You may be wondering what is the best baby yogurt for your baby. Is it regular yogurt or is it greek yogurt? Do you buy special baby yogurt or is milk yogurt okay? We are going to discuss which yogurt is best for your baby and which organic yogurt is best for your baby. We will also be talking about the benefits of yogurt and a few commonly asked questions so that you have the answers to them.
Best Organic Yogurt
Before we really get started, let’s look at yogurt, in general, to make sure you know what to look for in various yogurt options for your baby.
- Milk – Yogurt can be made from different kinds of milk. It could be cow’s milk, goat’s milk, dairy free milk, soy milk, and more. You’ll also have different levels of fat in milk yogurt. It can be plain whole milk yogurt, low fat milk yogurt, or even no fat milk yogurt.
- Sugar – Some kinds of yogurt will have a lot of added sugar. When we’re looking for baby food, including yogurts for babies, it’s best to avoid sweetened yogurt because it has high levels of added sugar.
- Probiotics and live active cultures – These are the micro-organisms that help to improve your body’s digestive health. Babies and toddlers need the live active cultures and probiotics in yogurt to have healthy intestinal tracts. Essentially, live active cultures and probiotics are good bacteria that help fight off bad bacteria.
- Organically produced – As is true with most foods, you can get baby yogurt made with organic whole milk or plain whole milk yogurt that isn’t organic. Some of the best yogurt for babies is organic baby yogurt made by companies like Stonyfield Organic. Organic dairy products are a great option for infants.
- Plain yogurt – The baby food yogurt you choose needs to be yogurt plain, without added flavors. Plain whole milk yogurt will have all the benefits for babies and toddlers without the sugar. You can flavor plain yogurt with other foods as your baby led weaning progresses or your child ages.
Best Organic Yogurt For Your Baby
Have you ever gone to the store and just stared at how many best organic yogurt for babies there are, everything from plain whole milk yogurts to Greek yogurt, to dairy free? Even with just plain standard yogurt baby food, there are tons of options. If you have, you are not alone. There are hundreds of different yogurt types out there but which one is best for your child? There are a few things that you should look for when you are looking for an organic yogurt for your baby.
- Organic whole milk should be the first ingredient that you look for in plain yogurt baby food. It should be a full-fat yogurt. This will come from pasteurized whole milk and sometimes contain cream. This is the best type for young babies. Your baby needs full-fat yogurt because it has the essential nutrients for their development. This is particularly true for their bones and muscle development. Not to mention, their brain development. Keep in mind that babies that are under twelve months need a serving of up to thirty-three grams of fat a day and toddlers need just a little more. This is not the area where you want to get skimpy with your toddler or child.
- You also want to make sure that there are live and active cultures in the plain yogurt. The most commonly used ones are:
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- acidophilus
- Bifidus
- bulgaricus
- thermophilous
- rhamnosus
- case
The live active cultures are going to help with two things. They are going to make the yogurt turn into yogurt and will help your child with their gut probiotics. However, if your baby needs a boost of probiotics, yogurt is not the recommended way to get that boost. It’s ok to introduce yogurts as first foods as early as 6 months of age, but you don’t want to feed your baby too much of it by trying to get them more probiotics.
Why You Should Have Plain, Unsweetened, Whole-Milk Food Item
When you pick up something that has added flavors, it is likely going to have added sugars. This can cause obesity in children and even cause tooth decay. That is why giving plain yogurt to your baby is the way to avoid getting any added sugars. The best organic yogurt for babies will be plain whole milk yogurt.
If you want to check how much sugar is in an item look at the nutrition label. Keep in mind that yogurt has natural sugars that appear due to the lactose in the yogurt. You will check the ingredient list instead. You will look for things that indicate sugar. This includes evaporated cane juice, corn syrup, and any other ingredients like that. Maple syrup is also not healthy for babies under 12 months. Maple syrup can reduce the diversity of foods the child is interested in, and it may increase the risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes which has a negative impact on cardiovascular health.
Keep in mind that your child needs the calories that are found in full-fat yogurt and the healthy fats that are also found in it. That is why you should never use fat-free or reduced-fat yogurts unless your doctor advises you to use this particular yogurt.
Adding To Plain Yogurt To Make It Taste Better
We all know that plain yogurt is a bore, however, what do you add to it to make it taste better especially for picky eaters without getting all that extra sugar? You can add fruits, fruit puree, and veggies to the yogurt. A simple way to make their yogurt taste better is to add some baby food to the yogurt. If your child is a little older and their taste buds changes, you can mix chunks of fruits like banana or veggies. However, some of the best additions are avocado that has been mashed, oatmeal, and applesauce. And, if you’re doing self feeding, you can try adding any of the foods your baby loves. These are all great options for babies.
One other way to sweeten plain whole milk yogurt for babies and toddlers is with sweet potato. Most babies will love the taste of it and there are a lot of nutrients in sweet potatoes. Do NOT use honey to sweeten plain yogurt for babies who are under a year old. Honey can cause botulism in babies.
What Type of Yogurt Is Best For Babies?
Your baby is going to need a yogurt that is organic, whole-fat, or full-fat, and has live cultures. Other than these three things, your baby can have whatever yogurt is best. One thing to watch out for is any kind of allergic reaction to plain yogurt. If you’re feeding your little one plain whole milk yogurt and you observe an adverse reaction, you may need to look into dairy free yogurts for your child. Food allergies are one of the reasons it’s important to introduce just one food at a time, even with baby-led weaning. It allows you to know what the adverse reaction was caused by. It’s also beneficial to know what your baby’s common allergen is before serving yogurt to them.
How Much Of It Can An Infant Have?
As a toddler your child can eat yogurt daily, however, yogurt cannot be eaten daily for a baby. You can start introducing yogurt to your child around eight months old. They can have a teaspoon here and there mixed in with their favorite foods. If you’re doing baby led weaning, you can look for the signs that your child is ready for solid food, however, it’s still good to use 6-8 months as a guideline for giving plain yogurt.
Can A Baby Eat Yogurt Every Day?
No, babies should not be eating yogurt every day. You can feed them once in a while with a teaspoon mixed in with their favorite foods. However, you should wait until they are at least eight months old in age. Once they get into toddlerhood, then they can start having a small bowl of yogurt on a daily basis.
Can Babies Have Greek Yogurt?
Babies are allowed to eat Greek yogurt. You want it to be plain, pasteurized, and organic. The yogurt should be made from whole milk. Greek yogurt is great because it has more protein in it than regular plain yogurt. It’s extra creamy, too, which is something most babies and toddlers love.
Why Can Infants Have Yogurt But Not Milk?
Yogurt contains active cultures that make it easier to digest. The lactose and protein that are found in the yogurt are going to be much easier to digest than plain whole milk alone. Yogurt is fermented and this makes the proteins easier to digest in the small baby tummies. Both Greek yogurt and plain whole milk yogurt have plenty of live active cultures.
Is Baby Organic Yogurt The Same As Regular Yogurt?
Baby yogurt is going to differ slightly. Baby yogurt is made from full cream milk whereas regular yogurt is often made with lower fat milk. Plus, organic milk is used to make baby yogurt and will contain less sugar than normal yogurt. The best yogurt for babies and toddlers is going to be the yogurt that is made specifically for their needs.
What Are The Favorite Brands Of Yogurt for Babies and Toddlers?
- Stonyfield Farm YoBaby
- Oikos
- Chobani
- Siggi’s
- Fage Total
- Astro Balkan
What Are The Best Dairy Free Organic Yogurts For Babies?
Not all children will react well to plain whole milk yogurt because of the dairy. For kids with a dairy allergy, the best yogurt for babies will likely be one that is plant-based. One that we love is So Delicious Unsweetened Vanilla. It’s completely dairy free because it’s based on coconut milk. There once was a time when it was tough to find baby food that didn’t have dairy, but as more children have had adverse reactions to dairy, more dairy free options for babies have been developed. Another one of the best yogurt options for dairy-free diets is Kite Hill Greek Yogurt. It’s based on almond milk. Forager Cashew Yogurt is one of the best organic baby yogurts that is dairy free, as well. This one gets the vote for the best yogurt that tastes the most like whole milk yogurt.
Why Shouldn’t I Give My Baby Low-Fat Yogurt Plain Yogurt?
Babies and toddlers have different needs than we, as adults, do. Their bodies need much more fat than ours do. This is why you should only give your babies and toddlers plain whole milk yogurt so you don’t deprive your child of the fat they need. There are even some times when babies need more fat and calories than others. If you are doing baby led weaning to introduce new foods, you’ll see the spike in the needs for more calories and fats by the way your child responds to trying new foods. Babies and toddlers who aren’t given enough fat and calories can have gaps in their development, both physically and mentally.
Should I Give My Baby Plain Whole Milk Yogurt or Greek Yogurt?
Either of these is a good choice for babies and toddlers. Greek yogurt has the added benefit of extra protein. There is plenty of good stuff in plain whole milk yogurt, too, though. The biggest things to remember are you want to stick with plain yogurt, plain because you don’t want the added sugars, and it’s best if the baby food you choose is organic.
Last Updated on September 14, 2022 by Michelle Guerrero
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