Complementary feeding by month and dosage. Introduction of the first complementary foods by month

At 3-4 months, the newborn has already grown up, began to smile, walk, and become increasingly interested in the world around him. Here the parents have an idea whether it’s time to introduce the baby to new tastes. More and more often, mothers are looking at children's shelves in stores with a huge assortment of small jars with colorful labels. Grandmothers try to put a gingerbread or cracker into the baby’s little hand. Should we rush things? After all, introducing complementary foods to a breastfed baby means additional worries and responsibilities. Untimely introduction to products can completely harm a fragile body.

Baby and jars of baby food

Complementary feeding by month and dosage

For example, on the first day you give your little gourmet 5 grams of vegetable puree (cauliflower) to try, on the second day 10 grams, on the third day you can increase to 20 grams if complementary feeding is well tolerated, on the fourth up to 40 grams, on the fifth - 80 grams, sixth - 120 grams.
New complementary foods should consist of only one product. Now you can try introducing the next type of vegetable puree (broccoli), you again start with 5 grams to monitor the baby’s reaction to the new product and so increase the grams day by day to the desired volume.

But the question arises: the baby is already used to eating 100-150 grams of vegetable puree, and now they are giving him 5 grams again? You can add these 5 grams of broccoli puree to your usual cauliflower puree, but accordingly you need to give 5 grams less cauliflower puree.

Increase the volume gradually over 7 days (up to 100-150 grams).

With the introduction of complementary foods, you need to start giving your baby water if he didn’t need it before.

general information

The first feeding while breastfeeding scares any mother. In principle, this question is not at all difficult, but when there are a bunch of advisers nearby who sometimes have radically different opinions on what is happening, when you hear advice from different sides about the first feeding, but there are no clear rules, the mother still has to decide. Where can you start the “tasting”, from how many months should you introduce complementary foods, what foods can harm the baby, and how this negative impact can manifest itself... There are many questions, and even more answers, but choosing the right ones is a problem.

During breastfeeding, the child receives everything that is necessary for a newborn. Yes, but no matter how well the mother eats, after six months there is no longer enough “natural” food and it’s time to start introducing complementary foods.

Opinions also vary regarding when to introduce complementary foods while breastfeeding. Until quite recently, there was a clear answer to the question “where to start complementary feeding” - from the eighth week of life, give the baby a banana, then an apple, etc. Today, before six months, nothing else is used except mother’s milk, and only after that can little by little other foods be given.

The introduction of complementary foods during breastfeeding is more gentle. Even if the child doesn’t like one of the products, or simply doesn’t like it, mother’s milk is always nearby. And feeding new foods during breastfeeding is more pleasant for the baby. Milk changes taste depending on what the mother ate, so it is recommended that the first complementary feeding of a breastfed baby be done by adding it to the prepared puree, and then be sure to supplement it with breastfeeding.

When babies are fed not by their mother, but by ready-made formulas, the baby's complementary feeding varies dramatically from month to month. And the point here is not only when you can feed and where to start. Without the opportunity to feed on breast milk, as nature intended, the baby reacts completely differently to new food.

Thus, the answer to the question: when to introduce complementary foods to an infant depends on the type of feeding. With breastfeeding, this is from the age of six months, but in artificial patients it may begin a little earlier.

What foods are best introduced to a baby starting from 6 months?

It is best to start complementary feeding at 6 months with one-ingredient vegetable puree from broccoli; cauliflower; zucchini They are the most hypoallergenic foods, and last but not least carrots and pumpkin.

• Broccoli
  is good for babies because of its fiber content. It will help cope with digestive problems (constipation), and broccoli is also rich in B vitamins, vitamin C, E, A, calcium, magnesium and iron.
• Cauliflower
  also improves baby's digestion; cauliflower fibers cleanse the digestive tract. The vegetable is rich in protein, minerals, vitamin C, PP and B vitamins.
• Zucchini
  is rich in potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, vitamin C, iron, it will help babies suffering from anemia, and improves digestion in children prone to constipation.
• Carrots
  are a growth vitamin and contain vitamin A. The vegetable is good for a child’s vision. But you shouldn’t overuse it; carrots can cause an allergic reaction.
• Pumpkin
  removes harmful substances from the baby’s body, strengthens the immune system, but just like carrots, it is an allergen.

Buy or cook

Walking through the supermarket you can see entire rows of baby food. It would seem that it couldn’t be simpler - I bought a jar, and the baby received everything he needed, but every caring mother thinks for a long time before taking this step.

The undoubted advantages of ready-made purees, cereals and juices are:

• saving time;
• the ability to use out-of-stock products.

The disadvantages include:

• price;
• short shelf life, especially at the beginning, when only half a spoonful is used from a whole jar.

If you prepare food for your baby yourself, you will not only need to spend time. This is exactly the simplest thing. The problem is choosing quality products and those products that are actually needed. For example, if the baby is six months old and you need to introduce zucchini, where can you get it in winter? What if it’s time to get acquainted with meat, but it’s not possible to buy a suitable variety? What to do then?

Of course, you can start freezing vegetables and fruits so that you can use them later during the cold season, but will the young mother have that much time in the summer?

It is optimal to alternate the use of homemade and store-bought types of children. food, just try to purchase products exclusively from reputable manufacturers, and for self-cooking, use vegetables and fruits grown in environmentally friendly areas.

Introducing complementary foods at 7 months

From 7 months they begin to introduce porridge (buckwheat, rice, corn).
Porridge

must be strictly one-component, without the addition of cow's milk, and prepared in water.
The porridge should not contain gluten. You can add breast milk or formula to one-ingredient cereals. These three types of cereals will be enough for your baby to eat for up to 12 months. It is best to buy ready-made cereals; they are crushed, have undergone special processing and do not contain substances harmful to the child’s body, and are also easy to prepare. To do this, you just need to dilute the porridge with water. Dosage:
We introduce the product into the diet gradually, starting with 5 grams, and slowly increase it to the required volume (100-150 grams). It is good to give complementary foods for breakfast. Don’t forget to monitor your baby’s condition to avoid unwanted reactions (increased gas production, constipation, allergic reaction). You can try giving herbal tea, but it should only be for children.

Most common questions

Let’s summarize and try to answer the most common questions regarding complementary feeding by month and more:

1. Where to start the first complementary feeding? If weight gain is normal, vegetables appear first in the diet, then fruits and cereals; if not, then cereals appear first, and the doctor can recommend which ones.
2. When to introduce the first complementary foods during mixed feeding? With mixed feeding, complementary foods are given in the same way as with breastfeeding.
3. When should complementary foods be introduced to a breastfeeding baby? First feeding in the morning, then supplementing with mother's milk.
4. What should you do if your child is constipated after introducing complementary foods? Try adding more vegetables.
5. What to do if the baby’s first feeding is accompanied by diarrhea? If there is no foul odor, there is no need to panic.
6. At what month should you start preparing for complementary feeding? From 2-3 months, by adding water from a spoon.
7. What to do if the child is already more than 2 years old, but he still cannot do without breastfeeding? Most likely, this is a purely psychological addiction, so just replace the expressions of love.
8. Is it possible to change the complementary feeding table by month? It is possible, but not on your own, but after consultation with specialists.
9. What to do if you do not agree with the recommendations regarding the first feeding of the child, which the pediatrician advises? Contact another doctor, or several.
10. At what age can breastfeeding or milk porridge replacing it be completely eliminated? After 1.5 years, the child does not feel the need for breastfeeding.

Now you know the basic information about the first complementary feeding, where to start and how to determine whether a new food is suitable for the baby, when to introduce complementary feeding during mixed feeding and during breastfeeding. Let the period of acquaintance with adult food be as comfortable as possible for you and your baby.

Introducing complementary foods at 8 months

Complementary feeding at 8 months is marked by the introduction of meat into the baby’s diet.

• Meat
  should be lean varieties (chicken, turkey, beef, rabbit, veal). It is better to start with turkey, and then rabbit. These two types are considered to be the lowest allergenic meats.

Dosage: It is better to introduce complementary foods at lunch along with vegetable puree, starting with 5 grams of meat puree. By 9 months, the baby can eat 50 grams of meat puree, and by 12 months, 100 grams.

• Zhetlok
  is another type of complementary food for 8 months.

Which contains protein, the building material of the body. Yolk, in terms of nutritional value, cannot be surpassed by any product.
It can be given in the morning feeding along with porridge. Dosage: We start with several small pieces (even grains), then ? yolk, then? and so on until the whole yolk. This product can be consumed 2 times a week. You can use either chicken or quail yolk.

• Potatoes
  are the last complementary food product for 8 months.

Can be mixed with other vegetable puree.
The vegetable contains a lot of carbohydrates, so it provides the baby with energy. Dosage

: Potatoes often cause allergies in children. Therefore, it is better to consume no more than 50 grams per day.

First feeding: what, how and when

Hello. Today we will talk about an important topic in the development of a child under 1 year old - the first complementary feeding of an infant: timing and patterns.

Beautiful time! Your baby is growing, all his systems are maturing, including the digestive system. And finally, you can open a whole world of tastes and sensations for you and for him!

And in order to make his acquaintance with this world as gentle and comfortable as possible, there are certain features of introducing complementary foods.

How do you know when it’s time to introduce your child to new products?

1. Let's start with age.

Pediatricians with the support of WHO UNICEF currently believe that a breastfed child does not need additional food until he is 6 months old. And even 6 months is not a dogma. The introduction of complementary foods can be delayed by 1–2 weeks if something is bothering the baby at this time.

When a child receives artificial feeding, the introduction of complementary foods begins 2 weeks earlier.

1. But, in addition to age, there are signs that the baby is ready to switch to new food:

- the child can stay in an upright position for a long time. He holds his head confidently, sits or stands well with support from surrounding objects;

- may turn away or show in some other way that he does not want to eat (often a demonstration of refusal to eat occurs in the form of spitting out food);

- the child’s weight has doubled in relation to body weight at birth;

— ideally, if the baby has at least 1 tooth by the time complementary foods are introduced;

— the baby explores with interest the contents of mom and dad’s plates;

- the child is healthy and has not received preventive vaccinations in the last 3 days.

Here I propose to take a break and discuss the meaning of introducing complementary foods.

The main task of introducing porridge or vegetable puree, especially at first, is not to compensate for any deficiency of microelements or vitamins, but to train the baby’s gastrointestinal tract. Just imagine: the digestive system, which has been digesting only breast milk or an adapted formula for six months, must learn to digest cereals and purees!!! Therefore, it is difficult to overestimate the importance of following the algorithm for introducing complementary foods:

— complementary foods are given at the beginning of feeding, gradually displacing breast milk or an adapted formula;

- when switching to a fundamentally new type of complementary feeding (vegetable, cereal or fermented milk), you should start with half a teaspoon, increasing the serving volume to 150 ml over 2 weeks;

— one new product is being introduced (no multigrain cereals! We are introducing each cereal separately);

— the consistency of complementary foods should be homogeneous and not cause difficulty in swallowing;

- each new product is introduced within 5 days with mandatory monitoring of the reaction, including the appearance of an allergic rash, changes in stool character;

- given that the nature of the stool can change, during this period, reliable and comfortable disposable diapers are especially necessary, for example, Huggies® Elite Soft diapers - soft and comfortable, with a new super-soft SoftAbsorb layer that absorbs loose stool and moisture in seconds, or - for boys and girls from 7 kg - Huggies® diaper panties, comfortable and elastic, giving your favorite gourmet real freedom of movement and a sense of security.

Now, in more detail, the scheme for introducing complementary foods:

1. First complementary feeding scheme for natural and artificial feeding

Vegetable

The first product is usually zucchini. You can also add cauliflower or broccoli puree.

Carrots and pumpkins with orange pulp are administered with caution due to the possibility of an allergic reaction. The preferred fruit is an apple or banana with a greenish peel.

Please note: mashed potatoes are not given in pure form, as they contain a lot of starch and little calcium. It is added to previously introduced products so that its content does not exceed 50% of the total volume. If you plan to introduce beets or carrots, their content in the finished puree should not exceed 25%.

How to prepare vegetables and fruits for complementary feeding

Vegetables are steamed or stewed in a small amount of water. Grind using a blender or you can use the Babycook system, which includes a steamer and a blender. If the puree turns out thick, you can dilute it with the liquid in which the vegetables were cooked or boiled water. Do not add salt!!! Vegetable puree is prepared with the addition of vegetable oil.

Apple or banana puree baked in the microwave works well.

Attention: legumes are not included in the diet of a child under 1 year of age!

1. Scheme of second complementary feeding for natural and artificial feeding

Krupyanoy

How to prepare porridge for complementary feeding

The best porridge for first feeding is buckwheat, due to its easy digestibility and high iron content.

Sort out the buckwheat, rinse, dry in the oven and grind with a coffee grinder.

In the first 2-3 days, 5% porridge is introduced (1 teaspoon of ground buckwheat per 95 ml of water, cook until tender. Do not add salt!). Next, you can prepare 10% porridge (2 teaspoons of cereal per 90 ml of water. Cook for 5-7 minutes until ready). Add butter and egg yolk to the porridge.

One of the first porridges can also be oatmeal (oatmeal). In this case, the flakes are not crushed in a coffee grinder, but are boiled during cooking.

Rice, millet, wheat, and corn porridge are also introduced. In the future, porridge can be prepared with “half” cow’s milk (50 ml of water + 50 ml of milk), subject to its tolerance.

If you plan to use industrially produced porridge, then when purchasing it makes sense to carefully study its composition. Regardless of “Hipp”, “Malyutka”, “Agusha”, “Spelenok”, “Heinz”, “Frutonyanya”, etc.), the best porridge for first feeding should not contain sugar, milk, lecithin, vanillin, and even less more, flavorings, flavor enhancers, GMOs and preservatives.

Attention: semolina porridge is not introduced until 1 year!

1. Scheme of the third complementary feeding for natural and artificial feeding

Fermented milk

Kefir can be purchased at a children's dairy kitchen or in a store. It would be better if it was a line specializing in baby food and packaging fermented milk products in small industrial packaging.

As for meat, butter, eggs, cottage cheese, crackers and other products, they are food additives and are introduced into the child’s diet in parallel with basic complementary foods.

The first dietary supplement is fruit juice. It is introduced at the age of 5 months, that is, before the first complementary feeding. The best choice is green apple juice, as it is easily absorbed and, as a rule, does not cause allergic reactions. They begin to give juice drops after breastfeeding, increasing to 30–40 ml during the first three weeks, then the total daily amount of juices with pulp and homogenized fruit purees increases to 100–150 ml. After introducing apple juice, after 2 weeks, if well tolerated, you can gradually introduce pear, banana, plum, apricot and other juices. Until 1 year of age, it is better not to give strawberry, strawberry, raspberry, citrus juices due to the risk of an allergic reaction, and grape juices due to a possible increase in fermentation processes in the intestines.

Vegetable oil in the amount of 5 grams is added to the vegetable puree. You can add it when the volume of the main portion of the introduced vegetable puree is ½ of the required amount.

Butter in the amount of 5 grams is added to porridge when the volume of the introduced porridge is at least 70 ml.

Meat in the form of minced meat or puree is added to vegetables in quantities of up to 50 grams per day. Age of introduction: 7 months.

At 7 months, meat broth is also introduced into the baby’s diet, which is cooked from pieces of meat. Bone decoctions are not used in children's nutrition. The best types of meat are beef and veal. Vegetable puree is diluted with 50 ml of broth.

Pay attention to cottage cheese: attempts to give it in its pure form, as a rule, are met with fierce resistance from the baby. Cottage cheese is added to fruit puree or, as a last resort, to vegetable puree. The maximum amount of cottage cheese is 50 grams 2-3 times a week. It is better to give it in the morning. Age of introduction: 8 months.

Cheese is given in the afternoon. The maximum amount is 50 grams 2-3 times a week. Age of introduction: 8 months.

Egg yolk is added to vegetable puree or porridge, starting with a pinch, gradually increasing to ½ yolk 2-3 times a week.

Crackers, dried fruits, pieces of fruit and other representatives of “bite” food are given when the child has at least one tooth.

And finally, sample menu tables depending on the child’s age (food amounts are given as an example; to calculate the amount of food for your baby, be sure to contact the pediatrician who is observing the child):

5 months:

the first food additive was introduced - fruit juice

6 months:

the first complementary food was introduced - vegetable

7 months:

two complementary foods were introduced - vegetable and cereal

8 months:

three complementary foods have been introduced - vegetable, cereal and fermented milk

A child’s health is formed from an early age, so organizing proper nutrition for the baby is one of the main tasks of caring parents. Joyful discoveries to you and your baby in the wonderful world of new tastes!

Introducing complementary foods at 9 months

Kefir and cottage cheese.
They are indispensable for the growth of bones and teeth of a 9-month-old baby, and also normalize the digestive system and improve the child’s microflora. Fermented milk products are introduced into the diet very slowly. Cottage cheese and kefir should be for children without adding fruit additives or sugar. Fermented milk products should not be used for adults. It is better if the baby starts with cottage cheese.

Dosage

: We start with one teaspoon and increase the volume every day by one spoon per day. One serving of cottage cheese is 30 grams. At 12 months, a baby will need 50 grams of cottage cheese per day. We start kefir with 5, maybe with 10 ml and daily increase the volume to 100 ml, by 12 months you can drink up to 200 ml of kefir.

When breastfeeding

When a child eats only “mother”, literally a month later, and sometimes even less, she begins to navigate how to eat properly and a certain daily routine is established in the family. To increase the fat content of milk and increase its quantity, an hour before starting feeding, many drink hot water with condensed milk, eat buns with butter and cheese, and prepare cottage cheese desserts for themselves. When the introduction of adult food begins, there is no need for such procedures. On the contrary, it is recommended to put the baby to the breast less and less, so that lactation gradually decreases, and breastfeeding does not turn from a necessary nutrition into a way of communicating with children. Of course, for a one-month-old baby there is a special need for this, but closer to 12 months, you should try to switch to other methods of communication and showing care.

It is easier to start the first complementary feeding during breastfeeding. The prepared puree can be supplemented with breast milk and the baby will simply think that this is the same thing that his mother fed him before. By gradually increasing the volume, you will be able to change your taste habits and develop a new eating schedule for your child.

You can simplify the procedure even more by teaching your child to drink water or breast milk from a spoon in advance. Then when the time comes to start feeding your baby complementary foods, he will be ready to open his mouth.

An undoubted advantage is also the protection that the tiny organism receives from mother's milk. After all, regardless of the time and characteristics of complementary feeding during breastfeeding, a baby can always be supplemented with breastfeeding, and not only for soothing purposes, but primarily to ensure the supply of necessary bacteria that will improve digestion and help make feeding safe.

The complementary feeding scheme involves introducing a new product from an amount of 3-5 grams and gradually increasing it to 150 grams.

Complementary feeding at 10 months

10 months is the most “delicious” time for the baby, we introduce fruits
. First, it is better to start with green and white fruits and berries (they are considered less allergenic products) - these are green apples, gooseberries, pears, white currants and prunes are allowed. The second-order fruits are yellow or orange in color - apricots, bananas, peaches, and lingonberries.

And lastly, the child is given blackberries, strawberries, wild strawberries, raspberries, oranges, tangerines. Fruit purees are used for a small snack.

Dosage:

You can eat up to 100 grams per day. At 10 months, children already have teeth, and they can safely gnaw on a small piece of an apple or pear, but always under the supervision of an adult. Compotes (from prunes for constipation in children) or make freshly squeezed fruit juice. It is not advisable to use store-bought juices; as a rule, they contain a large amount of acids harmful to the stomach.

If during the introduction of a new complementary food the baby experiences negative reactions (allergies, constipation, diarrhea, bloating), it is better to postpone the new product and introduce it a little later, in two months.

Body readiness

Why does the table of complementary feeding for children under one year consider the features of introducing complementary feeding to children, starting from the age of 6 months?

The fact is that by this time the gastrointestinal tract system becomes more developed, and the beginning of complementary feeding coincides with the activation of the production of special enzymes, which make it possible to digest incoming foods without harm to the body, as well as get all the possible benefits from them.

It is worth taking into account clearly developed recommendations regarding complementary feeding of infants up to one year by month.

There are a lot of detailed diagrams and tables on the topic “Scheme for introducing complementary foods.” There is a difference between the rules for feeding a breastfed child and a bottle-fed child, but the difference lies not in the products and the order, but in the months when babies begin to be introduced to new foods.

You can get acquainted with the table for introducing complementary foods during breastfeeding and during artificial feeding in any children's clinic during an appointment with a pediatrician; they are identical, but a “cheat sheet” for parents regarding possible reactions to new feeding will not hurt.

Five steps to a successful start to complementary feeding

The right approach to introducing complementary foods is already half the success. Let’s note a few tips for parents who are going to introduce their child to “real grown-up food.”

1. New foods can only be introduced when the baby is completely healthy. During illness, a child should not be given any food that has not been tried before. However, foods already introduced into the diet must continue to be given.
2. Do not introduce several different types of food at once - otherwise it will be impossible to identify the exact cause of an allergy or bowel disorder.
3. There is absolutely no point in rushing your child while eating. The baby should eat at the speed at which he is comfortable doing it.
4. Offer your baby complementary foods when he is hungry. If the baby tries to play with food, or avoids the spoon in every possible way and pushes it away, then stop feeding. The child will definitely catch up next time.
5. It happens that a child categorically does not want to try a new product. Don't be upset - you can invite him to try this food again after a few days.

On a note! Do not turn the feeding process into a game - dancing, singing songs and asking to “eat a spoon for mom” is not at all necessary. You should also not force feed, respect your baby. When he gets hungry, the meal you planned will certainly take place.

Type of feeding and complementary foods

The pattern of introducing new adult foods will vary depending on what type of feeding the baby is on. Breastfed babies receive complementary foods later than babies on formula nutrition. The optimal start is vegetable purees, provided the mother is well-nourished and has a good rate of physical development.

You can often hear the opinion of some pediatricians that the type of feeding does not affect the time of introduction of complementary foods. They justify earlier dates for artificial formulas by the fact that in former times the mixture was made from diluted cow's milk. Dr. Komarovsky claims that modern formulas are as close as possible in composition to breast milk, so there is no longer a strong difference when feeding.

READ IN DETAIL: complementary feeding by month during breastfeeding from A to Z

A baby’s refusal to eat a certain product does not mean that you need to try introducing something else. Continue to offer the same product over and over again, because this is when the child’s taste habits are being formed. A child prepared in this way will feel more comfortable in kindergarten and at school, because there the right to choose is not given, and the menu implies not only goodies, but also useful things, which are not always very pleasant.

READ ALSO: How to properly introduce the first complementary foods to a child?

How to feed children correctly, where to start and according to what scheme? The difference in diet will be determined by the degree of preparedness of the body to accept new types of food.

Children on an artificial type of feeding, who have already tried cereals, vegetables and fruits, will receive food for every day according to the following scheme:

Infants who have just begun to try new foods will eat according to the following principle:

• Please note one important point! The first and last feeding of the day is carried out using an adapted formula or breast milk.
• Feed your baby liquid porridge before bed. Most young children have a physical need to feed themselves at night.
• A baby who is on a mixed type of feeding should be fed according to the infants' schedule. The only difference is that mother’s milk is replaced with formula during the day if necessary.

Complementary feeding calendar table

What products are best to start with?

Each country has its own gastronomic preferences. For example, in Israel, a child’s first “adult” food is often an avocado, and in Germany, carrot mousse.

There is one immutable rule - new products must be single-component and homogeneous. There are no clear instructions on where to start the first complementary feeding for infants.

You can “start” with juices or vegetable purees, as they are rich in vitamins and minerals. For thin children, the first complementary food should be dairy-free porridge: rice (in priority), corn or buckwheat. Then the diet is replenished with oatmeal with the addition of milk. If you decide to start with vegetables, then preference should be given to zucchini, broccoli or cauliflower.

Potatoes, carrots and pumpkin should be included in the menu with caution: allergies are possible. The best fruits are green apples and bananas. Mashed potatoes should not be given in pure form; its content in relation to the total daily food intake should be 50%.

Is your baby ready for complementary feeding?

Full readiness for complementary feeding occurs when the child:

• has doubled its birth weight or weighs more than 6 kg (for premature babies, the figure should be 2.5 times its “newborn” weight);
• no longer spits out thick food (mashed potatoes) from the mouth reflexively;
• when hungry, at the sight of food he becomes excited, and clenches his lips when he does not want to eat;
• in a reclining state, sit on the lap of an adult and can turn away from the spoon;
• shows an active interest in food - he watches what adults eat, strives to try food from his mother’s plate, and willingly “pulls” the food offered to him in his mouth.

Note! The eruption of the first milk teeth and the ability to sit independently are not signs of a child’s readiness to learn the first complementary foods.

First feeding and child health - nutritional features

There are cases when complementary foods are introduced not according to a general, but according to a special scheme. This is important for mothers whose babies have health problems to know. Let us note several common situations that young parents and their children face.

Digestive problems

If a child often has problems with the gastrointestinal tract, then porridge would be a suitable complementary food for him. If you are prone to constipation, the first complementary food should be plant foods (vegetable puree). Infants older than 7.5 months may benefit from infant milk products containing pro- and prebiotics. They restore intestinal function in the best possible way and create ideal conditions for the development of beneficial intestinal bacteria.

Underweight

Low birth weight infants need to supplement their diet with new foods with caution. Feeding babies who are lagging behind in weight should first of all be provided by breast milk/formula. The first complementary food for an underweight baby should be porridge - choose a product additionally fortified with calcium, iron and zinc.

Tendency to allergies

Babies with allergies should be introduced to complementary foods a little later than others - at about 5-6 months. Dairy-free porridge is a great start to complementary feeding and should be gluten-free. It is also worth paying attention to hypoallergenic industrial products; they have appropriate inscriptions on the labels.

Parents of healthy children should also be attentive and not rush to master the entire range of complementary feeding products with their infants. Introduce your baby to 1-2 types of new foods and allow the baby’s body to get used to them for at least a week. Boiled food is easier to tolerate, even fruits are recommended to be given boiled or baked (for example, a baked pear or apple is well digested).

Advice! Offer the next product only in the morning or before lunch: this way you can assess the body’s response throughout the day and draw the right conclusion regarding a specific ingredient.

Basic rules of complementary feeding

You should start feeding your babies carefully. Every mother should know that the main goal is not to feed the child, and we are only introducing the baby to new sensations and tastes.

Where to begin

Grandmothers advise mothers to start by offering their child cookies soaked in water and a grated green apple. Both products are not approved by pediatricians as first foods for infants.

Cookies are a carbohydrate that does not provide anything beneficial to a child’s body. Green apple – increases acidity and will be stressful for a weak stomach. Both products can provoke fermentation (the forgotten “colic” will return) and disrupt bowel movements.

When organizing children's meals, follow WHO standards. There is a carefully developed table that clearly indicates the amount of complementary foods and the products it should consist of depending on the age of the baby.

What to drink for an infant

Like any person, a baby needs to drink. In the first year of life, you need to choose drinks no less responsibly than food. The best option is to give breastfeeding after eating. Mother's milk provides excellent nutrition and replenishes the lack of moisture.

During the hot season, you can give clean water, but in small quantities. After 9 months, you can try making compote from fruits (or dried fruits). Sugar should not be added to the compote.

It is better to avoid juices, especially store-bought ones, in the first year of life. They contain a lot of sugar and sometimes preservatives. If you still decide to give juice, it is better to prepare it at home yourself.

First feeding menu: how to introduce the next product

At the beginning of this part, we want to show a video of preparing complementary foods from a collection of recipes from a young mother: Any new food, be it porridge or puree, regardless of the composition, is offered to the child according to the following scheme: start with 1/2 teaspoon and over 7 days bring the portion to full volume. The amount of complementary feeding depends on the baby’s age and health status, so only the pediatrician observing the baby can give more specific figures. We can only name generally accepted norms:

– Vegetable purees – 100 g/day;

– Fruit purees - 50 g/day;

– Porridge – up to 150 g/day;

– Meat – up to 50 g/day.

Then the new product is given for another couple of days to “fix” the body, and the next one begins to be introduced.

We offer you as an example of a menu showing how a new product – broccoli – is introduced into the diet, while the baby already eats 100 g of zucchini puree per day.

Day 1 : 1/2 tsp. Broccoli puree, the rest is zucchini.

Day 2 : 2-3 tsp. Broccoli puree, the rest is zucchini.

Day 3 : 5-6 tsp. Broccoli puree, the rest is zucchini.

Day 4 : about 40-50 g of broccoli (half a jar) and the same amount of zucchini.

Day 5 : almost the entire jar of broccoli puree (about 80-100 g).

Day 6-7 : a full jar of broccoli (100 g).

In the following days, the puree can be alternated: today - broccoli, tomorrow - zucchini, or you can give both purees, 50 g of each. You can also mix purees as an option, the main thing is that the amount of vegetables offered to the child does not exceed the recommended daily allowance.

Introduce vegetables at 6 months

Vegetable introduction table

According to WHO, the first vegetable on the menu of a breastfed or bottle-fed baby should be zucchini. The vegetable should be boiled and ground into a puree. Next will be cauliflower, then broccoli (we recommend reading: how to cook broccoli for feeding your baby?). It is best to delay introducing your baby to pumpkin until 7 months, and introduce carrots even later. This is due to frequent allergies to these types of vegetables. It is recommended to give carrot puree no more than 2-3 times a week, combining it with other vegetables.

Zucchini does not cause allergies, so it is recommended to start complementary feeding with it

Table - The order of introducing the first vegetables by day

According to this calendar, you will be introducing three types of vegetables for 21 days, maybe more. Having reached the age norm in terms of volume, start mixing and combining products. The baby's menu will be varied with delicious multi-ingredient purees.

Vegetable recipe

Any novice housewife can prepare vegetable puree for a baby on her own. Store-bought vegetables must be thoroughly washed, peeled, and seeds removed. Vegetables prepared in this way should be cut into cubes and placed in a saucepan or steamer bowl. Boiled vegetables need to be chopped in a blender and a little vegetable broth added. As a result, you should get a puree with a consistency similar to kefir. The finished puree should be consumed on the same day and not even stored in the refrigerator. Make it a habit to prepare fresh food every day. No salt, spices or sugar should be added to the puree.

When is the first complementary food introduced?

Proper introduction of complementary foods is a prerequisite that young mothers must comply with. Prepare for this period in advance, so as not to harm the child, work through the following questions:

• when to start complementary feeding,
• what food to start with,
• when (morning or evening) to feed,
• what size portions should be,
• what to do if the child does not want to eat,
• what to do if a rash or problems with intestinal function appear.

You can find answers to these questions in specialized literature or online sources. Many mothers turn to their grandmothers for help, but it is recommended to consult a pediatrician who directly monitors the development of the newborn.

It is not recommended to abuse the advice of your mothers. The thing is that over the past decades, views on the introduction of complementary feeding to infants and infants have changed significantly in pediatrics. Today, the best option is to give milk or formula for up to 4-6 months. When the child turns six months old, the diet should be richer, but not give up breastfeeding.

Risks associated with the introduction of complementary foods

Risk of infectious diseases

The introduction of complementary foods increases the risk of infectious diseases. This risk is especially high in underdeveloped countries. It is this risk that is associated with the WHO recommendation not to give a child under 6 months anything other than breast milk. For developed countries, this risk is not relevant. The introduction of complementary foods does not significantly affect the frequency of intestinal infections in children of the first year of life.

Introducing complementary foods increases the risk of food allergies

• Each new food product can cause an allergy in a child, but there is a critical window for the formation of food tolerance when the risk of developing a food allergy is lowest. This is the age of the child from 4 to 6 months.
• At this time, the child’s intestinal microflora is formed with a predominance of bifidobacteria.
• The kidneys and gastrointestinal tract are functionally ready for the introduction of complementary foods.
• The initially increased permeability of the intestinal wall in children decreases.

Up to 4 months - the intestinal wall is permeable, there are few enzymes, the microflora is not formed - early introduction of complementary foods (up to 4 months) increases the risk of food allergies .

It would seem that later introduction of complementary foods can save you from food allergies. It turns out that this is not the case. With the late introduction of complementary foods (after 6 months), there is a need to quickly introduce a large number of new products. A large antigenic and digestive load on the body can cause the development of food allergies. At 4-6 months, the child’s level of maternal immunoglobulins in the blood decreases, and his own, including allergic immunoglobulins, have not yet begun to be actively produced; the older the child, the more actively they begin to be produced, so introducing complementary foods at a later date can give a start development of food allergies.

Risk of gaining excess body weight

The introduction of complementary foods can lead to excess body weight. But only with the early introduction of complementary foods, before 4 months. Early introduction of complementary foods increases the risk of obesity in the future.

Risk of developing iron deficiency anemia

The timing of the introduction of complementary foods affects the risk of developing a deficiency of microelements and vitamins, especially iron. Approximately 1/3 of women suffer from anemia by the end of pregnancy. The later the introduction of complementary foods, the higher the risk of iron deficiency in the child.

If complementary foods are introduced from 4 months, the level of serum ferritin in the child’s blood is higher than when complementary foods are introduced later (from 6 months and later). When complementary foods are introduced from 6 months and later, the risk of iron deficiency in the child increases .