How To Make Prune Juice Taste Good For Toddlers

Prune juice can be considered the go-to drink for many parents whenever the child is having slight constipation. The prune fruit is really nutritious for kids for having several vital nutrients present in them. A prune is also known as European plum in several parts of the globe. If you choose to add it as a common fruit to your child’s food list then it will definitely reap benefits. Prunes consist of sixty-four percent carbohydrates in composition percentage which is rare to find.

They are also rich in potassium and iron which leads to such a great combination of nutrients that is very appropriate for constipation treatment. Due to the general urge for alternatives parents often settle for prune juice for treating their child’s problem with bowel movements. The prune fruit being easy to get solves one problem for parents of searching for it everywhere. But the juice should be prepared at home by you with care. At first, you need to put the dried plum fruits in water and let them soak.

Then you need to extract the juice with a blender. The soaking step is very important for making the right texture of juice for children. But there remains one hiccup, the juice will not taste very well which your toddler might reject easily. Now before you look for other alternatives you should try to know how to make prune juice taste good for toddlers?. But first, you should know a few little things regarding prune juice and your child’s health.

The reasons why your child is getting constipation often

The most common reason behind a toddler’s constipation remains the imbalance in a healthy diet. Whenever the children get a fever or go through some illness they often will get constipation in the healing phase. But it would be for a very short amount of time and you don’t need to worry in that case. But when the constipation is much prolonged you need to look into the reasons. The other common reasons for constipation in children are:

·      Absence of sufficient fruits and vegetables in the diet.

·      More than normal intake of cold temperature eating items such as ice cream, frozen yogurt, and other desserts.

·      Consumption of excessive pasteurized dairy products can also lead to constipation.

·       Water intake when below the necessary amount for most days can put to constipation.

·      It has been found from several studies that if white flour is consumed in excess it causes constipation in children.

How does prune work for constipation?

Prune is actually dried plums with high sorbitol content. Sorbitol is known to have laxative features and diuretic characteristics which helps on better bowel health. Besides this other phenolic constituents are also present which also work as laxatives. According to doctors children only over the age of 1 year should be considered for prune juice in small proportions.

For infants, you should not give them juice unless your child’s pediatrician suggests it. Many do have allergies to certain types of plum and there is no need to take risks with infants below one year old as their body is not yet enough developed. Sorbitol might also cause acidity and bloating for few people.

The age of being one year old when the child had just entered the toddler’s phase is also the phase where toilet training takes place. At this time constipation is not as uncommon as you think. Experts suggest serving the prune juice in small portions and maintain the whole day’s limit to less than a filled cup. When your child is slowly stepping into the toddler phase it is best to start bringing prune juice in the house. As constipation among children of one or two years, age is much common for modern food habits. But when you buy direct prune juice instead of making your own then always check if it’s pasteurized or not. Readily available prune juice packs are easily obtained at grocery stores and healthy foods stores.

A kind of prune toddlers would love

Instead of buying medicines on your own for constipation, natural prune juice is an excellent way to help your child with bowel regulations. Babyfoode.com suggests a simple yet tasty prune juice option that you can easily prepare. As the natural taste of prune juice wouldn’t be much likable by the children it is much necessary to add some twists to it. The juice can be made with only just five ingredients which are:

·      Prunes

·      Pears

·      Strawberry

·      Honey

·      Water

Finding the answer to how to make prune juice taste good for toddlers will feel crucial to you at some point and you will find the answers here. The prune and the pear can be considered as the main components which would be the prime nutrients provider for helping with constipation. The ideal component will be the types of natural fiber in these fruits that will help with the bowel. Using a blender instead of a juicer is suggested because the juicer can squeeze away all of the fiber. From experience, the blog mother at babyfoode.com has also suggested using a light mesh strainer to get the thicker pulp out. Adding the strawberries provides great color and texture to the juice, making it attractive to curious children.

Adding just one spoon of honey to the mixture provides a subtle sweetness that the toddlers would cherish. By adding the extra ingredients you don’t have to get in a fight with the child anymore to drink the healthy prune juice. Adding some extra water is necessary to thin out the texture so that toddlers can easily drink it in small sips. The procedure which you might already be able to anticipate are as follows:

·      You need to place all the dry prunes in a bowl and pour hot water into it. After that, we need to let the prunes soak up for 10 minutes.

·      You need to put the prunes in a blender along with pears followed by strawberries.

·      Then adding four cups of water with one spoon of honey will finish the adding and then you blend.

·      You need to blend for two or three minutes to let the mixture get properly blended.

·      After pouring out the juice you will notice that it is still pulpy to some extent. So you can strain the juice by placing a mesh colander over a large bowl and then pour the juice through the colander.

The diluting and mixing technique to improve the taste

The taste has always been much of a big deal for toddlers. It’s extremely difficult to make them eat or drink something that doesn’t taste really well. Thus if your toddler is having constipation using prune for juice extraction after diluting it works just fine for most children. Experts suggest using a 50% technique to soften the bitterness and fix the taste. Using 50% of water with 50% of prune juice would make things better. If it doesn’t work trying to add juices intelligently is the best option. You might have already found the answer on how to make prune juice taste good for toddlers.

It is completely alright to outsmart your child and trick them into healthy options. Adding the prune juice with other types of juice will not only hide the color but also the taste by which the child identifies the prune. Common juices like cranberry, apple, and even grape can blend in well. You need to stir the mixture after adding both the juices so that the flavors can mix. If one combination fails you just need to try a different mixture option with the prune juice.

One smart way can be to taste it yourself before serving it to the child. If you being the parent like the taste and think your child will like it too often you might be proven right. You can serve the drink by using a more sophisticated approach by making the drink appear special. As if it’s an occasional high-profile drink by using paper umbrellas and lemons.

 Conclusion

Choosing prune juice over other medicines is the right choice for your toddler. A natural juice like prune has various types of health benefits and would provide several vitamins and minerals other than healing the bowel. If you face problems making your child drink it then you already know how the taste can be improved to make them lovable by the children.