Dear Doctor;

My 18-month-old baby is increasingly becoming too much of an ice cream consumer. She seems to derive a lot of pleasure in eating yoghurt and ice cream but I worry if these snacks have side effects or have ingredients that could harm my baby’s health. What should I do? Aliane, Kicukiro. 

Dear Aliane, 

Well, both ice cream and yoghurt are good snacks, containing calories and milk proteins. Any fruit or nuts added for the flavor add on to the nutrition. But one can be sure of these benefits only if it is home made and fresh. These snacks if readymade and processed contain emulsifying agents, artificial flavors and colors. These can induce allergies in babies and can even be toxic for a baby as her liver and kidney are not mature enough to handle foreign substances. 

More over, if they are refrigerated for some days there is risk of microbes such as listeria growing in them, which can cause serious infections. A baby has very small capacity for eating. So if the belly is filled by snacks, the child shall not be able to eat anything else, hence will be deprived of other essential nutrients. 

Ice creams and yoghurts contain  white sugar which  is considered unhealthy for all age groups and for children it is advisable to avoid it or use in small quantities. Therefore, with consideration for the child’s health, she can be given these snacks once in a while and that, too, should be in small quantity. Ideally, home-made preparations would be better.