7 Amazing Health Benefits Of Watermelon For Babies

Image: Shutterstock

Watermelon for babies is a healthy food choice rich in water, fiber, and iron. It contains 93% water and several micronutrients, including vitamin B, C, E, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, iron, and phytochemicals that are beneficial for human health (1). Thus, adding watermelon to your baby’s well-balanced diet can contribute to their proper growth and development. But, what is the recommended age for babies to eat watermelon? Keep reading to learn more about the possible health benefits of watermelon for babies with some simple watermelon recipes you can try.

When Can Babies Eat Watermelon?

Generally, watermelon is recommended for babies from eight months of age but some parents introduce the fruit at six months itself

. This can be done too, provided you stay conscious about the possible allergic reactions to watermelon.

A few sensitive babies might get rashes if they eat any type of melon due to the acidic nature of these fruits. The signs of allergy could include rashes, diarrhea, runny nose, and vomiting. At times, watermelon may lead to acidity as the fructose present in the fruit may not be entirely absorbed by the baby’s gastrointestinal system.

When it comes to infant nutrition, generalities may not apply to your baby and hence you need to consult a pediatrician before making a choice.

Nutritional Value Of Watermelon

Source: USDA (2)

Read: Measures To Tackle Food Allergies In Babies]

Potential Health Benefits Of Watermelon For Babies

The nutrients in watermelon can benefit the baby in the following ways (3).

1. Maintains water balance: The fruit helps in providing proper hydration to the body as it has 93% water and 7% flesh.It prevents dehydration, especially during summer. The electrolytes, sodium, and potassium, help in reducing the chances of a heat stroke.
2. Good for heart: Antioxidant lycopene, which is good for the heart, increases in the fruit as it ripens. Watermelons are also rich in carotenoids like neurosporene, lutein, phytofluene, phytoene, and beta-carotene. Carotenoids help in keeping the vision intact and maintaining cardiovascular health.
3. Boosts immune system: Vitamin C helps in fighting infections, strengthens the immune system, and supports iron absorption.
4. Improves eyesight: Vitamin A supports in strengthening the little one’s eyesight, teeth, and mucus membrane.
5. Bone development: Watermelon also contains calcium and manganese which help in the development of bones. Calcium is essential for hormone secretion, and magnesium helps in building muscle and nerve function in babies.
6. Vitamin B complex: Vitamin B complex is a cluster of vitamins that assist in red blood cells production, development of the nervous system, strengthening the immune system, brain function, and regulation of carbohydrate metabolism.
7. Aids in digestion: Watermelon is not only a delicious summer fruit but also easy to digest. It is rich in dietary fiber, which helps in keeping the digestive tract healthy, preventing baby constipation, and irregular bowel movements.

If you are planning to add watermelon to your baby’s diet, you would want to choose the best quality fruit for them. We cover that in the next section.

How To Select Watermelon?

Melons do not fall in the list of the ‘dirty dozen foods’ of pesticide contamination. You may choose an organic or a regular watermelon. But keep these things in mind while selecting one:

• A fully grown watermelon is heavier. It should look smooth and a little dull on the top.
• You can know if it is ripe by giving a good thump with your finger. A ripe watermelon should sound hollow when tapped.
• Check for cuts, bruises, sagging depressions, and spots, which indicate rotten or over-ripened fruit.
• In a fully ripened watermelon, the ground spot or underbelly turns yellow or creamy. Farmfresh watermelons are extra crunchy, and juicy.
• Do not buy frozen or canned watermelon. Avoid buying pre-cut watermelons for babies as they have a high risk of contamination.

Quick tip

Lift the watermelon and see how heavy it feels. With a high water content, it should feel heavier for its size (7).

How To Store And Feed Watermelon To Babies?

• Wash the fruit under running water.
• Store it in a clean, dry place if not cut. According to the US Department of Agriculture, the lycopene and beta-carotene levels in watermelon rise when they are stored uncut at room temperature.
• Cut the fruit into small pieces, remove the seeds, and then feed these seedless watermelons to your little one.
• Store the cut watermelon in the refrigerator in an air-tight container; or wrap it with a food grade plastic over the cut side to ensure the fruit retains its soft texture. Refrigerate the cut melon for not more than 24 hours, if using it for your baby.
• Bring the refrigerated melon to room temperature before serving it to your baby, to prevent a cold.

If your baby is unable to eat the tiny solid watermelon pieces, try mashing them up a little.

You can mix melons with foods such as bananas, carrots, avocados, peaches, blueberries, chicken, yogurt, etc.

Caution: Watermelon is full of seeds that increase the choking risk. Remove all the seeds before giving the fruit to your baby. Feed the baby only when they sit in an upright position and always supervise them while eating for safety.

Can Babies Be Allergic To Watermelon?

While it’s uncommon for babies to have a true watermelon allergy, some may experience allergic reactions due to oral allergy syndrome (OAS). Individuals with existing ragweed and pollen allergies often may develop an allergy to watermelon. The proteins in raw watermelon are similar to those found in pollens and ragweed. Therefore, a pediatrician must diagnose potential allergies in babies. Treatment approaches align with those for adults (4). If you are introducing watermelon to your baby, follow a ‘three-day wait rule’ to rule out sensitivity, intolerance, or allergy caused by watermelon. In case of an allergic reaction, seek prompt medical guidance.

Watermelon Recipes For Babies

Here are more ways to offer watermelon to your baby. Try these simple watermelon recipes to provide refreshing fruit treats to your little one.

1. Watermelon puree

Preparation time:

10 minutes

You will need:

• 1 watermelon (cut, de-seeded)

How to:

1. Place the slices in a blender and make a watermelon puree for the baby.
2. If you would like, add any other food or cereal to thicken it up.

By adding other pureed fruits to the watermelon puree, you may expose your baby to different flavors. Other fruit purees for babies that go well with the watermelon puree include avocado, banana, and mango.

Note: Do not freeze melon puree. The frozen watermelon puree gives a thawed product that could be tasteless and gritty and not suitable for weaning.

2. Watermelon salad

Image: Shutterstock

Preparation time: 15 minutes

You will need:

• 1 small banana (sliced)
• 1 small peach (diced)
• 1/2 cup watermelon (cubes)

How to:

1. Mix all the fruits in a bowl and mash a little to serve as finger food.

Note:

You may mix yogurt to the fruit salad.

3. Watermelon soup

Image: Shutterstock

Preparation time: 15 minutes

You will need:

• 1/4 cup apple juice (unsweetened)
• 1tbsp natural yogurt
• 1/4 cup vegetable stock
• 1/2 cup watermelon

How to:

1. Combine all the ingredients in a blender and sprinkle a pinch of cinnamon if desired.

4. Watermelon juice

Image: IStock

Preparation time: 10 minutes

You will need:

• 1 cup sweet watermelon (cut and de-seeded)

How to:

1. Puree the watermelon slices in a blender.
2. Strain the juice and squeeze the flesh
3. Feed the extracted juice to your baby.

Quick tip

Freeze watermelon juice into popsicle sticks. They are a perfect summer treat and may provide some relief to teething babies too.

5. Berry melon punch

Image: Shutterstock

Preparation time: 15 minutes

You will need:

• 1 cup watermelon (diced, de-seeded)
• 1tsp lemon juice
• 2 strawberries (chopped)
• 1tbsp sugar syrup

How to:

1. Mix all the ingredients in a food processor by adding enough water. Add sugar as per your taste since watermelon already contains natural sugar.

6. Watermelon smoothie

Image: Shutterstock

Preparation time: 15 minutes

You will need:

• 1 cup chilled, chopped watermelon
• 1/2 cup banana slices
• 2tbsp coconut milk
• 1tbsp vanilla ice cream

How to:

1. Add all the ingredients to a juicer and mix to make a soft smoothie.

Infographic: How Should Watermelon Be Stored And Given To Babies?

Watermelons are delicious, watery fruits relished in the summertime. Some like to have the fruit directly, while others relish its juice. If you wish to introduce this fruit to your baby, you must follow certain precautions. Go through the infographic below and find out how to feed and store watermelons safely for infants.

Illustration: Momjunction Design Team

Illustration: Amazing Health Benefits Of Watermelon For Babies

Image: Stable Diffusion/MomJunction Design Team

Discover how to prepare a nourishing watermelon puree for babies (6 months+) that is delicious, immune-boosting, and perfect for summer.

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Reviewer Author Editor Fact Checker

Jyoti BenjaminMS, RD, CSO, FAND, CD

Jyoti Benjamin has 25 years of experience as a clinical dietitian and currently works in Seattle. She focuses on teaching people the value of good nutrition and helping them lead healthy lives by natural means.Benjamin has a masters in Foods and Nutrition, and has been a longtime member and Fellow of AND (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics) and the International Confederation of Dietetic Association.

Read full bio of Jyoti Benjamin

Swati PatwalM.Sc. (Food & Nutrition), MBA

Swati Patwal is a clinical nutritionist, a Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE) and a toddler mom with more than a decade of experience in diverse fields of nutrition. She started her career as a CSR project coordinator for a healthy eating and active lifestyle project catering to school children.

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Rohit GarooBSc, MBA

Rohit Garoo is a writer-turned-editor with over 9 years of experience in content writing, editing, and content marketing. He did his bachelors in Science at St. Xavier's College, Hyderabad, and masters in Business Administration at Osmania University.

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Anindita GhatakB.Tech

Anindita Ghatak holds a B.Tech degree in Biotechnology from Amity University, Kolkata. During the course of her studies, she has worked on different research projects in the fields of Microbiology and Bioinformatics. Anindita has over three years of experience writing medical articles for journals.

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