The Waterbury Democrat., 1935-06-11
Dp YOUR
 CHILDREN
h s2!k. Rebs,ts Bssssr Z


 About this time of year moth CTS are wondering what fruits may be given young children safe ly. Should they be raw or cooked, !, canned or prepared at home? How much is plenty? When are fruits dangerous7 And so on.
 Little babies under six months had better stick to orange juice or tomato juice if that agrees with them better. The time for stepping out bit regarding fruit diet is usually at about six months. Then it is the good old apple and the precious prune that come along to brighten life.
 Both must be cooked thorough ly and with very little sugar. They should be strained, and the first dose is one teaspoonful or less. Once day is enough. Af- ter few days increase the amount slightly if the fruit agrees with him.
 Give It atNoon Feeding
 We are, of course talking
 
 with new foods when he is ill. If one or the other and either apple pulp or prpne pulp physic the baby too much, stop it. Or reduce the amount. If he cannot take care of it at all, wait until he is older. Around his near-noon feeding is the best time to give it. If all goes we'll he can be having as much as two or three tablespoon- fuls of the fruit by the time he is seven or eight months old.
 This diet is not usually varied m .ch. except under specific order, until the baby is a year old. Then he gets into second grade. A baby specialist tells me that he recon mends cooked apples, peaches, pears and even sweet cherries or plums.
 Sour Fruits Best Left Alone
 Any fruit that is sour and re- quires too much. sugar is bad Rhubarb, for instance, he seldom suggests on that account. He says that dried fruits is good, too. Skins arc best removed; then crush the fruit finely or strain it. Two or three tablespoonfuls may be given with the supper at five o'clocg. He also varies this with a bit of fresh banana. mashed of course. A child this age will bolt things whole. and that is never good for him.
 Raw fruit is allowed most ba- bies at g year and a half if they are well and other matters are right, such as weather, and other diet changes are not impending. As usual it must be started in vary small amounts and must be crushed. It can be given alter nately with the cooked fruit, if desired. Begin with tablespoon full of the raw fruit and gradual ly increase. Eliminate skins and seeds. To the list of fruits used formerly, the specialist now adds grapes, which must be seeded, skinned and crushed. If it tends to stimulate the bowels too much [ !, up all raw fruit until later.
 Be Sure Fruit Is Ripe
 At tHTeS years cooked or raw fruit may be given up to five ta- blespoonfuls. Pineapple juice is all right, but the pulp is too fi- brous. You may add to the fruit diet now, grapefruit juice and apricots. But all and any fruit must be ripe and sweet. The things to avoid for the young child of this age are berries and '1ns, although red raspberries may te cooked and strained. Never use spice in cooked fruit.
 Canned fruit is all right natur- ally, but it contains a good bit of sugar for the very young child, r-less specially prepared for ba- bies.
 Older children can take care of a great variety of fruit. But in hot weather watch that they don't stuff on it when they are too hot and perhaps it is too green. Re. member what happened to John ny Jones and his sister Sue.
 Copyright. 1885. NEA Service, Inc,