A lot of people ask us when can you give a baby ice cream, and honestly, it’s a very popular question. In this article we want to provide all the info we can on the topic and give you a complete picture on when, how and everything else.
Let’s take the fact that ice cream is probably the most popular sweet food on kids and adults as well, it’s no surprise that parents everywhere are wondering this simple yet important question.
In this article we’re going to tell you when you should give a baby ice cream and how to do it the right way.
The Too Long, Didn’t Read section of this article is here, you can get your answer here quickly and move along or you can read on to learn more:
- Babies can eat ice cream from age 12 months because ice cream contains mainly milk which babies should not consume before 1 year old.
- While some ice creams are made with pasteurized milk, bacteria can still live inside on some occasions so we don’t take that risk.
When Can You Give a Baby Ice Cream
Before diving deep into when can you give a toddler ice cream, let’s learn first what is ice cream and why do people love it so much. The most obvious response you have now is because it’s sweet and cold right? Well, let’s get deeper.
What is ice cream
Ice cream is basically just milk, sugar and ice all mashed together and kept in freezing temperatures to form a nice creamy texture that you can lick, eat or just let it melt slowly and then drink.
The name itself changes from country to country but ice cream is the most popular term worldwide. You can basically make ice cream from any sweetener or spice like Vanilla or others as long as you keep the basic the same.
Why ice cream is so popular with babies
Well, to answer this question you don’t really need to think hard right? Milk, mixed together with a lot of sugar or any other sweetener with ice. Ice cream is basically just a really sweet milk that is cold. Who wouldn’t love that?!
During the hot summer days, ice cream is one of the best ways to cool off, and eat something sweet. Adults and babies probably love ice cream the same way, but babies react to it differently because adults learned to contain their excitement as they grew older.
We are sure though that if you ask any adult how much they love ice cream you will get a high level of excitement equal to the one of a baby. So here are the main reasons babies and adults love ice cream:
- It’s cold
- It’s sweet ( either from chocolate or vanilla or many other mixes )
- It’s easy to eat and usually doesn’t fill you up that much
- You get endless flavour choices
Some ice cream nutrition facts
| Regular | Premium | Low-fat | No added sugar | |
| Calories | 140 | 210 | 130 | 115 |
| Total Fat | 7 grams | 13 grams | 2.5 grams | 5 grams |
| Cholesterol | 30 mg | 70 mg | 10 mg | 18 mg |
| Protein | 2 grams | 3 grams | 3 grams | 3 grams |
| Total Carbs | 17 grams | 20 grams | 17 grams | 15 grams |
| Sugar | 14 grams | 19 grams | 13 grams | 4 grams |
Getting back on point of when can you give ice cream to a baby
So, like we said at the beginning of this article, you can give a baby ice cream once he or she turns 12 months. The main reason for this is that milk may contain many bactaria that we don’t want our babies to digest at a young age.
It is common that babies after the age of 12 months are more immune and have been eating regular, non formula food for a while, so it is an appropriate age to start giving them dairy products and see how they react.
Important Note
Please know that some babies are born or develop lactose allergies where it is extremely dangerous for them to consume milk even on a very small amount. If you know your baby has any food allergy, please consult with your doctor before giving him any type of food you’re not 100% sure he can eat safely
Main reasons why you should wait until age 12 months before giving your baby ice cream
Well the first reason and the most obvious one is that ice cream in general is not that good for you. Most brands contain high levels of fat and sugar, these are not things you want to feed a baby with.
Dairy based products are also hard for babies to digest, so under the age of one, they may have sensitivities to the ingredients of dairy products which may cause them tummy issues and sleepless nights for you.
Ice cream is a great place for bacteria to thrive, while most ice cream brands use pasteurization in their milk, it is still not a 100% bacteria free and you don’t want to risk it with your little baby right?
PRO TIP:
Even after the age of one, it’s a good idea to give your baby ice cream only every once in a while and it’s better to make it a treat, something special and not a thing he expects to eat a lot. Eating too many sweets at a young age can contribute to tooth decay obesity and more.
How to give your baby ice cream for the first time
If you can, the best way will be to make home made ice cream with non-dairy products and all natural foods. This way you know exactly what’s inside what you’re going to feed your baby with. If you can’t that’s fine too.
If you use a store bought ice cream make sure you give your baby a pasteurized ice cream and not ” Raw “. Also, make sure you give him very small first bites to not give him a brain freeze.
Once you gave him a few tastes and he likes it, you can do the same every now and then, we are sure your baby will love it and grow up to be a Ice cream loving adult.
That’s it for this article on how and when to give your baby ice cream, we hope you enjoyed it and keep reading our other articles on the site.
