The scheme of complementary feeding of children on artificial feeding. The order of the introduction of complementary foods with artificial feeding of the baby. Fermented milk and milk products

28.07.2019

Artificial feeding - complete replacement of breast milk in the baby's diet with artificial milk formulas. They contain the maximum amount of vitamins and minerals necessary for the normal development of a little man. Despite the fact that formulas of this kind practically copy breast milk, they do not succeed 100%. They have an impact on the baby's nutrition in the future. Therefore, it is very important for a young mother to know exactly when (at how many months) it is produced with artificial feeding and what products it should consist of.

If the crumb has an enviable appetite and does not gorge on the mixture, it's time to offer him "adult" products

The timing

Formulas that replace mother's milk for a baby are perfectly adapted for a small organism. And yet, the introduction of complementary foods with artificial feeding should begin earlier than with breastfeeding. This is due to the fact that, despite the usefulness of this food, it cannot provide a growing, developing organism with all the substances it needs. There is no consensus even among pediatricians about the timing of when this first complementary food should be introduced into the diet of a bottle-fed baby.

Some believe that complementary foods should be started as early as 3 months. This point of view was widely promoted even in Soviet Russia.
According to the second opinion, the period for introducing the first adult food into the baby's diet ranges from 4.5 months to 5.5, while in infants (for comparison) it is six months. This regulation is even established by the standards of the WHO (modern World Health Organization). It is believed that early complementary foods (from 3 months) are harmful to the health of the little man, since the enzyme system and the gastrointestinal tract by this age are not yet sufficiently mature and formed.

It is up to the parents to decide when to introduce the first complementary foods into the diet of the baby with artificial feeding, but first of all they should consult with the pediatrician who constantly monitors the child. Someone's body will be ready to accept adult food as early as 4 months, while someone's health will not allow it to do this even at six months. In this matter, everything is very individual, there are just general timing schemes that cannot equalize absolutely all children. Even all babies will react differently to complementary foods.

Even if there are no problems with complementary foods and the baby is delighted with the new dishes, do not give him too much new product.

Why does a small organism often react to the introduction of complementary foods with artificial feeding with an upset stomach, whims and unwillingness to abandon the usual mixture? Perhaps the whole point is in non-observance of the general rules of this responsible procedure. Stick to them, and this process will be painless for the baby, and for you - with the least anxiety and worries.

When introducing a new product into the child's diet, take the minimum amount: half a teaspoon. If, within three days of such a dosage, the baby does not have allergic reactions and tummy upset, it will be possible to increase the amount of complementary foods to a full teaspoon.
The increase in the dosage of complementary foods should be gradual. You can't give a crumbs a lot of a favorite product at once, even if he really asks for it.
Introduce each new product gradually. You cannot introduce a child to two dishes at once. If an allergy occurs, it can be difficult to determine what exactly caused it. And for a small stomach it will be an unbearable burden.
In the first complementary food, first give a small amount of new product, and then feed the baby with artificial formula. Gradually replace one meal completely with your regular meal.
The first complementary foods with artificial feeding are introduced with the permission of a doctor only if there are no abnormalities in the health and general condition of the child. At the time of illness, with pathologies, any deviations in development, as well as on the eve of the planned vaccination, complementary foods cannot be introduced.
The baby's swallowing reflexes are still weak, he has nothing to chew, so parents need to try to make the first complementary food comfortable for the baby and bring him joy. To prevent the crumb from choking, all products for up to 8-9 months will need to be turned into a tender, uniform in consistency, soft puree without solid particles and lumps.
Mom must make sure all the food is fresh. Food for the little one should be prepared in a perfectly clean, separate bowl.
The temperature of the food prepared for the baby should be about 36–37 ° С, that is, equal to the temperature of the human body.
It is recommended to introduce the first complementary foods to artificial women in the morning or afternoon hours. The main thing is not in the evening. At night, the baby may become ill, which will interfere with sleep for everyone at home, exhaust the baby himself and exhaust the parents.
If the baby refuses to accept the food you offer, is capricious, pushes food away, do not insist. The next day, find a replacement for this product, or try feeding it to your baby again.

At first glance, the rules are simple and easy to implement. On the other hand, in anxiety, parents often miss some nuance, and suffer little. Think several times before introducing the first complementary foods into the diet of a bottle-fed baby: his future health depends on this.

Many babies love mashed banana, but this is not the best option for the first feeding: in the beginning, you should still try vegetables or cereals

Products

There is a certain scheme for feeding babies who are bottle-fed. It is recommended by leading pediatricians and eliminates complications if the child is healthy and developing in accordance with his age. The sequence approved by experts for the introduction of various products into the diet of an artificial man looks like this:

Vegetable puree.
Some varieties of porridge.
Dairy products.
Juices, fruits.
Meat fish.
Chicken or quail egg yolk.

Many pediatricians even put cereals and dairy products on the same line. If the child has problems with weight (not gaining to normal), it is recommended to start complementary foods with cereals. If everything is in order with the gained kilograms, you can start feeding your baby with fermented milk products.

Vegetable puree

The first complementary food for a child who is bottle-fed is an introduction to mashed vegetables. You need to choose the least allergic: zucchini, cauliflower, pumpkin, broccoli. After a couple of weeks, you can add a drop of oil - sunflower or olive oil to the dish.

Porridge

A month after the introduction of the first complementary foods in the form of vegetable purees, give the baby porridge (milk can be used) of certain varieties - rice, oatmeal or buckwheat.

Fermented milk products

Cottage cheese can be introduced into the baby's diet from 8 months, kefir - from 10 or 11. It is advisable not to start such complementary foods with store products, in the freshness and naturalness of which there may be doubts. It is better to purchase specialized fermented milk products for children.

Juices, fruits

From 7 months old, you can please your baby with fruit purees and freshly squeezed juices (apple, banana), necessarily diluted with half boiled water. You can even combine them with vegetable juices (for example, pumpkin or carrots). By the age of 9 months, it is allowed to introduce a little peeled apple into the baby's diet.

Meat

At 7.5–8 months, a small stomach will be ready to accept lean meat (rabbit, chicken, turkey, veal). You need to start with mashed potatoes, end with cutlets and meatballs. Do not give meat broth for up to a year.

A fish

Twice a week, starting at 8 or 9 months, introduce lean fish (cod, hake, sea bass) into complementary foods.

Yolk

Egg yolk is introduced into complementary foods for an artificial baby from 7 months. Twice a week will be enough.

The main lesson that parents should learn from all of the above is that you should not start feeding an artificial baby without consulting a pediatrician watching the baby. Only he will be able to suggest the most optimal nutritional regimen, taking into account the stage of development of the baby, his age and health. Each child's meal schedule will be individual, despite the existence of a common standard scheme for such children.

Children grow up so fast! Their nature and needs are changing rapidly. Breast milk is ideal food, but it can’t saturate a one-year-old baby, and even infant formula does not. When to introduce the first complementary foods with artificial feeding, are there any peculiarities and nuances? We will answer these questions in our article.

How many months to introduce complementary foods with artificial feeding

The mixtures are not able to adapt to the needs of the baby, to change their fat content and nutritional value. Even the best formula cannot replace breast milk. Therefore, the question of when to introduce complementary foods arises for mothers with artificial feeding babies a little earlier than for mothers who only breastfeed. In the latter case, you don't have to worry about mashed potatoes and porridges for up to six months.

The earliest age when you can try to give your baby "adult" food is 3-4 months. Earlier, the baby will not be able to digest and assimilate new foods.

The optimal age is 6 months, when the baby's nervous, digestive and excretory systems are sufficiently strengthened, and the need for energy has increased significantly (at this age, most children begin or already sit confidently, perform many difficult actions for them, begin to try to crawl, show the first communication skills , The "gaggle" becomes quite meaningful, turns into an attempt at verbal interaction with adults).

Important
All pediatricians agree: the timing of the introduction and the feeding regime are determined by the condition of the baby.

The child himself will make it clear when he needs more dense, satisfying food, which foods are suitable for him and in what volume they need them. Parents need attention, patience and knowledge of the basic rules for introducing complementary foods, which will be discussed below.

How do you know if your baby needs more nutritious food? The signal will be the frequent hunger of the baby. If the baby wanted to eat, he is unlikely to be silent, so he will inform his mother about his desires. Sometimes children show miracles of patience - then the weight and cheeks will tell that the child is not eating enough. If the baby receives the mixture by age, but does not gain weight, loses weight, becomes lethargic, does not wake up well - the first thing to think about is expanding the diet.

In addition to weight, you need to carefully monitor that the child has enough vitamins and other nutrients. Bumps on the forehead, a bald patch on the back of the head, peeling under the hair can be signs of rickets and a lack of calcium, vitamins D and A. It is necessary to consult a specialist. Most likely, you will be recommended vitamin drops, cottage cheese and carrot puree.

Advice
A is a fat-soluble vitamin, so if you are making carrot puree at home, be sure to add some butter. Such a dish will be quite heavy, but it will not harm the baby - you just need to limit the volume to 30-50 grams, completing the feeding with the formula.

Parents will learn which foods are suitable again by their cheeks: wrong foods will cause diathesis. Of course, you need to start with light meals. If you buy cereals and mashed potatoes in a store, be sure to look at the age limit on the label. Manufacturers must indicate at how many months a child can eat this or that dish.

Another important indicator is stool and urination. If, after a new product, constipation, diarrhea, signs of an undigested product in feces, urinary retention (this leads to edema and other negative consequences) appear, then such a dish must be excluded either partially or completely.

As a rule, you don't have to worry about what portion is sufficient for your baby. Young children rarely eat more than they need, and are unlikely to refuse to continue the banquet if they are not yet full. The only thing to remember is that all new products are introduced gradually.

Basic rules for the introduction of complementary foods

So, the baby signals with all his might that he wants to eat more varied and satisfying. Where to start, and how not to harm the baby? Fundamental rules:

Complementary feeding begins earlier than 3 months of age.
Dishes should be liquid or mushy (semi-liquid mashed potatoes and cereals), without lumps and pieces.
It is better to give an "adult" food to an infant immediately from a spoon - this is how the chewing skill begins to form. Later, it will become the main one and displace the sucking reflex, so training will not interfere.
Complementary food, as a mixture, should be warm, but not scalding, approximately 37-40 ° C.
New dishes are introduced one at a time, without mixing. It can be milk porridge made from one type of cereal or one-component puree.
In no case should the baby's diet contain sugar, salt or other spices. Honey is also highly discouraged because is a strong allergen.
The interval between tasting experiments should be quite long. Pediatricians recommend introducing a new dish no more than once every 7-12 days.
Any new product is given to a baby in a very small volume, literally, at the tip of a teaspoon, once a day. The maximum tasting portion is one coffee spoon or a special infant spoon.
Having given a new dish, you need to carefully monitor the child's reaction. If diathesis, bloating, colic, diarrhea or constipation appears, it is better to postpone the introduction of the product for a month or two. If the test passed without complications, the next day the portion can be slightly increased, gradually bringing to 100-180 g.
The diet is not expanded if the baby is sick or weak. As a rule, on such days it is better to switch completely to the mixture in order to reduce the load on the digestive tract and the nervous system. In any case, only proven products should be on the menu.
You shouldn't try new dishes on the day of your vaccinations. This is an aggressive combination of factors that is difficult for the baby's body.
It is advisable to feed the child in the first half of the day, in the second or third meal. First, it makes it easier to track the reaction of a small organism. Secondly, the baby will need energy during the day, not at night. Thirdly, if complementary foods cause gas formation, it can pass unnoticed during the day. While the baby is sitting, actively playing, crawling, spinning, the gazes will naturally and easily be diverted. But during sleep, they will cause colic, bloating and, as a result, anxiety and crying.
Another basic rule is complementary foods first, then mixture. The kid can abandon the innovation if he has already satisfied the first, most active hunger. In addition, the complementary food is more satisfying than the mixture, it will need the maximum portion of gastric juice. And she will be just at the beginning of feeding, when the baby is especially hungry. It is equally important that both mashed potatoes and cereals are unusually thick for an infant, so it will be helpful to wash them down with a mixture.
Having switched to complementary foods, you need to give your baby more to drink. It can be water, one-component hypoallergenic compotes and juices, herbal teas - drinks can be prepared at home or purchased in a store.

Complementary feeding on artificial feeding - features

Are there any differences between breastfeeding and bottle-fed complementary foods? Yes. There are features. With HB, complementary foods begin with the mother expanding her diet. The baby tries new products indirectly, the reaction to them is smoothed out, and the baby's body is gradually preparing for the transition to more serious food. But if the baby received only a mixture for up to three months? Then the parents will have to be as attentive and careful as possible. It is necessary to strictly follow the feeding rules set out in the previous paragraph, and also strictly follow the scheme for introducing products, which will be discussed a little later.

Important
If the baby receives a specialized (fermented milk, hypoallergenic, etc.) mixture, before introducing new products, you need to consult a supervising pediatrician. Complementary foods should be combined with the child's main food.

Formula is not 100% breast milk. It always increases the risk of allergic reactions, colic or bloating to a greater or lesser extent. Therefore, it is necessary to expand the baby's menu extremely carefully, starting with the safest and lightest products, it is quite possible that the baby's tummy will not be able to cope even with one-component vegetable puree. Try it, watch the reaction. The kid himself will tell you what is good for him and what is bad. You may have to postpone complementary foods for up to 6-7 months, but in the meantime, fill the nutritional gap with more frequent feeding with formula.

There is also the opposite feature. Despite the fact that modern infant formula is rich in vitamins and minerals, their volume may be insufficient for a rapidly developing organism. Complementary feeding can be introduced on the direct recommendation of a pediatrician - there is no need to worry, this is a preventive measure, it does not mean health problems.

Complementary feeding scheme

Below is a table approved in Russia within the framework of the National Program for Optimizing Feeding of Infants in the First Year of Life in 2009.

Products, dishes	Allowed volume, ml, g
	4-6 months	7 months	8 months	9-12 months
Vegetable puree	10-150	170	180	200
Milk porridge	10-150	150	180	200
Fruit puree	5-60	70	80	90-100
Fruit juice	5-60	70	80	90-100
Cottage cheese	not earlier than 6 months, 6-40	40	40	50
Yolk, pcs.	-	0,25	0,5	0,5
Meat puree	not earlier than 6 months, 5-30	30	50	60-70
Fish puree	-	-	5-30	30-60
Kefir and other nonadapter. k / mol drinks.	-	-	200	200
Rusks, biscuits	-	3-5	5	10-15
Wheat bread	-	-	5	10
Vegetable oil	1-3	5	5	6
Butter	1-4	4	5	6

Complementary feeding scheme from three months

The basis of the diet is still the mixture. A new product can replace one daily feed by 4 months.

Porridge - a liquid consistency so that the child does not need to chew or rub with a tongue. Bottle feeding is allowed - up to 100 ml per day.

Important
For the first feeding, a baby on IV should choose buckwheat and other gluten-free cereals, for example, corn. Rice is also gluten-free, but it requires a lot of water, swells up a lot in the stomach, so this is a rather heavy food, it is better to save it for a later age, from 6 months.

Cereals should be crushed until semolina, then boiled. After boiling, the corn must be left to "reach" so that it is absolutely soft. In stores, you can buy ready-made cereals that do not require cooking; it is enough to dissolve them in warm water. When buying a semi-finished product, carefully read on the packaging the age from which it is recommended. Give preference to well-known brands of the middle and higher price categories.

Fruit puree - apple, pear (with caution) - up to 60 g per day.

Juices - in between feedings, up to 30 ml per day.

Scheme from 4-5 months

Porridge and vegetable or fruit puree are added to the mixture. By 6 months, they can replace two feedings. The following order is recommended:

mixture;
porridge;
mixture;
vegetable / fruit puree;
mixture.

Porridge - buckwheat, corn (if there is no tendency to strong gas formation), rice (with caution) and oatmeal, or oat semolina - up to 150 ml.

Vegetable purees - broccoli, zucchini, cauliflower, pumpkin (from 5 months), carrots - up to 150 g.

Fruit purees - pear, apple-pear, peach, apple-peach, apple-apricot, prunes - up to 60 g.

Fruit juices - up to 50 ml.

Butter and vegetable oil- up to 4 g.

Scheme from 6-9 months

At this age, the baby gradually switches to "adult" nutrition. Up to 8-12 months, the scheme can be as follows:

mixture;
complementary foods - 3 feedings;
mixture.

Porridge - the whole range of cereals, you can enter multicomponent cereals (millet-rice, corn-rice). It is allowed to mix porridge with vegetables (for example, pumpkin-rice-milk) and meat purees - up to 200 ml.

Dairy products- cottage cheese (5% fat), yogurt (no more than 3-5% fat) - up to 100 g.

Yolk - up to 0.5 pcs. It is allowed to use chicken eggs, but it is better to give preference to quail: they are less allergenic and cannot be a carrier of salmonella.

Advice
So that the yolk comes to the baby's taste and does not get stuck on the tongue, the delicacy can be crushed with a mixture or water, to a state of gruel.

Vegetable purees - you can add zucchini-milk to previously tested ones - up to 180 g.

Fruit and berry purees - you can try apple-strawberry, apple-banana, banana, sweet cherry and even cherry, plum, wild berries. Also, from 6 months old, mashed potatoes with cream are allowed, for example, apple-cream.

Advice
Although by six months the baby looks stronger, behind the infant colic and diathesis for any new smell or taste, you need to be extremely careful when introducing sweet (fruit, berry, with cream) mashed potatoes. They can be both rash and addictive. Your toddler may become naughty, demanding sweets instead of mixtures, vegetables, or meat.

Meat purees - veal, beef, turkey, rabbit, they are also with cereals and / or vegetables, even with chopped spaghetti - up to 50 g.

Scheme from 9 months

Starting from 9-10 months, you can try to give the baby an adult, not grated food. As a rule, by this age the child already has teeth and can chew. These should be soft, hypoallergenic foods, crushed, but not to the state of gruel. Pediatricians recommend not to delay the introduction of solid foods. This is due not only to the fact that the child needs to learn to chew, but also with the prevention of bruxism (involuntary and regular squeaking of the teeth), the formation of a bite and the formation of digestion.

Introduce new products into the children's diet carefully, and the baby will thank you with a happy smile and good health.

When the baby begins to grow up, heated disputes begin between the relatives about the introduction of complementary foods. This is especially true for those babies who are fed with formula. Such nutrition is similar in composition and properties to breast milk, but it cannot completely replace it. And a child at this age simply needs a varied diet to provide all the nutrients. A baby who was fed artificial formula will more easily get used to other foods than one who was breastfed. For this reason, complementary foods are introduced for them a little earlier.

Even specialists cannot indicate the exact dates today. Some of them believe that the child's body is ready for this already at the age of three months, since his stomach is already capable of digesting ordinary food. But most doctors still recommend waiting up to 4.5 months.

How to introduce complementary foods correctly

When consulting with relatives, you will hear a variety of opinions about which foods to start with. Some people think that sweet juices and purees are the best option. Others are sure that a child should not be taught to sweet food. In any case, before doing anything, young parents should consult a pediatrician.

Introduction of complementary foods

Only introduce a new meal if your child is not sick. This rule must be observed without fail.
It is necessary to introduce new products gradually, no more than one at a time. This will allow you to track the reaction of the crumbs' body to one or another product.
Give your baby some apple juice first. It should not cause an allergic reaction. The first portion should not exceed 2-3 ml. If the body normally accepts it, then the amount can be gradually increased.
The kid has not yet weaned from the mixture. Therefore, first you need to bottle feed him, and then offer new food.
When you give complementary foods, the baby must definitely sit.
While the child still does not know how to chew, all products are given to him only in the form of mashed potatoes. Even small lumps should not come across in food, otherwise the crumb may choke.
When the body gets used to drinking the juice, you can give a little puree. It is best if it is apple.
After the baby gets used to the fruit puree, it will be possible to give the vegetable one. To avoid causing allergies, serve broccoli, zucchini, or cauliflower puree. It is advisable to make mashed potatoes yourself.
Do not forget that the baby who feeds on the mixture must be given boiled water.
Don't rush to introduce large numbers of new products at once. Before introducing a new one, you need to make sure that the body accepts well all the foods that you have already introduced.

Introducing fruit

If you are unsure where to start complementary feeding, see your doctor. If you start with fruit puree, your little one will love it. In addition, it contains a large amount of nutrients and vitamins useful for crumbs.

When you first start introducing such food, apples, apricots, and also pears need to be steamed or baked in the oven. If you are giving a banana, it can be left uncooked. It is very important to introduce the fruits one at a time. Carefully monitor how the crumbs' body reacts to each product.

If the body accepts and digests such food well, then mashed potatoes can be given twice a day.

But it is important to understand that after the child gets used to eating sweet puree, he will perceive the vegetable poorer.

Introducing vegetables

About 15 days after you start giving fruit, you can try feeding the crumbs with vegetables. As a rule, they start to be given for lunch.

It is necessary to closely monitor the reaction of the body. If mucus is present in the feces and diarrhea begins, then vegetables from the diet need to be removed for a while. They give the vegetable puree again only after the problem goes away.

First you need to give puree, which contains only one vegetable. The child's stomach must gradually become accustomed to this. When a child has already got used to several types of vegetables, mashed potatoes can consist of several components. For example, broccoli and potato puree or squash and squash.

A child who is under a year old is recommended to give cabbage, zucchini, carrots, beets. You can try adding tomatoes to your diet, but in this case you need to act with extreme caution. A small amount of salt can be added to the puree. It is also recommended to add vegetable oil to it. A few drops are enough for one serving. If you feed beets, urine and feces may turn pinkish. This is normal and there is no need to worry about it.

Milk porridge

It is recommended to start giving porridge one and a half months after you started introducing crumbs of vegetables into the diet. Start with cereals that won't cause an allergic reaction. This is oatmeal and buckwheat porridge. Then it will be possible to gradually add semolina, rice, and corn grits to the diet.

You can use goat's or cow's milk to make porridge. First, the milk is diluted in half with boiling water. Then the amount of water should be gradually reduced. Give the child porridge in the morning, and vegetable puree for lunch.

Meat

When the baby is 6 months old, you can offer meat. You can cook mashed potatoes yourself or buy ready-made ones. First, it is advisable to give the turkey and rabbit, and then gradually offer beef, chicken, and also pork. Meat must be present in the diet of the crumbs, it contains a lot of iron and other nutrients that are necessary for the normal development of the child. The presence of foods containing iron in the diet will prevent anemia.

At the age of 8 months, you can not only make mashed potatoes, but also cook small steamed meatballs. Closer to the year, you can make cutlets. You should not give your child broth until he is one year old. This can lead to allergies.

Yolk

Previously, yolk was given to babies at the age of 4 months, but today it is recommended to introduce this product into the diet at 7 months. First, let's give a quarter of the yolk. It needs to be diluted in milk or added to puree.

Cottage cheese

Introduce this product gradually. It is high in protein and can overload a baby's kidneys. First, cottage cheese is added to the mixture, and then mixed with kefir.

A fish

At the age of 8 months, you can give your baby fish. Start with low-fat fish in small amounts. Every 3 days, fish should be given instead of meat. The fish is well absorbed by the child's body and enriches the body with vitamin D.

Since the baby is still very young, feed him with the smallest spoon. A coffee shop is best suited for this.
Give him some mixture from the bottle first, then try suggesting a new product. When your baby gets used to this food, you can start feeding with mashed potatoes.
It is important to follow the feeding regimen. Give your child a small amount of food, about 6 times a day. Meals should be at the same time.
You shouldn't force-feed your baby if he doesn't want to. Wait for him to get hungry. After that, the baby will eat all the proposed products with great pleasure, and he himself will not have to be nervous.
It will be much more convenient for you to feed your baby if you put him in a highchair.
Keep a food diary to help you complete complementary foods. Write down in it when and what product you gave your baby. How his body reacted to him. In this way, it will be much easier for you to identify the cause in the event of an allergic reaction.

If you are in doubt about something, consult a specialist. The best indicator that you are doing everything right is your child's health and mood.

How and where to start the first complementary feeding with artificial feeding of a child (video)

When should the first complementary foods be introduced with artificial feeding? What about advice from older female relatives about using new products as early as 3 months old? What products to start with, in what quantity? How to reduce the volume of the formula in the baby's diet? Recommendations of pediatricians on the introduction of complementary foods in the diet of an artificial baby.

There are many speculations regarding the introduction of complementary foods for artificially fed crumbs. Who among us has not heard the stories of grandmothers and neighbors that already at five months old their child was eating borscht on both cheeks, and they gave him juice from two months, and nothing, they grew ...

You shouldn't blame your relatives for being “behind the times”. Indeed, even thirty or forty years ago, there were completely different recommendations on which several generations of children and pediatricians were brought up. A global revision of the norms governing the introduction of complementary foods with artificial feeding took place quite recently - at about the beginning of the two thousandth years.

Features of the introduction

The World Health Organization initiated the revision of outdated standards. Recommendations that artificial food should be given early, that already at 4 months old it is necessary to feed babies with porridge and butter, that fruit purees should be given even earlier, are recognized as not meeting the real needs of the child's body.

How did such recommendations come about, and why did pediatrics obey them for so long? The fact is that in the twentieth century there was a massive transition of the population of civilized countries to artificial mixtures. However, the technology that would make it possible to produce more or less decent food did not exist.

The first mixture consisted of dry cow's milk, which the child's body cannot digest for up to eight months due to the lack of appropriate enzymes. Also, feeding of children was carried out using finely ground cereals (and the smallest, as you know, semolina), kefir. Such a diet could not meet the needs of the child's body, so doctors advised to enrich it with other foods.

That is why the beginning of complementary feeding with artificial feeding fell on for a period of three to four months, and already at 5 months it was recommended to include cereals, fruits, vegetables, cottage cheese in the diet ... Also for this reason, a contradictory stereotype has developed about the preparedness of the digestive system of the artificial person for "foreign products."

The opinion that an artificial child needs complementary foods earlier, since his digestive system is familiar with "foreign products", is fundamentally wrong. The transition to a new type of nutrition in infants is easier, since enzymes from mother's milk help them in the process of digestion. Artists do not get these enzymes. Their digestive system matures later than infants.

Optimal timing

The development of the direction of artificial feeding served to change modern ideas about the timing of the introduction of complementary foods. In the last fifteen years, adapted artificial mixtures have been developed, which, although they could not come close to the composition of breast milk, have become its quite acceptable analogue.

The essence of the adapted mixture is the breakdown of the protein component in its composition, which allows the child's body to assimilate it to the fullest. Also, the mixtures are enriched with a whole range of essential substances: microelements, fatty acids, vitamins. The composition of quality products clearly meets the basic needs of the child's body. This eliminates the need for early introduction of complementary foods.

WHO experts advise the introduction of complementary foods with artificial feeding in the middle of the first year of life. The reference point for the mother should be the age of six months, up to which the baby receiving the adapted formula does not need other products.

The dates can be shifted to one side or the other. New foods in the diet from about five and a half months are needed if the baby is very active, mobile, and he needs more high-calorie food to compensate for energy costs.

It is necessary to wait with the transition to an unusual diet if the child is sick, experiencing painful teething, or restless as a result of the uncomfortable psychological environment at home. How easily new "dishes" will be assimilated by the baby's body directly depends on his physical and emotional state.

Principles

In the question of how and when to introduce complementary foods to the artificial, adhere to the following rules.

The mixture is important for up to a year. In the first year of life, a child needs a whole range of nutrients. Adapted mixtures are made taking them into account. Therefore, the composition of the product for a newborn is significantly different from the composition of the formula for a child over six months. At the same time, it is impossible to say for sure that receiving cereal porridges and mashed potatoes instead of a mixture, the child will be provided with everything necessary for proper development. And the point is not only that the diet is not easy to balance, especially when the little one refuses a number of foods. And the fact is that nutrients from food are absorbed in different ways. For example, adapted formulas contain a huge amount of iron, to a much greater extent than the baby's body needs. Manufacturers saturate them with a "reserve", because iron from the mixture is not completely absorbed, but in a volume of about 20-25%. For comparison, from red meat or liver, which are considered the main source of iron in the diet, this trace element is absorbed only in the amount of 5-10%.
The food does not displace the mixture. Of course, with an increase in the volume of new food in the child's diet, the volume of the mixture will decrease. But it is precisely to decrease, and not be eliminated completely. This nutritional element, essential for the baby, must be preserved in every feeding.
Five meals a day. Usually, artificial babies adhere to the feeding regime by the age of six months. If you followed the free feeding regimen or until that time fed your baby more often and in a smaller amount, now you can easily switch to five meals a day. This will be facilitated by an increase in the calorie content of feedings.
New product - once a week. The organism of the artificial baby is not at all adapted to food "alien" to it. Moreover, his digestive tract is even more vulnerable than that of a nursing baby. Therefore, there is no rush to introduce new food components. One week - one food - the golden rule of healthy complementary feeding. At the same time, it is important for mom to observe the reaction of the body: if a rash appears, a digestive upset occurs, you need to remove this product from the diet.

The task of complementary feeding in the first year of life is not at all to displace the main component of nutrition, which for the artificial person remains the mixture. He introduces the consistency, tastes, creates conditions for the operation of the chewing apparatus, teaches the rules of behavior at the table, the ability to handle cutlery.

Therefore, do not force the child to eat the product, even if you spent a lot of time preparing it. Do not insist, do not distract, discreetly putting a spoon in his mouth. A more correct approach would be to accustom to food in the normal conditions of your family: at a common table, when the baby watches how his loved ones eat, and tries to repeat after them. This approach forms the right attitude to food, in which there is no adult violence.

Introducing new food

The formula for the introduction of complementary foods with artificial feeding may include products from different groups. The most popular options for the first complementary foods:

milk - kefir;
cereal - porridge;
vegetable - puree from hypoallergenic vegetables.

Pediatricians pay attention to the fact that the scheme should be chosen taking into account the state of health, the developmental characteristics of the baby. But in every case, dairy components cannot be the products of choice, since they contain unbroken milk protein. Until eight months, it is not absorbed by the child's body, since the digestive system does not produce the necessary enzyme. Therefore, fermented milk ingredients should be introduced into the diet later.

Table - the introduction of complementary foods for artificial feeding of babies from six months

Products	6 months	7 months	8 months	9 months	10 months	11 months	12 months
Vegetables, g	150	170	180	180	180	200	200
Porridge, g	150	170	180	180	180	200	200
Fruit, g		60	70	80	100	100	100
Meat, g		50	60	60	70	70	70
Curd, g			30	40	40	50	50
Yolk			1/4	1/4	1/2	1/2	1/2
Fish, g					30	50	60
Vegetable oil, ml	4	4	4	4	4	4	4
Butter, g	3	3	3	3	3	3	3

Focusing on the table of complementary foods for artificial people, determine your feeding regime for the baby.

Introduce the product in the morning. To see the first reaction of the baby, give it on the second morning feeding. If diarrhea occurs, it will not happen at night.
Observe the numbers approximately. The indicated number of products is the maximum for each age. To avoid overfeeding, the baby should not be given more. If he ate less, this is not a cause for concern.
Reduce the volume of the mixture gradually. Give the mixture after complementary foods. Its volume will decrease from 200 ml to 50 ml in each feeding.
The consistency of the food should be puree. At the first stage, the dishes are offered more liquid, by the year the consistency becomes thick, with pieces, crumbly. The volume for the first acquaintance is half a teaspoon; every day, in the absence of a negative reaction, this volume doubles. In a week, it is brought to the recommended rate.

Vegetables - the first complementary food

It is recommended to use puréed vegetables in the first complementary food at six months. They are ideal for babies with normal development, babies with a tendency to constipation. They are offered in the form of monocomponent purees, to which the second product is then added, the third is gradually introduced. Thus, within one month, the baby receives a multicomponent puree.

Vegetable oil is added to the dish, a little less than a teaspoon. It is important to take into account that it is also a new product, and it must be introduced e, like other nutritional components.

From vegetables, choose zucchini, pumpkin, cauliflower and broccoli, green peas, and potatoes.

Porridge

Cereal dishes are often used as the first complementary food. The reason for this is the love of almost all babies for them, without exception. However, pediatricians recommend starting with them if the child is lagging behind in gaining weight or is too active.

At the first stage, the baby's diet contains home-made or factory-made dairy-free cereals. The latter are more convenient, since it is enough to dissolve them in the indicated volume of water. Homemade cereals should be ground to flour in a coffee grinder and boiled in water in a 1: 4 ratio. As the child grows up, the ratio of water to cereals is changed to 1: 2 by the year.

One-component porridge should contain rice, buckwheat or corn grits. After eight months, oatmeal, semolina are introduced. Butter is added to the dish. Milk is used as an ingredient after eight months, diluted with water.

Fruits

It is better to start acquaintance with fruits in the form of puree, not juices. They contain valuable fiber that improves bowel function. And they are not supplemented with sugar like most industrial juices. The latter are rich in fruit acids, which aggressively affect the fragile digestive tract, therefore it is necessary to include them in the diet after a year.

Choose fruits from your region such as apple, plum, apricot, peach, pear. Use fruits that are seasonal and watch your reactions. As a hypoallergenic complementary food in winter, you can offer a banana. Fruits are well absorbed, therefore they are suitable for both an independent "snack" and dessert after porridge.

Meat

A valuable component of nutrition, which most babies come to only at the age of eight months. Given that vegetables and cereals are introduced before this period, there is simply no time for meat. There is nothing wrong with that, especially since babies are not very willing to accept this product. Grind the meat thoroughly in a blender or pass it through a meat grinder twice, and then add to the vegetable puree in a boiled form.

Use varieties such as turkey, rabbit, and lean pork. Then, according to the degree of allergenicity, choose beef and chicken. When the baby learns to chew well, the meat component is not mixed with mashed potatoes, but is offered in its pure form - like a cutlet or meatball. Meat broth should not be given until a year.

A fish

It is introduced after meat in the same way. Supplied with vegetable puree. Low-fat, hypoallergenic fish varieties are chosen. These are distinguished by the white color of the pulp. Choose hake, pollock, cod. For baby food, sea fish is more suitable than river fish, since the latter has a specific smell. Boil the product, chop with a fork. When the crumb grows up, it is enough to disassemble the fish into small pieces.

Cottage cheese

As a source of calcium, it is less relevant for children on a well-adapted formula. It should be introduced into the diet after eight months. Can be mixed with fruit puree. Use low-fat commercial baby cottage cheese that you can be more confident in quality than a homemade product from the market.

Yolk

Difficult ingredient in a child's diet, hard on the digestive tract. Allergic, so it should be handled with care. According to the degree of allergenicity, the yolk of a quail egg is lower than that of a chicken.

The obligatory introduction at four to five months, as required by the recommendations of past years, is no longer relevant when feeding a child with a high-quality mixture. Add the yolk, starting with the crumb, to the vegetable puree. Do not combine it in the same feed with a meat or fish meal.

From about seven to eight months, the baby can be given hard dryers, baby cookies, and a crust of bread. These products are not complete complementary foods, they are used as "snacks" and well stimulate the development of the chewing apparatus.

The technique of introducing complementary foods to a bottle-fed baby largely coincides with the recommendations for toddlers. Modern pediatrics does not make significant differences between them, since the quality of artificial nutrition today has increased significantly compared to the mixtures of twenty years ago. Do not rush to introduce new products, pay attention to the reaction and desire of the crumbs. If your baby likes to eat them, at an older age you will not have a problem with his nutrition.

The question of when to introduce the first complementary foods with artificial feeding, young mothers are asked almost immediately after the birth of the baby. Below is all the information on complementary foods to help parents raise a healthy baby and avoid allergies when new foods are introduced.

Every young mother should follow these rules:

It is better to start the introduction of complementary foods with microscopic dosages. On the first day, it should be about 1⁄4 tsp. You can increase the amount in the remaining 6 days. It is recommended to do this, provided that the newborn likes such food and does not have allergies.
A toddler who has recently been vaccinated or has been ill should wait a little with the introduction of a new meal. In this case, it is not recommended to give an artificial mixture to a baby for about 5-7 days after the procedure or illness. New food is offered to a baby who is cheerful and healthy.
The first meal should start in the morning. This will allow you not to overload the not yet formed stomach of the newborn before bedtime. Before feeding, you should give a small amount of new food, and then give him artificial formula to drink.
Keeping a diary will help to find out what caused the occurrence of allergic reactions. For this purpose, you can start an ordinary notebook in which the mother must write down what and how much she fed. This will help you quickly find out which food is causing the problem, if any. Emotions should be noted, because despite the fact that the baby is still very small, at this age he still has his own taste preferences.
Puree from several components, for example, from carrots, apples or pumpkin, can be given to the crumbs if he is not allergic to any of the components.
Do not immediately give solid pieces of food. They can be fed to the baby only after the appearance of several teeth. The food should be liquid in consistency, and then puree. Already starting from the age of six months, babies can be given baby cookies. This will help him get used to the piece of solid food. This should be done only under the close supervision of the mother, making sure that the baby does not choke.
Food must be thermally processed. Baked, stewed, or boiled foods are preferred. In terms of temperature, food should not be too hot or too cold. The optimum level is 36 degrees.
Until the mother has confidence in the safety of the previous dish and the absence of an allergic reaction, there is no need to offer the baby new food. The interval between such meals should be about a week. If a newborn has a rash or strange behavior, you should immediately exclude such a dish from his menu and consult a pediatrician. After two to three months, you can repeat its introduction. It is necessary to remove such food from the diet if there is a recurrence of an allergic reaction.
The baby should be constantly watered. If the newborn is still very small, he is given water cooled to a comfortable temperature, and when he grows up, fruit drink without berries or compote.

And the last, perhaps the most important rule, concerns the taste preferences of the crumbs. Some mothers start to force-feed him with all the food. It is imperative to watch his reaction and not give the dish that he does not like.

Table for the introduction of complementary foods for children on IV

Below is a table of complementary foods for children under one year old with artificial feeding for every day, which describes in detail the required dosages of products.

Dishes	Half a year	7 months	7-8 months	9-11 months	12 months
Mashed with a blender on vegetables (in grams)	5-55	100-150	145-170	170-185	190-200
Puree mashed with fruit blender	5-45 g	50-60 g	60-75 g	80-100 g	90-100 g
Berry compote (liquid only)	5-40 g	50-78 g	65-74 g	80-125 g	90-150 g
Kefir and other fermented milk products	—	40-100 g	100g	150 g	180 g
Porridge made from non-hard cereals or grinded with a blender	—	10-25 g	50-100 g	200-250 g	250-300 g
Cottage cheese	—	30 g	45 g	50 g	65 g
Cow butter	—	1-3 g	5 g	6 g	8 g
Sunflower oil (both refined and unrefined)	—	1 g	2 g	5 g	7 g
Egg yolks	—	—	5 g	30 g	45 g
Special cookies marked “For babies from 6 months”	—	—	3-5 g	10 g	20 g
Bread made from wheat flour	—	—	5-7 g	15 g	20 g
Boiled lean meat puree (preferably chicken, veal)	—	—	10-25 g	45 g	55-65 g
Lean fish puree, grated with a blender	—	—	—	15-35 g	35-50 g

If you plan to introduce complementary foods by month with artificial feeding, the table above will be an excellent helper. All the dosages and norms of products listed in it are recommended by pediatricians.

Introduction of complementary foods by months to a year

Complementary foods for babies for months with artificial feeding should be based on wholesome food and have their own order of introduction. Below is the schedule and rules of introduction.

3 months

At this stage, it is best to include in the diet porridge based on buckwheat, oatmeal (Hercules), as well as rice. You can give puree from apples well grated with a blender.

4 months

It is already allowed to introduce corn grits into the diet of the crumbs. It must be rubbed well.

5 months

The basis of the diet for the first complementary feeding on artificial feeding should be mashed dishes from green beans and porridge from pearl barley and corn grits.

6 months

It is allowed to feed vegetable soups with well-grated blender.

7 months

You can gradually start feeding the crumbs with meat. It is recommended to cook soups on it and grind their contents well. Beets and peas should be avoided, which can negatively affect the state of the gastrointestinal tract.

8 months

Pollock, tuna and other types of sea fish with low allergenicity are gradually introduced into the menu. At this time, you can already give natural yogurt without filler and fresh berry puree. When he grows up, you can give whole berries.

9 months

At this age, the introduction of the first complementary foods with artificial feeding already includes.

10-12 months

Soups based on fish or meat broth are introduced into the daily menu of an artificial man for up to a year, following the scheme and feeding by the hour. In principle, starting from the age of eleven months, the list of permitted products is expanding and children are allowed to be fed from an adult table, if they are not allergic. At the same time, care must be taken to ensure that prohibited foods do not enter the child's daily menu.

The well-known pediatrician Komarovsky recommends starting to introduce new dishes made from natural products at home, and then switch to factory-made purees. Of course, every parent must decide for themselves what is the best way to feed their baby. Both homemade baby food and factory made ones have their pros and cons.

The advantages of products made at the factory include additional enrichment of mashed potatoes with complexes of minerals and vitamins, as well as prebiotics. In addition, such a jar can be taken with you for a walk or a trip, which significantly saves mom's time. This complementary food, given monthly with artificial feeding, has a multicomponent composition, which is almost impossible to achieve at home, and the consistency of the puree is very comfortable.

As for the disadvantages of complementary feeding for a child for months to a year with artificial feeding, they are large financial expenses for parents. Making mashed potatoes at home is much cheaper than buying a factory-made package. An open jar cannot be stored for more than 2 hours, and this is very unprofitable for the mother at the beginning of the introduction of such nutrition.

Handmade dishes taste much better than purchased products. In addition, there are financial savings. As for the disadvantages of home-cooked complementary foods, they primarily lie in the time it takes for them. It may take a mother several hours to buy what she needs, and then make mashed potatoes or porridge out of them for a small child.

Komarovsky says that until the child grows up, it is necessary to postpone any experiments related to complementary foods. You should forget about introducing crumbs of exotic fruits into the diet until he gets older and his stomach produces more enzymes.

What should not be given to a child?

As a rule, people of the older generation are advised to give their grandchildren a drying or a piece of apple. Mom should not do this, since such food is generally very easy to choke on. The list of prohibited foods also includes carrots. They can only be given in the form of mashed potatoes of factory or home origin.

The ban is also imposed on cherry tomatoes, uncooked peas, lentils, beans, olives, and grapes. Pre-grind such food with a blender until the child learns to chew food on his own. In this case, parents should constantly be near the baby, making sure that he does not choke. During complementary feeding by months with artificial feeding, the food table presented above will help.

It is necessary to remove any nuts from the menu. Such a product can cause an allergic reaction and is difficult for the child's body to absorb. In no case should you give your baby peanut butter. This is a strong allergen. Peanut butter rolls easily in the mouth into small balls due to its structure, and it is very easy for them to choke. For the same reason, soft cheese is also banned.

The ban is imposed on popcorn. Despite the fact that it is made from healthy corn, such a product can enter the child's respiratory tract. Among other things, many manufacturers fry it in oil with all kinds of additives. Such harmful components in the future accumulate in the not yet formed body of the newborn and in the future can lead to serious health problems.

Do not give candy to a small child. This applies to both hard candy and soft sweets. The crumb can choke on pills, candies, soufflé with marshmallows or marmalade. In addition, all of these foods are highly allergenic.

Starting to introduce the first complementary foods to a child, mothers should treat this without fanaticism. It is best to give preference to those products that grow in the area where the baby was born and lives. You should forget about exotic fruits such as mango, lychee, etc. Only in this case the baby will develop strong and healthy.