When they begin to introduce complementary foods to the artificial. Expansion of complementary foods by month. Possible problems and solutions

06.06.2019

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.

Complementary feeding for artificial people start earlier Why?

They are fed with adapted milk formula, which, although it is a product similar in properties to breast milk, is still a product foreign to a child, and such a child is forced to adapt to its digestion at an early age. Therefore, in children on artificial feeding, the digestive tract is earlier ready to digest and assimilate new and unfamiliar products for the child. And allergic and other undesirable reactions with the introduction of complementary foods occur in them less often than in infants.
Since milk formulas differ in composition from breast milk, their components are more difficult to digest and assimilate, before the introduction of complementary foods, artificial people more often than infants have regurgitation, constipation, intestinal colic, anemia, rickets, excess weight. And the introduction of complementary foods for artificial people often helps to cope with these problems.

Therefore, children who are artificially fed complementary foods are given 1-2 months earlier than children who are breastfed. To date, complementary foods for an artificial child are prescribed from 4-5 months. The specific period is determined by the pediatrician together with the mother. If the child has symptoms of anemia, rickets, constipation, intestinal colic, excess weight - you can start from 4 months. If, on artificial feeding, the child is healthy and develops harmoniously - from 5 months. Do not forget that complementary foods are not introduced during acute diseases, before and immediately after vaccination, if the child has allergic skin rashes. In practice, more often, complementary foods begin to be given in the interval from 4 to 4.5 months.

The first complementary food for artificial people is most often vegetable puree

As a rule, formula-fed babies are normal or overweight, so complementary foods usually start with
The first puree should always be one vegetable, and the first vegetable should be courgette or cauliflower (not potatoes).
Complementary foods must be given from a spoon, not from a bottle. Artificialists more often than infants are taught by their parents to eat any food from a bottle, eat liquid food for a long time, do not know how to chew and, as a result, later have problems with speech.
At first, the puree should have a homogeneous semi-liquid consistency.
Complementary foods are always given at the beginning of the feed and then the baby is bottle-fed to the correct amount per feed. At 4 months, the total volume of one feeding (puree + mixture) is 180 ml, and at 6 months - 200 ml.
Start with ½ tsp. for 10-14 days, bring the volume of puree to 80-150 ml. On the first day ½ tsp, on the second - 1 tsp, on the third - 2, the fourth - 4 tsp, the fifth - 7 tsp, the sixth - 10 tsp (50 ml), the seventh - 15 tsp (75ml), the eighth - 20 tsp (100ml), the ninth - 25 (125ml) and the tenth - 30 tsp or 150 ml. Give the child a few more days to get used to the new type of food, and then add the next product.

Since this is the first complementary food for your child, and everything is new: the look, smell and taste of food, the consistency, the way of taking it, you should not rush and get carried away, you can act at an even slower pace, let your child get used to the new food in 15- 20 days.
The volume of 150 ml is the maximum amount of vegetable puree that can be given to a child of 4-6 months, but this does not mean that this amount of puree must be pushed into the child. If a child happily eats 10 teaspoons of mashed potatoes, and does not eat any more, then it means that for now it is necessary to stop at this volume - this is still enough for your child, perhaps later he will want to eat more.
Simultaneously with the introduction of complementary foods, you need to include water in the child's diet (if you have not done this before). The required volume of drinking water per day for a child up to 6 months is 50 ml, from 6 months to 1 year - 100 ml.

When should the introduction of complementary foods be discontinued?

If, in response to the introduction of complementary foods, the child has undesirable reactions: an allergic rash, stool disorders or regurgitation, you need to stop giving the child complementary foods, wait until everything is normalized, and start the introduction of complementary foods 3-4 days after the disappearance of all undesirable signs - from another product.
If you started giving mashed potatoes from a spoon, and the child chokes, chokes, he starts vomiting - the child is not yet ready to introduce complementary foods, try again to give mashed potatoes from a spoon after 1-2 weeks (do not give it from a bottle).
If the child refuses to eat mashed potatoes (from zucchini): You have offered him many times, tried to dilute the puree with the usual mixture for the child, tried to slightly salt it, but the child does not eat, stop giving zucchini, skip 2-3 days and try starting with cauliflower or broccoli or potatoes, etc.

How to expand your diet?

If you have successfully introduced mashed potatoes from one vegetable (for example, zucchini) into the child's diet, you have reached a certain volume that your child eats with pleasure (most often it is 100 ml, since this is the volume of jars of ready-made puree for baby food ), the child has been eating this amount of mashed potatoes for several days now and he has no undesirable reactions - we introduce the next vegetable, for example, potatoes. It can be added a little to the squash puree or given separately at the beginning of a feed.

The total amount of vegetable puree can be increased with potatoes or left the same, depending on the child's wishes. It will take less time here, because the final volume of potatoes is no longer of fundamental importance, you need to try how the child tolerates it, bring it to 5-6 teaspoons (30 ml), let it get used to for several days. Everything will take 5-7 days and the next vegetable can be added to the diet. So you can gradually introduce into the child's diet: zucchini, cauliflower, potatoes, carrots, pumpkin. It will take about a month to get acquainted with vegetables, and then you can enter the next complementary food - porridge.

The second complementary food for the artificial porridge

If you started giving your child vegetables from 4 months, you will start giving porridge from about 5 months.
must be necessarily dairy-free, without additives, buckwheat is most often chosen. It is usually cooked in a mixture familiar to a child (sometimes in a vegetable broth).
Porridge is given for another feeding - usually in the morning, and mashed potatoes - in the afternoon. As a result, the child gradually develops breakfast and lunch.
Porridge is already the second complementary food, usually its introduction is easier to tolerate, because the child is already used to eating from a spoon and trying new food. It takes 5-7 days to get used to buckwheat porridge and bring it to the required volume (80 - 150 ml).
But be sure to take into account the characteristics of your child, if he is prone to allergic reactions or disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, you should do everything more slowly.
Then you can try oatmeal, it will take another 5-7 days.

Complementary foods for artificial people Fruit purees and juices

After porridge is introduced. If the child has anemia, it is worth limiting himself to buckwheat porridge and, immediately after it, proceed to acquaintance with fruits, always start with apples.
Applesauce can be added little by little to the porridge or given separately after it, as a dessert or cook compote, gradually bring the volume to 50-60 ml (add another 5-7 days).
Then we try some more fruit puree, for example, from prunes.
It is imperative to take into account the properties of individual fruits and vegetables, do not forget that prunes have a laxative effect, and a pear has a fixing effect, etc.
It will take another 3-4 weeks to get acquainted with porridge and ready-made fruit purees (mashed potatoes from boiled fruits and compotes).

Freshly squeezed juices and fresh fruit purees

By about 5.5-6 months, we reach freshly squeezed juices and puree from fresh fruits and vegetables.
We start with apple juice, as usual from ½ teaspoon to 60 ml, if fresh juices and purees are given, we reduce the amount of ready-made purees and juices by the same volume. Then we taste carrot juice, etc.
Do not forget that the total daily volume of fruit puree for a child under 6 months is 60 ml, that is, up to 6 months you can give the child a maximum of 60 ml of fruit puree and 60 ml of juice or liquid from a compote.

Complementary food for artificial people Meat puree

From 6 months, the child can be given. It is a very important product in a child's diet, especially for children with anemia. But it is not allowed to be introduced into the diet of children earlier than 6 months.
It is convenient to combine it with vegetable puree, you can mix meat puree with vegetable puree or give it separately: first meat, then vegetables.
In children on artificial feeding by 6 months, as a rule, 1 complementary food has already been introduced - vegetable puree, for such children, if they have anemia, you can skip the rest of the points and start giving meat puree from 6 months.
For children who do not have anemia, mashed potatoes are introduced after fresh juices and mashed potatoes.
They start with beef, which is the richest in iron. The maximum daily volume of meat puree for a child under 7 months is 30 g. Later they try other types of meat: rabbit, lamb, chicken. But usually beef predominates in the child's diet, as the most accessible and healthy meat.

Complementary foods for artificial people Other products

Next, cottage cheese is introduced, the maximum daily volume of cottage cheese in the first year of life is 50g. Cottage cheese goes well with fruit, so another meal gradually turns into an afternoon snack or dinner. New foods are still best served in the morning, so you may need to move the porridge for the evening.
From 7 months you can give marine white lean fish. Fish is given instead of meat. It is recommended to replace meat with fish no more than 1-2 times a week.
Further - also from 7 months - the yolk. If you want to give it daily - no more than 1/2 of the yolk per day, or 1 yolk every other day. The yolk can be mixed with vegetable puree.
And - from 8 months - kefir, no more than 200 ml per day - by 1 year.

All the recommended daily amounts of foods, depending on age, are indicated in the complementary feeding calendar, you do not need to exceed these amounts in order not to harm the child, even if the child eats this product very well and wants to eat more.

Cookies, pasta, bread can be introduced into the child's diet from 7-8 months, after the introduction of the main complementary foods. They have no nutritional value for a child. They can help develop some skills in the child: independently hold a piece of bread in his hand, bite off from it, chew. It is not recommended to get carried away with these products.

It's all about complementary foods for artificial people. Stay healthy!

By the age of 4–6 months, mothers begin to think that it is time for the child to introduce complementary foods. Will we find out when and how this should be done if the child is on artificial or mixed feeding?

Someone says that complementary foods should be introduced no earlier than 6 months, others - when the first teeth appear. Still others argue that earlier children were introduced to complementary foods from almost 2 months, and everything was fine. And when is it right to do it?

When to introduce complementary foods?

In fact, there is no one-size-fits-all answer. In each case, the age of the introduction of complementary foods is determined individually. Much depends on how fast the child is gaining weight, how it develops. The type of food also plays a role.

The first complementary foods with artificial feeding are introduced, as a rule, earlier than with breastfeeding. This is primarily due to the fact that the digestive system of such babies quickly adapts to foreign food. The mixture itself has many impurities that prepare the baby's intestines for new food. In addition, these children usually gain weight quite quickly, the introduction of vegetables instead of formula milk will help normalize this process.

On average, complementary foods are introduced from 4 to 6 months. Late feeding is fraught with developmental delays. The child will later learn to chew and swallow thick and dense foods.

Where to begin?

The introduction of complementary foods with artificial feeding is recommended to start with mashed potatoes ... Why exactly from them, and not from cereals, which is more familiar to many? Porridge, like infant formula, promotes rapid weight gain, so they are recommended for breastfed children and those who are underweight. Artificial artists usually do not have such a problem. Quite often, on the contrary, excess weight is observed.

In addition, vegetable purees are easily absorbed by a child's stomach, and at the same time contain vitamins and carbohydrates that are so necessary for development.

However, not every vegetable is suitable for the first feeding. Experts advise to give preference to green vegetables: zucchini, potatoes, squash, peas, cauliflower. Yellow, orange and even more red vegetables can lead to the development of an allergic reaction.

Many mothers are wondering which is better: homemade purees or industrial ones? Here everyone decides for himself. If you intend to make mashed potatoes from your own grown vegetables, you are sure about safety, then this is quite acceptable. However, vegetables in stores are often treated with various chemicals, which means they are not suitable for food for a child. In an industrial setting, specially grown vegetables are used to prepare baby food.

Remember one important thing: never enter 2 products at the same time.... It is very important to monitor the condition of the child after the introduction of a new product. Irritation, rash, colic may appear. And then it is better to abandon the problematic product for a while, replacing it with another. And how to find out which of the two new products the baby is reacting to if you introduced them at the same time?

If your child has not taken a product: he has a rash, colic or other disorders, this does not mean that the baby will never be able to eat it. It is just about the unpreparedness of the digestive system at this stage. Most likely, after a month you will be able to safely introduce the problem dish into your baby's diet without any complications.

There is no need to rush with volumes. The child's body must get used to new food so that it does not cause rejection. Therefore, the first time mashed potatoes are given literally half a teaspoon. Then, gradually, the amount of puree is brought to a full meal.

Complementary foods for artificial feeding are given before the mixture. It is advisable to choose one of the daily feedings for this.... This will track the baby's reaction. So that the taste of the new dish does not seem too unpleasant, unfamiliar to the child, it can be mixed with the usual mixture. When the amount of puree reaches 150 g, you can no longer feed the child with the mixture in this feeding.

When one feeding has already been replaced by complementary foods, you can start replacing the second. In another 2 weeks it will be completely replaced. Thus, the child's morning and evening feedings will be switched to complementary foods, and during the day he will receive the mixture, as before.

We started. What's next?

In what order should the products be introduced? The complementary feeding scheme for artificial feeding is determined as individually as the age of onset. It is better to discuss it with your local pediatrician, who knows well the peculiarities of the child's development and will advise on what and when to introduce.

The first porridge artificially fed children are introduced no earlier than six months. However, they must be gluten-free. It can be buckwheat porridge, rice or corn. Cereals containing gluten (oatmeal or semolina) can only be introduced after 8 months. The general scheme of introduction is the same as for mashed potatoes: start with a teaspoon and gradually bring up to 180-200 g. Remember that you can cook porridge up to a year only in water. Milk can cause allergies.

Cottage cheese - an irreplaceable source of calcium and some amino acids. You can enter cottage cheese into the baby's diet starting from 5-6 months, but remember that the daily norm of cottage cheese for children under one year does not exceed 50 g. Otherwise, an excessive salt and protein load will be exerted on the child's liver.

After six months, you can and should enter the child's menu yolk ... It must be well cooked and thoroughly crushed. For the first time, the child is given quite a bit of yolk literally on the tip of a spoon. Over time, the amount can be increased to 12. There is no need to give the yolk every day. Rather, on the contrary, chicken eggs are highly allergenic. 2 times a week will be enough.

By the age of seven months, the baby's stomach is quite ready to accept meat ... Naturally, it is worth starting with a purchased puree. You are unlikely to be able to cook a dish of the desired consistency on your own. Please note that if your child has an allergic reaction to cow's milk, then beef and veal are contraindicated for him. Better to start with turkey, rabbit, or chicken. By the age of 9 months, the mashed potatoes are replaced with meatballs, and by the year you can feed the child with steam cutlets.

Around this time, you can add to the diet sea fish meat ... For example, such as cod, sea bass or hake. 1-2 times a week, fish can be substituted for meat. The good thing about fish is that it is perfectly balanced and easier to digest than meat. In addition, fish is rich in B vitamins and minerals necessary for the development.

Fermented milk products can be consumed from 7 months. But whole milk is better to postpone for up to a year. Until one year old, you should not give a child fruit juices. Instead, it is better to cook compotes from fresh or dried fruits for him.

In order for the child to start learning to chew, to train the muscles, from 7 months you can start feeding him with croutons slightly soaked in kefir or compote.

The bottle feeding table will help you navigate the choice of foods for a particular age.

Product, gram	Child's age, month
Product, gram	0–1	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9–12
Milk mixture	700–800	800–900	88–900	700	400	300–400	350	200–400	200–400	200–400
Fruit puree				5–30	40–50	50–60	60	70	80	80–100
Vegetable puree					10–100	150	150	170	180	180–200
Milk porridge							50–150	170	180	180–200
Cottage cheese						40	40	40	40	40–50
Biscuits						3–5	5	5	10	10–15
Yolk							0,25	0,5	0,5	0,5
Meat puree							5–30	50	50	60–70
Kefir, fermented milk products								200	200–400	200–400
Fish puree									5–30	30–60

Free feeding of a bottle-fed baby is an investment in the health of your baby in the future. But how do you know if you are doing everything right? Here the child himself will tell you. If there are no negative reactions, and he is steadily gaining weight and at the same time developing harmoniously, then everything is going as it should.

If you are in doubt about weight gain, then refer to the table of weight gain rates, but remember that all children are different and recover at their own pace.

Age, month	Weight gain per month, gram	Weight gain over the period, grams	Increase in growth per month, centimeter	Increase in growth for the period, centimeter
1	600	600	3	3
2	800	1400	3	6
3	800	2200	2,5	8,5
4	750	2950	2,5	11
5	700	3650	2	13
6	650	4300	2	15
7	600	4900	2	17
8	550	5450	2	19
9	500	5950	1,5	20,5
10	450	6400	1,5	22
11	400	6800	1,5	23,5
12	350	7150	1,5	25

Be attentive to your child, follow the doctor's recommendations and monitor the quality of the products. Then the introduction of complementary foods will be smooth and easy. Your baby will be interested in learning about the world, trying new tastes, dishes and products. And you will be calm for your child, knowing that he is developing correctly.

When breastfeeding is impossible, the baby is given a mixture. Having in its composition all the vitamins and microelements necessary for a small person, it is as close as possible to breast milk. Artificial feeding affects the further nutrition of the child, including the introduction of complementary foods. However, many inexperienced mothers are in the dark about when to start complementary feeding for an artificial person.

When to introduce complementary foods to the artificial?

Despite the fact that the formulas are adapted for babies, it is necessary to introduce complementary foods a little earlier. This is due to the fact that the mixture cannot cover all the needs of a growing body for nutrients. Therefore, unlike infants, who are introduced to new food at six months, the introduction of complementary foods with artificial feeding should occur at 4.5 - 5.5 months of life (depending on the state of the baby himself). This is what the current WHO standards say. True, in Soviet times, pediatricians recommended doing this when the baby is 3 months old. But modern research rejects such early complementary foods, since the gastrointestinal tract and the enzyme system of the crumbs are not mature enough.

How to properly introduce complementary foods to an artificial?

The rules for introducing new products into the diet of a bottle-fed baby are similar to the rules for a breastfeeding baby:

Complementary feeding should be started with a small amount of the product - with ½ teaspoon.
First, they give a new product, and only then offer a mixture. Gradually, the amount of complementary foods is increased, replacing one feeding with a mixture.
Do not introduce two new products at the same time. Each component is given about 5-7 days, and only then something new can be given.
Complementary foods can be introduced if the child is healthy and active. In case of illness or on the eve of an upcoming vaccination, a new product is not introduced.
New food is offered in the form of puree, that is, a homogeneous, delicate consistency without small pieces of food that the baby can choke on.
The food is prepared just before feeding from fresh ingredients in a separate bowl. The baby is given a puree of body temperature.
Familiarization with a new product is best done in the first half of the day to control the body's reaction.
You should not force the baby to eat if he is capricious or refuses.

Complementary feeding scheme for artificial feeding

In general, the sequence for entering products looks like this:

Vegetable puree.
Porridge.
Fermented milk products and cottage cheese.
Fruits and juices.
Meat and fish dishes, egg yolk.

Items 1 and 2 can be swapped. But complementary foods begin with porridge, as a rule, in the event that the child is not gaining weight well.

Porridge... A month after entering vegetable purees, you can give your baby porridge with milk or dairy-free gluten-free - rice, buckwheat, oatmeal. Starting from 1 teaspoon, it is brought up to a volume of 150-200 g per day.

Dairy products... Pediatricians recommend introducing cottage cheese from 8 months. You can regale your crumbs with yogurt from 10-11 months. It is preferable to purchase specialized fermented milk products for children.

Fruits and juices... From 7, fruit purees and freshly squeezed juices from an apple, banana, diluted 1: 1 with water are allowed. They can be combined with vegetable juices (pumpkin, carrot). By the age of 9 months, you can give an apple slice without the peel.

Meat and fish... At the age of 7.5-8 months, an artificial child is introduced to the meat of low-fat varieties (rabbit, chicken, turkey, veal), first in the form of mashed potatoes, and then steamed meatballs and cutlets. A child under one year old is not given meat broth.

Lean fish (cod, hake, sea bass) are cooked from 8-9 months twice a week.

Chicken or quail yolk introduced into complementary foods from 7 months and given to the baby 2 times a week. Starting with ¼ of the yolk, its amount is brought to ½.

For convenience, parents can use the artificial feeding table.

For this reason, a baby on artificial feeding is introduced to complementary foods earlier than a baby-baby. This allows you to prevent nutritional deficiencies, to contribute to the full and timely development of the child.

Contrary to popular belief that the intestines of a toddler under 6 months of age are not ready to digest any food? in addition to breast milk or a special formula, the artificial organism adapts faster to the processing of new products.

The age for expanding the children's menu is determined individually at an appointment with a pediatrician. A normally developing baby on artificial feeding is administered complementary foods at 4.5 months.

Timely and correct expansion of the children's menu allows you to quickly cope with regurgitation, colic and constipation, which often accompany the use of infant formula. With its help, the development of anemia, rickets is prevented, the rate of weight gain is normalized. Late introduction of complementary foods is fraught with inhibition in the development of the baby: he will later learn to chew, swallow food of an unusual consistency.

Basic rules of introduction

The main requirement for the introduction of complementary foods is that the child must be absolutely healthy. The sequence of the introduction of new dishes should be agreed with the pediatrician. Immediately remember the list of allergenic foods: cow's milk, chicken egg white, citrus fruits, nuts, cereals containing gluten.

For the rest, listen to your doctor and get ready to create vibrant purees with a blender, steamer, meat grinder, food processor.

Memo for introducing complementary foods:

In 1 meal, the child is offered 1 new product.

It is administered by increasing the volume daily. Each unusual dish is offered in the amount of 1/4 teaspoon, gradually increasing the portion to a volume corresponding to the age of the baby;

New foods and drinks come from a spoon only.

The habit of getting everything from the bottle will negatively affect the development of the baby - he will later learn to chew and speak.

Complementary foods are always introduced in a sitting position.

For the convenience of mom and baby, it is better to use a special high and washable high chair for feeding.

The consistency of the complementary foods.

The first new items on the menu should be served in the form of mashed potatoes or juices, since the baby does not yet know how to chew and does not have the required number of teeth for this.

The new product is introduced a week after the previous one.

Parents should have enough time to assess the reaction of the baby and his body to the changes in nutrition that are taking place.

Do not force the crumb to eat by force.

Don't cultivate the idea that it's time for complementary foods. Each child has its own pace of development and force-feeding it will only slow down, suspend weight gain;

Keep a food diary.

In it you will celebrate the baby's daily menu, portions. If you have a gastrointestinal disorder or allergy, your notes will help you determine the cause;

Offer a new product before mixing.

It should be warm and fresh. Use sterilized dishes, appliances and cutlery for cooking and feeding;

Complementary foods should be introduced at the same time.

It is best to do this during the second pre-lunch meal, in order to see the reaction of the child's body to a new product during the day;

Composition, shelf life and other characteristics.

When purchasing purees and juices in the store, pay attention to the composition of the product, the date of manufacture, the reputation of the manufacturer and the age of the baby for whom it was created. It is unacceptable for the components to include sucrose, salt, dextrose.

A young mother shares her advice about the rules for introducing complementary foods for months.

The procedure for introducing complementary foods when artificially feeding a baby

The introduction of complementary foods should be accompanied by a strict feeding schedule: 5-6 feedings, each of which, removing the mixture from the diet of a one-year-old baby, is gradually replaced by a full meal.

The child's food is made up of products grown or produced in the region of residence - this is a certain guarantor of their naturalness. When observing a food allergy, the provocateur product is re-introduced no earlier than 1 month later.

You can not introduce complementary foods if:

The child is sick;
Scheduled vaccination was made less than 3 days ago;
The baby's teeth are teething, which is accompanied by an increase in temperature, whims, unstable sleep;
The child gets used to some changes in life: the mother has gone to work, the family is traveling or is going through an apartment move;
The baby is diagnosed with allergies, gastrointestinal disorders, skin rashes are observed.

Determine the child's readiness for complementary foods

It is necessary to introduce new products, focusing not only on the age of the baby, but also on other signs of the child's immediate desire to try something other than the mixture.

If the first try to give the crumbs juice, mashed potatoes or porridge from a spoon ended with the fact that he grimaced, coughed or spat it out, then you began to act early. Please try again in a couple of weeks.

Signs of a baby's desire to diversify their diet:

The child does not eat up 1 liter of the mixture per day, requires more frequent feedings;
The crumbs already have their first teeth, he makes chewing movements with his mouth, if you give him something to try;
When the spoon is brought up, the baby opens his mouth and looks with concentration at its contents;
He is interested in the food of his parents, reaches for a plate, tries to taste everything;
The kid takes a variety of objects and purposefully pulls them into his mouth;
The child sits well, controls the body, turns his head;
At the crumb, the pushing reflex of the tongue faded somewhat. If you give him a drink from a spoon, then its contents will not flow down the chin;
The baby's weight has doubled since birth;
A child is ready to eat on his own, if he is given such an opportunity: he takes food with his hands, brings it to his mouth, tastes, swallows or spits it out.

If you observe at least 5 of these signs every day, then you can safely start introducing complementary foods.

Options for the first feeding for an artificial baby

The product for the first complementary food is determined together with the pediatrician observing the baby. It can be fruit juice, vegetable or fruit puree, cereal. In any case, it should only be 1 product that has undergone a certain processing.

Fruits and vegetables contain many vitamins necessary for the child's body, they are easily digested. Porridge is preferable if your baby is behind in weight gain. Having stopped your choice on fruit puree, be prepared that the vegetable baby may not want to eat, because it is far from so tasty.

For the first feeding, you can prepare:

Apple juice being non-allergenic.

If it seems too sour to you, you can dilute it with boiled water;

Vegetable puree.

From boiled zucchini, pumpkin, squash, green peas, cauliflower or broccoli. You can add a little salt to it during cooking, a drop of sunflower oil.

Fruit puree.

From baked apple, pear, peach or apricot.

Porridge.

Rice or buckwheat cooked in water without sugar. The first is preferable if the child often suffers from stool disorders, the second - if constipation is observed. Other grains should not be selected as they contain gluten, which can trigger allergic reactions.

So that the first complementary food does not seem tasteless to the baby, add a few drops of the mixture to it. It is unacceptable to include sugar, fructose, honey in juices. It is better to choose seasonal vegetables and fruits.

If this is not possible, use your own blanks from the freezer. If this is not the case, you need to buy industrially created juices and purees. They are prepared from specially grown organic fruits and vegetables, which is confirmed by quality certificates.

The appearance of mucus in the baby's feces or diarrhea is a reason to temporarily exclude vegetables and fruits from the menu, replacing them with cereals. If the first complementary food turned into an allergic reaction, do not postpone expanding the menu of your baby in horror that you have harmed him with your "innovations", just exclude for a month the product for which the baby's digestive tract is not yet ready. Replace it with another food after rashes, colic, and other food allergy symptoms have cleared.

The first portion of a new product should be no more than 5 g (0.5-1 tsp). Every day it should be increased by 10 g until it completely replaces the mixture in a particular feed.

The consistency of the first puree is liquid, the density also increases gradually. Simultaneously with complementary foods, boiled water is included in the diet of the crumbs - up to 50 ml for a child up to 6 months, up to 100 ml for babies up to a year.

Expansion of complementary foods by month

For some children, pediatricians recommend expanding the food menu as early as 3 months. This may be due to anemia, lack of vitamins in the body, poor weight gain.

It is important to gradually increase the portions of new products, first feeding the baby with a mixture - the total volume of food received in 1 meal should be approximately 150 ml. Do not forget to alternate between complementary foods and main feeds so as not to overload the baby's gastrointestinal tract. For example:

Mixture;
Porridge + mixture;
Mixture;
Puree + juice + mixture;
Mixture.

Nutrition at 3 months

Diversify your baby's menu with natural fruit juice. It is better if a green apple is used for its preparation. The pulp is removed from the juice, and the liquid is diluted with boiled water in half. A warm drink is given to the baby in just a few drops, the portion is slightly increased every day. Over time, it is permissible to introduce peach, pear and apricot juices into the menu.

Meals at 4 months

Fruit and vegetable purees are added to the juices in the menu in a self-determined order. Of the fruits, you should give preference to apricots, peaches, green apples and pears, banana (it is given only raw).

The best complementary vegetables include squash, squash, broccoli, cauliflower, pumpkin, green peas, carrots, and potatoes. The first puree must be one-component. When the baby gets used to the foods offered separately, they can be mixed into one dish.

Selected vegetables and fruits are pre-boiled, stewed or baked. Puree is prepared with a blender, you can add a little mixture to it to make the baby taste "familiar". You can dilute the vegetable dish to the required thickness with boiled water or the broth left over after cooking. Fruit puree can be brought to the required consistency with the help of juice.

Instead of mashed potatoes, it is possible to introduce gluten-free and dairy-free porridge. It is prepared in water, the grinding of the cereal should be fine. Choose buckwheat or rice porridge. It is better to offer it for breakfast, and shift vegetables and fruits to the afternoon.

At 5 months

A new product in the baby's diet is vegetable oil. It is added to vegetable purees, you can drip it into porridge if it tastes better for the baby. Olive oil is a controversial product, so discuss with your pediatrician if it can be included in the children's menu. The dishes may be a little thicker, but without lumps. Fruit juice can sometimes be replaced with compote. The latter should also not be made too concentrated, it is better to dilute with water.

In six months

It's time to transfer the crumb to milk porridge. First, they are prepared in milk, half diluted with boiling water, then a pure product is used. If you are allergic to cow protein, goat milk can be used. In porridge and mashed potatoes, it is allowed to add butter and boiled yolk. If chicken eggs don't work, replace them with quail eggs. The yolk can be offered to the baby as a separate delicacy by rubbing it with a fork and mixing it with the milk mixture.

It is permissible to diversify the diet with kefir and cottage cheese. Although the respected doctor Komarovsky believes that these products are the best for the first feeding, many pediatricians do not share his opinion. Check with your doctor. These products contain bacteria useful for microflora, a lot of calcium, but create a great burden on the kidneys of the baby.

When preparing kefir and yoghurts on your own, purchase the starter culture exclusively in pharmacies. Don't add sugar and fructose to them. Pay attention in the table to the maximum allowable amount of these products in the diet of the growing crumbs.

Meals at 7 months

At this age, meat puree can be included in the diet. To prepare it, purchase meat without fat, veins and bones. Rabbit, turkey or chicken fillets are best for complementary foods. Veal is allowed to use if the baby is not allergic to cow protein. The meat is boiled or steamed, after which it is chopped with a blender or meat grinder.

You can diversify the menu by preparing not only mashed potatoes from meat, but also pates, soufflés.

Meat broth is not used in any way, even in a diluted form to improve the consistency of the puree. To stimulate the development of chewing skills, you can offer the crumb a bagel, baby cookies or a crouton, slightly soaked in compote, juice or kefir.

8 months

Cereals containing gluten are added to the diet. Start preparing the crumbs oatmeal, barley, pearl barley, corn, millet porridge. It is better not to introduce semolina into the diet for up to a year - it is too high in calories and the least useful. The crumb can be served soup with meatballs. Its vegetable filling should be familiar to the child.

9 months

The kid can try low-fat types of fish, for example, hake, cod, perch. Fillets need to be steamed, boiled, stewed or baked. Examine it carefully for pits - the puree should be smooth and tender. It is filled with vitamins and microelements and is easier to digest than meat. The fish dish should replace the meat dish twice a week - more often it is not necessary to include it in the menu.

Nutrition at 10-12 months

During this period, the baby's portions become larger, he is almost not supplemented with a mixture. Vegetable purees become multicomponent, multigrain cereals are prepared. Fruit juices and mashed potatoes are added to cottage cheese, kefir and yogurt for taste, sugar is still banned. Meat and fish menus are complemented by steam cutlets. Instead of porridge, sometimes you can offer noodles cooked in milk. Prepare a casserole with fruit from cottage cheese.

Try offering a piece of bread to your crumb for your soup. You can not grind vegetables with a blender, but simply grind or even cut into slices. Knead the yolk with a fork. A meal can consist of several dishes at once. If the baby is healthy and not susceptible to food allergies, then new products can be introduced more often - 1 time in 3 days. You can already safely begin to wean the baby off the bottle, since his menu is very diverse - he gorges.

Remember that all schemes are variable - the above is only an approximate plan for the introduction of complementary foods for an artificial baby. You should only adapt to your child, who may strongly fall in love with one product, and refuse another for a long time. Talk to your pediatrician and please your baby.

The permissible amount of complementary foods according to the age of the artificial baby

Dishes	4 months	5 months	6 months	7 months	8-9 months	10-12 months
Fruit juice, ml	5-30	40-50	50-60	60	70-80	90-100
Vegetable puree, g	5-30	10-100	150	150-160	170-180	200
Fruit puree, g	5-30	40-50	50-60	60	70-80	90-100
Porridge on water, ml	10-100	10-100	–	–	–	–
Vegetable oil, ml	–	1-3	3	3	5	6
Porridge with milk, ml	–	–	50-100	150	150-180	200
Butter, g	–	–	1-4	4	5	6
Egg yolk, pcs	–	–	¼.	¼.	½.	½-1.
Kefir, ml	–	–	10-30	50-100	100-200	300-400
Curd, g	–	–	10-30	40	40	50
Galette cookies, g	–	–	–	3-5	5	10-15
Puree from meat, g	–	–	–	10-30	50	60-70
Fish puree, g	–	–	–	–	10-30	30-60

Approximate weight gain with proper introduction of complementary foods

Age, months	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
Increase, g	750	700	650	600	550	500	450	400	350

Features of the introduction of complementary foods to premature babies on IV

If your baby was born prematurely, then the issue of introducing complementary foods should be discussed exclusively with the pediatrician watching him. The time for expanding the menu depends on the maturity of its internal systems, the beginning of the production of digestive enzymes, and the diagnosis of the absence of anemia. Much also depends on the child's body weight at the time of delivery, monthly weight gain.

Some doctors advise to introduce complementary foods in a period of 4-6 months, sometimes this process is activated in 1-3 months with fruit juices and vegetable broths.

Premature babies are injected with meat, egg yolk, vegetables, liver and multigrain cereals earlier. The latter are cooked not in water, but in milk mixture or vegetable broth. Complementary feeding is completely controlled by a pediatrician and is adjusted according to the results of scheduled examinations and weighings.

Expansion of the child's menu by months

Feeding time	Sample menu
Feeding time	4-5 months	6-7 months	8-9 months	10-12 months
6:00-7:00	Milk mixture
9:00-11:00	Porridge on water + fruit juice + supplementary feeding with a mixture	Milk porridge with butter + egg yolk + fruit juice	Milk porridge with butter + egg yolk + fruit puree	Milk multi-grain porridge with butter + slices of boiled vegetables + egg yolk
12:00-14:00	Milk mixture	Vegetable puree with vegetable oil + meat puree + supplementary feeding with a mixture	Vegetable soup + vegetable puree with vegetable oil + meat / fish meatballs	Vegetable garnish with vegetable oil + meat / fish steamed cutlets + curd casserole
17:00-19:00	Vegetable or fruit puree + supplement with a mixture	Fruit puree + cottage cheese + kefir + croutons	Fruit puree + kefir + cottage cheese + bagel	Yogurt with fruit puree + biscuit biscuits
21:00-22:00	Milk mixture

Remember to observe acceptable serving sizes so as not to overfeed your baby with potentially dangerous foods, such as cottage cheese. From 8 months, the main meals are organized 3 times a day, but no one has canceled light snacks, especially for a growing body. Always keep in the refrigerator and take with you for a walk baby cookies, natural juices, fruits, kefir.

The topic of complementary feeding scares many parents, especially given the likelihood of food allergies, the consequences of which are not always eliminated quickly and easily. Most often, parents of babies ask pediatricians the following questions:

What to do if the crumb refuses to eat any offered food?

Wait with complementary foods as your baby is not yet ready for it. Stimulate his food interest by picking him up during your meals, family meals.

From how many months will the baby stop gagging?

It depends on the speed of development of the child's body. On average, babies stop coughing while eating by 9 months.

What to do if the baby starts to have problems with stool after the introduction of complementary foods?

Constipation for more than 3 days or stool frequency more than 5 times a day is outside the normal range. Remove new foods from the baby's diet until his condition normalizes, replace them with something else acceptable for his age. Also, see if you accidentally exaggerated the portion sizes.

What to do if signs of allergy appear?

Discuss this issue with your pediatrician in advance, and, just in case, buy a children's antihistamine in your home medicine cabinet. Keeping a food diary will help you identify an irritant food, and removing it from the menu will solve the problem.

What cannot be fed to a child under one year old?

Allergenic foods (nuts, honey, citrus fruits, imported exotic fruits and vegetables, red fish) are prohibited.

What ready-made porridge and puree is better for a baby to buy?

When choosing, pay attention to the correspondence of the selected product to the age of your baby. Check the composition of the product, the integrity of the packaging, the date of manufacture. In the rating of cereals for 2016, the first place was taken by the various products of the Nestle company. The best mashed potatoes, according to experienced mothers and the results of laboratory tests, are the assortment of TM "Gerber".

Adequate weight gain, absence of gastrointestinal upset and allergic reactions indicate that you are doing everything right. The kid is healthy, cheerful and mobile - he is pleased with his menu and the goodies prepared by his mother. But do not rush to treat the crumb with delicacies from the "adult" table - this is fraught with serious consequences for his body.