One of the biggest debates of them all when it comes to adding solid food to your baby’s diet is when to introduce oranges. As these are acidic fruits, just like the rest of the citrus fruits, they might give babies adverse reactions if you add them to their diet too soon.
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Can Babies Have Oranges?
To avoid allergic reactions, you should consider adding oranges as well as other citrus fruits to your baby’s meals after 12 months old. If you introduce oranges to early, you might observe that your baby develops skin reactions.
Some of these reactions are mild, while others might be more severe. If you have a history of allergies in your family, it is essential to know that your baby is at higher risk of developing such reactions.
Even if allergies don’t run in your family, you should always consult your family doctor or your pediatrician before introducing new food to your baby’s diet.
Orange Food Allergy for Babies
Even if oranges and other citrus fruits could generate an allergic reaction to your baby, that doesn’t mean all babies have such side effects.
- It is still wise to avoid oranges until your little one turns 1 year old. After this age, they will be able to process the acidity in oranges much better and safer.
- Some of the typical allergic reactions you can expect to notice in your baby include diaper rash as well as a mouth rash.
- However, just because your baby might develop such side effects, it doesn’t mean that they are allergic to oranges. It could be that they just have a reaction to the high level of acidity that reaches their body in a short time.
- If you wait a few more months, you can try giving them oranges again, and there might be no reaction to it.
An important aspect you need to be aware of is your baby’s acid reflux. If they suffer from this symptom, you should take into account that oranges only make it worse. So, for babies that suffer from acid reflux, oranges shouldn’t be an option.
- If you do suspect that your child might get an allergic reaction to oranges, you should consider waiting until they are at least two years old.
- However, if they don’t present any risks and your doctor encourages you, once they get to one year old, you could try adding oranges to their diet.
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How Many Oranges Can A Toddler Eat?
When it comes to how many oranges you can give your baby, this will vary according to your baby’s age and whether or not they have any reaction to it.
One thing is for sure. ..you can’t overdo it.
- Because too much acidity can cause digestive issues and you should avoid that, especially when your baby is young.
- Start by giving your toddle one or two slices of orange and notice if they have any reaction to it. If four days passed and they seem to be okay, you can increase the number of slices you give them.
- By the time they are three years old, they should be able to eat one entire orange as a snack. The size of the orange is also essential.
- So, if you aim to feed them an entire one, choose small or medium-size oranges or mandarins.
As for how many oranges your baby should eat per day, you should know that these fruits don’t have to be daily food.
- You can simply give your little one some slices of oranges as a snack every now and then. Even if oranges are rich in vitamin C, you should still stick to a maximum of three oranges a week.
- You can give your little one a few slices at a time between meals. However, skip oranges at dinner time because they also contain sugar and might keep your baby awake and give them more energy than they need late at night.
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When Can Babies Have Mandarin Oranges?
Mandarins are just a different strain or oranges. They are equally acidic, and they also contain a lot of vitamin C.
- But they are smaller and sometimes sweeter than oranges.
- Just like oranges, mandarins could cause allergic reactions if your baby has them before their first birthday. Which is why you should follow the same guideline with these fruits as you follow with oranges.
However, since mandarins are smaller in size, you will be able to feed them easier to a young toddler.
- The slices are softer and more comfortable to eat with less choking hazards.
- You will not have to cut them in smaller pieces, but you should get rid of the membrane as that is difficult to digest.
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Can You Puree Oranges for Baby?
When it comes to oranges, your baby can enjoy them in various ways. Serving them as part of a fruit puree is one of the options, but they would go even better in smoothies.
- Oranges might give purees a watery consistency unless you mix them with more solid fruits like bananas.
- If you want to prepare an orange puree, you don’t need to cook the orange in any way.
- All you have to do is peel it, take the membrane off and get rid of all the seeds.
- Once your orange is ready, you can add it to your blender along with other fruits of your choice.
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Baby-led Weaning Orange Recipes
If you want to introduce oranges to your baby’s meals, here are a few useful recipes to help you.
1. Carrot, Orange and Banana Puree Recipe
This puree is one of the simplest ones to make and incredibly delicious. As a matter of fact, you can start with it from the very first weeks of your baby weaning phase. So, once your child is 12 months old, you can definitely give this puree a try.
- You need carrots, bananas, and oranges, but the quantities will vary according to how much you want to make.
- You can also add some chia seeds as they are very nutritious for babies.
- You can go for two carrots, one large banana, one medium-size orange, and a teaspoon of chia seeds for the first time you make this pure.
- Once you see how much you obtain out of these quantities, you can increase or decrease them in the future.
- You will have to slice and boil the carrots until they become soft.
- Once your carrots are boiled, you can put them in the blender along with the peeled oranges, banana, and chia seeds.
- Blend everything until you obtain a puree consistency.
- Give it a few minutes to cool down and serve it to your baby right away.
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2. Orange and Avocado Puree Recipe
You probably know how essential and nutritious is avocado for your little one. Plus, most babies love it thanks to its creamy consistency. You can mix avocado with oranges for a delicious puree that could become a breakfast for a six months old baby.
- All you need for this recipe is orange and avocado.
- However, you can always add a few tablespoons of greek yogurt if you need to make it more creamy.
- Peel the avocado and add it to your blender along with the peeled orange.
- Make sure you take the seeds off before you add the orange slices in the blender.
- If you use yogurt as well, add it to the blender along with the rest.
- Blend for a few seconds until you obtain the creamy puree you are aiming for. Feed it to your baby immediately after preparing it.
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3. Orange Yogurt Pops Recipe
A delicious snack that you can prepare for your baby is orange yogurt pops. To prepare these pops at home, all you need is one medium-size orange and one cup of whole milk yogurt.
- Before anything else, you will need to peel the orange, remove the membrane, and take the seeds off.
- Blend the orange with the yogurt until you obtain a smooth consistency pure. This shouldn’t take more than a few seconds.
- You can transfer the ice pop into different molds or even some ice cube trays.
- Freeze them for a few hours before serving them to your baby.
- These snacks are delicious for teething babies, and they can last for a long time in your freezer.
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4. Orange and Banana Mash Recipe
As soon as your baby can start eating oranges, thisorange and banana mash could be one of the first recipes you try.
- You will need four tablespoons of orange juice, one medium-size banana, apple juice, and one tablespoon of olive oil.
- Heat up the olive oil in a pan and add the banana after you sliced it. Allow the banana to saute for one minute before you add the orange juice and apple juice.
- Once your banana is cooked in the orange juice and apple juice, you can take it off the stove and allow it to cool down.
- Serve it as it is or mash it for better consistency.
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5. Orange Baby Sherbet Recipe
This is a delicious recipe for babies and toddlers if you want to offer them a great summer treat.
- All you need is one orange and a cup of apple juice. It is vital to go for an orange that’s ripe so it will be sweeter and easier to prepare.
- You will have to blend the orange and the apple juice together until you get a smooth cream.
- Take this puree and place it into a freezer-friendly container for about an hour.
- You can freeze it for more than that if needed.
- After a minimum of one hour, take the puree off the freezer and blend it again for a few seconds until it becomes smooth.
- Pour it back into the freezer-friendly container and freeze for a second time.
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When Can You Give A Baby Orange Juice?
Just like you can give your baby oranges once they turn 1 year old, you can also give them orange juice.
- However, it is essential to not give them too much juice. Make sure they have only between 60 ml to 120 ml of juice in a day.
- Serve this juice as a side dish during their meals.
You should give your baby 100% natural orange juice and stay away from store-bought products that contain sugar or other preservatives.
Don’t get confused as your baby might be able to have other types of fruit juice before 12 months, but the orange juice is only recommended past this age.
If you have a juicer or simply a squeezer, you can always make orange juice at home and be sure that it is entirely healthy for your baby.
Side Effects of Eating Oranges
Oranges, just like other citrus fruits, can cause allergic reactions in babies that are too young to process the acid in them.
- As we mentioned, some of these reactions are different skin rashes.
- It could be a rash around the baby’s mouth or a diaper rash.
- Left alone, these rashes usually go away by themselves in seven days, if you stop giving them oranges once you notice the side effect.
Another side effect of eating oranges could be increased acid reflux. If your baby already suffers from acid reflux, you don’t want to give them oranges or any other citrus fruits for that matter because it will just worsen their condition.
But besides these two significant risks, oranges, as well as orange juice, could become essential foods in your baby’s diet. It is important to talk to the pediatrician that follows your baby before adding oranges to their diet.
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Can Babies Eat Grapefruits?
Right after orange, you might want to know if your little one can enjoy the incredible benefits of grapefruit, or are there risks attached to this fruit as well?
- Unlike oranges, you can give your baby grapefruit as early as eight months. But even if this fruit has plenty of vitamins and minerals, it is essential to feed it to your little one in moderation.
- You can give your baby grapefruit purees, grapefruit juice, or even chunks of grapefruit to snack on throughout the day.
- Talk to your doctor before introducing grapefruit to your baby’s diet just to be sure that this is the right thing to do.
- A golden rule will not start weaning with grapefruit but rather introduce it further along as your baby is used to eating other solid foods.
The risks that come along with eating grapefruit too early are similar to the ones that come with eating oranges.
If your baby can’t handle the acidic level in grapefruit, they might develop mild or severe rashes on their skin. But if you follow the pediatrician’s guidelines, this shouldn’t be an option.
Postpone introducing any citrus fruit to their diet if there is a history of allergies in your family.
Giving your baby grapefruit will bring a wide range of benefits. This fruit can boost their immune system and protect the liver. It is also an excellent fruit for the development of the bones and eyes.
And last but not least, thanks to the high level of vitamin C that you can find in this fruit, your baby will have a healthier respiratory system.
While citrus fruits like oranges, grapefruits, and others need to be introduced to your baby’s diet with caution, they can bring a lot of nutrients to the table.
Weaning your baby is a complex process, and introducing citrus fruits is an integral part of it. Consult your doctor for any questions you might have regarding adding oranges or grapefruit to your baby’s meals.
Once you get the green line, you can start applying the information in this guide and offer your baby a delicious meal every time!
Key References
- “What To Feed Your Baby | Around 6 months | Weaning | Start4Life”. Accessed July 01, 2020. Link.
- “Carrot, Banana, and Orange Baby Puree | Regalo Baby”. Accessed July 01, 2020. Link.
- “When Can My Baby Start Drinking Juice?”. Accessed July 01, 2020. Link.
- “Grapefruit-medication interactions: Forbidden fruit or avoidable consequences?”. Accessed July 01, 2020. Link.
