the program is voluntary, so a product without the seal isn’t necessarily short on cultures.
You may wonder why it’s okay for babies to eat yogurt, when drinking cow’s milk isn’t recommended until a baby is at least 12 months old.
Actually, a little bit of cow’s milk, like the amount in the occasional serving of yogurt, won’t hurt your baby. It’s just not a good replacement for the breast milk or formula that still makes up most of their diet for the first year.
That’s because babies can’t digest cow’s milk as easily or completely as breast milk or formula. And cow’s milk doesn’t have the ideal proportion of fats and nutrients that your baby gets from breast milk or formula.
Yogurt allergies in babies
If your baby has been diagnosed with a milk allergy or shows signs of a food allergy (such as eczema), don’t give them yogurt until you’ve checked with your healthcare provider.
Otherwise, as with any new food, wait at least three days after introducing yogurt before giving your baby another new food. That way, if your baby has an allergic reaction, it will be easier to tell what caused it.
Common symptoms of an allergic reaction include itchy red spots or patches, swelling around the lips or eyes, or vomiting within two hours of eating the recently introduced food. If you notice any of these symptoms, don’t give your baby any more of the food until you’ve checked in with your provider.
Lactose intolerance – which is different from a milk allergy – is very rare in babies. Even if your child becomes lactose intolerant, it may be fine for them to eat yogurt. The production process breaks down much of the lactose, making yogurt more easily tolerated than other dairy products.
Yogurt recipes for babies
Your baby may not be a fan of plain yogurt, so try adding flavor (and nutrients) by mixing in fruit or vegetables. For babies who are new to solids, start with pureed fruit and cooked, pureed vegetables. For older babies, you can add soft fruit and cooked vegetables chopped into small pieces. Mashed avocado, applesauce, oatmeal, and wheat germ are also good additions.
Never give honey to a baby younger than 12 months because it may contain bacteria that can cause botulism in children that age.
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