The most useful and necessary product for a newborn is breast milk. It strengthens the health of the baby, ensures the functioning of the body, protects against infectious diseases and other unfavorable factors. As the child's body matures, it becomes necessary to teach the baby to new food. Often the mother is worried, not knowing how to correctly introduce the first complementary foods during breastfeeding. To avoid problems, this important point should be discussed with the pediatrician.
A healthy child from the second half of his life needs a full-fledged varied diet
Introduction of complementary foods during breastfeeding
Complementary feeding with gv (breastfeeding) is an addition to the basic nutrition of infants, that is, breast milk. It is prescribed when a child reaches a certain age, passing from a newborn to an infant and acquiring a new physical norm (increase in height, weight). At this time, a varied diet is required to replenish the reserves of the child's body with the necessary vitamins and minerals.
The main benefit of complementary foods is that it becomes one of the components of proper and nutritious nutrition for babies. Complementary feeding has an important function of adapting to new tastes and transitioning to new feeding behaviors.
However, despite the importance of baby food, incorrect administration can be harmful. The danger lies in the wrong actions of the mother herself, who, wanting to diversify the diet of her child, begins to feed him with saturated juices, cereals, mashed potatoes. Often, by feeding early, the mother harms her child due to the maladjustment of the gastrointestinal tract.
Pediatricians warn! Early complementary foods are undesirable for babies, as allergic rashes, diathesis, colic, and problems with stool may occur.
Why to feed children:
- The main purpose of complementary foods is to supplement and diversify the nutrition of an infant. After consulting with a specialist, mom will find out what products need to be introduced into the baby's diet for full physical and mental development.
- It is useful to introduce complementary foods for accustoming the baby to thick food, the formation of correct taste habits, and training of the chewing apparatus.
- New foods help the glands of the digestive system to function well, to bite and chew solid foods, so that they can then move on to eating on their own and to family meals.
- An important reason for feeding babies is their increased need for a variety of tastes, for new sensations, which are influenced by vitamin-rich and healthy foods. Interest in new food is shown when the baby reaches for the adult's plate.
When to introduce complementary foods to babies by months (graph)
The problem of what is the first feeding of a baby, when and what to feed, at a certain period becomes significant for parents. Although there are different opinions on the timing of the introduction of a new diet, pediatricians have developed a schedule of complementary foods by months in the first year of life. Parents should be aware that complementary foods are introduced in a special manner. It is recommended to start with one-component vegetable and fruit purees, gradually moving on to more varied and dense foods: cereals, yolk, fish and meat.
Complementary foods must meet all the necessary requirements
Important! Deviation from the schedule and late introduction of complementary foods affect the infant's weight loss, developmental delay. The introduction of new foods into the children's diet ahead of schedule increases the risk of developing allergies due to the unavailability of enzymes in the digestive system. It is advisable to observe the timing of the introduction of complementary foods, approved by experts.
Complementary feeding schedule by month
| Complementary feeding in g. | 6 months | 7 months | 8 months | 9 months | 10 months |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| vegetable puree | 5-100 | 150 | 170 | 180 | 200 |
| fruit puree | 40-50 | 50-70 | 50-70 | 80 | 90-100 |
| porridge | 50-100 | 100-150 | 150 | 180 | 200 |
| meat puree | 5-30 | 30 | 50 | 50 | 60-70 |
| fish puree | - | - | 10-20 | 30-50 | 50-60 |
| dairy products | 40-50 | 50-70 | 50-70 | 80 | 90-100 |
| egg yolk | - | 1/8-1/4 | 1/4-1/2 | 1/2-1 | 1 |
How to determine a child's readiness to introduce complementary foods
An important rule of thumb when introducing a new meal is to determine how ready the child is. The following readiness indicators have been identified:
- age (no earlier than five to six months);
- type of feeding (gv or formula milk);
- body weight (should exceed twice the birth weight);
- the desire to drink and eat from a spoon (do not push the object away with the tongue);
- the baby's ability to sit for ten minutes with a back support (feed at the children's table);
- unsaturation with breast milk (feeling of hunger in the baby);
- the desire to try adult food (reaches for mom's plate).
In the complex, all the signs of readiness are manifested in children in different ways, the boundaries of feeding range from 5 to 8 months, the benchmark goes to the second half of the year.
The child must be physically and mentally prepared for the introduction of complementary foods
At what age to feed a baby
Pediatric nutritionists have developed recommendations for mothers when to introduce complementary foods while breastfeeding. The main thing is that the determination of the timing of complementary foods is influenced by the individual characteristics of each child. An ideal period of five to six months is considered:
- in this age range, gv ceases to meet the child's nutritional needs;
- at about five months of age, body functions are formed that affect the assimilation of new products;
- the production of immune protective factors that affect the protection of the intestinal mucosa from allergic reactions increases,
- chewing movements are formed for food from a spoon, the ability to swallow thick food.
What foods are suitable for feeding with hepatitis B
Important! Complementary feeding should start with foods that are neutral in taste. This is recommended so that unusual taste sensations do not induce the baby to reject new food or, on the contrary, instill a preference for one dish over others.
Pediatricians do not advise starting to feed with sugary juices or fruit purees, as they attract more than vegetable or meat dishes. Other foods can be just as delicious if you stick to a complementary feeding schedule and instill healthy eating behaviors in your baby.
Sweet fruit purees should be added to complementary foods after the child has become accustomed to vegetables.
When transferring to mixed nutrition, children's nutritionists draw the attention of parents to which foods are introduced at the beginning and which are left at a later date. In pediatrics the introduction of approximately the following food schedule is considered correct:
- First, there are hypoallergenic vegetables of green, yellow and white colors: zucchini - cauliflower - broccoli - green beans - potatoes - turnips - pumpkin.
- Then, non-dairy gluten-free cereals are offered: buckwheat, rice, corn.
- Tasty fruits and berries are offered only after getting used to vegetables. The first to be introduced are yellow and green apples, pears, plums.
- Meat and fish purees enter the diet much later, the most recent are eggs and dairy products.
Description of the introduction of complementary foods for a child by months
All questions regarding the nutrition of an infant should be discussed with a pediatrician or pediatric nutritionist. It is undesirable to listen to the advice of grandmothers, since several decades ago it was advised to feed the crumbs with semolina and fruit juice. Now the approach to infant nutrition has radically changed. Most pediatricians advise adhering to the scheme recommended by WHO and adjusted by domestic specialists.
As a result, an approximate scheme of baby food per day looks like this:
breastfeeding - porridge - vegetable or meat puree - cottage cheese with cookies or fruit puree - fermented milk product - breastfeeding
The proposed food schedule is traditional. However, due to the individuality of each child, it is necessary to think about how much and what products should be chosen, taking into account the particular child's body. For example, it is good to start feeding a child with a low weight with porridge and, conversely, vegetables are useful for babies with too much weight.
Important! New food should be given in the amount of half a baby spoon in the morning and carefully observe the child's reaction: what is the consistency of the stool, if there are any signs of allergy. Gradually, the portion size is brought to the age norm.
It is advisable to offer the next product not earlier than a week after the introduction of the previous one.
When accustoming a child to complementary foods, it is necessary to immediately form the correct eating behavior
Over time, each mother develops her own schedule for feeding crumbs, but it should not deviate from the recommendations of the WHO and domestic pediatricians. The recommended list of products is prioritized as the most optimal and balanced.
Sequence chart and feeding rules
| Age | Products |
|---|---|
| 6 months | • Vegetable puree (squash, cauliflower, broccoli, pumpkin, carrots); • Fruit puree (green apple, pear, plum) |
| 7 months | Porridge (rice, corn, buckwheat, millet) |
| 8 months | • Meat puree (rabbit, veal, beef, lamb); • Poultry (mashed chicken, turkey), yolk, potatoes |
| 9 months | Cottage cheese, kefir, fish |
| 10 months | Fruit (apple, pear, prune) |
Important! After eating, it is undesirable to offer the baby sweet compotes and juices for drinking, since they are also considered food. You need to drink only boiled water; it is recommended to start the introduction of fruit juices after a year. Until that time, the crumb can be offered compote without sugar.
Baby feeding scheme from 6 months to a year
Problems with complementary feeding while breastfeeding
In order to correctly formulate a children's diet, mother needs to adhere to the recommendations of nutritionists and pediatricians. This will avoid difficulties with complementary foods. It is important to consider the following when switching to mixed meals:
- Products offered for a children's diet should have a sufficient set of vitamins and minerals. If the baby lacks them, metabolism may be disturbed, weight loss and other problems may arise that will be difficult to correct in the future.
- An attentive mother will always see when a child's appetite is disturbed. This is a signal that something is bothering him: illness, teething, bad mood, constipation or loose stools.
- Sometimes reluctance to accept new food can be a change in the baby's usual position. For example, he is used to eating in the arms of an adult, and he is transplanted into a chair.
In no case should you force feed, even if the mother thinks that the baby is hungry.
Important! Many parents face problems during feeding. There is no need to despair if the baby refuses to eat new food. A consultation with a children's doctor will help identify the cause of the rejection of the dish and eliminate it in a short time.
What should not be given to babies
Without the consent of the doctor, it is undesirable to introduce cereals, eggs, broth into the infant's diet ahead of time. Some foods, which contain in excess of salt, sugar, carbohydrates, and an unbalanced diet affect the decrease in the level of calcium in the child's body. This leads to rickets, curvature of the legs and spine, retraction of the chest. Even if the baby has a low weight, the nuances of feeding are discussed with the local doctor, who observes the baby from birth and knows all its features.
You need to be careful about berries from the garden:
- exclude strawberries as an allergen,
- currants and raspberries can only be introduced with the permission of a specialist.
Important! It is strictly forbidden to offer the baby products from the adult diet: sausages, sugary drinks, canned food, smoked meats, mushrooms, seafood, borscht or soup.
Complementary feeding becomes the main component of the nutrition of infants, it should contain only healthy products
When to postpone the introduction of complementary foods
There are times when you need to postpone the introduction of complementary foods. the main thing – follow the rules when transferring crumbs to mixed meals:
- it is not recommended to give the first complementary food with gv earlier than six months;
- you do not need to rush with complementary foods, if the baby has an infectious disease, symptoms of loose stools appear, not so long ago a vaccination was made;
- it is better to postpone supplementary feeding if the baby is experiencing stress: teeth are being cut, a change in the usual way of life is ahead.
The new product is a food discovery for crumbs, so it takes time to get used to it. Even if at first the baby refuses a new dish, it is necessary to continue offering it in an unobtrusive manner. Only a child's too stormy protest or the occurrence of health problems gives a reason to seek advice from a doctor. By correctly introducing complementary foods, a mother will be able to form the correct feeding behavior for her baby for life.
