Breast milk is an invaluable resource for a baby, containing the most essential vitamins and minerals for the normal functioning of the body. Sometimes breastfeeding is impossible for one reason or another. Then the baby is given milk formulas to make up for the nutritional deficiency. Switching to a different type of nutrition often causes stress in the baby, so mothers should gradually switch to artificial feeding.
Artificial feeding is the optimal breast milk replacement for babies
Recommendations for the introduction of complementary foods
Usually, complementary foods are considered any liquid fruit or vegetable puree, softened yolks, cereals, juices, including products containing dairy impurities in the composition as an additional food. Against the background of prolonged artificial feeding, the child has a need for more nutrient-rich food, therefore gastroenterologists recommend introducing the first complementary food at 6 months. It is at this age that the baby's liver, stomach and intestinal tract fully mature, which means that it is ready to absorb food other than mother's milk or formula milk. Modern research shows that you can start feeding the food that adults eat at 4 or 4.5 months. It all depends on whether the baby has enough vitamins and nutrients from artificial nutrition.
Vegetables and fruits contain all vitamins and minerals necessary for life
Key recommendations from complementary feeding experts include:
- The diet should contain vegetables and fruits of various tastes and textures;
- The start date for complementary foods should not differ from that recommended by WHO experts;
- For the first two weeks, do not introduce a large amount of gluten-containing foods into the diet when feeding a baby;
- Artificial feeding should be continued even during the introduction of new products into the baby's diet as a supplement;
- Do not feed the child with animal milk as main meals for up to 12 months;
- Meals should include iron-rich foods.
Important! Feeding your baby should not start earlier and no later than six months. The slightest delay in the introduction of complementary foods can lead to frequent occurrence of allergic reactions in the future. In addition, the absence of animal milk in the diet increases the risk of bronchial obstruction and atopic dermatitis in children.
Switching to artificial feeding
As soon as the baby's mother realizes that for some reason breastfeeding is impossible, you can gradually switch to artificial feeding. Such a transition is carried out even from the first week of a baby's life. Before you take this important step, you need to decide which ones and how many mixtures to give your baby. For formula milk bought at the supermarket, the dosage is written in the instructions on the package. The amount of formula and the number of feedings will depend on the baby's weight and age.
A bottle-fed baby's menu at 6 months old plays an important role in the development of a child's body and is a determining factor in how correct eating habits will be in the future. It is at this stage that you need to think about introducing fruit and vegetable purees and juices into the diet. Feeding exclusively with milk formulas cannot be the basis of nutrition for a baby under one year old, because this can cause a deficiency of vitamins and minerals.
At this stage, doctors recommend feeding the baby by the hour, namely every three to four hours, taking into account the sleep break. In the morning and before bedtime, it is best to give your child formula. In this case, the benefits, calorie content and nutritional value of food should be taken into account. When the artificial baby is only six months old, and the mother gradually introduces the first complementary foods, gastroenterologists recommend not removing milk formulas from the diet until the growing body fully adapts to adult food. This type of food will be called mixed.
The baby's body requires gentle nutrition in order to avoid frequent allergic reactions
We should not forget about the hypoallergenicity of products, because the body of a six-month-old child is not yet fully formed. These products include:
- Products containing gluten (oatmeal, wheat, and rye)
- Milk of animal origin;
- Chicken eggs.
An approximate menu for the day looks like this:
- The first feeding takes place at 6-7 am. The best option for breakfast is formula milk.
- The next breakfast is at 10 am. You can feed your baby with porridge without milk.
- Egg yolk or vegetable puree is usually served for lunch.
- For dinner at 18:00, you can give cottage cheese, but not more than 30 grams. Fruit puree works too.
- For the second dinner at 22:00 it is advisable to give milk mixture again.
When introducing complementary foods, you can cook various cereals, including buckwheat porridge or oatmeal. Fruit and vegetable puree is also great as a hearty and healthy lunch or dinner. Among plant foods, you must choose one that does not cause allergic reactions.
Important! Doctors do not recommend giving a child semolina porridge, as this cereal contributes to the development of rickets.
Suitable products for babies
The baby's diet, which has reached six months, should be taken very carefully, because the digestive organs have just formed and require sparing nutrition. In the first week of complementary foods, gastroenterologists do not recommend giving dairy products of animal origin, as the baby will have difficulties in digesting lactose.
Vegetable juices and purees are a great option for a 6 month old baby.
The following foods must be included in the menu of a 6-month-old child:
- fruit juices and purees (strawberry, prune, pear, apple, banana);
- vegetable juices and purees (pumpkin, zucchini, potatoes, carrots, cauliflower);
- low-fat cottage cheese and kefir;
- chicken yolk;
- meat as part of vegetable puree (chicken, beef, lean pork, turkey).
If you follow the proper diet, your baby's appetite will be regulated and correct eating habits will be formed. Doctors recommend leaving artificial feeding for up to 7 months, then replace it with fermented milk products.
Important! When drawing up a menu for a 6-month-old baby switching to adult foods, it should be borne in mind that new food should be introduced gradually. If you introduce two new products into the diet at once, the baby may develop an allergy, and it will be difficult to understand which particular product caused such a reaction.
The attitude towards products that provoke skin rashes is twofold. Numerous studies have been carried out on this topic, and the results obtained have shown that, thanks to the introduction of eggs into the diet, the body develops immunity to allergic reactions in the future. Therefore, early exposure to allergens should not be underestimated.
Complementary foods table for half-year-olds
The importance of introducing fruit juices and purees into the baby's diet has already been mentioned above. Feeding a six-month-old baby with store-bought mashed potatoes containing sugar can negatively affect the stomach lining. Therefore, it is recommended that you make your own fruit and vegetable puree.
Below is a table of complementary foods, which will allow you to understand what foods your baby should eat.
Complementary foods table for six month old babies
It is important to control portion sizes and not overfeed the baby - this can cause bloating, intestinal colic and loss of appetite in the future. You need to observe the measure according to the table. During the complementary feeding period, doctors do not recommend giving up feeding with milk formulas, since this is a valuable storehouse of nutrients, similar in composition to breast milk.
Meal schedule from 4 months
Infants who are bottle-fed begin to eat a little earlier than babies - one to two weeks. Lack of vitamins, minerals and nutrients is not always replenished with infant formula.
Fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy products and healthy cereals are what should be present in the child's diet every day.
The food schedule can be built approximately like this:
- 1st meal - 6:00 am - milk mixture can be given;
- 2nd meal - 10:00 am - fruit puree or porridge with milk;
- 3rd meal - lunch - vegetable and meat puree, soups, porridge;
- 4th meal - 18:00 - milk mixture, low-fat cottage cheese, cookies for children;
- 5th meal - 22:00 - milk mixture;
- 6th meal - 01:00 - also milk mixture (if necessary).
It is advisable to build a food schedule and feed the child by the hour, so eating habits are developed. To do this, it is important to establish a sleep schedule - the baby should wake up at the same time. At each meal, you should consider what foods the child has an allergic reaction to. Very often, children who are bottle-fed develop an allergy to cow's milk. In this case, it is important to gradually introduce lean meat, because such a reaction of the body indicates a lack of animal proteins. With proper feeding, the baby should not be bothered by colic, bloating and constipation. In the event that you have stomach problems, you need to remove foods that cause a similar effect from the diet.
Daily rate for babies
It depends on the body weight of a six-month child how much he will eat per day. This is often 1.7 of the total body weight. In addition, it all depends on the foods that are the basis of nutrition for babies who have reached 6 months. With a mixed type of food, it is advisable to give food in the following proportions:
- Fruit puree - no more than 50g .;
- Egg yolk - less than half;
- Low-fat cottage cheese - up to 40g.;
- Any porridge - 100-150g.;
- Vegetable puree - 100-150g.
It is undesirable for a six-month-old child to eat at night, only water can be given. The daily rate of food intake in milliliters is from 900 to 1100 ml.
How to get your baby to eat
Often, when parents try to introduce conventional foods into the menu of a 6-month-old bottle-fed baby, they are faced with such a problem as a child's lack of appetite. Doctors identify the following reasons for this phenomenon:
- the presence of high-calorie foods in the previous feeding;
- excessive amount of food with a previous meal;
- gum pain caused by teething;
- the presence of diseases of the oral cavity;
- stomach upset;
- colic, diarrhea, constipation;
- intolerance to foods present in the diet;
- the presence of mental trauma;
- the child cannot wean from breast milk and refuses the offered food;
- the predominance of pathogenic microflora in the intestine.
Loss of appetite is a common problem in 6 month old babies
If the reason for the loss of appetite lies in the dysfunction of the stomach and intestines, you should immediately consult a doctor. Sometimes a baby has a false sense of not wanting to eat. The following mistakes of parents can lead to this:
- absorption of food in certain conditions (when watching a cartoon, a movie, reading a fairy tale);
- the child is often pampered with sweets and flour products in between meals;
- violation of the diet and sleep;
- lack of physical activity.
In this situation, the mother's endless persuasion and anxiety can only worsen the situation. Therefore, you should establish a sleep schedule, then nutrition, in order to develop natural reflexes and reactions in the baby. It is necessary to carry out feeding by the clock - this will also develop a habit in the child, and the body itself will over time give signs that it is time to eat. In addition, you need to add more active games to awaken the appetite of the crumbs.
Note. The recommended age for complementary feeding is six months. By this time, the digestive organs have already formed in the baby's body, and it becomes possible to eat more solid and nutritious food. In the event that the child lacks useful and nutrients and the body does not develop, the first feeding should be carried out as early as 4 or 5 months.
An important point is the establishment of sleep and nutrition. If a child eats at the same time, they develop normal eating habits and the risk of sudden loss of appetite is minimized. Introduce new foods into the diet gradually to avoid severe allergic reactions.
If a baby who is bottle-fed has an intolerance to cow's milk, this indicates an insufficient amount of animal protein in the body. In this situation, you need to introduce low-fat meat products in the menu of a child who has reached 6 months.
Every day, the child must eat a certain amount of food in grams. To do this, check the feeding tables and avoid overeating.
If parents are faced with a child's lack of appetite, you need to visit a doctor or find out and eliminate the cause of this phenomenon yourself.
