On a hot summer’s day, not much beats the cooling sensation of delicious ice cream with your family.
However, although ice cream is a refreshing treat for us adults, like many sugary foods, it can become a bit of a minefield to navigate once you have kids.
Ice cream is certainly a lovely treat to have in moderation. However, some new or first-time parents might be thinking: can babies have ice cream?
After all, you don’t want to be in a position whereby your curious baby has a meltdown because they cannot eat what they see you eating.
So can babies join in on the fun and have ice cream? Let’s break it down.
Age
You can introduce ice cream to your baby, but only sparingly, and when you give it to them largely depends on their age.
It is generally recommended that you shouldn’t give a baby ice cream before 12 months. This is due to the fact that babies can still be sensitive to milk proteins, minerals, and other ingredients in ice cream before this age as they are harder for them to digest.
Dairy, especially from whole milk, is a major cause of tummy issues for babies, which can lead to a meltdown for you and your baby if they refuse to sleep.
As a result, it is recommended that you don’t introduce ice cream into their diet before 12 months, but if you decide to, only give them a little taste.
Although a small taste won’t necessarily be harmful, the more that you give them at a younger age than 12 months the more likely that they’ll struggle to digest it, which can lead to all sorts of problems. It’s best to save yourself the worry and wait!
Bacteria
Babies can have ice cream, however, dairy products such as ice cream can be susceptible to bacteria build-up.
The pasteurization process, which aims to kill most bacteria, makes the majority of ice cream safe to eat but it’s good to be cautious with this sweet treat when it comes to your tot.
Even after your baby is 12 months, you shouldn’t make a habit of feeding them ice cream as unless it is homemade, the majority of it is packed with sugar and fat and isn’t the healthiest of options even for an adult - let alone a baby.
After all, the last thing you want is a grumbling baby with a bad belly ache.
Additives
Something to consider before giving your baby ice cream is the ingredients and additives in it.
The majority of commercial brands add preservatives and additives, whether that be sugar, artificial flavoring, and artificial coloring that babies can be incredibly sensitive to.
These ingredients are unhealthy to give to your growing baby regularly, as they are high in sugar and fat content and provide little nutritional value.
These additives also increase the risk of your child developing tooth decay and/or obesity, so it’s important to be mindful to not give them to your baby in large quantities to avoid the risk of these health issues from developing.
Allergies
Depending on whether you breast or formula feed your baby, it is likely that you will have given your baby other dairy products such as cows milk, cheese, and yogurt before you try them on ice cream.
However, you need to be wary of any allergic reactions that they may develop due to dairy products.
Up until babies start eating solids, all their sustenance and nutrients that they need stems from breast or formula milk.
However, once you start introducing solids to your baby’s diet, you need to be mindful of what you’re giving them to eat, particularly when it comes to foods such as dairy, as lots of people have an intolerance to it.
Once you begin introducing dairy products into your baby’s diet you will have a better idea of what works for them, as it has a lot to do with trial and error. Be patient and see what feels best for them.
Introduction to Ice Cream
It is incredibly important that you introduce your baby to ice cream slowly, and emphasize it as a special treat by avoiding giving it to them regularly.
A healthy way to start introducing the texture and sensation of ice cream is by making your own. Frozen bananas blended with milk or yogurt make an excellent and healthy ice cream alternative known as ‘nice cream’.
As a thicker version of a smoothie, ‘nice cream’ can even be eaten for breakfast. You could even just try freezing plain greek yogurt and try them on that before ice cream as a more natural and healthy alternative.
By making your own ice cream at home, you can ensure that you know every ingredient that goes into making your ice cream and can avoid any nasty artificial ingredients.
You can also control the cleanliness of the environment that you make it in, which isn’t an option with the store-bought alternative.
As for introducing your baby to store-bought ice cream, make sure that it is pasteurized and consider vegan options if your baby has previously shown signs of lactose intolerance.
Your baby really doesn’t require foods high in sugar or fat, so introduce ice cream with caution as a special treat!
Consult with a Pediatrician
As a parent, you’re likely to make your own decisions about what you feed your baby. However, if in doubt, consult a pediatrician and do your own research before making drastic changes to your baby’s diet.
If your baby is showing signs of any food aversions or allergies, a pediatrician will be able to advise you on what is best to avoid giving your baby.
However, you shouldn’t rule anything out unless your baby shows signs that there is a problem and your pediatrician confirms it.
If your baby has lactose intolerance, there are many milk alternatives, such as almond or oat milk, that you can use instead with an expansive variety of vegan products on the market to choose from.
Ice cream is a lovely dessert or snack, but if your toddler is having trouble digesting it, there are plenty of yummy alternatives out there too.