When a child is born, not a single mother has a question: what to feed him? Everyone knows that a baby needs breast milk, or if the mother is unable to breastfeed, then formula is used.
However, as he grows up, parents begin to wonder: when can they start introducing more “adult” foods into their baby’s diet?
At what age should you start feeding your baby?
If you ask grandmothers with this question, you will hear the opinion that feeding the baby should begin at two months of age. However, this opinion about the beginning of complementary feeding is outdated.
Currently, according to the World Health Organization, the first complementary feeding should be offered to a child no earlier than 6 months if he is on breastfeeding, and not earlier than 4 months - on artificial feeding.
It is by this age that children mature the functions responsible for swallowing more solid food, and also form the enzyme system responsible for digesting new food.
Signs of readiness to start complementary feeding
In order to determine whether your baby is ready for the introduction of the first complementary foods, you should watch him.
The presence of the following signs will help determine whether a child is ready to be introduced to more adult foods:
- he doesn't eat enough. Breastfeeding or formula feeding has become more frequent as the baby shows clear signs of hunger;
- there is no reflex to push food out of the mouth with the tongue. You can check this by offering your child some water from a spoon;
- the baby is able to sit independently or does this with the help of a parent, but at the same time holds his head statically;
- the child has a clear interest in his parents’ food, he may curiously climb into your plate;
- The baby has gained at least twice the weight since birth.
Rules for introducing new products
The introduction of complementary foods requires compliance with a number of rules:
- You can introduce new dishes into your child’s diet if he is completely healthy and does not have to be vaccinated soon.
- Before introducing complementary foods, you should consult a doctor who will explain to you how to do it correctly and where to start.
- The child should be offered new food in the first half of the day so that it is possible to track his reaction to the product - the quality of his stool, skin rashes and other signs.
- The dishes you offer should have a puree-like structure, more liquid at first, and as you grow older you can master thicker foods.
- Complementary feeding should be offered before feeding the baby breast milk or formula.
- You should start with small volumes (5g), gradually increasing the volume of complementary feeding portions to 150g if the child tolerates the new food normally.
- You should start feeding with single-component purees, and after getting used to the individual components, mixing them is allowed.
- You can add a new vegetable or other product to the diet during complementary feeding only after the baby adapts to the previous one.
- For complementary feeding, you should use only freshly prepared juices and purees. Before the cooking process, you should take care to thoroughly wash the products themselves, your hands and the necessary utensils.
- Don't force feed. If the baby does not want to eat, you should not force him, offer him new product a little later or the next day.
What to feed your baby: introduction plan
Here is a plan for introducing new food to the baby, starting from 6 months of age. If your child is fed artificial milk formulas, the introduction of complementary foods should begin according to the same plan, only at the age of 4 months.
An approximate table for introducing complementary foods is presented below:
Vegetable purees
It is best to start complementary feeding by introducing crumbs of pureed vegetables into the diet. In exceptional cases, if you have low body weight, your doctor may advise you to start with dairy-free cereals.
First, the least allergenic vegetables are introduced into the diet - zucchini, cauliflower, broccoli. Then vegetables such as pumpkin and carrots are added.
Carrots should not be offered to a child more than three times a week as they can cause pigmentation in the child's limbs. Vegetable purees are started at lunchtime, followed by supplementary feeding with breast milk.
Start with a volume approximately equal to half a teaspoon, then gradually increase the amount of vegetable puree given up to 150 grams, while reducing the amount of breast milk consumed.
Gluten-free cereals
At seven months, gluten-free porridges (rice, buckwheat and corn), which are prepared without milk, are added to complementary foods. Both cow's and goat's milk should not be included in the diet of a baby under one year old, since they are poorly digestible and burden the digestive system.
It is allowed to add breast milk or formula to the porridge. Porridges are introduced during breakfast, also starting in small quantities.
Potato
At 8 months, several products are added to the diet at once - meat, yolk and potatoes. Potatoes are introduced later than all other vegetables because they often bring with them allergic reactions.
In the final introduction, potatoes should not make up more than a third of the vegetable puree.
Egg yolk
The yolk is added to the morning meal; it can be mixed with porridge or given as an independent product. If a child is prone to allergic reactions, then complementary feeding should start with quail yolk, which is less allergic.
Start with a quarter of the yolk, gradually increasing its quantity. Give the yolk no more than twice a week.
Meat puree
Meat puree is introduced at lunchtime; it is often recommended to mix it with vegetables, since children eat it better in this form. The least allergenic turkey and rabbit are introduced first; closer to nine months, beef, veal, chicken and lamb can be introduced into complementary foods.
Meat should not be added in quantities of more than 50 grams to the total volume of vegetable puree.
Cottage cheese and kefir
At the age of 9 months, cottage cheese and kefir are gradually introduced into the diet. Begin by introducing cottage cheese into the evening feeding with a small volume, about one teaspoon. Cottage cheese should not have a grainy structure, it should be made homogeneous, and it should not contain sugar.
Kefir is also introduced into complementary foods in small volumes, gradually increasing it to a volume of 100 ml.
Fruits
At 10 months, you should try introducing fruits for snacks. By this age, children, as a rule, already have teeth, so you can give fruit either in the form of puree or in separate pieces.
You should also start with small volumes, and it is also better to choose fruits for your baby that grow in our region - these are apples, pears, and prunes. At the same age, it is possible to add freshly squeezed juices and dried fruit compotes to the diet.
What to do if a child refuses complementary feeding?
Knowing how to properly introduce complementary foods is one thing, but in reality, it may turn out that your baby simply refuses to accept a new type of food. What to do in this case? Offer again.
You should offer it at least 10 times, and then try to switch to another type of vegetable. And after a week or two, try again to give the previous one. If the child refuses again, do not insist. All children are individual, perhaps yours just doesn’t like this vegetable.
Another trick is that you can add a little breast milk or formula to that vegetable puree that the baby refuses to eat. This will slightly sweeten the taste of the dish, which may be quite enough for your baby.
At the same time, under no circumstances should you feed your child foods seasoned with salt, sugar or any spices. This way you will only harm his fragile digestive system.
First feeding - the mother heard these words from the very birth of the baby and imagined how it would be. Surely your pediatrician told you that breast milk is the best and healthiest for babies. This is undoubtedly true. But the child is growing up and he will have to eat with us at a common table and we need to carefully prepare for this. Yes it is important point, but still, the introduction of complementary foods must be accompanied by breastfeeding.
The readiness of infants for this interesting task should be determined first of all by the mother. Doctors usually advise us to feed breastfed babies starting at 6 months and bottle-fed babies at 4.5 - 5 months. But you yourself must determine whether your little one is ready to eat something else or not. So where to start feeding your baby for the first time?
Identifying signs that your baby is ready for complementary feeding
- If the baby’s weight quickly goes up and he already weighs 2 times more than at birth (more than 6 kg), then this means that the baby’s weight gain is according to medical standards and his digestive system is working correctly and there are no deviations. Therefore, complementary feeding infant You can already start.
- Have you noticed that if you give your baby some water from a spoon, he seems to push out both the spoon and the water with his tongue. It is clear that this way you cannot feed the child. But if your infant has already lost this pushing, then he is on the way to new tastes.
- When the baby stops pushing out water with his tongue, he begins to swallow it - this indicates that the baby will be able to swallow thin food.
- By the time complementary foods are introduced, the child should already be able to hold his head up well and turn away. This ability will help mom understand when he is full.
- The baby must also be able to sit on his own or with support. It is not advisable to eat while lying down, since food has a slightly different structure than milk. You can choke on the slightest lump.
- A good sign that complementary foods need to be introduced is that the baby does not get enough to eat while breastfeeding. This can be indicated by too frequent breastfeeding - up to 10–12 times a day (the baby eats milk from both breasts and asks for more). If a child is bottle-fed, then you can understand that he is malnourished when the baby eats about 1000 ml of formula and demands more.
- If you notice that the intervals between feeding your baby have become shorter.
- A good sign is if the baby takes an object in his hands and puts it in his mouth.
- You can feed your baby only if he is absolutely healthy and there is no vaccination coming up in the next week or several days have passed since the vaccination. This is important because vaccine-related illnesses and new foods at the same time can be very stressful for children.
- And the main indicator that it is possible to introduce complementary foods to a baby is when he begins to become interested and reach for the food that he sees on the table.
How to properly introduce complementary foods to a baby
The first rule that must be followed is the gradual introduction of new tastes. There will be very little exposure to new food. Doctors strongly insist not to exceed it - about 1/4 or 1/3 teaspoon. The very first complementary foods are just an introduction to food, and not a full meal. The little one will just try, move his tongue in his mouth and swallow food previously unknown to him. Such an acquaintance can be carried out in the morning, so that later throughout the whole day you can observe the baby - whether the tummy hurts, what the stool will be like.
There may be a situation where the baby spits out a test portion of food. This is quite normal, since before this he only knew mother’s milk. If this happens, do not be upset and do not force him to eat; complementary feeding should be introduced to an infant slowly and systematically. Try giving the same small dose of complementary foods the next day. And very soon the baby will be asking for another spoon. Gradually, the amount of food and options for what can be given to the child will increase.
The second rule, which is also important, is to serve dishes from just one vegetable, cook it using a blender or rub it through a sieve, and do not add anything, not even salt. If porridge is the first complementary food, then you need to first buy dairy-free, gluten-free and hypoallergenic (buckwheat, rice and corn).
You must remember that semolina cannot be introduced first - it tends to remove iron from the body.
Remember, let the baby try each new dish for a week; if during this time everything is fine with his tummy and stool, then you can offer him another mono-dish.
Well, the third rule is that breast milk remains a priority, so we first give the baby complementary foods, and then supplement with breast milk or formula if the baby is artificial.
How to give your baby certain types of food
Puree
Proper introduction of complementary foods to infants should begin with fruit or vegetable purees. consisting of one product. To prepare the puree, you need to boil the selected vegetable in a small amount of clean water, then cut it into pieces and cool slightly. Then beat with a blender or grind through a fine sieve, mix with the broth and offer it warm to the child. If after the first vegetable your tummy accepts it normally, then after a week you can add another one.
Porridge
You can cook the porridge yourself. Pre-grind the cereal in a coffee grinder and then boil it in water or vegetable broth. The decoction must already be familiar to the baby. As we grow older, we begin to make the porridge thicker. Prepare it like this: add 1 teaspoon of crushed cereal to 50 ml of water or vegetable broth and cook until tender. You can use rice, buckwheat or oatmeal. When the child has more teeth, then you can no longer grind the cereal in a coffee grinder, but grind it ready dish through a sieve or with a fork.
You can also buy porridge. There are a lot on sale now various types. Select according to age and taking into account the characteristics of your child. Cook according to instructions.
First feeding with meat
To give your baby a portion of meat, you need to boil a small piece of lean veal; lean turkey or rabbit is also suitable. Then grind very thoroughly with a blender. You can add a small amount of boiled water or vegetable broth to the finished meat puree, but not meat broth. The meat for the baby is ready. 30–50 g will be enough for him at first.
Kefirchik
Kefir is very useful for children; it contains bacteria that are so necessary for healthy digestion. Nowadays, you can order it at a dairy kitchen or prepare it yourself. For this you need fermented milk starters.
In the evening, pour 1 liter of hot milk over a portion of fermented milk starters, cover with a lid and insulate the container to retain heat and let it steep all night. By morning the kefir will be ready for use.
Cottage cheese
Cottage cheese, like kefir, is very easy to prepare. You need to put the kefir in a water bath and wait until the curd comes up. Then strain it through cheesecloth and the resulting curd will be very tasty and soft - just what babies need.
A parting word about introducing complementary foods
And finally, advice to mothers - don’t be upset, the beginning of complementary feeding for your baby is accompanied by the baby’s refusal of the puree you prepared. He needs time to get used to new tastes. In any case, you can always feed your baby breast milk or porridge. And remember - you will succeed!
Video on the topic
The introduction of complementary foods is the beginning of a new stage in a child’s life. An infant's diet consisting of a single component - milk or formula - should become more varied. This is scary for any mother. Having received different information from many sources, parents must still find their own way - taking into account the characteristics of the child, his health, food traditions in the family, budget, and so on. It is important to identify the basic principles and build your complementary feeding system on their basis.
The main reasons for introducing complementary foods
- For the formation of muscle and bone tissue Children require more minerals, vitamins, microelements and energy.
- Considering the fact that over time the period of breastfeeding ends, it is necessary to teach the child to eat solid food. To do this, it is necessary to train the gastrointestinal tract, develop the ability to chew and digest food.
- As a bonus, the child's coordination and social skills improve - drinking from a cup, holding a spoon.
Complementary feeding and taste development
Despite the fact that to us adults, homogenized cauliflower or broccoli seems unappetizing food, kids (though not all) may find such a dish very tasty and attractive. This should be used to develop a child’s taste for healthy food.
Nobody says that at 3 he won’t be able to try chocolate eggs, and at 7 fast food. But the foundation that you lay during the complementary feeding period will be fundamental. And the longer you can stick to the limits proper nutrition, the more mature and formed the habit of eating nutritious food will be for your son or daughter.
Therefore, you should not rush to introduce sweet juices, fruit purees, or cereals with sugar into your baby’s diet. They are attractive and addictive when they are perceived with less enthusiasm as ordinary food.
Even if it seems to you that the child eats without pleasure or does not eat a new product at all - pumpkin or potatoes, you should not refuse to introduce them. Be patient and offer it periodically, adding in different proportions to those vegetables or cereals that the baby already loves. The fact is that it takes a child some time to get used to new tastes, so you need to give him a chance to try and love a new dish.
Signs that a child is ready to introduce new foods
Don’t you think that you should start complementary feeding because the clock has struck exactly 6 months since the baby was born? As usual, before entering a new stage of life, you need to weigh everything and observe the child.
Checklist “Is the baby ready for the introduction of complementary foods”
- The child is already 6 months old.
- He knows how to sit.
- His weight became 2 times greater than what was recorded at birth.
- At the time of starting complementary feeding, he was completely healthy.
- His interest in food awoke.
- The “pushing-out-of-mouth-solid-objects” reflex died out.
- The baby shows signs of hunger by latching on to the breast more often than usual
- He knows how to turn away to refuse another spoonful of food.
- And you don’t care about the offered carrots or green peas (this is a joke, or rather, it’s reality, but the child will develop this skill as complementary foods are introduced).
Metabolic and physiological characteristics of the child’s body that determine the timing of the introduction of new products
It is no coincidence that the introduction of complementary feeding occurs when the baby is six months old. There are several physiological reasons, why a child from birth cannot begin to eat meat and digest fresh vegetables.
- For example, the ability to digest and absorb nutrients from food due to its fermentation processes matures only after 3 months.
- And the ability to swallow food in a semi-solid and solid state, without regurgitation and reflexive pushing out of the tongue - after 5 months.
- Local intestinal immunity is formed only after 4 months.
- Increased permeability of the intestinal mucosa becomes less pronounced from the age of 3 months onwards.
Therefore, you should wait until your baby matures and can start eating vegetables and cereals with pleasure and without physiological problems.
Early and late complementary feeding: why it’s not worth it
Early:
- allergy provocation,
- food intolerance,
- gastrointestinal dysfunction (abdominal pain, intestinal colic, regurgitation, vomiting and stool upset).
Late:
- nutritional deficiency leads to a lack of growth and development, both physical and mental,
- a poor diet is the cause of rickets, anemia, malnutrition, hypovitaminosis,
- delay in the development of new skills - chewing and swallowing.
Five commandments of the first complementary feeding from Dr. Komarovsky
One of the most famous pediatricians in the world post-Soviet space Dr. Evgeny Komarovsky has developed his own rules for introducing complementary foods:
- Take your time. The optimal age for starting complementary feeding is 6 months. In special cases, up to six months, but not earlier than 5 months.
- Don't use your grandmother's experience. This is fair because the opinion of WHO has changed a lot since our childhood.
- Don't get carried away with quantity. You should always start with half a teaspoon, no matter how you or your baby want more.
- No violence. The child must become interested in food. There is no need to force him to eat, just postpone the introduction of this taste until another day.
- No variety. Each new product takes time; it must be introduced gradually. Be sure to monitor the child's reaction. It’s too early to make vinaigrette in a children’s bowl.
Rules for introducing complementary foods
- Along with the introduction of complementary foods, it is worth establishing a more or less clear diet with an interval of 4 hours.
- Snacks should be excluded. If the child really wants to chew something, you can offer fruit.
- Complementary feeding begins with vegetable purees.
- A new product is introduced only if the baby is healthy and does not have a preventive vaccination in the next 3 days.
- Breastfeeding or formula feeding is the main meal of the day for children who are introduced to complementary foods. They end the tasting of each new dish.
- The consistency of the puree at first should be soft so that the child does not choke.
- The next product should be introduced after you understand that the introduced product did not cause stomach upset or allergies, and the baby appreciated it.
- If the baby is not gaining weight well, then porridge is introduced first, then vegetables.
- If there is a problem with constipation, then try prune puree a little earlier.
- Controlling the baby's stool and rashes is the main task of an attentive mother for the entire period of complementary feeding.
- Meat broths are not good for babies; they put a lot of stress on the kidneys.
- Let's drink at the child's request. You should not give water during feeding, only in between. If he does not want water, after 8 months you can offer compote without sugar.
- Whole milk, beef, eggs, fish, chicken are introduced after a year.
- Nuts and honey - after two years.
- Be sure to use vegetable oils with vegetables, melted butter with porridges.
- If a rash or diarrhea occurs, stop feeding and consult a doctor.
When not to introduce complementary foods
Is the baby sick? Is he due for vaccination? Is he not sitting yet? Put adult food aside for now. Make sure there is stability in his life during this period.
Approximate scheme for introducing complementary foods
Different doctors have their own opinions regarding where it is best to start introducing complementary foods. But in general, the diagram presented below is a summary of the modern understanding of the issue.
From 6-7 months, it is necessary to offer the child to try vegetables and cereals.
- Vegetables
Sequence of introduction:
- zucchini
- cauliflower
- broccoli
- potato
- carrot
- pumpkin
- green peas
Feeding time: dinner. After eating, you should give it a drink with breast milk or formula.
Volume: ½ teaspoon for the first time, in a week or two, increase to 180-200 grams.
Introduce a new flavor every 3-7 days. You can make a mix or let them try separately.
Important: Observe the reaction to each new product introduced.
When your baby eats 100 grams of puree, start adding vegetable oil- corn or olive.
- Porridge
If the child shows signs of hunger and eats vegetables with pleasure, then porridge can be introduced 2-3 weeks after the start of complementary feeding. Until 9-10 months they should be gluten-free:
- buckwheat,
- corn,
- rice (with caution, it is fraught with allergies and constipation).
After 9-10 months gluten-containing:
- oatmeal,
- millet,
- wheat,
- pearl barley
Feeding time: breakfast.
Volume:with ½ teaspoon. Increase to 200 grams per week.
You can cook with water or dilute with breast milk, adding less than half a spoon of butter (preferably ghee).
After breakfast, encourage your child to drink breast milk or formula.
Introduce a new porridge no more than once a week, make sure that the introduction of a new vegetable and a new porridge do not coincide. Otherwise, it will be difficult to figure out the cause of allergies or intestinal problems.
If you buy porridge, preferdairy free no added sugar. They are in the lines of such brands as “Baby Sitter”, “Heinz”, “Fleur Alpin”, “BelLakt”, “Hipp”.
- Fruit pureeIt should be made a holiday for the baby, offering it after meals or between feedings as a dessert no earlier than 8-9 months.
Add fruits in the following order:
- apple,
- pear,
- banana (ripe with dots on the skin),
- plum or prune.
If your child is allergic, it is better to try baking or steaming fruits yourself.
Volume: From ½ teaspoon to 70 grams by 7 months, per year you can eat no more than 120 grams per day.
- Compote, cooked without added sugar, offer after 10 months.
Sequence of introduction:
- apple,
- pear,
- plum or prune.
It is better to introduce compotes after fruit puree, when the reaction to the components is known.
If your child is thirsty, offer him water first.
- Cottage cheesestart introducing after 9 months.
Feeding time: afternoon snack.
Volume: start with ½ tsp, increase to 50 grams per dose. Then give it to drink with breast milk.
You can cook it yourself at home. Fruit options - mix cottage cheese with puree.
Among the finished products are “Agusha”, “Tema”, “Izbenka”.
- WITH meatthe child becomes acquainted after 9 months withfish- after a year.
Sequence of introduction:
- turkey, rabbit, lean pork,
after a year
- beef, chicken,
- cod, haddock, river perch, hake, pollock, flounder.
Feeding time: lunch with vegetable puree.
Volume: from ½ teaspoon to 30 grams per month.
Cook in the second broth.
- KefirYou can start drinking from 8-9 months.
Feeding time: afternoon snack or at night.
Volume: up to 180-200 ml.
It’s better to start with biokefir “Agusha” (with bifidobacteria). After 10 months, you can introduce all drinking fermented milk products - yoghurts, kefir, matsoni, etc.
- Cookie- after 7-8 months of the baby.
Feeding time: afternoon snack.
Don't allow cookie snacking.
As for brands, you can choose Yubileiny or Heinz.
Fruit and vegetable juices
Our grandmothers and mothers gave their children juice from the age of 2 months. Some old-school pediatricians continue to recommend this to their patients. But times have changed. Research on the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract of babies has become available. Today about the introduction of juices into children's diet There are 2 opinions.
- According to the recommendation of the Institute of Nutrition of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, juices should be introduced into the children's diet no earlier than 4-5 months, starting with 5 ml.
- Many modern Russian and foreign pediatricians do not recommend drinking juices as part of the first complementary feeding. Only after introducing all products. Otherwise, you can provoke gastrointestinal diseases, allergies, and metabolic disorders. Even adults are advised to eat an apple rather than drink juice, even if it is freshly squeezed.
What mom needs to know when making juice at home
If you still think that your child needs juice, then you should definitely prepare it yourself. “Boxed” options can be classified as fast food, and not balanced baby food.
To prepare juice:
- choose ripe fruits,
- remove the skin and seeds, leaving only the pulp,
- pass through a juicer,
- pour the juice into a clean container.
The finished product can be stored for no more than 2 hours in summer and 4 hours in winter.
You can't give water to children concentrated juice, be sure to dilute it with water.
Is it possible to feed a child jelly?
- an excess of carbohydrates provokes obesity in children,
- Boiled berries are less healthy than fresh ones.
We prepare porridge ourselves
Does your mother insist that you grind your cereal and feed your child a “clean” product? Or is this your position? Perhaps so.
- Buy some cereal.
- Sort it carefully.
- Rinse under running water.
- Dry.
- Grind in a coffee grinder.
- Pour into a jar with a lid and store as you would regular cereal.
For preparation:
- fill with water in a ratio of one to two,
- cook over low heat until tender,
- cool, add oil.
What's better: finished products or homemade preparations?/articles/gotovye-products
Fermented milk products
There are different opinions regarding the introduction of fermented milk products. Dr. Komarovsky recommends starting with kefir. Traditional doctors advise administering it after vegetables and cereals. Approximately 8-9 months.
The benefits of kefir, yogurt, cottage cheese and cheese are undeniable. But it is also worth considering the degree of maturity of the children's gastrointestinal tract. If kefir can be useful at 8 months, then you should wait up to a year with cheese.
Meat feeding
Meat is a rather difficult product to digest. But in case of iron deficiency anemia, it will help the child cope with the lack of the mineral in the blood. Follow your introduction schedule and have your baby checked regularly.
Eggs
Eggs contain amino acids and are rich in phospholipids. They allow the child to develop physically and psychologically.
But they can be a source of danger and cause:
- allergic reaction,
- salmonellosis.
Introduce eggs into complementary foods after a year, carefully hard-boil them - everything, including quail eggs, can also cause infection.
Fish and seafood
Fish and seafood raise a lot of doubts among mothers and pediatricians. They are useful, but allergenic. They should be administered with caution after the baby is one year old. It is better to start with low-fat varieties of fish.
Cow's milk
Cow's milk is a grown-up food. It is not useful for children under three years of age. And often such complementary feeding entails a bunch of troubles, ranging from disorders to intestinal bleeding.
FAQ: questions that concern mothers who have recently started complementary feeding
- How can you teach a child to bite?
In order for a child to eat fully, he must be able to bite and chew. Homogenized food does not contribute to this, so some mothers give their children a peeled or dried apple to develop this skill.
This causes misunderstanding for many - how can a six-month-old child be given a piece of solid food? What if he takes a big bite and chokes?
To avoid such situations, the mother needs to stay close to the child and supervise his learning.
There is an option to put a hard piece in the nibbler, but the pleasure of biting may be lost.
- Should my child wash his hands before eating?
Let's not talk about hepatitis and cholera, but even an upset stomach brings little joy. Especially if you know it could have been avoided by washing your hands.
- How do complementary foods and dysbacteriosis combine?
Due to the fact that intestinal dysbiosis is not a disease, but a consequence of other diseases, it is necessary to understand what its cause is.
If, based on the results of the analysis, you have identified lactase deficiency, then your child will be recommended dairy-free complementary foods with buckwheat or rice porridge. It will need to be administered slowly and monitored for response. If there are manifestations such as changes in stool, rashes, or disorders, you should postpone complementary feeding for 2-3 weeks.
If the doctor has determined age-related immaturity of the gastrointestinal tract, then do not rush to start complementary feeding. Wait 2-4 weeks, and therefore try to start with dairy-free, low-allergenic cereals and vegetable puree - cauliflower or zucchini.
- What are the principles of introducing complementary foods for atopic dermatitis?
- Whether your child is on breastfeeding, IV or IV, you should not rush into introducing complementary foods if he has atopic dermatitis. Let your digestive system mature.
- The beginning of complementary feeding for atopics is green and white flowers(cauliflower, zucchini, broccoli), gluten-free cereals (buckwheat, rice, corn), kefir - with caution.
- When the first products are introduced, you can try fruits - apples, pears, plums, and then meat (rabbit, turkey).
- All products must be introduced very carefully, monitoring the child’s reaction, without neglecting the portion size. If the doctor told you to start with half a teaspoon, do so.
- If a reaction occurs, discontinue the product and re-introduce it after six months.
Avoid the following foods:
- cow's milk - up to 3 years;
- citrus fruits, red vegetables, fruits, berries, gluten-containing foods - can be given to try at the age of 1 to 3 years;
- chocolate, cocoa, peanuts, crabs, shrimp, crayfish, fish, pickles, marinades and seasonings - introduce carefully after 3 years.
After 3-4 years, many children outgrow atopic dermatitis and can easily eat any food.
More about allergies and complementary feeding here:/articles/prikorm-pri-allergii .
- Is it possible to introduce complementary foods for lactase deficiency?
The lack of production of an enzyme that facilitates the digestion of lactose causes pain in children from the accumulation of gases in the tummy (flatulence), diarrhea, poor weight gain, and in some cases, dehydration.
For treatment, the doctor prescribes enzymes.
The rules for introducing complementary foods in children with lactase deficiency are the same as in healthy children. The first vegetables to be introduced are zucchini, potatoes, cauliflower, carrots, which are subsequently seasoned with vegetable oil.
If you prepare the puree yourself, you can be sure that milk will not get into the dish. When buying ready-made purees, carefully study the label - it should not contain cream, whole or powdered milk.
- When is complementary feeding necessary for premature babies?
Pediatricians have different opinions regarding the introduction of complementary feeding to premature babies.
- Some believe that complementary feeding should be started at 4 months so that the baby gains weight more actively.
- Others prefer that the gastrointestinal tract of such children mature, so complementary feeding should be started at six months.
They are unanimous that it is better to start premature, low birth weight babies with cereals.
- What to do if complementary feeding causes constipation?
After introducing each new product, you must carefully monitor your baby. If he is constipated:
- the product must be cancelled,
- start doing gymnastics with the child and massage the tummy clockwise,
- After visiting a doctor, use safe medications.
Introducing solid foods is a terra incognita that you will explore with your baby. We wish you many fun discoveries and few sharp pitfalls.
Every mother sooner or later wonders how to introduce complementary foods to her child? Many listen to grandmothers based on their experience, many look for information on the Internet, some trust doctors. But recommendations may not always be correct. Grandmothers and some doctors don't know latest research in this area they use old schemes, and this can lead to disastrous consequences. The Internet produces many results for the query “complementary feeding for children in the first year of life.” Many of the articles contain very strange and dangerous information. It is for this purpose that this article contains all the information about the most correct introduction of complementary foods. For convenience, a table of complementary feeding for children up to one year is provided. But before that, it is better to familiarize yourself with all the information below. It will allow you to find out when you can start introducing complementary foods to your baby, keep your baby’s digestive system healthy and correctly introduce complementary foods to your baby.
When can and should you introduce complementary foods to an infant?
Very often, grandmothers, recalling their long-standing experience in this matter, recommend starting complementary feeding earlier. The child is 3 months old, and the first complementary foods from his grandmothers will not take long to arrive. The main thing is not to let grandma do this! Previously, indeed, such early complementary feeding could be recommended, but times change, and science does not stand still. According to many studies, it has been proven that the introduction of complementary foods to a breastfed child should begin no earlier than 6 months. Babies who are bottle-fed can start getting acquainted with new foods a month earlier, they can, but they shouldn’t. It is quite acceptable to start feeding them complementary foods at 6 months. Why can't we introduce complementary foods earlier? Until 6 months, complementary feeding is not only unnecessary, but also harmful. A child under 6 months does not have the necessary enzymes that could digest new types of food. It follows that even if you start giving him new food earlier, it will not be absorbed and will be useless. If food is not digested, it creates additional stress on the baby's digestive tract. Even a couple of teaspoons can put a heavy strain on his stomach. Therefore, you should not rush with the first feeding of an infant. Up to six months is enough for him nutrients obtained through breast milk or formula. Children who eat formula, their enzyme systems may mature a little earlier, so it is permissible to introduce complementary foods to a child at 5 months.
A single rule for introducing complementary foods for each type of food is that any new product is introduced at 5 grams per day. Gradually the volume increases to 100-150 grams per day. The increase in volume should be gradual over the course of a week.
Complementary feeding table for breastfed and bottle-fed children
6 months Vegetables: zucchini, cauliflower, broccoli, pumpkin, carrots
7 months Porridge: rice, corn, buckwheat. Dairy-free!
8 months Meat (turkey, rabbit, veal, beef, chicken, lamb), yolk, potatoes.
9 months Cottage cheese, kefir.
10 months Fruits: apple, pear, prunes.
What and how is introduced as complementary feeding to a child at 6 months
Complementary feeding is introduced to the baby on a monthly basis. Only one type of new food is introduced per month. Vegetables are usually introduced first. The exception is children with underweight; for them, cereals are introduced first, then vegetables. Vegetable puree is given at lunch. Best order introduction of vegetables: zucchini, cauliflower, broccoli, pumpkin, carrots.
Vegetables that are least likely to cause an allergic reaction are introduced first. Pumpkin and carrots are introduced last, as children are often allergic to them. Carrots should not be given more than 2-3 times a week and should be given along with other vegetables. Otherwise, you may notice deposits of yellow-orange pigment on the baby’s feet and palms.
The puree should always be one-component at first. Mix different types vegetables are only possible when the baby tries them separately and he does not have a reaction to any of them. A new type of food is always offered to a hungry child.
If you are planning to prepare vegetable purees yourself, then there is no need to be afraid, in fact it is very simple. Vegetables are pre-washed in running water, if necessary, peeled and seeds removed. Chopped vegetables are placed either in a saucepan or in a double boiler. It’s better, of course, to steam it, as more nutrients are retained. Ready vegetables are ground in a blender with the addition of water or vegetable broth. The consistency should be liquid, similar to kefir. As your baby gets older, you can give him thicker purees. Ready puree cannot be stored. Every day you need to cook fresh. You cannot add salt, sugar or other spices.
Using the example of introducing vegetable puree, we will tell you the order of administration by day.
1 day - 5 grams (1 teaspoon) of zucchini puree, then if breastfeeding, supplement with breast milk, if artificial - with formula.
Day 2 - 10 grams of zucchini puree, then supplement with breast milk or formula.
Day 3 - 20 grams of zucchini puree, then supplement with breast milk or formula.
Day 4 - 40 grams of zucchini puree, then supplement with breast milk or formula.
Day 5 - 80 grams of zucchini puree, then supplement with breast milk or formula.
Day 6 - 120 grams of zucchini puree, then supplement with breast milk or formula.
Day 7 - 150 grams of zucchini puree, then supplement with breast milk or formula.
The next day, give 5 grams of cauliflower puree and increase the volume as in the previous week. You can add zucchini to cauliflower if there is no reaction to it. And so on. This scheme will be applicable to other types of complementary feeding, where a different scheme will not be described.
If the child does not eat the entire portion, it means that a smaller amount is enough for him; there is no need to force him to finish eating. Remember that eating habits are formed in the first year of a child's life.
The first month of introducing complementary foods has passed, what should I give at 7 months?
The next thing the baby is given is porridge. It is important that the cereals are dairy-free and gluten-free. Cow and goat milk cannot be given for at least a year. They negatively affect the mucous membrane of the gastrointestinal tract, are not absorbed and increase the risk of gastric and intestinal bleeding. If your baby doesn't want to eat dairy-free porridge, then you can add some breast milk or formula, depending on your baby's feeding type.
Up to a year, a child should receive only those cereals that do not contain gluten. Gluten can trigger the development of celiac disease, a severe pathology of the small intestine. Gluten-free porridges include rice, corn and buckwheat. This variety is quite enough for a child in the first year of life. You can cook your own porridge, but you don’t need to.
There are many baby cereals available in grocery stores. Many are afraid to buy them, but in vain. These are the same cereals, crushed into industrial conditions, cooked and dried. Therefore, all that is needed to prepare them is to add water. No chemicals for instant cooking, they are not processed.
Porridges are introduced for breakfast according to the scheme indicated in the previous block.
During the introduction of complementary foods, it is necessary to monitor the child’s condition, whether his tummy is bothering him, whether the nature of his stool has changed, whether there are any allergies. The reaction may not appear on the first day, but with increasing volume of the new product. Therefore, you should not introduce several different new foods at the same time and should slowly increase the volume!
Complementary feeding at 8 months This month has a lot of variety. During this period the following is introduced: meat yolk potatoes Potatoes are introduced later than other vegetables, as they are considered a highly allergenic product. It is administered starting from 5 grams, at the end of the week it is necessary to reach a volume of not 150 grams, but only 50 grams. Potatoes should not make up more than a third of the volume of the total vegetable puree. The yolk can be quail or chicken. Quail is preferable, as it is less likely to cause allergic reactions.
The yolk is given 2 times a week. The first time a few grains are given. The second time - half a quail yolk or ¼ chicken. Next week you can give one quail or half a chicken yolk. Continue to give in this quantity 2 times a week. The yolk is given in the morning feeding. It is easier to grind it with breast milk or add it to porridge.
The first types of meat puree that are given to a child are turkey and rabbit; they are considered the least allergenic types of meat. Then you can give veal, closer to 9 months - beef, chicken and lamb. It is better not to feed pork until it is 1-1.5 years old. Meat is introduced into lunch with vegetables, weighing 5 grams. At the age of 8-9 months, the daily intake of meat is no more than 50 grams. By the age of one year you need to give about 100 grams of meat. If the child does not want meat puree in pure form, it can be mixed with vegetables.
For those who want to prepare meat puree themselves - a convenient method of preparation
Minced meat is made without any additives, and small balls are formed from it - meatballs. Immediately boil the balls in boiling water for 4-5 minutes. Then you freeze it. If necessary, take them out of the freezer and steam them along with the vegetables. Grind with a blender with broth, just like vegetables. These minced meat balls will not stick together when frozen. Grinding not minced meat, but a piece of boiled meat with a blender is difficult and ineffective, the puree turns out sticky, and the meatballs are crushed easily.
9 months - time to introduce your baby to fermented milk products
Cottage cheese and kefir are introduced very slowly! The slower the better. Cottage cheese is given first. Naturally, you should not give the cottage cheese that is sold in packs, granular or with additives! For a child you need to buy baby cottage cheese - Agusha, Tema. It should be without any additives, sugar or fruit! The first time, 1 teaspoon is given. Every day, 1 teaspoon more is given until the portion is 25-30 grams. For a child aged 9-10 months, this is quite enough. By the age of one year, the portion of cottage cheese can be increased to 50 grams.
Fermented milk products are given in the evening, a couple of hours before dinner
Kefir is given for the first time in a volume of 5-10 ml. Of course, it should also be for children and without any additives, fruit fillers and sugar. The volume gradually increases to 100-150 ml. By the age of one year you can give 200 ml of kefir. Not all children like kefir; some may refuse to drink it. This is not a reason to “introduce” your baby to sugar by adding it to kefir. It is better to offer your child kefir after a couple of weeks or a month. It's okay if he doesn't drink it for a while. There are children who never drink it at all, yet they grow and develop no worse than others.
10 months - time for desserts
At this age, you can already pamper your baby with fruits. Only in this matter should one be selective. It is recommended to give fruits grown in our country. It’s best to save tropical fruits for later. You can give applesauce, pear or prunes. Most children already have teeth by this time and can chew pieces of fruit. You should start introducing each fruit with 1 teaspoon or one small piece. You can give about 100 grams of fruit per day. Fruits are given as a snack.
Many may be wondering why fruits are so late, are they rich in vitamins? If a child is breastfed, then vitamins come with breast milk, if not artificial, then they are part of the mixture, so there is no need for fruits as a source of vitamins (besides, they are almost not absorbed from fruits by babies). The main thing that a baby under one year old needs to grow is proteins and fats. Fruits are a delicacy containing carbohydrates and an abundance of fruit acids, which strongly irritate the mucous membranes. Store-bought fruit juices are especially useless in this regard - they are essentially a squeeze of these acids, and also devoid of useful properties natural freshly squeezed juice. Regarding drinks - from 7 months you can try giving your baby herbal tea, and after the child tries prunes, you can cook compotes from dried fruits (apples, prunes), dried apricots can be added after a year.
The child does not eat complementary foods, constipation, diarrhea, allergies - typical problems of the complementary feeding period
Sometimes problems arise after complementary feeding is introduced to the child, for example, constipation, diarrhea, allergic reaction, tummy pain, as a result of which the child becomes restless. If any of these problems occur, it is necessary to discontinue the product that caused this reaction. Re-introduction of the product is recommended no earlier than after 1-2 months with careful monitoring of the child’s condition. It is reintroduced as slowly as the first time. Another problem that mothers may face is that the child does not eat complementary foods. The child himself knows well when it is time for him to eat something, and what makes him uncomfortable due to the immaturity of enzyme systems.
Therefore, in the case when a child does not want to eat complementary foods, refuses, there is no need to force him, try to make the food tastier by adding salt and sugar. You just need to take a break for 1-2 weeks. Then offer the baby this food again.
About canned food Moms often argue about what is better - canned food or home-cooked food. They will never agree on their own, since each of them has a couple of compelling arguments in her pocket. Both sides are right. You can cook it yourself, and at some point it will even become necessary when the child’s diet begins to expand after a year. But canned food is no worse. The main thing is to follow a number of rules when choosing it. The introduction dates indicated on the banks have nothing to do with real standards. This is marketing and the “fresh” the product, the better. The expiration date should be indicated without corrections. The product must not be expired. The composition should not contain artificial additives; it is desirable that there be as few components as possible. What should not be given before one year of age and what they mistakenly like to feed infants Juice! A favorite recommendation from grandmothers. You don’t have to give juices at all, even after a year. There is no benefit from them, but there are a lot of acids that irritate the mucous membrane (see store-bought juices are not only not healthy, but also harmful). Semolina porridge and other gluten-containing grains. Fresh vegetables cause bloating and are difficult to digest. Sweets, including cookies. Tropical fruits. Cow and goat milk. What a mother should remember about complementary feeding of her baby Follow these recommendations and do not give the child too much, since it is very important to introduce complementary foods to the child correctly, the health of his digestive system in the future depends on it. Complementary feeding for up to a year is an introduction to new food, and not full feeding. You should not give a new product more than once a week. You cannot introduce several new foods at once. Complementary feeding is only the necessary macro- and microelements, and not pampering or treats. You should not take this playfully, experimenting with products, your child’s health depends on it. Salt, sugar and other spices should not be given at this age. To our “spoiled” taste buds, a simple zucchini in water will seem disgusting, but for a child it is not only healthy, but also tasty. In addition, salt is contained in all products in required quantity, adding salt is an excessive burden on the baby’s kidneys. With the introduction of complementary foods, you need to start giving your baby water if he is breastfed and has not drunk it before. If someone recommends giving new food when the child is 3 months old, complementary feeding in the form of anything, then explain that this cannot be done. And before there were many problems from this, but they were not diagnosed. If a child refuses to eat complementary foods, do not rush, you need to take a break for a week and try again.