Feeding FAQ: 4-6 months – Other

Question – Yogurt

Until now I have only given my daughter ‘Little Rachel’s’ or ‘Mums 4’ organic yogurts, which already have fruit juice or purée in them. In the weaning book Gina suggests offering yogurt with mixed mashed fruit for breakfast but what yogurt should I use? I’ve bought ‘Yeo Valley Organic’ bio live yogurt which has no added sugar and a tiny amount of sodium. Is this all right? I’m sure it must be but I’m just looking for some reassurance!

Answer:

Do be reassured that you are making a good choice, and don’t feel worried about asking questions like this. I think most of us look for some reassurance when we’re choosing foods for our babies, even dietitians! This is especially so when we choose a food like yogurt that our child may eat nearly every day. Yogurt is a great source of body-building protein, as well as vitamins, such as vitamin B2, and minerals, including calcium of course.

There are a lot of yogurts specifically marketed at children, often in cute child-size containers. While some of these are good choices, they can be higher in sugar than if you mix fruit purée with natural yogurt. The other issue with these yogurts, is that they are significantly more expensive than the equivalent adult yogurts that come in larger containers. So my suggestion is to save the ‘child-size’ yogurts for weaning (they are a good size for learning to use a spoon, as they can be easier for children to scoop from than a bowl) or for a special treat – a yogurt with Thomas the Tank Engine on it will make a much healthier treat than a chocolate or sweet. For everyday use, buy plain or natural adult yogurt – organic is not a necessity, but is a good choice if it is affordable. Depending on your child’s age, add either puréed fruit of your choice or a soft un-puréed fruit such as berries, banana or fruit tinned in juice, mashing the fruit a little to allow the juices to sweeten the yogurt. This has the great advantage of allowing children (so long as they are old enough to manage lumps) to get accustomed to yogurt containing pieces of fruit, so they won’t complain about ‘bits’ in yogurt and insist on smooth yogurt.

A couple more tips – yogurt is unlikely to contain more than a trace of sodium or salt, but it is always good to check the label (see below for more on this). However, if you buy flavoured or sweetened yogurt (and this includes the vanilla types), it is likely to contain artificial sweeteners. These are not suitable for young children, so do watch for names such as aspartame, sucralose, Splenda and saccharin in the ingredient list.