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When is it better to give the first feeding to the baby. Ideal products for the first feeding of newborn babies. Modern feeding schemes

Every young mother who has given birth to her first child is puzzled by a bunch of questions about caring for her baby. One of these questions is: at what age should additional food (complementary foods) be introduced into the baby's diet and which foods should be introduced first?

The beginning of feeding the baby (from how many months)

To the kid who is on breastfeeding complementary foods can be introduced no earlier than 5-6 months. Complementary feeding is very important at this age. Breast milk alone is not enough for a baby, he needs to receive vitamins and everything necessary for healthy development useful material, which the food of adults is rich in. Additional food will help your baby develop faster. In this case, you need to continue to breastfeed the baby on demand. To baby started faster get used to new food, complementary foods should be given before breastfeeding.

If the baby is an artificial person, then complementary foods are recommended to be introduced earlier - from 4-5 months. This is due to the fact that the mixture is significantly inferior in quality to breast milk, and is not able to supply the baby with all the substances and vitamins necessary for the child's body. As a rule, the baby himself gives signs that it is time for him to introduce complementary foods - he shows interest in adult food, observes how his parents eat, reaches for a spoon, often requires a breast or a bottle, since he does not gorge himself.

What products to start the first feeding

First, cereal dishes, vegetable purees and fruits are introduced. Overweight children and children suffering from constipation need to start their first complementary foods with vegetables and fruits. The same goes for children of normal weight. If the child is not gaining weight well enough or has loose stools, then the first complementary foods should be porridge.

Porridge

First of all, it is better to introduce rice and buckwheat porridge... It is recommended to boil cereals in water until fully cooked, and then chop thoroughly and boil along with a small amount of milk.

Vegetable puree

Vegetable puree can be made from boiled potatoes, carrots, turnips, cabbage. Fruits are also brought to the state of puree - bananas, apples, pears, peaches.

Fruit puree

If you can't make a good fruit puree without lumps at home, you can buy ready-made puree in stores. baby food or in pharmacies. When choosing store puree, be sure to check the expiration date and make sure that the jar lid is not swollen.

After cereals, vegetables and fruits have been introduced into the baby's diet, meat and legumes can be introduced. The meat should be low-fat varieties (preferably poultry), free from veins and skins, cooked in the form of a lump-free puree. Legumes need to be soaked overnight, drain the water, boil well, chop thoroughly and remove the skin. Until seven months, you should not give your baby eggs, nuts, fish and seafood, as well as cereals made from semolina, barley, wheat, corn, oatmeal... It is better to introduce these types of products a little later.

It is very important that in daily diet the baby contained all the vitamins and minerals necessary for the growing body. You need to start giving complementary foods with a teaspoon per day, gradually increasing the volume. Do not expect your baby to immediately like the offered cereals, fruits and vegetables. The baby will take a long time to get used to the new food, because until now he has not received any other food except mother's milk. Complementary foods for the baby should always be warm, brought to the state of puree - not thick and not liquid, soft and thoroughly mashed.

You should not be too delayed with the introduction of the next new dish; at the age of 7 months, the child should already receive almost all types of foods as complementary foods and receive complementary foods three times a day.

The baby's diet must contain meat, vegetables, legumes, cereals and fruits. If now the child refuses to eat new food for him, then there is no need to force him to do it. It is better to offer this dish another time. You should show the baby how adults themselves eat food with a spoon, and soon the baby will try to repeat it himself.

Until the age of three, you should not give your child tea - neither black, nor green, nor herbal. The substances contained in tea (tannins) bind iron from the food consumed, which in turn can lead to anemia (anemia) in the child. It is better to replace tea with compote, natural juices, fruit drinks, boiled water.

Parents instill the child's taste for food, it depends only on them what products the child will eat in the future. Complementary food for infant should be cooked without adding spices, sugar or salt. They will not benefit the baby's body, and a child who has never tasted food with spices will be happy to eat without them.

A seven-month-old baby should be given complementary foods at least three times a day, while continuing to breastfeed the baby on demand. When preparing food for seven month old crumbs you can already use all types of cereals, as well as well-boiled and mashed pasta, boiled dough.

Fruits

Soft fruits should be crushed, skinless and in small pieces. From vegetables, you can already give carrots, turnips, tomatoes, cabbage. Vegetables are best steamed. You can add to vegetable purees vegetable oil, it contains a number of beneficial unsaturated fatty acids.

Meat

Every day, the baby should receive meat (finely chopped or minced): beef, lamb, pork, horse meat, rabbit and poultry meat. The meat contains trace elements that will protect the baby from anemia.

Legumes

It is necessary to introduce other sources of iron into the baby's menu - green peas, green beans, greens, which the child needs to eat several times a week. Legumes should be boiled, mashed, with the skin removed.

Eggs and nuts

At the age of seven to eight months, it is necessary to introduce eggs and nuts into the baby's diet. Hard-boiled eggs must be wiped and given to the child both the yolk and the white. Nuts must be thoroughly peeled and mashed to a paste. In small quantities, you can give your baby cottage cheese, hard varieties of cheese, which can be grated on a fine grater and mixed with the main course.

Dairy products

The child's stomach and digestive system are not yet able to whole cow's milk and undiluted dairy products... Therefore, dairy products should be given in not a large number in order to wash down the main course and diluted. You need to dilute in half with water: add 30 ml of water to 30 ml of kefir. Whole milk can only be used for preparing cereals, you cannot give your baby undiluted whole dairy products up to nine months!

A fish

At nine months, you need to introduce fish into the child's diet, it is better to start with pollock, flounder.

Gradually, the amount of food for the baby increases. At 6-7 months, a child needs to eat at least 150 ml of complementary foods (10-11 tablespoons), at 8-9 months - 180 ml (13-14 tablespoons), at 11-12 months - already 225 ml. Complementary food for breast crumbs should be thick. It is necessary to give the child in his hands small pieces of fruits, vegetables, bread so that he can chew them, since semi-liquid food is not enough for a child of this age.

In what cases is it better to postpone the introduction of complementary foods?

You should not introduce new foods into the baby's diet if:

  • The child is sick or has recently suffered an illness and his body is weakened.
  • The baby was recently vaccinated or should be vaccinated in the coming days.
  • The child has not yet adapted to the previous product introduced into the diet.
  • The introduction of the previous product provoked an allergy.
  • After the introduction of the new product, the baby started having problems with stool.

The introduction of complementary foods is very important period for the health of the baby and sometimes difficult for his parents. But if you follow all of the above rules for the introduction of complementary foods and the recommended sequence of introduced products, then there will be no health problems for the baby, and over time the child will be happy to eat all types of foods that are so necessary for his growth and development!

Video - when and how to start the first feeding

Remember, at this stage, you are taking the first steps towards establishing the right habits. healthy eating child who will accompany him all his life.

Parents often ask specialists from how many months a child can be fed and how to properly introduce additional food.

For most babies, complementary foods should be started by 6 months of age. Some babies may be ready to start complementary foods earlier. but complementary products should not be given until 17 weeks (4 months) of age.

Reasons for introducing additional products

  1. From about six months of age, mother's milk or formula does not contain sufficient amounts of certain nutrients, especially zinc and iron.
  2. Complementary foods provide additional energy and nutrients for optimal health, growth and development.
  3. Solid food promotes the development of chewing and swallowing skills.

Mother's milk or formula should continue to be given to the baby along with complementary foods until at least 1 year of age, as milk is the main source of food. Some mothers may wish to continue breastfeeding beyond a year, which will be very beneficial for the baby's health.

When introducing additional products, it is necessary to be guided by indicators in the development of the child.

Indicators of a child's readiness to start complementary feeding

You can understand that the child is ready for other products besides milk by the following signs:

  • the baby knows how to hold his head well;
  • pulls toys and other objects into the mouth;
  • Shows interest in adult food and observes others
  • the child is hungry between milk feeds;
  • opens the mouth when the spoon touches the lips or when food comes close to the mouth.

How to introduce complementary foods?

  1. Always give complementary foods after milk-feeding.
  2. Most parents adhere to the 4-day wait rule and prefer to wait 4 days between new product introductions.

    After admission new food watch out for allergic reactions (rash, vomiting, diarrhea). If this happens, stop giving this food and talk to your child's doctor.

  3. Start with small amount, about a teaspoon.
  4. Gradually increase the amount of the first foods to the infant's age range.
  5. Use a soft spoon to feed your baby.

Where to start a baby's first feeding?

At 4 months, the baby's first feeding should be started with vegetable purees, since vegetables have a lot of nutritional components that children's organism can assimilate completely.

What can you feed your baby at 4 months old?

The most suitable vegetables for the first feeding at 4 months - these are zucchini, pumpkin, potatoes, cauliflower. These vegetables are the least dangerous in terms of allergies. From fruits, babies at four months old can be offered apples, since they are the least allergenic.

Only after the introduction of vegetables into the baby's menu can porridge be offered.

The first complementary foods for babies can be started with cereals, when they do not gain weight normally, in case of frequent regurgitation and stool disturbances.

The first complementary food for a baby at 4 months should be started with gluten-free cereals (rice, buckwheat, corn), because babies still do not have enough enzymes that can completely digest this vegetable protein.

If you are thinking about when to start feeding your baby, good rule is "watch the baby, not the calendar." This is true when introducing solid foods for infants... It is better to start giving complementary foods based on the readiness of the baby, and not simply because the baby is 4 months old.

How to introduce complementary foods at 4 months?

When you start introducing the first complementary foods, 4-month-old babies will only eat half a tablespoon of puree.

Do not expect the baby to eat the entire serving for the first time. Remember this new practice for a child.

As your child grows and eats more foods, you will gradually increase the portion sizes. Also, keep in mind that breast milk and / or formula provides the primary nutrition for the baby during this phase.

Many parents find their babies pushing food out of their mouths on their first attempts. In most cases, this is normal. But it is also one of the indicators that the baby is not ready for complementary foods. Only you know your baby and can decide if it's time to introduce complementary foods.

How to start complementary feeding at 5 months old?

How food should be organized five month old baby and where to start complementary foods are shown in the approximate product input table. This information form available in children's clinics. The table shows that the products must be introduced gradually and very carefully.

Complementary feeding of the child by months

Complementary feeding at 6 months

At six months, your child will eat 4 - 6 times a day, but the portions at each feeding will be larger than that of the baby in the first half of the year.

Rules for introducing complementary foods at 6 months:

  • you can only start introducing complementary foods to a 6 month old baby. Basically, this is how the first feeding of the baby happens. This complementary feeding rule does not apply to artificial people. They can be fed complementary foods from 4 to 5 months. Still, most of the calories should still come from mother's milk or formula;
  • breast milk is not a good resource for iron. Thus, after 6 months, your child will need more iron in the diet. You can start feeding your baby with iron-fortified cereal porridge combined with mother's milk or a mixture.

    Mix porridge with enough milk so that the texture is very liquid. Start by offering porridge twice a day, with just a few spoons;

  • when your child learns to chew and control food in the mouth and swallowing, make the porridge thicker;
  • you can also include iron-fortified fruits and vegetables. Try it green pea, carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, apples, pears, bananas and peaches;
  • some nutritionists recommend adding several vegetables before fruits. The sweetness of the fruit can make some vegetables less appealing.

How to give complementary foods at 7 - 8 months?

  1. At about eight months old, the baby eats a variety of foods and can taste soft food nuggets and meats.
  2. Even if babies have only a few teeth, they can chew food crushed by a fork and finely chopped meat with their gums.
  3. If the child has already encountered a variety of foods, you can suggest solid food before milk feeding.
  4. At around eight months old, many babies like to act on their own. it good time when you can give foods that are eaten by hand as complementary foods. The child can then hold and chew steamed vegetable sticks, soft fruits, crackers, and strips of boiled chicken, fish, or meat.
  5. Encourage your baby at this age to drink chilled, boiled water from a cup.

Drinks that can be allowed to drink to a baby under 1 year old

  • Newborns who are breastfed on demand do not need additional water;
  • if you are not breastfeeding, choose a suitable formula for feeding;
  • Offer sippy cup water from 6 months
  • children are prohibited from using whole cow's milk as the main food up to 1 year old;
  • don't give tea, herbal infusions, coffee, coffee substitutes, milkshakes, drinking chocolate, cocoa, condensed milk.

Limit the addition of salt, sugar, or cream to baby food. These foods offer no health benefits.

Many parents find ready-made baby food convenient and easy to use.

However, the amount of meat in some commercial products may be low and it may be wise to add some meat. homemade to meet the needs for iron.

When can store-bought baby food be given? Commercial baby food products can be used when you are away from home for a long time while traveling. But they shouldn't be a staple in the diet of infants.

Homemade food offers more variety in flavor and texture. Plus, it's cheaper than commercial baby food.

Food allergy

There is little evidence that introducing complementary foods after 6 months of age reduces the risk of allergies.

Breast milk gives better protection from allergies.

For the greatest protection, do not give solid food before four months, breastfeed for at least six months and while introducing complementary foods to your baby.

Even if there are family members with food allergies, there is no need to postpone the initiation of complementary foods or certain types food to prevent allergies. Conversely, delaying or avoiding the introduction of solid foods can increase the child's risk of developing allergies.

There are many various symptoms food allergies or food intolerances similar to those of other childhood illnesses.

Most food allergy symptoms are mild to moderate and occur within half an hour after consumption.

These symptoms may include:

  • swelling of the face, eyelids, or lips;
  • hives or rashes;
  • vomiting and diarrhea;
  • redness of the skin.

Introduce additional foods once every 3 to 4 days so that any reactions can be detected.

If you think your child has an allergic reaction to food, you should avoid re-eating this food and consult a doctor.

Common food allergens the following:

  • cow's milk and dairy products;
  • eggs;
  • fish, seafood;
  • peanuts, nuts;
  • soybeans and wheat.

What if your baby doesn't like new food?

Don't worry and don't give up, just offer the food some other time. It may take up to 10 attempts before the child recognizes New Product.

A little about taste

If the food seems tasteless to you, don't worry. Babies are more sensitive to taste. Parents may not like the food, but the child will enjoy the simple taste. Do not add salt, sugar, or seasoning to baby foods. Try not to let your own preferences limit your child's choices.

Eating and drinking in hot weather

When hot, give your child plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration. You may need to breastfeed more often or offer infant formula.

Preventing food choking

Small children take risks suffocate on small, hard, round or sticky foods:

  1. Popcorn, nuts, seeds, hard uncooked fruits and vegetables, and corn chips are not suitable for babies.
  2. Always observe carefully how your child eats.
  3. Remove small bones and cartilage from poultry, fish, meat.
  4. Remove the skin from sausages if offered.
  5. Puree hard fruits and vegetables (such as peas, beans, carrots, and apples).
  6. Make sure small, round foods like grapes are well chewed.

Handling food properly is essential to prevent contamination and reduce the risk of foodborne illness.

  1. Always wash your hands before preparing food, as well as your child's hands before eating.
  2. Wash all dishes hot soapy water and rinse it well. Use clean dishes and work surfaces.
  3. Always use separate cutting boards and utensils for the preparation of raw and prepared foods.
  4. Wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly before cooking.
  5. From the freezer or refrigerator, remove the amount of food needed for just one meal.
  6. Store cooked food in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer.
  7. Reheat pre-cooked food completely. Never heat food more than once.
  8. Keep animals away from food.
  9. Do not give honey to a child under one year old.

Every child is different. Some children will eat new foods as soon as they are offered, others will eat long time only mother's milk or formula will be preferred. Some children eat whatever is offered, while others have clear sympathy and antipathies.

Don't worry too much about your child's preferences. Keep offering whole line nutritious foods so that the baby can learn to enjoy varied flavors and textures.

Without exception, all parents want to see their children strong, healthy, physically and intellectually developed. Food is the source of all the necessary nutrients, trace elements, vitamins and immunoglobulins for normal growth and the development of the baby, therefore proper nutrition baby playing crucial role in his life.

Basic rules for the introduction of complementary foods

    The first product must be one-component, that is, several new types of products should not be mixed in one plate, otherwise it will be impossible to track which product caused the rash or other manifestations of food allergies in the child.

    The product must be homogeneous- i.e. thoroughly crushed and wiped, without lumps. Otherwise, the presence of inhomogeneities can cause a child who is not yet ready for solid food to refuse any food other than mother's milk or formula for a long time. This is due to the presence of a gag reflex. It helps the child to automatically push the object out of the throat so that the child does not choke. If something hard falls into the child's mouth, his tongue moves forward and downward to push the object out. Vomiting reflex remains with the person for life, but the ejection part disappears by about 6 months. It is because of this reflex that it is so difficult for a child to swallow solid foods introduced too early.

    A new product is always being introduced in the first half of the day to eliminate the need in the middle of the night to suffer with a suddenly swollen tummy or diarrhea.

    Complementary foods are given to the child just off a spoon, not from a bottle. The kid is growing up, and he needs to master the skills of eating not only through sucking.

    New product give before breastfeeding or formula feeding.

    New products cannot be introduced 7 days before vaccination and within 7 days after vaccination.

    You can not introduce new products, if the child is sick. This will be an additional burden on the already weakened body of the baby.

    Each product is introduced within 5-7 days, starting from 1 teaspoon (for fruits, half a teaspoon).

    If one product is completely introduced, then a new one is introduced as follows: 1 teaspoon of a new product, then 3 tablespoons of an old product, and the last spoon is again a new product. Then we supplement with breast or mixture.

    Avoid snacking between meals for your child. Children's stomach is very small, therefore, the signal of saturation in the child's brain comes very quickly and he simply refuses to eat.

    In order for the baby to always eat with appetite, you shouldn't force him to eat if he does not want and does not need to pour in large portions, it is better to pour in a little less. Should be considered taste preferences child. Some children enjoy eating fruits, vegetables and meat, while others prefer dairy products and various cereals.

    Sometimes the child begins to eat poorly if something bothers him. You should not expect a large appetite from a recently ill child. In younger children appetite worsens during teething.

Buying ready-made purees or cooking yourself is a serious issue that everyone decides for himself. O important aspects this choice in more detail

Where to start complementary foods

Today, pediatricians and pediatric nutritionists recommend feeding a child up to 6 months, without any complementary foods, with breast milk. Children who are on artificial or mixed feeding complementary foods can be started at 4 months.

Here is the approximate sequence of introducing new foods into the baby's diet:

from 4 months - vegetable and fruit purees, cereals

from 6 months - cottage cheese, yolk

from 7 to 8 months - meat

from 8 months - bird, cookies

from 8-9 months - fermented milk products, fruits

from 9-10 months - fish

Here approximate diagram feeding little child during the day:
breast milk (mixture) → porridge → vegetables with meat → cottage cheese + fruits + cookies → fermented milk product → breast milk (mixture) Next, let's dwell in more detail on each of the products .

The first products to introduce complementary foods

The first cereal for feeding

If the child is underweight, cereals are introduced first. The first three grains that are used in the introduction of complementary foods - buckwheat, rice, corn - gluten free... This protein contained in cereals (oat, wheat, etc.) has another name - gluten. Many people suffer from gluten intolerance, which is expressed in acute allergic reaction... In babies, it usually manifests itself in the form of diarrhea, exhaustion, and bloating. That is why gluten-containing products (not only cereals, but also cookies, crackers from wheat or rye flour) are introduced into the baby's complementary foods carefully and not in the first months.

It is worth noting that if the child is prone to constipation, then rice porridge should be postponed.

With regard to cooking porridge, there are 2 options: chop the cereal in a blender and cook it yourself, or buy porridge in packs that do not require cooking, but are diluted. In relation to the latter, it is better to give preference to fortified and sugar-free. Ready-made porridge are dairy and dairy-free. It should be noted that dairy-free porridge usually contain a sweetener. Milk porridges are diluted with water, dairy-free - can be diluted with water, infant formula, breast milk or special “baby milk” (on a pack of such milk it is indicated “ baby milk from 8 months ”). Porridge is diluted according to the instructions on the pack with heated liquid.

Porridge is introduced gradually, starting at 1 teaspoon per day. Then, if the child tolerates this product well, replace one completely milk feeding porridge.

After all the cereals are introduced separately, it is better to offer the child multi-cereal cereals.

Vegetable feed

If the child does not have problems with weight gain, then vegetables can be safely used as the first complementary food. Nutritionists recommend starting with vegetables, and not with fruit purees, due to the fact that a child, having tasted sweet fruit purees, may refuse in the future healthy vegetables... Same way, vegetable feed will be very useful for children suffering from constipation.

As the first vegetables in the child's diet, they recommend - broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, potatoes- exactly in this order. Before cooking potatoes, they must be soaked in cold water within 1.5-2 hours. You can start vegetable complementary foods with 1-1 .5 teaspoons.

Fruit purees and juices for complementary foods

As the first fruits for a child, are perfect - apple, pear, prune, banana. The best option there will be a baked apple. Start off fruit feed recommend with half a teaspoon, gradually increasing the portion to 30-40 g per day.

From juices it is worth giving preference to apple, pear. Freshly squeezed juices should not be given to small children. They begin to inject juices from 5 ml per day, gradually increasing the portion to 30-40 ml per day.

Cottage cheese for feeding

If the child has no problems with closing the fontanelle, cottage cheese can be introduced from 6 months. If the child's fontanelle closes very quickly, the introduction of cottage cheese is postponed.

Curd is introduced carefully, starting at 5 g per day, gradually increasing the portion to 30-40 g per day. By about 12 months, the portion of cottage cheese per day increases to 100g. For the introduction of the first curd, it is recommended to use “baby” curd from 6 months.

Complementary yolk

The yolk of the egg, like the curd, is introduced very carefully. Stop yourself in the impulse to choose larger village chicken eggs for your child. To reduce the risk of an allergic reaction, nutritionists recommend start with quail eggs. Be sure to wash your eggs thoroughly before boiling.

You should start with 1/8 of the yolk, gradually increasing the portion to the whole. The yolk needs to be kneaded and add to vegetables or porridge.

Meat complementary foods

As the first meat product are introduced into the baby's diet turkey and rabbit... Veal, according to the recommendations of pediatricians, is postponed for more late date(after a year), due to the risk of allergies, especially if the child has such a reaction to milk, formula.

If you decide not to use canned meat puree, then boil the meat in the second broth, i.e. after the water with the meat has boiled for 5 minutes, it is drained, the meat is poured with new water, and the meat is boiled in the “second” water. The meat must be boiled and turned into mashed potatoes, you should not add salt to it, the baby does not need it in additional quantities. You can mix meat with vegetables, thereby diversifying the diet of the crumbs.

Meat is introduced into vegetable feeding starting from 1 teaspoon, increasing the portion to 50 g per day.

Biscuits

For 8mi one month old baby for cookies, it is better to opt for “baby” cookies from 5 months. It differs from classic cookies in that, upon contact with saliva, it almost immediately turns into gruel, which eliminates the risk that a baby who is not ready for solid food may choke.

Young children should not be given cookies as a snack between meals, otherwise they can quickly get full and refuse a full meal. Cookies, as a rule, are offered to the child for an afternoon snack, along with cottage cheese and fruits.

Fish feed

You should start introducing fish into the child's diet only after the introduction of meat. You should start with white species - cod, hake, pollock. Red fish is introduced much later due to the fact that it very often causes allergies in children.

Fish is also introduced starting at 5g, gradually increasing the portion to 50g. It should be noted that the fish is given to the child no more than once a week.

Fermented milk products for complementary feeding

Offer your child yoghurt, kefir, the packaging of which is labeled "baby from 8 months." Kefir is also introduced gradually. If the child tolerates this product well, completely replace one milk feeding with a fermented milk product.

Making a menu

An approximate child's menu should be drawn up and its calorie content should be calculated. The number of calories for children from 6 months to a year should be 800 kcal. The child's nutrition should be varied, first of all. This makes it possible to provide the child's body with all the necessary correct development components and prevents the child's appetite disorder. By introducing certain foods into your child's diet, you can improve your health and correct some disorders.

It is necessary to cook for the baby using various ingredients and diluting the resulting vegetable or meat puree with milk mixture, breast milk or water.

Gradually, children switch to 4 meals a day. They can be fed with most of the meals prepared for the whole family. You should only avoid the addition of spices and give the food to the baby first in a pureed form. It should also be remembered that proper nutrition is not only a set certain products, but also the presence of the first skills of cultural behavior. Before feeding, be sure to wash your baby's hands; utensils for baby's food should be beautiful, clean and safe.

Read about how to correctly form nutritional skills in children under one year old in the article by a child psychotherapist.

Food for crumbs should be balanced, healthy, tasty and always fresh.

The introduction of complementary foods is a topic around which there are many myths and legends. Than only inexperienced mothers do not try to feed the crumbs. There is an opinion that fruits in the form of juices or purees are not products for the first feeding. Rather, they are precursors of complementary foods and are great for babies from three months... There is even such an opinion - a baby at the age of four months should already eat up to 100 grams of vegetable puree, and at five months - there should be porridge in milk.

A similar technique of introducing complementary foods has taken place in the past. It was approved by the Ministry of Health back in 1999. But today, doctors have completely changed their mind. regarding this issue. Therefore, you should figure out how to properly introduce foods into the child's diet and at what age to do it correctly.

Features of early feeding

If a child under six months is breastfed, then he does not need any additional products. This fact is scientifically proven research by European scientists. They found that if a child eats mother's milk, then he does not need to be given any additional food, because he gets all the nutrients from milk. In addition, up to 4 months of age, there are no beneficial enzymes in the baby's digestive tract, which are necessary for the digestion of any food other than milk. Such enzymes appear only by six months of life, and sometimes much later.

Danger early introduction complementary foods are due to the fact that the crumbs have Great chance the development of food allergies. In addition, an undeveloped organism will not be able to digest heavy food.

Scientific rationale for this approach to the nutrition of the crumbs suggests that the child's undeveloped intestines are not yet ready to consume such heavy food... Therefore, satiety does not come, the child remains hungry. Against this background, there are frequent regurgitation, decreased immunity and diarrhea.

The child, who was breastfed for up to six months, began to crawl and walk much before that which was introduced artificial nutrition... But if you still wondered when to start complementary feeding, then most pediatricians have come to the conclusion that it is advisable to do this from six months.

How to introduce complementary foods correctly? What products should you start with? At what age is it allowed to introduce new products? In this case, the main criterion is performance half a year old child. Children who are breastfeeding, artificial or mixed food should receive their first complementary foods based on the following simple factors:

The main signs of readiness for complementary foods

Most often seen by a pediatrician mommies say that the baby is not eating enough. Then the question is raised about introducing the first early feeding... But at the same time, the following factors are taken into account, which indicate the readiness of the crumbs to consume new products:

Technique and varieties of complementary foods

If a child at the age of six months begins to be interested in food in a plate from mom or dad, then you should not think that the baby remains hungry after feeding. He just wakes up interest in everything new. In addition, he is attracted by the pleasure of food from his parents, and he wants to get the same pleasure. At this time, you can introduce educational complementary foods.... It consists of a microdose of a parent's portion and is only equal to the size of a match head.

But there is also a pediatric complementary food, which is introduced on the recommendation of a doctor and is half a teaspoon of food. But what is the correct way to introduce complementary foods? The rules for introducing a new product into the baby's diet are simple:

Sequence of product introduction

For a long time in the first place in the introduction to the baby's nutrition there were fruits in the form of juices and purees. But today this approach is considered fundamentally wrong. The acids found in fruits negatively affect digestive system baby. In fruits, there are large quantities of organic sugars, and therefore they are generally not advised to be introduced into the baby's diet earlier than a year.

But it should be remembered that starting from the floor one year old the baby begins to experience a lack of vitamins and minerals, in particular, zinc and iron. Therefore, at this age, it is recommended to introduce crumbs of cereals and vegetables into the diet, which contain these vitamins in an easily digestible form.

If the crumbs have digestive disorders - loose stools, then you need to start eating with the introduction of cereals, and if there is constipation, then you should first introduce vegetable purees.

In the third step, you should enter meat purees, and after that it is allowed to introduce fruit purees and juices. It is recommended to give the second complementary food to the baby at the same time as the first, so that he has time to feel the range of tastes.

But what is the correct way to introduce products and at what age is it recommended to do it? Where to start the first feeding?

Vegetables

Regardless of what type of food the child is on, he receives vegetable puree as the first product from 6 months. Doctors recommend introducing into complementary foods exactly those vegetables that grow in the region of residence of the child and parents: potatoes, carrots and zucchini. It is recommended to give legumes a little later., and already by the year it is allowed to introduce foods such as tomatoes and onions into food.

Doctors advise you to prepare mashed vegetables yourself. For this, each product is recommended to be thoroughly rinsed under running water and cleaned. There are three ways to cook a vegetable: steamed, in water, or baked in the oven. When fully cooked, the vegetables are rubbed.

After that, it is recommended to wipe the vegetables through a sieve or grind in a blender. For more uniformity, it is advised to add a little broth. You should not cook mashed potatoes with a crush, this does not lead to its uniformity and the baby will choke with such a composition. For taste, you can add milk or a little mixture to the puree. Oil in puree is allowed to be introduced only after one and a half months after the start of feeding the child with a new product. But it is better to abstain from sugar and salt altogether.

Porridge

They are introduced into the baby's diet from seven months.... If the baby is not gaining weight well, then porridge is allowed to be introduced first. But with normal weight gain, this product is introduced after the baby has mastered vegetables and fruits.

To begin with, it is recommended to introduce gluten-free cereals into the baby's diet: rice, buckwheat or corn. This will reduce the risk of developing allergies to a minimum. After 8 months, it is allowed to introduce semolina, millet and oatmeal into the diet. The groats should be thoroughly ground in a coffee grinder and boiled in water without adding milk. At first, the porridge should be very liquid, only closer to a year to bring its consistency to a normal porridge.

Today you can buy cereals in boxes. They are good because all the necessary components are strictly verified in them and they do not need to be cooked. Porridge is simply poured with boiling water and you can feed the crumb... Such cereals should be dairy-free for up to a year, and from a year they can already be given with milk.

Fruits

It is recommended to give them to the baby from seven months. All fruits should be mashed into puree. Complementary foods begin with apples, prunes, pears, apricots, bananas. But you can also choose those fruits that grow in your region. You should also not give up canned purees. They are already sold ready-made, and therefore feeding the crumbs with them is much more convenient than making mashed potatoes on your own.

Fruit purees are great for treating digestive problems. They pass in a week ... Today, many mothers prefer fruit puree. made in the factory - they are sterile and safe.

Meat puree

You can first pass the meat through a meat grinder, and then boil it. But you can also buy ready-made meat purees in jars.

Yolk

Like Soviet pediatricians, modern doctors it is recommended to give the yolk no earlier than 8 months. V pure form it is not worth giving to the baby. But it is worth mixing with porridge or mashed potatoes... Only one should very carefully observe how the organism of the crumbs will behave.

The yolk is a very heavy food, and therefore it should be given in small doses for a long time.

What foods can not be given up to a year

Now you know how to start complementary foods and when to do it. But it is worth knowing that doctors do not recommend giving juices to a baby under one year old, which greatly irritate the gastric mucosa. It is also not recommended to give vegetables in their pure form. The reason for this is bloating and poor digestion of foods. Only boiled can you give vegetables to a child for up to a year.

In no case should you give your child cookies and other sweets. as well as cow's milk.

When a child reaches 6 months of age, his need for proteins, vitamins and minerals increases significantly. Formerly doctors recommended to introduce complementary foods from 4 months. But that doesn't make much sense. If there are no problems with growth, development and health, then it is better to start feeding at 6 months. If the baby is thin, with poor appetite, low hemoglobin, then it is better to start complementary foods early, at about 5 months.

In general, there is an opinion that complementary foods begin to be introduced when the baby's first tooth grows. After all, the first tooth is a signal from the body that it is ready to accept food other than milk. But sometimes teeth start to cut even at nine months, then, of course, you don't have to wait.

How to proceed?

Any new food is added to the diet gradually and with care. It is best to start introducing complementary foods during the 2nd morning feed. Offer your child 1 to 2 teaspoons of a new product. After that, it is better to supplement with the usual food - breast milk or formula. If the kid refused, do not despair - you can try again in a few days.

After that, it is necessary to monitor the reaction to complementary foods - the appearance of a rash, changes in stool. If everything is in order, the next day the dose is doubled and so on, exponentially, up to 150-200 grams. If something is wrong, the experiments are temporarily stopped.

Thus, it takes, on average, 7-10 days for one feeding to be completely replaced by complementary foods.

Where to start complementary foods?

There are no clear indications on this score. Someone starts complementary foods with vegetable purees, and someone with juice. Many pediatricians recommend starting with vegetable purees as they are rich in vitamins and minerals. But, on the other hand, the structure of the new food is too different from milk, which may be unusual for a child.

If the parents decide to start with vegetables, then first it is better to give vegetables of white or green color - zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower... Later - pumpkin, potatoes, carrots. Vegetables need to be boiled and rubbed, but you can buy ready-made puree in cans. In banks, it is even preferable, since there is guaranteed quality products, ideally homogenized, free of fiber fibers, which are often allergic in children.

If the child is thin, then you can start with cereals. It is best to use rice, buckwheat and corn porridge as the first porridge. Then it is introduced oatmeal... You can cook it yourself, but it is better to buy ready-made children's ones. First you need to give dairy-free cereals, and closer to the year you can cook in milk. It is better to substitute porridge for the very last feeding, before bedtime. Then the satiated child will sleep better and longer.

Priority

Some start with fermented milk products - optimally kefir from a children's dairy kitchen. Babies accept this complementary food well, since no fundamental difference in composition in comparison with milk. In addition, fermented milk products contain beneficial fermented milk bacteria.

So, at 8 months, the child eats 4-5 times a day, of which 2 feedings are completely replaced with kefir, vegetable puree and porridge. At the age of nine months, 3 feedings are completely replaced by complementary foods. Cottage cheese is added (up to a year, you can give no more than 50 grams per day) and fruits. From fruits, it is better to give those that grow in the same strip where the child was born. So, for example, you should not give a baby from Moscow kiwi and bananas as the first fruits, optimally - green apples, pears, berries.

At ten months, vegetable soups can be introduced. It is better to cook the soup first in water, and then in meat broth (ideally - chicken). If there are no problems, the grated meat is added directly to the soup, after a couple of days, again directly into the soup, a hard-boiled yolk chicken eggs- at the beginning 1/5 part, then more. In any case, it is not necessary to give more than half of the yolk until the age of one year.

Meat products are present in the diet every day from ten to eleven months. It is best to introduce rabbit meat first (it is low-allergenic). Then - lamb, chicken, pork, beef. It is better not to give fish up to a year - it is a very allergenic product. Meat can also be wiped, or you can make steamed meatballs so that the child gets used to food in pieces.

Closer to the year, you can give juices, and milk-cereal porridge with fruit, and just a slice of peeled apple or a crouton - suck, scratch your gums, play around. Juices do not replace the main meal, they are given as a supplement after breastfeeding or formula feeding.

It is desirable that the child's menu be quite varied from year to year. If the mother has a desire and milk, it is desirable to feed the child with milk for up to a year - one and a half at least once a day. High-quality milk mixtures can be given up to 1.5 and up to 2 years - once a day.

At night, it is advisable to give kefir, or breast milk, or an adapted milk formula.

If the baby is not eating

If the child, for some reason, does not want to eat complementary foods, do not insist. If his height and mental development correspond age norms, analyzes are in order, then the lag in the timing of the introduction of complementary foods is not so important.

An approximate menu for a one-year-old child looks like this:

8 ocloc'k

  • Porridge - 200 gr.
  • Fruit puree - 30 gr.
  • Juice - 50 ml.

12 hours

  • Vegetable soup with croutons - 40 gr.
  • Vegetable puree - 150 gr.
  • Steam cutlet - 60 gr.
  • Juice - 30 ml.

16 hours

  • Cottage cheese - 50 gr.
  • Fruit - 50 gr.
  • Kefir or milk - 200 ml.

20 hours

  • Vegetable puree or porridge - 100g.
  • Fruit - 50 gr.
  • Juice - 50 gr.