Introduction of complementary foods. How to do everything right so as not to harm the baby's health?

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Introduction of complementary foods in the baby's diet is a rather crucial moment that scares almost all young mothers. Complementary feeding is food, which begins to be administered to babies from about 5-6 months of their life. This food can be a supplement to both breastfeeding and artificial feeding. Complementary feeding at this age is really needed, as it helps to enrich the growing body with all the necessary nutritional components, especially carbohydrates, proteins and fats. The first twelve months of life infant are the most important, since it is during this period of time that the foundations of the general state of health, including the immune system, are formed. Given this fact, each parent is obliged to provide their baby with proper nutrition.
How to do everything right so as not to harm the baby's health?

What are the main reasons for introducing complementary foods?

First of all, this is the need for additional introduction into the growing body of both minerals and vitamins, trace elements, as well as energy. In addition, new food products contribute to the development of the chewing apparatus and the entire digestive system, while also developing the motor function of the intestines. Complementary feeding contributes to the development of completely new taste qualities.

Complementary feeding and flavor formation:

Taste belongs to the category of the most important sensations, which tend to evoke extremely positive emotions. All food products that will be introduced into the baby's diet should be healthy, tasty and varied. There should be as little sweets as possible on the menu, since it is sweet dishes that are a predisposing factor for the development of allergic reactions, dental caries, obesity and other pathological conditions. Remember that it is not so easy for a baby to get used to new tastes, which is why he may not be quite willing to eat certain foods offered to him. Be patient, a few more attempts and the child will definitely love the new dish.

What are the signs of a child's readiness to introduce new products?

1. The child is 6 months old;
2. He sits confidently without support;
3. Birth weight doubled;
4. The kid shows interest in the food you eat;
5. He has an extinction of the pushing reflex ( regurgitation disappears);
6. The child is more likely to attach to the breast;
7. He independently turns his head and turns away from the spoon if this or that product does not suit his taste;
8. He is perfectly healthy.

An approximate scheme for the introduction of complementary foods:

Name of products and dishes	4 months	5 months	6 months	Seven months	8 months	9 months	9 - 12 months
Fruit juices (ml)	5 - 30	40 - 50	50 - 60	60	70	80	90 - 100
Fruit puree (ml) not earlier than 14 days after the introduction of the juice	5 - 30	40 - 50	50 - 60	60	70	80	90 - 100
Curd (g)			10 - 30	40	40	40	50
Yolk (pcs.)				0,25	0,5	0,5	0,5
Vegetable puree (g)		5 - 100	150	150	170	180	200
Porridge (g)			5 - 100	150	150	180	200
Meat puree (g)					5 - 30	50	60 - 70
Kefir and other fermented milk products or whole milk (ml)						100	200
Fish puree (g)							5 – 30 - 60
Wheat bread (g)				3 - 5	5	5	10 - 15
Cookies, crackers (g)				3 - 5	5	5	10 - 15
Vegetable oil (g)		1 - 3	3	3	5	5	6
Butter (g)			1 - 4	4	4	5	6

Metabolic and physiological characteristics of the child's body that determine the timing of the introduction of new products:

1. Reduction of excessive permeability of the intestinal mucosa - 3 months;
2. Maturation of local immunity processes in the intestinal region - 3 - 4 months;
3. Maturation of enzymatic processes of absorption and digestion of food:

• increased production of pepsin and some other enzymes - 3-4 months;
• decrease in pH ( concentration) gastric juice, as well as increased production of hydrochloric acid - 3 months;
• increased amylase activity ( an enzyme that breaks down carbohydrates) - from 2 - 3 months to 12 months;

4. Maturation of all reflex mechanisms that are responsible for swallowing semi-liquid and solid food - 4 - 5 months.

Early and late complementary foods:

Early introduction of new products is a direct path to the development of allergic reactions. In addition, in such cases, the child may develop intolerance to certain foods. Excessive amounts of fat and carbohydrates in the daily menu can lead to the development of obesity.
The late introduction of new products is, in turn, a direct path to lagging behind in both mental and physical development. In addition, the baby may develop protein-calorie deficiency. It is very important to pay attention to the composition of the menu. A monotonous diet increases the risk of developing a wide variety of deficiency conditions. The list of such conditions can include iron deficiency anemia, hypovitaminosis, rickets, and malnutrition.

Iron-deficiency anemia - This is a syndrome accompanied by a violation of the production of hemoglobin due to a lack of iron.

Hypovitaminosis is a condition that occurs when there is a violation of the correspondence between the consumption of vitamins and their intake into the body.

Under the concept " rickets »Hides a disease of infancy and early age, which is characterized by impaired bone formation due to vitamin deficiency D.

Hypotrophy is an eating disorder characterized by varying degrees of total body weight deficiency.
Late introduction of complementary foods often affects the formation of far from the most correct eating habits in the future.

Five commandments of the first complementary foods from Dr. Komarovsky:

• no need to use the experience of grandmothers;
• do not rush;
• no variety;
• no need to get carried away with quantity;
• no violence.

Complementary feeding rules:

1. Supplementary food can only be introduced when the child is completely healthy;
2. Complementary foods should be given exclusively before breastfeeding;
3. All complementary foods must be homogeneous ( homogeneous) in their consistency, so that the child has the opportunity to swallow them without difficulty;
4. All dishes should be given warm using a spoon; during meals, the child should be in a sitting position;
5. In no case should you give the same type of complementary foods 2 times a day;
6. All products must be introduced gradually according to the existing sequence, another type of complementary foods can be introduced only when complete adaptation occurs ( addictive) to the previous product;
7. During the introduction of a new product, you should carefully monitor any changes in the stool, if no changes are observed, then the next day, increase the amount of the proposed dish;
8. It is strictly forbidden to introduce new products into the diet if you are preparing your child for any preventive vaccination;
9. Initially, vegetable or fruit purees should consist of one single type of vegetables or fruits, it is best to opt for potatoes and zucchini in the first couples, since it is these products that do not tend to cause allergic reactions and flatulence;
10. If you decide to feed your child with porridge, make sure that it consists of gluten-free cereals, namely corn or buckwheat flour or rice;
11. It is strictly forbidden to introduce cottage cheese into the baby's diet if he is not yet six months old;
12. Raw vegetables and fruits can only be given at 7 to 8 months;
13. In no case do not give broths for up to a year, since they contain a fairly large number of purine bases ( organic natural compounds), which tend to have a negative impact on the work of not fully matured kidneys;
14. If you decide to cook a puree soup, then use a vegetable broth as a base;
15. Be careful with kefir, as this product can provoke a violation of the acid-base balance;
16. Children aged 9 months should be given fish and meat no more than 2 times a week, and it is best to opt for low-fat varieties;
17. Fruit juices can be given between meals, but no sugar.
18. Cheese is allowed to be added to the menu only from 1 year old.

When should you not introduce complementary foods?

1. the child is sick;
2. he has an intestinal disorder;
3. he recently received a prophylactic vaccine or is preparing for it;
4. there is an increased body temperature.

Fruit and vegetable juices:

Both vegetable and fruit juices belong to the educational complementary food category, as they have a liquid consistency, reminiscent of breast milk. Juice contributes to the enrichment of the baby's body with trace elements, mineral components and vitamins FROM... In addition, it satisfies the water needs of the child's body. All juices are subdivided into monocomponent and multicomponent. Monocomponent juices are juices containing only 1 vegetable or fruit. So, for example, it can be apple, carrot or plum juice. Multi-component juices contain 2 or more types of vegetables or fruits. Compound juices can consist of apple and pumpkin or blackcurrant, apple and banana. Without a doubt, such juices are much more useful, but their introduction is especially dangerous, since in the event of an allergic reaction, parents will not know which component it arose.

Juices can be clarified or pulp. Most of the juices that are intended specifically for babies are clarified. If we talk about juices with pulp, then they contain the so-called dietary fibers, which tend to have a stimulating effect on the motor function of the intestines. As a result, stool disorders caused by incomplete maturation of the intestinal mucosa can make themselves felt. Given this fact, experts recommend introducing such juices later in life. In most cases, juices are made up of only natural carbohydrates. Sugar in their composition is rare. It is recommended to start the introduction of juice with 0.5 teaspoon. Within 5 - 7 days, its total amount can be increased to 30 - 40 milliliters.

Apple juice - the very first training complementary foods. It is very important that the juice is made from green apple varieties. Moreover, it should not contain sugar. Since apple juice contains a large amount of organic acids and natural carbohydrates, its use increases appetite, and also enhances the production of digestive juices.

Pear juice - "storehouse" of folic acid, which takes an integral part in the process of hematopoiesis. In addition, this juice contains an accumulation of phosphorus, fiber, calcium, magnesium and cobalt. Its use can improve peristalsis ( wall contraction) of the intestine, and also relieves of certain disorders of the digestive process.

Carrot and apricot juice - contains a huge amount of pectin, dietary fiber and fiber. This juice is especially useful for all those babies who suffer from constipation, since it tends to enhance the growth of beneficial intestinal microflora. In addition, he fights various pathologies of the skin, enhances the secretion of bile, and reduces the amount of cholesterol. Carrot and apricot juice should be given on an empty stomach.

Prune juice - endowed with a number of useful properties due to the presence of dietary fiber and pectin in it. It is recommended to give such juice in case of a weakened immune system, as well as with a tendency to constipation.

Fruit and vegetable puree:

Fruit purees it is considered to be the second type of complementary food, which is recommended to be introduced into the baby's menu only 2 weeks after the juice. Modern experts distinguish 3 types of such mashed potatoes, namely homogenized, mashed potatoes and coarsely ground. Homogenized puree is intended for children, whose age ranges from 3.5 to 5 months. Puree-like puree can be given from 6 to 8 months, but coarsely ground puree is intended for children from 9 to 12 months. The daily amount of such puree is equal to the child's age in months multiplied by 10. All fruit and vegetable purees have a denser consistency, since they also contain plant fibers that take part in the regulation of the intestinal motor function.

Blueberry puree - suitable for all babies without exception. This berry has a rather powerful anti-inflammatory and disinfectant effect. It contains both manganese and a tannin called tannin, provitamin BUT, aromatic acids, carbohydrates and many other components. Blueberries tend to improve vision, increase appetite, improve brain function, regulate hematopoiesis, and provide the body with the necessary amount of energy.

Broccoli puree - enriched with beta - carotene and various vitamins, mainly vitamin FROM... The introduction of this product into the diet will help improve the functioning of the cardiovascular system, as well as prevent the development of iron deficiency anemia. Regular use of such puree helps to cleanse the body of cholesterol and improve metabolic processes in the liver. Broccoli is an excellent means of preventing atherosclerosis.

Carrot puree - has a very beneficial effect, first of all, on the biliary activity. In addition, carrots have bactericidal and antioxidant properties. This vegetable normalizes epithelization ( the formation of epithelium in the affected areas) of the intestinal mucosa and promotes its emptying. It is especially useful to give carrot puree to all those babies who have a fairly low growth rate. Carrot puree is considered to be an excellent means of preventing respiratory pathologies, as well as recurrent ( frequently recurring) bronchitis.

Cauliflower puree - has a high nutritional value. In the composition of this puree, there is an accumulation of a large amount of mineral salts, vitamins, vegetable fiber, as well as trace elements.

Cereal complementary foods:

Cereal complementary foods, that is, cereals, are considered to be a traditional type of complementary foods, which must be introduced into the diet closer to 6 months. Cereals are enriched with a large amount of carbohydrates, which supply the growing body with the energy it needs. In addition, the composition of cereals includes trace elements, plant proteins and vitamins of the group IN, which tend to have a stimulating effect on the work of the gastrointestinal tract. Note that porridge in powder form, in contrast to dry milk porridge, has a number of advantages, namely:

• safety of consumption;
• guaranteed chemical composition;
• the presence of a large amount of trace elements and vitamins.

For the first time, a child can be given no more than 1 teaspoon of porridge. It is very important that it is a gluten-free porridge, that is, it should not contain gluten protein, which can provoke the development of celiac disease, a condition accompanied by such signs as an increase in abdominal volume, poor weight gain and loose stools. Gluten-free cereals include corn, buckwheat, and rice groats.

Cooking porridge yourself:

To cook porridge yourself, you should first carefully sort and rinse the cereal, then grind it in a coffee grinder. Pour the resulting flour with cold water and leave to cook, stirring occasionally. To improve the taste of porridge, as well as increase its nutritional properties, right before feeding, add about 20-30 milliliters of adapted milk formula or expressed breast milk to it. After that, pour the porridge into a plate and let it cool. As for salt and sugar, it is best not to add them to porridge, especially if the child is not yet a year old. Over time, butter can be added to the porridge.

Dairy products:

Fermented milk products contain a large amount of phosphorus, calcium, riboflavin and protein. All these products tend to suppress the growth of pathogenic ( disease-causing) microorganisms. They are also an excellent means of preventing allergic reactions, malignant neoplasms, atherosclerosis and gastrointestinal pathologies. Kefir, yogurt and hard cheese are especially useful for the child's body.
The use of fermented milk products helps:

• improve intestinal motility;
• reduce the amount of cholesterol;
• improve the absorption of proteins, fats and milk sugar;
• enhance the secretory activity of the digestive glands.

Meat complementary foods:

Meat is a versatile product, but it can be introduced into the baby's diet only after his gastrointestinal tract is fully formed. It is meat that is the main supplier of complete proteins of animal origin, which are so necessary for the formation of red blood cells. Red blood cells are hidden under the erythrocytes, which tend to increase the level of hemoglobin. Available in meat and extractives ( organic) components necessary to stimulate digestive function.

Cow's milk in babies' nutrition:

It is forbidden to introduce milk in the form of an additional food product at an early age, since it can cause the development of intestinal bleeding with the subsequent formation of iron deficiency anemia, that is, microcytic anemia resulting from a strong decrease in iron stores in the body. Babies who consume whole milk may develop intolerance to its proteins.

Egg as complementary food:

Eggs have a fairly high biological value due to the presence of a large amount of amino acids, lipids, iron, as well as saturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids. All of these components play an important role in both the physical and mental development of the infant. They also improve the intake of animal proteins. Before eating, it is very important to subject the eggs to a thorough heat treatment in order to protect the baby from salmonella poisoning.

Fish and seafood:

Fish and seafood are one of the main sources of complete proteins and amino acids. In addition, these products contain polyunsaturated fatty acids, which have a beneficial effect on the development of the central nervous system. They also contain trace elements such as zinc and iron. There is a lot of iodine in sea fish.

What mom needs to know when making juice at home:

• we observe all the rules of personal hygiene ( well-washed hands, short nails, a scarf on the head);
• utensils intended for juicing should not be used for other purposes;
• before juicing, the pan, as well as other necessary utensils, should be washed in hot soda water using a brush, then the dishes must be boiled for 10 minutes;
• We also use soda water to wash the juice bottle, after which we boil the bottle for 10 minutes;
• immediately after boiling, it is recommended to close the bottle with a tight stopper made of sterile cotton wool;
• keep the utensils for making juice in a separate, clean and closed container;
• brushes used for washing dishes should be washed in soda water, after which we boil and dry them thoroughly;
• the prepared juice should be given to the infant immediately after preparation. In summer, it can be stored for no more than 120 minutes, but in winter, no more than 240 minutes.

Is it possible to feed a child with jelly?

Experts do not recommend giving babies jelly, so as not to provoke overfeeding. Both fruits and berries are best given fresh or canned, since during cooking they lose the greatest amount of vitamins and minerals.

How can you teach a child to bite?

In such cases, an apple comes to the rescue. Take a small apple, peel it and place it in your baby's hand. It is very important that the apple is whole, as in this form, pieces do not break off from it. The child will first scrape it with his teeth, and then begin to bite off a piece.

Does my child need to wash their hands before eating?

Yes need. It's not only about hygiene, but also about the fact that water is a very strong irritant of the nerve endings of the skin. Irritation of such endings increases appetite and enhances the production of active digestive juices.

Complementary feeding and dysbiosis:

Dysbacteriosis is a violation of the normal ratio of microflora in the body, as a result of which there is a violation of both absorption and assimilation of nutrient components. In children suffering from dysbiosis, various violations of the normal functioning of the gastrointestinal tract are most often observed, which is why complementary foods should be introduced to them with extreme caution, which will help to avoid fatal ( life-threatening) lack of vitamins and nutritional components. The careful introduction of new products will help to avoid the development and diathesis, as well as atopic dermatitis ( a chronic disease that occurs in children with a genetic predisposition to allergic pathologies).

The introduction of complementary foods for atopic dermatitis:

If a diagnosis of "atopic dermatitis" has already been made, then new products are allowed to be introduced only when there are no fresh elements of the rash on the skin. These children can be introduced to new food no earlier than 6 months. The very first complementary food should consist of vegetable puree, it is best to opt for mashed zucchini or cauliflower. Initially, you can give no more than a quarter teaspoon of complementary foods. The general rule is: 1 product every 7 to 10 days. It is also very important to keep a special food diary, in which you will need to enter all food products that exacerbate this ailment. In the event of very strong skin reactions, you should consult a specialist who will prescribe the necessary local and systemic treatment.

Introduction of complementary foods for lactase deficiency:

Lactase deficiency is a congenital or acquired pathological condition accompanied by a deficiency or complete absence of the lactase enzyme, which is responsible for the breakdown of milk sugar. The organisms of such children are not able to assimilate milk.
The main symptoms of lactase deficiency are:

• flatulence (excessive gas formation in the intestines);
• diarrhea after drinking milk;
• insufficient weight gain;
• signs of dehydration.

In such cases, the consumption of whole milk should be reduced to a minimum, replacing it with fermented milk products, cheeses and butter. Porridge and vegetable purees should be prepared on a lactose-free basis. Juices are introduced into the diet only after 6 months. If the child is breastfed, then special medications are prescribed to him, which tend to break down lactose.

Introduction of complementary foods to premature babies:

Premature babies especially need vitamins and nutritional components, which is why complementary foods should be introduced to them much earlier than all other babies. So, for example, vegetable and fruit juices are administered to them at the age of 1 to 3 months. Initially, the juice should be no more than 5 drops. Juice should be given to a premature baby after meals. As for beetroot, strawberry and strawberry juices, it is strictly forbidden to give them during the first 12 months of life. The thing is that these juices are endowed with a rather powerful allergenic effect. Fruit purees are introduced to such babies at the age of 2 months. Already at 3 months they can start giving them egg yolk. In the same period, you need to start introducing cottage cheese. Porridge is introduced into the diet from 4 months. To prevent the development of anemia, meat should be introduced as early as 5 months. At 8 months old, the baby can be pleased with unsweetened cookies, bread, vegetable soup or meat broth.

What to do if complementary foods cause constipation?

Incorrect introduction of complementary foods is dangerous not only by the occurrence of skin rashes. Quite often, new food products cause development and constipation, which is very harmful for a growing body. In babies, constipation occurs in the form of a reverse reaction to a particular new product. Thus, the body shows that it is unable to cope with a new product for it. If you notice that your baby has begun to suffer from constipation, then first change the regimen of introducing new products. New food can be given to such children no earlier than 6 months old, and these should be special products of industrial preparation in the form of mashed potatoes. These purees are much safer for the baby's intestines. As for homemade dishes, they can be used no earlier than 8 months. Abdominal massage will also help to cope with constipation, which should be carried out 3-4 times a day for 10 minutes. To strengthen the muscles of the abdominal wall and improve bowel function, place your baby on his stomach as often as possible.
Before use, you must consult a specialist.

The question of how to properly introduce complementary foods remains the most discussed and controversial in domestic pediatrics. The norms in force in the Russian Federation differ in many respects from the generally accepted international ones. Recommendations of doctors of "Soviet temper" do not stand up to scrutiny. What should be the correct complementary food so as not to harm the health of the baby?

There are many myths about the benefits of products for babies in their first year of life. For example, that already a month children need an additional source of iron in the form of apple juice. That fruit purees should not be perceived as a full-fledged complementary food, they serve as "pre-food", so they can be given in advance, already at three months. That at the age of four months it is necessary to include in the child's diet vegetable puree in a volume of up to one hundred grams, and at the age of five months - milk porridge.

Such a scheme of how to properly start complementary foods operates on the basis of the methodological recommendations of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation and the Research Institute of Nutrition of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, approved in 1999. However, it is completely refuted by international studies, recommendations of the World Health Organization, and the International Dairy League.

Reasons for the contradictions

The basic rule of modern international pediatrics says: a child should receive only breast milk or an adapted formula for up to six months. Experts from La Leche Liga somewhat soften this wording, recommending a period of starting complementary feeding by the middle of the first year of a child's life.

The reasons for the contradictions between international norms and the national feeding program for children of the first year of life lie in the peculiarities of the social development of society. “Until the early nineties in Russia, the concept of breastfeeding was almost completely lost,” says pediatrician Alena Paretskaya. - Often, mothers went to work, leaving three and six-month-old babies in the nursery. Their feeding was organized on the basis of cow's milk, kefir, semolina. "

This diet is extremely scarce and fundamentally does not meet the needs of the child's body. Somehow, complementary foods allowed him to "smooth out". From the first month, babies were recommended apple juice, then fruit purees. In early complementary foods at four months, eggs and cottage cheese were already present.

Introducing a whole range of foods up to six months of age served as an opportunity to solve a critical problem - balancing a diet that lacked breast milk. It was clearly rationed in grams to avoid overfeeding. And in the guidelines for Russian pediatricians, this scheme has been preserved, although it does not meet international medical standards today.

In modern conditions, the rules for the introduction of complementary foods in Russia should be revised. Thanks to WHO recommendations, methodological courses for pediatricians and medical workers, attitudes towards the issue are changing, but not progressively enough.

Basic principles

Breast milk provides the full range of needs for babies up to six months of age. This conclusion was made by foreign pediatricians based on a number of studies. The American Academy of Pediatrics notes that breastfeeding eliminates the need to introduce early complementary foods. Children simply do not need additional food.

Artificial nutrition also does not require dietary correction. “Modern adapted formulas include a sufficient amount of nutrients, minerals, vitamins. Therefore, there is no need to introduce complementary foods at an earlier date, ”says doctor Alena Paretskaya.

Thus, the main principle of the introduction of complementary foods in babies on breast, artificial, mixed feeding is their achievement of six months of age. The use of "adult" products used to be dangerous to disrupt the digestive system, which is not yet ripe for the digestion of other foods. And the child's lack of all the nutrients he needs.

Also, international experts note the following important points.

• Complementary feeding does not replace the main food of the baby... Until a year, this remains breast milk, a mixture. Breastfeeding, according to the WHO recommendations, is important to continue further, up to two years, since breast milk contains valuable components for the maturation of the baby's brain, its nervous system, and the formation of immunity.
• Complementary feeding is for informational purposes only... The established norms of food in grams for children who are breastfed and receiving a high-quality adapted formula are nothing more than a general recommendation, an upper limit. More food than indicated in the norms should not be given in order to avoid overfeeding. Food does not fulfill the function of saturation; breast milk and formula, which are more valuable and nutritious for the baby, should cope with it for up to a year. She introduces new tastes, stimulates the work of the jaw apparatus, socializes the child and teaches him to eat correctly.
• Product introduction does not tolerate violence... The main question of how to properly introduce complementary foods to a child is the lack of pressure from the parents. Food should be of interest to the baby. When trying to feed him "at all costs", the mother forms a stable pattern of behavior at the table, in which the child refuses to eat.
• To interest and entertain are two different things... Feeding with persuasion, under cartoons, with other entertainments has nothing to do with the concept of complementary foods. The kid should show interest in food himself, and this is possible only if he is regularly at a common table with adults. Mimicking an adult's behavior is a more reliable way of forming a correct attitude towards food in a child than persuasion and entertainment.
• Look at the baby, not the timing... Age half a year is the lower limit of the norm, but it can be adjusted depending on the state of health of the child, the level of his development.

The baby is ready for complementary foods when he shows interest in food. He has extinguished his pushing reflex, and products of a thicker consistency than milk and mixture do not make him vomit. Eating new foods does not cause digestive problems. The child sits on his own and can hold a spoon.

Complementary feeding technique

It often happens that a child is interested in both the objects on the table and the contents of the plates of adults. And he even tries to grab something of them and put it in his mouth. But even micro doses of new food are causing problems. If constipation occurs during the introduction of complementary foods, then the child's body is not ready to digest it. Stop loading him with new food, continue to breastfeed or formula feed as usual. And after a few weeks, try offering complementary foods again.

Directly opposite reactions also occur: the child categorically refuses to eat anything other than milk or formula. In this situation, it is necessary for mom to calm down and stop listening to the instructions of friends or grandmothers.

If the child is healthy, vigorous, active, but does not want to eat complementary foods, do not insist. His body gets everything it needs from the main food source. Invite him to participate in family meals, allocate a chair, spoon, plate for him, and wait without worry when the baby shows that he is ready to try something new.

Follow these tactics for introducing complementary foods.

• Make sure your child is healthy... Wait with new food, if the crumbs are teething, there are signs of acute respiratory viral infections, fever, vaccination was done. The reason to postpone complementary foods is family relocation, death of loved ones, and other factors of emotional upheaval. You can only change the diet if the child is stable both emotionally and physically.
• Start with the minimum amount... In the technique of pedagogical feeding, it is recommended to start with a microdose of the product, that is, the amount from a match head. Pediatric complementary foods allow you to start with half a teaspoon. It is better to offer unfamiliar foods in the morning so that you can monitor your baby's condition throughout the day.
• Watch the baby... Allergy to complementary foods does not appear for several hours. The reaction occurs one day after the consumption of the allergen, and the first "dose" never causes a pronounced rash, peeling on the skin and other symptoms. They appear after the second consumption of the product, therefore, it is possible to find out if a child is allergic to something only on the third day after consuming a new food. Constipation in a child after the introduction of complementary foods can occur during the first day, as well as diarrhea. If you see these reactions, you should stop experimenting with your diet.
• Increase the volume gradually... If the baby likes the new product, double it daily to the age norm. Your task is not necessarily to feed your baby that much product per day. This norm is the maximum threshold beyond which you cannot go.
• One product per week... With good tolerance, the product can be introduced into the child's diet within a week. Next week, try starting a new product introduction in the same way. A new product can be mixed with a familiar one.

Do not hurry! The value of breast milk is incomparably higher for your baby than cereals or vegetables. Do not try to supplant even one feeding with them. The components of the "adult" table should complement the diet from a nutritional, energetic point of view. But it is precisely to supplement, not replace!

At the age of one year, a breastfed baby should receive 75% of its nutrition in the form of breast milk. In mixed-fed babies, the mixture is gradually removed from the diet. It is replaced by complementary foods, while the mother's milk remains in the existing volume, and is offered on demand. Artificial kids are transferred to the traditional family table after a year.

Sequence of products

What should be the sequence for introducing complementary foods? For a long time in our country, the first component was fruits and juices. Western pediatricians do not share this opinion. Fruit acids that make up the juices aggressively affect the child's digestive tract. In addition, they contain a large amount of sugar. Therefore, it is recommended not to use juices at all in the diet of babies under one year and older.

Vegetables - from six months

The product of the first complementary food for healthy children on any form of nutrition. Use vegetables in your region: neutral squash, cabbage, potatoes. A little later, you can introduce your child to carrots, peas, and other legumes. By the year, onions and tomatoes may appear in his diet.

All vegetables are washed, peeled and boiled in a little water. First, mashed, then knead with a fork.

Age, months	Volume, g
6	150
7	170
8	180
9-12	200

After the introduction of one vegetable, you can fill in mashed potatoes with vegetable oil in the amount of an incomplete teaspoon.

Fruit - from seven months

Traditionally, apple is introduced first, then prunes, apricots, banana, pear, any other fruits in your region. The kid is offered them in the form of mashed potatoes. Usually, children accept delicious fruit "purees" from jars well. This product helps intestinal peristalsis, so the stool after the introduction of complementary foods in artificial people is getting better.

Age, months	Volume, g
7	70
8	80
9-12	90-100

Homemade fruit purees should be peeled and pitted.

Porridge - from seven months

Porridge can also be a product of the first complementary food, but for babies with underweight. If the crumb meets the age standards, a hearty cereal gruel is introduced after vegetables and fruits.

Buckwheat, rice and corn grits are used as gluten-free foods with a low risk of allergic reactions. At eight months and older, oat, wheat, millet, semolina are introduced. Prepared in water, without using milk, from cereals finely ground in a coffee grinder. The consistency is age appropriate. At the beginning of complementary feeding, the volume of water is 1: 4, closer to the year, the density of the product is increased, cooked in a 1: 2 ratio.

When buying ready-made cereals, they choose dairy-free products for the first feeding. It is convenient to use them: just pour the required amount of water and stir.

Age, months	Volume, g
7	150
8	180
9-12	200

Closer to the year, you can start cooking milk porridge or in milk diluted with water 1: 1.

Yolk - from eight months

A useful but highly controversial product. In the scheme, how to correctly introduce complementary foods by months of the Soviet period, is mentioned even at the age of four months. Modern pediatricians recommend administering it after eight months, carefully observing the child's reaction.

Age, months	Part
8	1/4
9	1/2
10-12	1/2

The yolk is added to porridge or vegetable puree. It is not allowed to mix it with meat complementary foods in one feeding, if it is present in the diet.

Meat - from eight, nine months

Low-allergenic meats are used: lamb, turkey, lean pork. There is a higher risk of an allergic reaction to the most popular types of meat in our country: veal and chicken, but this does not mean that you cannot eat them. Babies, whose mothers often consume these types of meat, have a negative reaction less often.

The meat is chopped in a meat grinder, you can twice, boil. The new variety is introduced carefully, observing the reaction for five days. Add to vegetable puree.

Age, months	Volume, g
8	30
9	50
10-12	60-70

Meat broth is not used in feeding children of the first year of life.

Fish - from ten, eleven months

You can try to introduce fish two months after meeting meat. Use a variety of lean, marine fish. Red allergenic, therefore, hake, pollock, horse mackerel and other fish varieties with an inexpressive odor, slightly dry structure are more preferred.

Age, months	Volume, g
10	30
11	50
12	60

The fish is boiled, peeled. Served with a vegetable side dish. At this age, the baby already chews food well, so you don't need to grind it on purpose, just leave it in small pieces.

Cottage cheese, kefir - from ten, twelve months

Dairy products may appear on the children's menu closer to one year of age. They contain a foreign protein, for the breakdown of which the baby's body learns to produce enzymes only after ten months.

Age, months	Volume, g
10	30
11	40
12	50

For babies receiving breast milk or formula, the relevance of dairy products in the diet is not so high. It is more important for artisans to include cottage cheese in the menu for up to a year so that the body has time to adapt to this product before excluding the mixture from the diet.

From ten months, the baby can be offered a crouton or drying as a snack. Include juices on the menu after a year, but their value is exaggerated. Homemade compotes are more useful for children.

Breastfeeding counselors advise mothers to keep a food diary, in which they indicate which product was introduced and how much the baby eaten. This is important for babies prone to allergies, as it will allow you to accurately identify hazardous products.

The questions of when to start, how to choose, how to prepare complementary foods for babies are incredibly important. Not only the feeling of satiety of the crumbs at the moment depends on them. This quality is secondary, especially since until the age of one year, children do not associate products from the "plate" with a food source at all.

It is more important to teach the baby to eat on his own, instill in him respect for food, the understanding that food is pleasure, joy, the ability to behave like adults. The absence of violence on the part of the mother, persistence and demands to be sure to eat everything "to the last drop" is the right tactic that will help in this.

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Proper nutrition is the foundation of a child's health, which is laid from early childhood. By the age of 4-6 months, the child's need for additional energy, vitamins and minerals increases. Food should provide the baby with all the nutrients that are necessary for the growth and formation of his body. The child's first meals should consist of vegetables (vegetable purees), dairy products for children and cereals. The first additional food helps to develop the chewing apparatus, stimulates the enzyme systems of the gastrointestinal tract and prepares the baby for weaning.

Complementary feeding of the child

Children on GV

The best food for a baby during the first months of life is mother's breast milk. Complementary feeding of a healthy baby who is breastfed should be started no earlier than 6 months of age. By this age, the mother's milk is no longer able to fully provide the baby with the necessary substances. The enhanced growth of its muscular, digestive, nervous, renal and defense systems requires additional nutrition. Details about complementary feeding of a breastfed baby

Children on IV

A child who has been using artificial formula since birth is ready to receive new food by 4 months. By this age, the baby's digestive system matures, intestinal immunity is formed and the increased permeability of its mucous membrane is normalized. Mechanisms are formed that are responsible for swallowing and digesting more solid food. If you do not start feeding an artificial child at the age of 4 - 4.5 months, a deficiency of vitamins and microelements may develop in his body, and this will entail the emergence of various pathologies. Details about complementary foods with artificial feeding

The readiness of children for the first complementary foods can be determined by focusing on their age and taking into account the following signs:

• the child asks for mother's breast or formula in a bottle more often than usual (does not gorge on);
• the weight with which the baby was born has doubled;
• the baby is able to sit with the support of an adult, while confidently holding the head and turning it in all directions;
• when solid food enters the child's mouth, the reflex of pushing it out with the tongue is absent;
• the child has not been sick for several weeks, he has not been and will not be vaccinated in the near future;
• the baby is interested in the food of the parents, looking into the plates and mouths of the chewing ones.

We read in more detail about how to determine that a child is ready for complementary foods - 10 signs

The video tells how to balance the child's diet and provide him with all the necessary nutrients.

It used to be thought that the first product a baby had to try was juice (can be administered at 4-5 months). (By the way, we read on the topic: We teach a child to drink from a mug) but this is not so.

Porridge and vegetables - these are actually the main products for the introduction of the first complementary foods. If the child is underweight or has unstable stools, it is best to start with cereals. Conversely, with excess weight, normal weight or a tendency to constipation, it is recommended to introduce complementary foods with vegetable puree.

Attention!

A few words about fruit purees and vegetable purees.

Fruit puree(usually a green apple and a pear) is a traditional complementary food that has been one of the first to be introduced to a child for decades. it contains fiber, which is good for the intestines, and children are happy to eat it. But some nutritionists and mothers notice that, when they try sweet fruits first, children do not want to eat vegetable purees and cereals later.

Vegetable puree it is rather difficult to enter. The transition from the sweet taste of breast milk or milk substitute to a very unsweetened vegetable is not easy for a child. You should be patient. A new dish should be offered not once, but at least 10–12 times, and only after the child stubbornly refuses it, switch to another type of vegetables.

Error. After a child has not taken a particular vegetable, parents usually switch to porridge, making a big mistake! It is highly likely that the baby will not want to eat vegetables at all, after the introduction of sweet porridge. Mothers make another mistake when they additionally sweeten industrially produced cereals.

• Vegetables (vegetable purees). Ideal for starting complementary foods: squash, broccoli, potatoes, cauliflower. It is important to first offer 1 type of vegetable and observe the child's reaction for 5-7 days. If during the adaptation period there are no allergies or digestive disorders, you can introduce a new type of vegetable, and then make a mixed puree. There is no need to add salt in mashed potatoes until the child is used to different tastes, he will like everything. (We read a detailed article on the rules for the introduction of vegetable complementary foods + 3 popular recipes for vegetable purees)
• Porridge. It is important to choose one-component, low-allergenic cereals that do not contain sugar, lactose, gluten (gluten-free cereals): these are buckwheat, corn, rice and oatmeal. It is better if it is a product of industrial production, since it is rather difficult to cook porridge from the most chopped cereal, saturated with all the elements and vitamins necessary for the baby. Do not sweeten the porridge! We repeat - it is recommended to introduce cereals as the first complementary food for children who do not gain weight. (We read about the first cereals)
• Milk products. If the baby does not suffer from cow's milk protein intolerance, cottage cheese can be introduced into his diet at 6-7 months (About cottage cheese). It is better to cook it yourself by heating kefir in a water bath.
  • See about cow's milk for newborns;
  • See about goat milk for newborns.
• Meat puree. At 7 months, the baby is ready to eat meat puree. It is best to start with commercial canned puree, starting with turkey, rabbit, beef or chicken (For details on meat purees, see the article - when to introduce meat into a child's diet).
• Juices and fruits it is better to offer it to the child later: at 7-8 months. The least allergenic are pear and green or yellow apple, then apricots, cherries, banana, plums should be introduced. After 8 months, you can offer kiwi and strawberries to the crumbs. If the baby eats cottage cheese, add the fruits that he carries to it - you get a ready-made afternoon snack.
• A fish. Only after 9 months of age should the child be given fish dishes. Such complementary foods should be introduced very carefully, since fish is a strong allergen. To start fish feeding, flounder, hake, pollock are suitable. At the same age, you can give your child kefir or bifidok at night.

(An article is being prepared with a clear menu for feeding a child for months to a year. A link will appear here soon)

(Table of introduction of complementary foods. Clickable)

Complementary feeding table (click to enlarge)

5 mistakes in introducing complementary foods

The correct introduction of complementary foods into the baby's diet is the key to his good health. But often parents themselves provoke allergies and other problems, wanting to feed the baby with something useful.

On the topic of complementary foods:

• What to do if the child refuses to eat complementary foods (does not eat from a spoon and does not want to eat porridge)
• We introduce soups (in meat broth)
• Choosing and buying the first necessary dishes -

Anna Gapchenko advises and answers questions: at what age and where to start complementary foods, how much to introduce new products

General information

The question of how the first complementary foods are introduced to a child at a certain period is very important for every mother. Information about how the introduction of the baby's first complementary foods takes place is very different. At the same time, information on the Internet is fundamentally different from what people of the older generation tell about.

But no matter how many recommendations a young mother receives, it is important that the first complementary foods for the baby are introduced as correctly as possible. That is why you need to familiarize yourself with those recommendations that will allow you to get answers to the most important questions. For example, at what age can a baby be given water, at how many months cottage cheese can be given, and the like.

Each mother needs to familiarize herself with this information in detail so that she can provide the baby with a complementary feeding that will be introduced correctly. This, in turn, will be a guarantee that the child who is staying on breastfeeding, and the artificial baby will have a proper functioning of the digestive system.

Young mothers always have a lot of questions about how to properly introduce supplementation, whether it is necessary to give water, etc. First of all, it is important to take into account that with a full breastfeeding, that is, if the mother adheres to the feeding schedule, the baby is actively growing, the baby does not need additional feeding before six months.

Sometimes mothers, believing that the baby is not getting enough breast milk, start feeding mixture... However, most pediatricians, including Komarovsky, believe that it is not necessary to supplement well-developing babies. When to give the mixture additionally and whether it should be done, it is better to ask the pediatrician.

How to practice the introduction of a new product, each mother will be helped to understand the table or diagram of the introduction of complementary foods during breastfeeding. In such a table, it is clearly described when to introduce complementary foods during breastfeeding by month, and which foods should be given at a certain time.

However, the beginning of the complementary feeding process raises many questions about how and when to start feeding a particular product to a child. For example, is complementary foods the “right” product to start with? cauliflower or corn porridge, is it possible to give prunes 6 months old, when to give water to a newborn, etc.

Ideally, every mother should not only study literature, but also regularly consult a pediatrician. It is he who will clearly answer the questions about whether pumpkin is possible with HS, whether broccoli is possible, etc., and will also adjust the scheme of introducing complementary foods that you intend to practice.

Nevertheless, all questions of concern to a young mother about how many months a child can be fed, and what exactly should be started to feed, should first of all be asked to a pediatrician.

Indeed, in recent years, the approach to what time to start feeding the baby, where to start is better, has changed significantly. And if modern grandmothers for the most part really believe that, for example, porridge for a baby at three months or cottage cheese for a baby at 4 months old is normal, then doctors think otherwise.

All scientific research carried out by modern scientists and doctors confirms that the answer to the question at what age you can feed a baby is as follows: if exclusively breastfeeding is practiced, then it is necessary to start feeding the baby no earlier than at 6 months... Similar are the recommendations on how many months from how many months it is possible to feed a child who grows on artificial feeding: such children are introduced to complementary foods a month earlier, but it is also quite acceptable to start acquaintance with "adult" food from 6 months.

It is very important to take into account all the nuances: what, when, how much to give to the baby. If the baby's age is approaching six months, you should ask the doctor all the pressing questions: when to give the yolk, introduce potatoes. It is equally important to know when to introduce meat into complementary foods for a child, and which meat to start with. In order to correctly carry out the process of introducing complementary foods and learn everything about its features, parents are also advised to study special modern literature.

Parents who seek to take into account all the important rules for the introduction of complementary foods should understand that for infants under 6 months, any food, except for breast milk or artificial formula, is not only not useful, but also harmful.

The introduction of complementary foods to the baby is not carried out earlier, since the baby does not have the necessary enzymes for the digestion of new types of food. Therefore, if the rules are violated, and the baby gets a certain food earlier (even if it is pumpkin or other "light" foods), it will not be absorbed and will not benefit the body. And if the food is not digested, it is inevitable, and even small amounts of any food will create a load. That is why the procedure for introducing complementary foods according to Komarovsky, as well as on the recommendations of other specialists, provides for a certain sequence of introducing vegetables and other products.

When and how to start right also depends on what the baby is eating. The first feeding at artificial feeding it is introduced a little earlier due to the fact that the enzyme systems in such children mature a little earlier. There is a special table for the introduction of complementary foods with artificial feeding, which can greatly facilitate the introduction of new food. However, there are certain general recommendations not only about when to start, but also how to administer it correctly: the administration scheme provides that any new food begins to be given to the child in an amount of 5 g daily. Gradually, the volume of food increases, as a rule, every day, throughout the week, and as a result, it is brought to 100 or 150 g.

It is advisable to introduce complementary foods with mixed feeding in the same way as with artificial feeding - approximately with five months... Correct introduction with mixed feeding provides that initially the child is given one of the types of vegetables and within 1-2 weeks the number of grams of supplement is increased every day.

There is a special table of complementary foods for babies who are on breast, artificial or mixed feeding... It assumes a special scheme for introducing complementary foods, there is information about where to start, etc. Similar schemes of how supplementary feeding occurs are proposed by Dr. Komarovsky and other specialists.

The modern table of the introduction of complementary foods according to WHO (by the age of the baby)

Baby age
Fruit puree	< 30 мл	< 50 мл	< 60 мл	< 70 мл	< 90 мл	< 100 мл	100 ml
Vegetable puree		< 30 г	< 50 г	< 60 г	< 70 г	< 90 г	< 100 г
Porridge		< 100 г	< 150 г	150 g	< 180 г	< 200 г	200 g
Fruit juices		< 30 г	< 50 г	< 60 г	< 70 г	< 90 г	< 100 г
Vegetable oil		< 3 г	3 g	3 g	5 g	5 g	6 g
Cottage cheese			< 30 г	< 40 г	< 50 г	50 g	< 80 г
Wheat bread			< 5 г	5 g	5 g	< 10 г	10 g
Cookies, croutons			< 5 г	5 g	5 g	< 10 г	10 g
Butter			up to 4 g	4 g	4 g	5 g	5 g
Egg yolk				1/4	1/2	1/2	1/2
Meat puree				up to 30 g	50 g	up to 70 g	up to 80 g
Kefir					100 ml	up to 150 ml	up to 200 ml
Fish puree					up to 30 g	up to 60 g	up to 80 g

How to introduce complementary foods by month

Each modern table of complementary foods for months provides that the child receives additional feeding with 6 months... Nevertheless, many families still practice earlier introduction of complementary foods, believing that the nutritional norm for the newborn implies more abundant nutrition than exclusive breastfeeding.

In some sources, which describe the introduction of complementary foods by month, it is noted that complementary foods should be included in the child's menu under one year old, focusing on the following indicators:

• compared to the original birth weight, the baby's weight has doubled;
• the child sits on his own;
• the baby's feeding regime is changing: the baby is asking for breast more and more often;
• the development of a child up to 1 year old is very active: he is already interested in what is on the plates in adults;
• the baby does not push pieces of food out of the mouth.

Nutritional standards also take into account the fact that the introduction of complementary foods should be started at a time when the baby will not receive vaccinations.

Vegetable allergenicity

When young mothers are just starting to study the nutrition of children up to a year by months, they often believe that when breastfeeding, the baby should be supplemented with fruit juice. But both the research of specialists and the table of complementary foods for children under one year old testify to something else: juice can provoke not only digestive problems, but also the manifestation allergies as well as the set excess weight due to the high sugar content in fruit juices... Therefore, the monthly menu should be scheduled differently.

Fruit allergenicity

Also, the mother should take into account the food norm for the newborn. Complementary feeding should be started with very small portions, and sometimes it takes up to a month until the baby is completely used to a certain type of food.

If the child does not feel well, becomes restless, before introducing complementary foods, it is worth doing blood tests, determining the norm bilirubin in newborns, etc.

Not every modern table provides for complementary foods at 3 months of breastfeeding, since, according to most pediatricians, it is quite enough for babies at this age to regularly breastfeed. Normally, in the fourth month, the baby receives about 200 g of milk with each feeding, eating 5 times a day.

Those who nevertheless decide to practice complementary foods at 3 months with artificial feeding, it is imperative to strictly take into account what is possible for a child of this age.

It is recommended to start complementary foods with a small piece of yolk to be given before breastfeeding. After one week, the child should eat half the yolk a day. How you can still feed such a small child also depends on the recommendations of the pediatrician. But most doctors still recommend waiting at least 2-3 months with complementary feeding.

Those mothers for whom the main complementary feeding table is still not a direct recommendation are often interested in how to introduce complementary foods at 4 months correctly.

They generally start complementary foods at 4 months of age. artificial feeding.

First experience" - chicken egg yolk how to give it is described above. In order to properly feed the baby further, you can gradually introduce the next product.

For example, some experts recommend gradually introducing into the diet cottage cheese starting at half a teaspoon. But still, ideally, the feeding scheme at this age should be approved by a specialist. Therefore, you should talk to your local pediatrician about what complementary foods can be given from 4 months with breastfeeding. It is imperative to take into account individual recommendations on how to properly start complementary feeding at this age, since the state of the digestive tract and the health of the baby as a whole depends on this in the following months, when you expand his diet by leading porridge, potatoes and other products.

How to properly introduce complementary foods to babies at 5 months depends on many factors. First of all, on what kind of feeding, breastfeeding, artificial or mixed, the child is. Children who are breastfed at 5 months of age may not be supplemented for some time. But many mothers, believing that the child has too little weight for his age, are actively interested in what can be fed, what can be given to the baby to eat.

Every mother who is interested in how to feed a child at this age should take into account that a child at 5 months should receive complementary foods, starting with the smallest amount of new food. The daily scheme assumes that initially the baby needs to be given half a teaspoon of the new product ( yolk, vegetable puree and etc.). Only after the baby gets used to a certain food, you can start giving him another product. Accordingly, if at five months a child begins to try a certain product, then at 5.5 months he can already eat several products every day, which will be added to his menu by this time.

At five months, a baby's menu for bottle-fed can be the same as for breastfeeding, with the difference that new products are introduced into the baby's diet a little earlier.

If a mother starts introducing complementary foods to her baby at 6 months of age while breastfeeding, as suggested by the modern complementary feeding table and pediatrician advice, it is important to gradually introduce each new product into the menu.

As a rule, children are first introduced into the diet at six months vegetables... However, for children who have a very low weight for their age, it is advisable to give porridge... What cereals can be given to such a baby, you can ask the doctor. Basically it is rice, buckwheat porridge.

The scheme of complementary feeding from 6 months by day is as follows: initially, the baby needs to be introduced into the diet vegetable puree it is best to do this at lunchtime. What can you eat for a child who is starting to be fed with vegetables? Experts recommend initially giving the baby zucchini, followed by broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, pumpkin. Vegetables are the product from which children are least likely to be allergic. However, the bottle-fed baby's menu suggests that vegetables such as pumpkin and carrots should not be eaten more often than 2-3 times a week by a 6-month-old baby.

At 6 months. such mashed potatoes begin to be given with a small dose - initially the baby should eat 1 teaspoon of the dish, then the dose should be gradually increased.

If artificial feeding was initially practiced, and the development of the child, according to the pediatrician, does not deviate from the norm, already during this period you can gradually begin to mix vegetable purees. However, such a vegetable mix can be given to a baby only after he has tried mashed potatoes from one type of vegetables, and he will not show allergic reaction.

A new type of food is given to the baby only on an empty stomach, so that it is possible to clearly determine how the baby reacts to such food. For example, if a mother is just starting to give yolk to a child, you need to wait with vegetables.

In many ways, where to start the first feeding at this age depends on the preferences of the parents. So, mom can cook mashed broccoli and other vegetables on her own. Having decided which vegetables to start with, you need to take the vegetables, rinse them well under running water and peel them off. Then they are cut and put into a double boiler or saucepan. Cooked vegetables (it is better to steam them on mashed potatoes) are chopped with a blender, after adding water or vegetable broth. As a result, it is necessary to prepare mashed potatoes similar in consistency to kefir. You can feed an older baby with a thicker puree, but during this period, he, as a rule, already eats porridge and other food.

Such food should not be stored - the complementary feeding rate stipulates that the baby receives only freshly prepared food. By the way, salt, spices, sugar are not added to the puree.

The nutritional regimen of a child at 6 months provides that it is too early for the mother to think about the questions of which fish or which meat to start with.

An approximate schedule for the introduction of vegetable complementary foods

Days	Scheme
First	5 g squash puree, then supplement with breast milk or mixture
Second	10 g squash puree, then supplement with breast milk or mixture
The third	20 g squash puree, then supplement with breast milk or mixture
Fourth	40 g squash puree, then supplement with breast milk or mixture
Fifth	80 g squash puree, then supplement with breast milk or mixture
Sixth	120 g squash puree, then supplement with breast milk or formula
Seventh	150 g squash puree, then supplement with breast milk or mixture
Eighth	5 g of mashed cauliflower, you can add zucchini, if no allergies to it are noted.
Ninth	10 g cauliflower puree, after which the scheme repeats every day, as with squash puree

When can you give your child mashed potatoes, depends on what vegetables you have already introduced before a given period of its life. As a rule, potatoes are introduced a little later.

If the child does not eat the entire portion, then the amount of supplement is too large for him. The kid refuses, which means that there is no need to force him, since food habits are formed already in the first year of his life.

The age of seven months is the period when cereals should appear on the baby's menu. What cereals can be introduced first, mom can ask the pediatrician. But it is important that a 7-month-old child is gradually introduced to gluten-free and dairy-free cereals.

Goat and cow milk, as well as milk porridge, are introduced after the child reaches one year of age. Doctors, advising that the child should eat, argue that the baby should not eat milk porridge, since they negatively affect gastrointestinal mucosa and increase the risk of digestive system disease.

If it is difficult to introduce porridge into the diet, since the child refuses to eat porridge without milk, you can add breast milk or a mixture to the porridge. As gluten harmful to a child under one year old, as it provokes celiac disease(pathology of the large intestine), the nutritional table for a child of 7 months suggests that he can be given gluten-free cereals - rice, buckwheat, corn.

When composing a breastfed menu or shaping the nutrition of a child at 7 months on artificial feeding, it should be borne in mind that you can cook porridge yourself or enter ready-made porridge into the menu, which can be purchased in a specialized store. Making such a porridge is very simple - you just need to add a little water. What can you give a baby to eat at 7 months, the doctor will tell you. But no matter what food the mother introduces, it is necessary to clearly monitor how the body of a seven-month-old baby perceives it: does the allergy manifest itself, is the growth and development of the baby normal. If the product is poorly absorbed, the stool may change, allergies may appear. It should be borne in mind that allergic manifestations can appear not only in the first time after the introduction of a new product, but also after its volume has been significantly increased. Therefore, a new product should be introduced gradually, observing how the child behaves for a week or two.

The menu for an 8 month old baby can already be very diverse, since the first complementary foods have already been introduced, and growth and development are continuing very actively.

During this period, the diet appears meat feed, mashed potatoes... Potatoes are injected during this period, since when they are taken, the risk of allergies is high. Therefore, even at eight months, this product should be introduced gradually and very carefully, starting from 5 g and increasing its amount to 50 g over the course of a week. In this case, the basis of vegetable puree should not be potatoes, but other vegetables.

If it has not yet been entered yolk, now is the time to introduce your child to this product. For this purpose, it is better to use quail egg... Nutrition at this age provides that the yolk is given to the baby twice a week. It should be noted that it is possible for the child to eat the yolk in the morning, rubbing it with breast milk or adding it to the porridge. Breastfed complementary foods at 8 months and bottle-fed menus involve the gradual introduction of meats that are considered the least allergenic.

Recommended initially to drive turkey, rabbit meat... These types of meat need to be changed periodically, and later the baby is given veal... It should be noted that the baby should eat meat for lunch, along with vegetable puree. You need to start with 5 g, and 50 g of meat per day is considered the norm for a child of 8-9 months. Often the child does not want to eat meat in its pure form, in which case it can be given in mixed puree - with vegetables.

Can be cooked pure fresh minced meatballs, freeze them, after boiling them in boiling water. Minced balls can be boiled with vegetables and mashed with a blender. How much meat to give depends on whether the baby is used to it.

A broader list of what you can eat for a baby at 9 months. First of all, the list of types of meat has been expanded: at this age, the baby is recommended to eat beef, lamb, chicken.

For those who ask how old the liver can be given, it should be borne in mind that pork, including the liver, is not recommended for children under a year and a half.

In the meantime, the menu of a 9-month-old baby with breastfeeding, like the menu for bottle-feeding, should gradually expand due to the introduction of fermented milk products. In particular, you can start such complementary foods with curd, which is introduced very slowly, starting in very small portions - no more than a teaspoon. It is best to use special cottage cheese for children for this purpose, and you should not add sugar or fruit to it.

When can you give kefir, depends on how quickly the child will like the cottage cheese. Initially, a child at 9 months old with HB is quite enough 30 g of cottage cheese per day. As a rule, it is better to give cottage cheese and kefir before dinner. Children sometimes refuse to drink kefir. In this case, it is better to postpone the introduction of this product: while the baby has enough other dishes, because his menu is already quite diverse.

The answer to the question of what cereals can be given to a child at 9 months old is already known: gluten-free.

You can diversify the children's menu at 10 months desserts... It is advisable to gradually start giving the baby fruits and fruit juice... First of all, you should give those fruits that grow in our territory - pears, apples, prunes and fruit puree from them. Fruit is given to the child as a snack, about 100 g per day. Later, other fruits are also possible - banana, kiwi, orange. Previously, there is no need to introduce fruits, since in breast milk, as well as in the composition of the mixture, there is everything the baby needs vitamins.

Gradually, other desserts appear on the menu - cookies, crackers, etc. Doctors warn that the baby should not drink fruit juices, which are sold in stores in bags, as they are not useful for babies.

At 11 months, you can enter other desserts, because the menu of an 11-month-old baby with breastfeeding is already quite diverse. At this time, mothers often have questions about this or that food: when can you give pasta, at what age you can give the liver, is it possible to dry, when should you cook soup for a child, etc. You need to be guided, first of all, by the tables where the approximate complementary feeding calendar, as well as doctor's recommendations.

From what age nibbler you can give the baby, and whether he needs this device, the mother herself decides.

After the baby is injected with complementary foods, he needs additional fluid. How much water you need to give a baby a day depends on several factors. First of all, on the temperature: if the day is not hot, the child drinks 100-200 ml of liquid. On hotter days, the baby drinks more. Also, if you have to treat a cold if the baby has heat, the child needs to drink in large quantities. It is better to give a liquid to a baby from a cup in order to teach him to drink correctly.

From the age of seven months, babies can be given baby tea, which contains various herbs, as well as dried fruit compotes.

While practicing breastfeeding, a woman should also adhere to the correct drinking and nutritional regimen. There is a special table of nutrition for a nursing mother by month, which will help answer the most pressing questions. But there are also general recommendations aimed at making the baby on HBV feel good. For example, it is better for a nursing mother to consume chicory instead of coffee when breastfeeding.

In the process of introducing complementary foods, the following problems can most often be noted:

• the baby refuses to eat the proposed complementary foods;
• manifestation of problems with stool ( diarrhea, constipation, problems with the gastrointestinal tract due to the fact that food is not digested);
• allergic manifestations me (allergic to squash, allergic to broccoli, raw carrots, etc.).

As a result of the manifestation of such problems, the baby becomes restless, constantly cries, and does not sleep well. It is important to understand which product triggered this reaction. It must be immediately removed from the child's diet. So, if a baby is allergic to pumpkin or allergic to oatmeal, it is better to simply replace these dishes with others. You can re-enter the products that provoked allergies no earlier than after 2 months. This is what pediatrician Komarovsky and other doctors advise. Moreover, the introduction of such a product should be carried out as slowly and gradually as the first time and at the same time monitor the child's condition.

If the child does not eat meat or other types of complementary foods, you need to temporarily stop using this product.

Those mothers for whom the question of how to introduce complementary foods to a child is very important, often need an answer to the question of which food is better - canned or homemade products (cereals, cottage cheese, kefir, etc.).

Doctors believe canned food is one option for supplementation. At the same time, it is very important to give the child only high-quality products, as well as to clearly monitor that the shelf life of such baby food has not expired. It is desirable to be absent and palm olein in baby food.

Giving your child canned food, you should adhere to the same rules as with "home" complementary foods. If the baby is receiving additional formula while breastfeeding, complementary feeding can be started a month earlier.

It is necessary to introduce the second vegetable only after the baby gets used to the first vegetable puree.

Before introducing porridge, how to introduce meat into complementary foods for a child, fish, etc., you need to make sure that the child's body accepts well those products that have already been introduced. In parallel with canned food, other products are introduced into complementary foods. For example, the yolk is introduced into complementary foods after the child already perceives several types of vegetable purees, etc.

Mothers who often "bombard" doctors with questions about when to give to the child liver when you can give kefir and other products, should remember what kind of food it is undesirable to introduce girls and boys to the first year of life:

• juices- they are not recommended to be given even to children after 1 year, as they irritate the mucous membrane and do not benefit the child's body;
• semolina as well as other cereals with gluten free;
• butter biscuits, sweets;
• goat milk and cow;
• Exotic fruits.

So, if you summarize all the information, you can deduce several very important rules that must be taken into account by all parents of young children who seek to raise them healthy.

• The complementary feeding procedure is such that the new product should not be given more often than once a week.
• The introduction of supplementary feeding up to a year is a gradual introduction to a new food, and not a complete feeding of the baby.
• You should not give your baby several new types of food at once.
• Complementary foods should be perceived as necessary for the body elements and minerals, and not as a delicacy or treat.
• Children under one year old are not given sugar, salt, spice.
• The introduction of complementary foods suggests that the baby should be given water at this time.
• Complementary feeding should not be started too early.
• If the baby does not eat certain food, you need to give it up for a while and try to give it again later.
• For a premature baby, complementary foods are also introduced gradually, but the mother needs to consult with the attending physician more often when introducing new products.
• If you find it difficult to decide at what age you can give kefir, at what age you can give pasta and other products, use special tables.
• Type drugs Plantex reducing colic, can be given to children only after a doctor's prescription.

Immediately after the first difficulties of breastfeeding are over, the mother faces another serious problem - the first complementary foods. The recommendations given in this case by thematic sites, district pediatricians and girlfriends with grandmothers are very different from each other, so inexperienced women are simply lost in a sea of ​​conflicting information. How to introduce the first complementary foods correctly, and what age is optimal for this?

Several decades ago, it was believed that the first complementary foods for babies who feed exclusively on breast milk should be introduced at three months. But today this scheme is recognized not only as incorrect, but also dangerous for the health of the child.

In the body of an infant who has not yet reached the age of six months, there are no enzymes necessary for the digestion of new food, therefore "adult" foods create a strong load on his digestive tract.

In addition, up to six months, the child has enough nutrients and vitamins that he receives from mother's milk, that is, the earlier introduction of complementary foods simply does not make sense. Such measures are advisable only for medical reasons - for example, in cases where the child is not gaining enough weight. True, introducing complementary foods too late is also not recommended, since at 7-8 months the baby can already perceive unfamiliar food much worse.

To get acquainted with new food, the child must have a sufficiently formed nervous system for this, as well as some skills and reflexes.

There are a number of signs by which one can determine his readiness for the introduction of the first complementary foods.

1. The child has the first chewing movements, the sucking power increases, and the gag reflex moves from the middle of the tongue to its root.
2. Having completely emptied the mother's breast, the baby continues to show signs of hunger.
3. Taking an interest in adult food and first trying something from a parent's plate.
4. When a mother tries to offer her child a new product, he does not try to push the spoon away.
5. The baby can sit in one place for a long time and take food with his hands.

If a baby has at least three of the five above symptoms, it means that his body is quite ready to get acquainted with new dishes.

In order not to harm the baby when introducing complementary foods, the mother must follow several important rules:

• new products are introduced into the child's menu no more often than once 7-10 days;
• it is impossible to introduce the child for the first time immediately before or after vaccinations, with a change in climate, after illness, during teething, etc.;
• food should be given to the baby when he is hungry, and in no case should he be forced to eat what was offered;
• initially, all complementary foods (for example, vegetable purees) should be prepared from one vegetable: you can mix different vegetables or cereals only when the child has already tried each of them separately;
• complementary foods should not be a reason to stop breastfeeding - it is not intended to replace breast milk, but to supplement it.

There are two options for introducing the first complementary foods, each of which has its own disadvantages and advantages. The first is a more modern and radical option, which is called pedicorm feeding, as well as the traditional scheme, that is, the introduction of special baby food (purchased or prepared by hand) into the diet. The choice of the most optimal scheme, of course, is up to the mother.

The main principle of pedigree feeding is to acquaint the baby with the food familiar to his family, thanks to which he can quickly "join" the diet. Of course, this does not mean that half-year-olds should be immediately fed fried and fatty adult foods. You need to start feeding with tiny (no more than a quarter of a teaspoon) portions of boiled or steamed food, which should be prepared appropriately: chop or grind.

The list of products that can be included in pedal feeding includes:

• boiled meat and fish;
• dairy products;
• boiled and steamed vegetables;
• fruits;
• cereals and side dishes (peas, potatoes, beans, etc.).

At first, the baby is just getting to know the taste and texture of the new food, after which its amount begins to gradually increase. This complementary feeding scheme gives children the opportunity to develop communication skills, fine motor skills and coordination, and also forms the foundations of good nutrition for the rest of their lives.

The first foods that are recommended to be introduced into the baby's diet are white vegetables (cauliflower) or green vegetables (zucchini, broccoli), since they rarely cause food allergies. Then pumpkin and carrots are added to them, and the latter is given to the child no more than 2-3 times a week along with other vegetables, otherwise yellow-orange spots may appear on his feet and palms. An exception to this rule is children with insufficient weight gain - in this case, complementary foods begin with gluten-free cereals.

It is not recommended to start complementary foods with fruit juices or fresh fruits - they have a sweet taste, which is why the child immediately begins to develop cravings for sweets, and in addition, they can irritate the gastrointestinal mucosa, causing digestive upset.

There is a special scheme for the introduction of new products, drawn up by WHO specialists, which is recommended for all breastfeeding women.

Type of complementary foodsOptimum for introductionHow to administer correctlyRecommended serving size Vegetables 6 months (if indicated, 5 months) Green and white vegetables (except potatoes) are introduced first in the form of mashed potatoes For a start, it is recommended to give ½ tsp, then gradually bring to the volume of one feeding (100-200 g) Vegetable oils 6 months. It is recommended to introduce olive oil first, after sunflower and corn oil, which are added to mashed potatoes with a few drops (up to a teaspoon) Porridge (dairy-free) 6.5-7 months. (with insufficient weight gain from 4-5 months.) The first to enter are cereals that do not contain gluten (buckwheat, corn, rice), after which multi-cereal porridges can be introduced with ½ tsp. (up to 100-200 g) Butter 7 months. As an additive to cereals With 1/8 tsp. (up to 10-20 g) Fruit 7-8 months. In the form of one-component puree, gradually switching to puree from several types of fruit С ½ tsp. (up to 100-200 g) Milk porridge 8-9 months. First, gluten-free cereals (buckwheat, corn, rice), and in the absence of allergies and gastrointestinal disorders, you can introduce oatmeal and multigrain cereals. (up to 100-200 g) Meat 8 months. To begin with, turkey, rabbit, veal is recommended, after which gradually introduce chicken and beef (pork is not recommended as a complementary food) С ½ tsp. (up to 100-200 g) Eggs (yolks) 8 months. It is recommended to start with quail eggs, as they cause allergies less often than chicken eggs. quail) per day Baby biscuits 9-10 months Maximum 5 pcs. per day From small pieces (about 1/8), reaching the whole cookie Sour milk products 9 months Special baby sour milk С ½ tsp. (up to 100-200 g) Curd 9 months Special curd without additives С ½ tsp. (up to 50 g). From one year of age, you can give 100 g by-products 9-10 months. In the composition of multicomponent purees, at first more than 1-2 times a week With ½ tsp. (up to 50-100 g) Fish 10 months (in the presence of allergies - from 12) Steam or boiled, twice a week With ½ tsp. (up to 150-200 g) Fruit juices 10-12 months. To begin with, give clarified juices diluted with water (proportion 1 to 1), preferably apple С ½ tsp. (up to 100 ml per day) Porridge (semolina, pearl barley, millet, etc.) 12 months Start with well-cooked multicomponent porridge C 2-3 tsp, (up to 200-250 g) Berries 12 months. puree (preferably from bright berries) C ½ tsp. (up to 100-150 g)

When introducing complementary foods, the baby immediately needs to start its own dishes: a plate and a spoon. A special spoon can be purchased at the pharmacy - it can be silicone or plastic (some mothers use silver spoons).

Bottle feeding for babies is unacceptable, even if the manufacturer indicates that it is specifically designed for such purposes. Getting to know the nipple is the first step towards ditching your mother's breast and developing unhealthy eating habits.

Introducing the child to new products, it is very important to monitor the reaction of his body - for this it is recommended to keep a special diary in which the mother will write down each of them (time of introduction, quantity, etc.). If a baby suddenly has a food allergy, constipation or other digestive problems, it will be very easy to identify the culprit with the help of records. The product that caused such a reaction should be excluded from the diet for at least a month.

It is very important to remember that with the introduction of complementary foods, the nature of the child's stool will change in any case. Vegetables contain fiber, so they can slightly loosen stools (which is why they are especially recommended for children prone to constipation). Different fruits also affect the digestive system in different ways: more watery fruits (for example, kiwi, apples, apricots) have a laxative effect, and denser ones (bananas, pears), on the contrary, have a fixing effect.

The first complementary food activates the liver and the enzymatic system, which can cause the stool to take on a greenish tint or blotches of mucus and undigested food pieces appear in it. If the child feels normal, such phenomena should not scare the parents - after the stomach learns to "work" with unfamiliar foods, the stool immediately returns to normal (this usually happens within about a week).

One should not rush to introduce new products, otherwise the child may refuse complementary foods altogether - in order for the baby to fully get used to a particular dish, he must try it at least 10 times. In case of a categorical refusal of this or that product, you can go a little trick - add a little breast milk to mashed potatoes or porridge. Having felt the familiar taste, the baby will happily eat what is offered.

Puree and porridge for the first feeding can be bought in specialized stores or prepared by yourself. To do this, you need to take vegetables, rinse them well in boiled water, if necessary, peel and seed them, chop finely, then boil or cook in a double boiler (the second option is preferable, since steaming saves more nutrients). Grind boiled vegetables with a blender with the addition of a small amount of broth or water.

The consistency of the product should be liquid, reminiscent of kefir. When the baby grows up a little, you can give him a thicker puree, and closer to 10-11 months, vegetables should simply be kneaded with a fork so that the child learns to chew. It is impossible to store ready meals for complementary feeding - every time you need to prepare a fresh portion.

To prepare porridge for the first feeding, you need to rinse and dry the cereal well, then grind it in a coffee grinder and boil it with boiling water (you can add a little breast milk). In no case should the child be forced to eat everything without a trace - the main purpose of complementary foods is not to feed the baby, but to familiarize his body with adult products, to form the correct eating behavior and skills that will be needed in the future.

The best food for a child is mom's milk. Not all children can enjoy this healthy food, but even those who get enough of it should gradually switch to food familiar to an adult.

First, children who eat artificial formula can try "adult" food earlier than children who eat milk. Artists begin to give complementary foods from 4-5 months, children who are breastfed from 5-6 months (this applies to full-term babies). Earlier than at 4 months, it makes no sense to feed the baby with anything other than milk or formula. His intestines are not yet ready for such a test, and early introduction of rough food will not bring benefits. Secondly, you need to introduce products correctly:

one product at a time (for example, mashed zucchini for 5-7 days, then mashed potatoes for 5-7 days, and only then zucchini with potatoes);

the first time the product should be given a little (from 1/4 of a spoonful of fruits, up to 1 teaspoon of hypoallergenic vegetables or a few drops of juice), then every day you need to add 1 teaspoon of the product, bringing it to the required volume (the volume depends on the type of product);

you need to give unfamiliar food in the morning (but not in the first feeding);

complementary foods should be given before feeding with milk, the baby is hungry.

You should not introduce your baby to new food if the weather is very hot. Do not start complementary foods when the baby is sick. And they don't introduce new food on vaccination days.

You need to feed the baby "adult" food exclusively from a spoon. You can start complementary foods when the push-out reflex of the tongue disappears in the baby. This means that he does not choke on the water that his mother gives him from the spoon.

The choice of the first product is justified by the state of the body and the weight of the baby, as well as the work of his intestines:

if the child "goes over" the weight, it is worth starting with vegetable dishes;

if the crumb is gaining weight normally and there are no problems with digestion, it is worth giving preference to vegetables, which can be alternated with fruits.

In general, it is better to start complementary foods with vegetables and cereals, and then introduce fruits. Vegetables contain a sufficient amount of nutrients that the child's body is able to assimilate. Zucchini, pumpkin, potatoes or cauliflower are considered the most suitable for the first sample of "adult" food. By 4.5 months, vegetable puree can already replace one feeding, if you started feeding the baby from 4 months.

When introducing cereals, gluten-free cereals should be preferred. Since the child's intestines do not produce peptides in the required amount that can digest gluten (gluten). It can stick together the villi in your baby's intestines and lead to colitis. Buckwheat and corn are useful for the baby. You can also give him rice, but less often than the first two cereals. Since rice is an excellent natural sorbent, but, unfortunately, it does not differentiate substances into useful and harmful ones. And it removes from the body, including the necessary trace elements.

Meat can be introduced into the baby's diet from six months. You also need to start with half a teaspoon, then bringing up to 30 grams of pure meat per day. It can be crushed and mixed with breast milk for easier feeding.

Meat broths are not used in feeding 1 year old children.

Fruits, vegetables, cottage cheese, meat are not standardized in the same way. In addition, the norms depend on the age of the baby:

• vegetables can be given at 4-5 months at 120 g per day, in six months - 150 g, by the year a child can eat up to 200 g of vegetables per day;
• porridge to a child by 5 months can be given in an amount of 150 g, by 7 months the amount can be increased to 170 g, by one year old the volume of porridge, which your child is quite capable of overpowering is 200 g;
• fruit purees and juices can be given 30-50 g at 5-6 months, 50-60 g by 8 months and 100-110 g by one year;
• meat can be given to the baby at 30 g per day in six months, 50 g by 8 months and 60-70 g by the year;
• egg yolk according to different sources is suggested to be given from 6-8 months in the amount of 14 part, by one year old you can give 12 part;
• you should not rush to introduce cottage cheese either, it is advised to introduce it not earlier than six months, but it is better from 8 months in the amount of 10 g, by 9-10 months - 30 g, by the year - 50 g.

You can offer your child baby yogurt, starting from 7-8 months - 100 g each, increasing the volume by the year to 600 g per day. Butter and vegetable oil 5 g each. Croutons and biscuits are allowed from 7 months to 1-3 g, a baby can be given 10-15 g a year.

Before giving to your child, consult a pediatrician. He will suggest the best option for your little one. If the child's body does not adequately respond to any product (rash, bloating or diarrhea appears), postpone its introduction until a later time.

Observing the timing of complementary feeding and the described simple rules, you can avoid not only a lack of nutrients, but diseases of the child's gastrointestinal tract.

By about six months of age, babies have an increased need for more energy and nutrients. The question arises before the mother of how to properly introduce complementary foods. The development of the digestive system in the future depends on it. The first food becomes the basis for the development of chewing techniques and the correct production of enzymes.

The World Health System (WHO) has developed a system for introducing complementary foods and has established an approximate range of when it can be fed. The goal is not only to enrich the body of children with nutrients, but also to familiarize themselves with solid, adult food.

According to generally accepted WHO standards, the timing of the introduction of complementary foods depends on the type of feeding.

Complementary feeding during breastfeeding should be started no earlier than 6 months. By the age of six months, there are not enough vitamins and minerals in breast milk for the full growth and development of the child.

Formula-fed babies can try new foods a little earlier, at 4-5 months. Their need for micronutrients is much higher than that of breastfed babies. By this time, the immune and digestive systems have matured enough to absorb new food.

The beginning of complementary feeding can be determined by the behavior and development of the child himself. Signs identified by WHO:

• the child's usual portion of breast milk or formula is not enough;
• the baby can sit without support;
• the first teeth appeared, the baby does not push food out of his mouth, tries to chew it;
• interested in what is on the plate of an adult.

It is important to remember that throughout the entire period of introducing new products, a nursing mother should not overshadow breastfeeding.

The table will help you figure out where to start, when and how much to give food in complementary foods when breastfeeding. The data correspond to the accepted WHO standards.

Age, months	6	7	8	9	10	11
Products and dishes
Porridge	40	70	90	150	170	190
Vegetable puree	130	160	170	190	200	200
Fruit puree	50	70	80	90	100	100
Butter and sunflower oil	1 g	3 g	3-4 g	4 g	5 g	5-6 g
Chicken egg yolk		¼ pcs.	½ pcs.	½ pcs.	½ pcs.	½ pcs.
Meat puree		30	50	60	70	80
Rusks, biscuits		5 g	5 g	8 g	10 g	15
A fish			30	40	50	60
Cottage cheese		30	40	50	50	50
Kefir			100	150	170	200
Bread			5 g	10 g	10 g	10 g

Rules for entering products and dishes

In order for a new product to only benefit children and not cause unwanted reactions, several rules must be followed.

• At the time of the introduction of a new product, the baby must be healthy. You cannot do this during the period of planned vaccinations, at the time of separation from your mother or moving to a new place.
• Give complementary foods in the morning, in a few grams, before the main feeding with breast milk or formula.

• Dishes must be washed thoroughly, food must be properly cooked.
• It is undesirable to store the prepared dish, even in the refrigerator.
• Complementary foods should be given with a spoon (not a metal one).
• It is not worth moving on to the next new product earlier than a week.

If a new product has caused vomiting, diarrhea, rash and other unpleasant symptoms, then you need to exclude it from the diet for a month. Then repeat the introduction again.

The diagram will clearly help you understand how the sequence of introducing new products to a child is carried out, according to the WHO recommendations.

Input time	Type of serving dish	Diet frequency	Serving amount
6-8 months	Food should be similar in consistency to breast milk or be mashed.	Up to 3 times a day, 2 snacks allowed.	Gradual transition from 5 ml to 120 ml.
9-11 months	Food mashed with a fork or chopped. Products that can be held in the hands are offered to the baby.	Up to 4 meals a day and 2 snacks.	One feeding equals 120 ml.
12 months and older	Porridge is not ground, solid food is cut into pieces of medium size.	Complementary foods will replace 4 breastfeeds or formula feeds and 2 snacks.	A serving is approximately 230 ml.

1. If the baby is only breastfed, then water should be offered with the first complementary food.
2. With a lack of weight, complementary foods begin with cereals.
3. If there are problems with stool, it is recommended to introduce prunes into the diet earlier.
4. When the baby does not have time to assimilate the product in a week, the terms can be increased. The portions depend on the baby's weight.

The table for the introduction of new products for children 6 months old using vegetables as an example will help to figure out how much complementary foods are allowed in the first days.

New Product	Week, no.	Ration of the day (complementary foods during lunch)
Zucchini	1	1st day. Puree, 1 tsp. 2nd day. Zucchini puree, 2 tsp Every day is added by 5 g. Increase to 60 g.
Cauliflower	2	1st day. Cauliflower puree, 1 tsp, and 60 g squash puree. 2nd day. Puree from a new product, 2 tsp, and 55 g of mashed zucchini (gradual reduction of already absorbed product by 5 grams). 6th day. Cauliflower, 60 g, and 25 g courgette. 7th day. Cauliflower only, 70 g.
Broccoli	3	1. Broccoli puree, 1 tsp, and 70 g zucchini. 2. Broccoli, 2 tsp, and 60 g of cauliflower. 6. Cauliflower puree, 80 g, and zucchini, 20 g. 7. Cauliflower puree, 100 g.
	4	1. Broccoli and zucchini - 50 g each. 2. Cauliflower and zucchini - 50 g each, etc. 7. Broccoli and cauliflower - 50 g each.

The table will help you figure out how many grams of the dish and on what day you can offer the baby during the period when new products are introduced.

Meet the new

Where to start feeding a baby? The first complementary food for breastfeeding depends on the health status of the child. If he lacks valuable pounds, then it is better to start with gluten-free cereals. In other cases, the introduction is started with vegetable dishes, but not with fruit ones.

Vegetable meals are good for constipation. Fruits are sweet in themselves, and after them it is more difficult to accustom the baby to other dishes.

The first cereals should be given one-component, gluten-free. These include corn, rice, buckwheat and oatmeal. If the baby is prone to constipation, then rice porridge should not be given first, and you can cook it no more than once a week. The most useful is buckwheat. It prevents the development of anemia, gives energy, and is easily absorbed by the body. On the contrary, it should be included in the diet at least twice a week.

The first cereals for children should be dairy-free. They should not contain sugar and salt. The same rule must be followed when cooking at home. Closer to the year, porridge can be cooked in pasteurized milk with the addition of water. When one year old, it is allowed to give completely milk porridge.

Vegetable dishes form the correct intestinal microflora, stimulate the work of intestinal peristalsis. It is better to start feeding with zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower. Closer to 8 months, you can introduce carrots and pumpkin into the diet. You need to start with one component. Once the child gets used to several vegetables, they can be mixed in one dish.

The first fruit puree should be a green apple or pear. Only you need to enter them with caution. They can increase gas production and cause flatulence.

Meat dishes should be introduced after 7 months. You need to start with lean meats: turkey, veal, chicken. If a child is breastfed and does not want to take meat dishes in the diet, then you do not need to insist. If a child is bottle-fed and has low hemoglobin, then it is imperative to introduce meat into his diet.

At 9 months, you can start giving fish (hake, pollock) - up to 2 times a week. In the same period, such fermented milk products as kefir, cottage cheese are introduced.

Scheme of the sequence of introducing complementary foods to breastfed children, according to the accepted WHO standards:

• 6 months - vegetable dishes;
• 6.5-7 months - fruits;
• 7-9 months - porridge;
• 8-9 - yolk;
• 9-11 - fish, meat;
• 11-12 - kefir;
• 12 - cottage cheese.

Innovations

Relatively recently, the term "pedagogical complementary foods" has appeared. It has slight differences from the WHO standard, includes the experience and advice of parents and is not supported by any other scientific data.

Pedagogical complementary foods are not intended to feed the baby. A nursing mother just needs to teach the baby the culture of table behavior and instill an interest in food.

Pedagogical complementary foods include the following tips:

1. Feeding is not according to certain boundaries in the calendar adopted by the WHO, but at the request of the child. In this case, it is nevertheless taken into account that the first feeding of the baby should not be introduced earlier than 6 months.
2. Failure to comply with the consistency standards of the dishes proposed by the WHO for the first feeding. The child takes from the table everything that adults eat. Mom needs to make sure that the food is properly prepared (there should be no smoked, fried, spicy, canned foods). The pieces are not crushed.
3. Separate children's meals are not prepared. The child eats what the adults do.
4. Up to 9 months, a child can freely eat from an adult's plate. And only after the specified period, he is given a separate spoon and plate.
5. Pedagogical complementary foods are not used with artificial feeding. Supporters of this direction are for the fact that a nursing mother should keep her milk as long as possible.

Pedagogical complementary foods have many positive aspects. Among them, the main one is the acquaintance of children from the very first day of complementary feeding with the traditions of eating within their family. A nursing mother does not need to spend time and effort to prepare a separate meal. In addition, pedagogical complementary foods contribute to good lactation, so milk is stored for a long time.

A guide for mothers to introduce new dishes using this method:

1. For breakfast, mom should put only fresh and high-quality products on her plate, for example, cottage cheese, cookies, cheese.
2. The child is seated on his knees and a spoon is given in his hands. As mom starts to eat, he also becomes interested in the process.
3. If the baby is drawn to food, it is worth giving him a small piece (equal to a match head).
4. The kid either chews the product or spits it out.
5. If the kid liked it, and he asks for more, it is allowed to give two more such portions. Gradually, in 3-5 days, the amount of the product you like is brought to 5 g.
6. If a child is fed with the same product, then he quickly loses interest in him. Therefore, it is worth drawing his attention to other foods.

At the same time, the mother needs to instill in the baby the rules of behavior at the table. There is no need to allow the child to misbehave, to allow to taste everything that is on the plate.

These tips will help you quickly adapt to new foods. But it should be borne in mind that most children under one year old suffer from food allergies. In this case, it is more difficult to use this technique.

When the period of the first complementary foods comes, you need to take into account the state of health and taste preferences of the baby. The advice of others may not work as each child develops differently. The best option is to consult a specialist.

The main thing is to start. Many adhere to this principle in life. But in the case of complementary feeding, it is unlikely to be suitable, since you can “start” here several times.

It all depends on the child.

Therefore, the decisive principle will be “start and observe”. We observe how he reacts, whether he likes new food, how the body assimilates it.

And, of course, remember that our good helpers are patience, calmness, consistency and attentiveness. So how do you give your baby the first complementary food?

• Until this age, the baby's digestive system is not yet ready to get acquainted with new products, breast milk is enough for the baby;
• From about six months, the baby begins to show interest in adult food, signs that his body is ripe for a new meal become noticeable.

Many have doubts about expanding the baby's diet earlier and thinking about how to give the first complementary foods at 4 months.

No way. It is not worth doing this without substantial grounds. Continue to feed your baby with your milk (formula) and try to keep breastfeeding as long as possible. His health and psychological comfort depend on this.

Types of complementary foods

When it comes to complementary feeding, the important point is which approach you take.

1. Pedagogical complementary foods are based on the fact that a child in micro doses is given a taste of everything that adults eat;

• Usually this is a joint meal at the same table;
• The main goal is to quickly teach the baby to eat and use adult devices on his own, by observing the parents;
• In this case, there is no question of which complementary food to give first. It is more appropriate to decide on a daily basis what to cook for yourself, so that it will not be harmful to a small child.

Important! If you are a supporter of pedagogical feeding, then before starting it, you should pay attention to your menu and, possibly, revise it, because you will be asking your child a sample of proper nutrition.

And as the amount of new foods in his diet increases, take care of the variety and healthiness of the meals to ensure that the baby receives the full nutritional benefits for health and development.

1. Pediatric complementary feeding involves the sequential introduction of different foods into the diet.

• Their volume is gradually increasing every day, and the consistency becomes more solid over time: first, food is given in the form of liquid puree, then - grated, mashed, after that - in pieces;
• First of all, there is an acquaintance with hypoallergenic products and, as the baby's digestive system gets used to them, with all the rest. See related article: WHO Complementary Feeding Chart >>>

The cons of this approach in large volumes, which are indicated on the cans of baby food. Most often, what I come across in my practice, as a complementary feeding consultant and correcting the appetite of grown children, is the refusal of complementary foods in the region of 8-9 months.

Therefore, in the online course on the site, you will receive a complementary feeding schedule that combines the most important points of these two approaches for mums. Follow the link: The ABC of complementary foods: a system for the safe introduction of complementary foods for babies >>>.

Using the information from the course, you will safely introduce complementary foods, protect the child from allergies, while, at the same time, immediately teach the baby to be neat at the table and keep a good appetite.

Products for the first feeding

1. The most common option is when acquaintance with adult food begins with vegetables, most often - with zucchini, cauliflower, broccoli (read the article on the topic: How to prepare zucchini for the first feeding? >>>);

These products rarely cause allergies, therefore they are offered to children in the first place. Later, pumpkin, potatoes, carrots, onions, beets, etc. are introduced into the diet. Feeding with vegetables begins when the child is gaining weight well.

1. What to give at the first complementary feeding if the child is not gaining weight well? In this case, it is better to start with cereals;

1. Eggs, fruits, dairy products, meat, fish are introduced into the diet of a child between the ages of 7 and 11 months.

The volume of the first feeding

How much complementary foods to feed your baby depends on the system you choose.

• In pedagogical complementary foods, these are the so-called microdoses (just a little bit);
• In pediatric, it is assumed a consistent increase in the volume of food that the child gets acquainted with.

Always start with ½ teaspoon. Then, in the absence of a negative reaction to the product (if a rash, “red cheeks”, loose stools, constipation did not appear), we begin to increase its volume.

Important! At any stage of complementary feeding, it is important to monitor the well-being and mood of the baby after the introduction of each new product into the diet.

If undesirable consequences are revealed or the child refuses to eat an unfamiliar dish, then postpone complementary feeding with this product for two weeks, then try again.

How to give a baby's first food

1. Remember that the purpose of the first meal is not to feed your baby a new meal, but to introduce him to it. The main food for him so far continues to be breast milk;
2. Maintain a calm and welcoming attitude when feeding your baby. Do not shout, do not criticize him when he refuses an unfamiliar dish, throws it or eats it sloppily;

It is important not to scare the kid and not discourage him from trying "adult goodies". A lot depends on you in this matter.

1. Don't force your child to eat if they don't want to. Treat him with understanding, because he is trying completely new food;
2. You are the main example for the baby. Taste the food, emotionally communicate "how you like it!" and that “this is delicious!”;
3. Create motivation instead of bullying your child. Do not use phrases in the style: "If you will not eat ... then ...".

Better say: "If you eat well, you will grow up big-big and strong-strong!" or “There are many vitamins, they will help you run, jump, grow even faster,” etc.

During the introduction of complementary foods, you have a lot of tasks and questions. therefore, it is easier to go through this stage along the proven path.

You will receive not only theoretical information about complementary foods, but also a video with complementary foods in practice in the ABC of complementary foods course >>>.

It will be clearer for you how to seat the child at the table, how to give him pieces, what to do when pampering at the table, how to teach the child to eat with cutlery.

Choose a suitable option for participation in the course and come.

Ludmila Sharova, breastfeeding and complementary feeding consultant.