Introduction of complementary foods to a child at 6 months. What problems are possible with the introduction of complementary foods. What vegetables to start complementary foods with

11.07.2019

The beginning of the introduction of complementary foods is one of the most crucial moments. Incorrectly selected products, non-observance of proportions, too early or late feeding will negatively affect the digestive system, which is just developing in the baby. In the future, this can provoke chronic diseases of the stomach, intestines, pancreas. To avoid such problems and raise your child healthy, you need to study the scheme for introducing complementary foods in advance and familiarize yourself with all the nuances.

According to medical research, the optimal age for introducing complementary foods is 6 months, regardless of the type of feeding. Only in some cases, according to the doctor's prescription, the introduction of complementary foods is allowed from 4 months. This applies to children with malnutrition and significant underweight. Bottle-fed babies can be given new food from the age of five months, although most experts do not recommend this.

At six months, the immune and digestive systems are already sufficiently developed, enzymes necessary for the digestion of food appear. If you start complementary feeding earlier, useful substances will not be able to be absorbed, but the digestive tract will receive an excessive load, which is very harmful for a fragile organism. As a rule, for a child up to six months, those nutrients that he receives with mother's milk are enough, so there is no need to rush with complementary foods.

The biggest problem in this matter is the beliefs of older women that it is necessary to teach a baby to new food from almost 3 months. Most of them put forward the "iron" argument: everyone used to do this and grew up healthy.

Perhaps, but after all, no one then studied the relationship between complementary foods and gastrointestinal diseases in adulthood! But how many people suffer from gastritis, digestive disorders and other diseases. Of course, it is impossible to assert that early complementary feeding will certainly provoke such a disease, but the negative effect on the child's body has already been scientifically proven.

Therefore, if the baby is healthy, active and cheerful, do not listen to anyone and introduce complementary foods no earlier than 6 months.

As complementary foods, you can use regular foods that are consumed by the whole family, or special food for children. The first option will help the child more easily integrate into the parents' diet, but otherwise there is not much difference.

For complementary foods, the following products are allowed:

poultry and rabbit meat;
veal;
sea fish;
legumes (except for beans);
cottage cheese, cheese and yogurt;
eggs;
zucchini;
broccoli and cauliflower;
pumpkin;
carrot.

Fruit comes as a supplement, not as an independent complementary food; first, it is recommended to teach your baby to green and yellow fruits, and only then to orange and red fruits, which contain more allergens. It used to be considered correct to start complementary foods with fruits, but recent studies have shown that they form a baby's addiction to sweets, irritate mucous membranes, cause allergies and disorders.
It is best if the first child to try vegetables with a neutral taste - zucchini or cauliflower. For underweight children, cereals are the first complementary foods.

Each product is administered separately, about once a week, and the body's response is closely monitored. This approach allows you to exclude from the child's diet everything that causes allergies in the baby. The volume of the first portion should not exceed a teaspoon; in the absence of negative reactions, the portion is approximately doubled daily, bringing to 150 g.
When the second product is introduced, the first is also continued to be fed, correspondingly decreasing its rate. If rashes suddenly appear, the stool becomes loose, the product is excluded from the diet for about a month.

Most women choose to cook their own food for their little ones. There is nothing complicated here, it takes a little time, but the most important thing is that mom is always confident in the quality of food. So, to make mashed potatoes, you need a steamer and a blender. You can cook vegetables on the stove, but this reduces the amount of vitamins. Vegetables for mashed potatoes are washed under running water, peeled from seeds and peels, cut into large pieces and set to cook. Cooked vegetables are chopped with a blender and diluted with vegetable broth to the consistency of kefir. , as well as cooking for future use. Everything is done at one time, in small quantities.

The older the child, the thicker the mashed potatoes can be made, and one and a half to two months after the start of complementary feeding, you can chop vegetables not with a blender, but with a fork, so that the baby learns to chew a little.
If complementary foods start with porridge, the cereals are thoroughly washed, dried, ground in a coffee grinder and boiled with boiling water. It is not recommended to use milk for porridge; you do not need to salt and sweeten it either. When the crumb tastes the porridge well, add olive oil or butter to it, starting with 2 drops and gradually increasing the volume to a teaspoon.

So, the child is six months old, it's time to introduce him to other products besides mother's milk. On day 1, give 5 g of mashed zucchini and observe the reaction. Usually, all children learn zucchini perfectly. On the second day, 10 g of puree is given, then 20 g, 40, bringing the volume to 150 g.

Scheme for the second week:

1 day - 145 g of zucchini and 5 g of cabbage;
Day 2 - 140 g of zucchini and 10 g of cabbage;
Day 3 - 130 g of zucchini and 20 g of cabbage;
Day 4 - 110 g of zucchini and 40 g of cabbage;
Day 5 - 70 g of zucchini and 80 g of cabbage;
6 day - 30 g of zucchini and 120 g of cabbage;
Day 7 - 150 g cabbage puree.

After each intake of vegetables, be sure to supplement the baby with breast milk or formula, if he is bottle-fed. In the third week, the scheme is the same, with the addition of pumpkin, for example. If the third product is digested well, you can season the puree with 2 drops of olive oil. By the end of the first month of complementary feeding, the baby should receive at least 4 different foods.

The next product is porridge. In the same way, a teaspoon each, the child is taught to eat rice, buckwheat and corn. They do not contain gluten, which in some children provokes the development of severe pathologies in the intestines. Other cereals can be prepared for children after a year, when their body is strong enough. There is also an allergy to porridge, but it does not always appear on the very first day. Sometimes allergic reactions are observed when the portion is increased, so the next product should be introduced no earlier than a week later.

If the child does not want to eat the entire portion, in no case force him. It is not worth giving what he does not like, no matter how useful this product may be. The baby's diet should consist of food that he eats with pleasure, then digestibility will be better and there will be less whims. Also, do not rush to reduce breastfeeding, because breast milk during this period is still the main product, the main source of all the necessary elements.

Any complementary food only supplements breast milk, but cannot replace it.

In the same period, they begin to give special herbal teas for children. They contain rose hips, blueberries, chamomile, linden flowers, fennel, mint and lemon balm. There are packaged teas and instant teas on sale; there are only natural raw materials in bags - leaves, flowers and fruits of plants, and instant tea has various additives - sugar, citric acid, natural flavors to improve the taste.

The child already eats vegetables and cereals well, something new can be introduced.
In the third month of complementary feeding, it is recommended to diversify the diet with meat, yolk and potatoes. The first meat puree should be rabbit or turkey as it is better absorbed than veal and chicken. It is not recommended to give pork until a year, or even two. Meat is given separately or added to vegetable puree, no more than 5 g per serving. By nine months, the daily allowance should not be more than 50 g, otherwise the load on the digestive tract will be too high. By the year this rate increases to 100 g.

The yolk is not given every day, but twice a week. It is recommended to take quail yolk, but chicken yolk is also suitable. At first, only a few small grains are given, after which the reaction is carefully observed. If everything is normal, the second time you can give a quarter of the yolk, and the third time - half (quail - whole). This is a daily rate, and you do not need to exceed it in the future. It is preferable to give the yolk in the morning, rubbing with porridge or breast milk.

The norm of potatoes per day is 50 g, you need to start, like everything else - from 5 g. Potatoes are considered an allergenic product, therefore they are introduced not in the first month, but much later, when the digestive system learns to digest other food well. When mixing potatoes with other vegetables, its volume should not exceed a third of the total mass.

Nine month

It was the turn of fermented milk products. First, the baby is given cottage cheese, always natural, without sugar and fillers.
Start with a teaspoon and gradually bring to 30 g.
A week later, children's kefir is introduced, starting from 5 ml and bringing up to 150 ml. Both cottage cheese and kefir are best given in the evening. There are children who do not like the taste of kefir and refuse to drink it. In this case, exclude it from your diet for 1-2 months and then try again. If this time the child does not want to drink, that's okay, you don't need to force it. Everyone has their own preferences, and not everyone loves kefir, but they grow and develop from this no worse.

Ten months

The children's diet is already quite varied, foods are digested well, fruits can be introduced. The best choice for the first time will be apples or pears, but it is recommended to wait a little with exotic fruits. The fruits should be environmentally friendly, ideally from their own garden, always ripe. The volume of fruit puree for the first time is equal to a teaspoon, then the daily rate is 100 g. If the child has already erupted teeth, you can give him not puree, but a piece of peeled apple, but make sure that he does not choke.

Fruit puree is usually served between meals as a snack. In addition to apples and pears, the introduction of prunes is allowed, later you can give bananas. When the baby tastes the fruit well, start preparing dried fruit compotes for him using prunes, dried pears and apples. Dried apricots up to a year are not recommended to be added to compote.

At 11 months, children usually already eat well all types of complementary foods, they require less breast. In the future, the portions are gradually increased depending on the baby's appetite, new products are introduced in the same way as before - in small quantities. Until a year, salt, sugar and spices do not need to be added to children's meals, everything the body needs is already contained in the products. You cannot exceed the consumption rate of any fruit or vegetable, even if the child loves him very much, everything should be in moderation. It is also undesirable to give cow, goat milk, fruit and vegetable juices, candies and other sweets for up to a year.

Complementary feeding scheme

Type of complementary foods	When to introduce	Where to begin	Serving size
Vegetable puree	From 6 months with normal or overweight	Monocomponent white or green vegetable puree
Vegetable oil	From 6 months	Olive, corn or sunflower	3-5 drops to 1 tsp, adding to meat or vegetable puree
Dairy-free porridge	From 6.5-7 months with normal or overweight. From 4-5 months in case of pronounced underweight		1/2 tsp. and bringing up to 100-200 g
Butter	From 7 months		From 1/8 tsp. and bringing up to 10-20 g in porridge or vegetable puree
Fruit purees	From 7-8 months	Starting with dull fruits in the form of a monopure, gradually moving to monocomponent	1/2 tsp. and bringing up to 100-200 g
Milk porridge	From 8-9 months	Gluten-free porridge (rice, buckwheat, corn). If tolerated, you can try oatmeal. Later, multi-grain cereals are added	1/2 tsp. and bringing up to 100-200 g
Meat puree	From 8 months	Monocomponent: beef, rabbit, veal, turkey	1/2 tsp. and bringing up to 50-100 g
Yolk	From 8 months		Starting from 1/8 tsp. and bringing up to 1/2 a day
Baby cookies	From 9-10 months	Up to a year, no more than 5 pcs. in a day	From 1/8 to full
Fermented milk products	From 9 months / 10 months	Kefir, biolact or yogurt for children without additives / with fruit additives	1/2 tsp. and bringing up to 150-200 g
Cottage cheese	From 9 months / 10 months	No additives / With additives	1/2 tsp. and bringing up to 50 g. From a year you can 100 g.
Meat by-products (liver, tongue, heart)	From 9-10 months / From 12-14 months.	Mixed with meat puree 1-2 times a week / 2-3 times a week	1/2 tsp. and bringing up to 50-100 g.
A fish	From 10 months (for allergy sufferers - from a year, not earlier)	Maximum 2 p. in Week
Juice (diluted with water 50/50	10-12 months	Starting with clarified juices from green or white fruits	With several. drops. One-year-old maximum 100 ml.
Semolina, barley, pearl barley, millet porridge	From 12 months	Starting with heavily boiled milk monocomponent cereals	From 2-3 tsp. and bringing up to 200-250 ml.
Berry puree	From 12 months	From bright hayagod	1/2 tsp. and bringing up to 150-200 g.

Closer to six months, the baby begins a more active life: he learns to sit and crawl. Most often, by the age of 6 months, he already has his first tooth. And these events are the first signal to parents that their baby needs additional nutrition, that is, complementary foods. After all, his body needs an increased amount of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. All of them are very important in the further development of the little person. Therefore, the mother of a six-month-old baby is faced with a difficult task - to decide where to start complementary feeding at 6 months.

Early complementary foods

Even now, when science has stepped forward, pediatricians cannot agree on when to start complementary foods, and which product should be the first. The older generation of specialists assures that complementary foods can and should be introduced as early as 4 months. They explain their point of view by the fact that at this age the child begins to grow actively, and by this time there are not enough nutrients in breast milk.

At 6 months, the child's body has already sufficiently adapted to the world around him and his digestive system will quickly cope with the digestion of unfamiliar food.

But modern pediatricians argue that such early complementary feeding can harm the child's body. After all, his digestive system will begin to function normally only by 6 months. Moreover, by 4 months, babies only have painful colic. And loading the intestines with heavy food during this period is absolutely not worth it. Even formula-fed babies are not recommended to introduce complementary foods earlier than 6 months. Manufacturers of infant formula create products that are as similar as possible in composition to breast milk. Therefore, you can postpone new food.

Complementary feeding at 6 months is considered one of the most optimal. But is your baby ready for it? You can assess the degree of its readiness by the following points:

Child's age. A special role is played when the baby was born, whether it was a full-term pregnancy or the baby was born prematurely. For example, if the baby was born a few weeks earlier, then complementary foods should be introduced later, adjusted for this period of time.
Baby's weight. From birth until the moment you decide on complementary foods, your baby's weight should be two or two and a half times more.
Ejection of the tongue. This reflex in babies from birth as a protective one, when something that is unusual or unusual gets into their oral cavity. If the tongue continues to carry out reflex movements, it is likely that complementary foods will have to be postponed. You can check the readiness with a spoon: give the baby water in it, if you see that the liquid flows down the chin, then it is really early to introduce complementary foods at 6 months.
Physical capabilities of the crumbs. If your baby is already sitting up, this may be the first signal to start complementary foods. If the baby is unsure of his head movements and sits uncertainly, then the time for complementary feeding has not yet come.
It also happens that the baby simply does not have enough mother's milk, because he is growing rapidly and he needs more and more energy every day to learn about the world around him. Therefore, the baby will have to be fed so that he is not hungry. It is not difficult to understand that the child does not have enough food: he will drag foreign objects into his mouth, ask for food much more often.
If the crumbs have their first teeth, it may be time to start introducing the first complementary foods at 6 months.
Another important feature in the development of the baby, by which you can determine the readiness of your baby for complementary foods, is the ability to pull the lower lip forward in order to take food from a spoon, as adults do.
It's good if the baby has mastered the skills of chewing. This can be determined if the child grasps food with his tongue and pushes it deep into the oral cavity.
If your child is interested in what he sees on your plate, and wants to taste your food, he is probably ready for complementary foods.

If all these moments are passed and the child is already 6 months old, then you can safely start complementary foods. And here another problem arises: what product to introduce the child to? In the old days, pediatricians advised young mothers to give fruit juices for their first complementary foods at 6 months. But today there is scientific evidence that they do not have enough vitamins, and it is ineffective to introduce them into the child's diet. Therefore, it is better to start the first feeding at 6 months with vegetable puree. However, it is important to use only one type of vegetable to control the possible occurrence of an allergic reaction.

Serve the vegetable puree in the morning. So, the mother will be able to observe the reaction of the child's body to a new product.

It is better to start acquaintance of the kid with vegetables with zucchini, broccoli or cauliflower. These green vegetables are rarely intolerable and are easy to digest. Mom can make a delicious puree from one vegetable herself. To do this, take a zucchini or other selected vegetable, wash it thoroughly, peel it and cut it into small pieces, put it in a saucepan, add water and boil it for 5-10 minutes. Then the finished vegetables must be interrupted in a blender along with the liquid until smooth.

It is important to offer the baby no more than 1 tsp on the first day. vegetable puree. Approximate feeding scheme for the day:

1st feeding - breast milk or 200 ml of formula;
2nd feeding - breast milk (mixture);
3rd feeding - breast milk (mixture 180 ml), 5-10 grams of vegetable puree;
4th feeding - 200 ml formula or breast milk;
5th feeding - breast milk / formula.

If the child does not have an allergic reaction after a new product, then the next day the amount of vegetable puree increases to 30-40 grams. By the end of the week, it should be in the daily diet of 150 grams. If mom prepares vegetable puree at home, then by the end of the second week it is recommended to add 5 ml of olive oil to it. The child can be introduced to the next vegetable 14 days after the first.

Complementary feeding table from 6 months

How to introduce complementary foods at 6 months

There are several important rules that you should follow if you decide to introduce complementary foods to your child:

do not introduce complementary foods when your baby is sick. Also, it is not the best option to introduce complementary foods in the heat or if your baby was recently vaccinated;
the new product should be introduced in small portions - a quarter and a half of a teaspoon, the volume should be increased gradually over 7 days;
the next product is introduced in two weeks;
the optimal time of day for the introduction of complementary foods is morning. This will allow you to objectively assess the body's response to changes in the diet. Mom should carefully consider the baby's chair, examine the skin for rashes;
feeding the baby should be done before you give him the mixture or breast, but fruit dishes should be given to the baby after the main feeding;
keep in mind that the food you offer your baby for complementary foods must be thoroughly chopped so that the nutrients are absorbed to the maximum;
change the consistency of dishes from thin to thicker;
monocomponent complementary foods at 6 months are ideal for the first steps towards variety in the diet;
porridge or mashed potatoes will be the most suitable option for feeding a baby;
the first complementary foods at 6 months should include products that are recommended by experts for a given age, portions should also correspond to the baby's age;
to carry out complementary feeding, you may have to re-give the same dish several times;
if the crumb fundamentally refuses a certain product, go to the next one;
a gastronomic diary will help to trace the connection between a certain product and the negative reaction of the body to it.

There are times when it is better to postpone complementary foods:

crumbs disease;
if a child's teeth are climbing, he is capricious and the temperature rises;
while traveling, moving or if you have recently changed your place of residence;
while the baby is getting used to the new living conditions: a nanny or someone close to him is taking care of him, and his mother has gone to work;
when, after the first feeding, the child has a digestive upset or allergy;
got vaccinated.

The main thing is to adhere to the sequence. Mom does not need to rush and shove too much new food into the crumbs. If the baby refuses to eat squash puree, you can offer him another type of vegetable for complementary foods.

What porridge to start complementary foods with at 6 months

If for some reason the mother does not want to start giving the baby vegetables, then she can try to introduce porridge into the diet of a six-month-old baby first. It is also best to introduce this product first when the baby is underweight. The consistency of porridge is somewhat thicker than the main food. But due to the taste, even in the absence of sugar and salt, the child gets used to them quickly. Such complementary feeding of a child at 6 months has a number of features:

it is important to start the introduction of gluten-free cereals (buckwheat, rice);
porridge is cooked in water from one type of cereal;
buckwheat and corn porridge is suitable for a child with frequent constipation;
if the baby has loose stools, then it is necessary to introduce rice porridge;

Only after getting used to it, you can try to offer the crumbs porridge cooked in milk. After all, the nutritional value of milk cereals is much higher due to the high content of protein, calcium, fat and vitamins. The scheme for the introduction of cereals coincides with the complementary foods with vegetable puree - at first 1 tsp is offered, and by the end of the weeks the volume rises to 150 ml.

Vegetable feeding menu

According to pediatricians, vegetable supplements for babies should be started with squash, cauliflower, broccoli or potatoes. Serve one type of vegetable puree throughout the week. At this time, observe the child, his health and well-being. After that, you can start introducing a new vegetable, and then - to feeding the combined vegetable puree. Give your baby food without salt. During this period, the child is happy to perceive food without spices. And over time, when he grows up, he learns about food diversity, it will be possible to season his dishes with vegetable or butter, add a little salt.

Milk complementary foods at 6 months

If your baby normally tolerates milk protein of animal origin, then by 6-7 months you can diversify his menu with cottage cheese. Cook it yourself so that the baby gets a high-quality fermented milk product.

Meat puree for a child

When your baby is seven months old, you can gradually train him to eat meat. Pediatricians advise starting with ready-made meat purees, which can be purchased at baby food stores. Optimal for a child would be turkey, chicken, rabbit puree or puree of beef.

Fruit dishes for crumbs

Juices and fruit purees are most often administered over a period of 7-8 months. Better for this purpose are pears, a yellow or green apple, and a little later offer the crumbs a banana, apricot, plum. When the child reaches eight months, you can try giving him strawberries and kiwi. If the child's diet already contains cottage cheese, then at 8 months you can combine it with fruit puree. A child will like this dessert.

Fish feed

Suitable only for children who have reached the age of nine months. Fish dishes can cause allergies, so special care is required here. The first fish feed should be started with pollock, flounder or hake.

Finished products

Baby food manufacturers create a variety of complementary foods. The state control allows us to say with confidence that most companies produce high-quality and safe purees and cereals. The advantages of finished products include:

The composition and nutritional value that is appropriate for the child's age are indicated on the package.
The products used in production are carefully selected and tested for the presence of nitrates, pesticides, antibiotics and other hazardous substances.
The products are additionally saturated with vitamins, minerals, calcium and other useful components.

High-quality baby food allows parents to diversify the child's menu and introduce even non-seasonal or unaffordable products into complementary foods. In addition, a mother at home is unlikely to be able to achieve the required consistency of vegetable or fruit puree. It is better for her to take care of her beloved child and not be distracted by cooking.

Parents should understand that the first exposure to a new product can be spoiled by the baby's reaction. And now we are not talking about allergies or indigestion. The crumb may simply not like the taste of the offered vegetable, and he will spit out the puree and will not want to open his mouth again. In this case, the mother should not be nervous and show her displeasure to the baby. You can try to leave him a plate of food and put a spoon in the handle. And even then the feeding table and the child himself will be stained with mashed potatoes, but the next time the baby will not react so negatively to the product.

An older baby who has reached 6 months changes not only externally, but also internally. Kidneys, liver, stomach, intestines - everything starts to work at full capacity. In the intestines, enzymes appear that break down food. Despite the strengthened body, the baby still desperately needs healthy mother's milk or an adapted mixture, because from them he draws vitamins and trace elements for active growth. In addition to the first meal, it is time to introduce complementary foods.

6 months old baby still needs breast milk

The principle of complementary feeding is the gradual introduction of new adult food with the gradual displacement of breast milk or formula. First one, then two feedings and so on are replaced with vegetable purees, cereals, cottage cheese and other products.

Types of complementary foods

Pediatric

This type of complementary food is subdivided into two more subspecies:

Based on the recommendations of the World Health Organization, which has developed the most appropriate approach to complementary feeding. This approach is the most common and most rational. Advises the introduction of complementary foods from six months.
According to the recommendations of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation. Unlike the approach developed by the WHO, the timing is slightly shifted here: babies who eat their mother's milk receive complementary foods at 6 months, and artificial people at 4 months.

According to the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, artificially fed children can receive complementary foods from 4 months

Pedagogical

Popular due to its convenience, because parents do not need to cook personally for the baby. The baby receives food in micro doses from an adult "plate". This approach is only possible if the mother uses natural feeding. In addition, the adult table should be composed only of natural and healthy products. Spicy foods, fatty foods, fried and smoked foods in such a family should be excluded.

All approaches, perhaps, are far from ideal, but it is believed that the most rational of these is precisely pediatric complementary foods. When creating it, all the physiological characteristics of the child's body were taken into account.

Complementary feeding rules

This article tells about typical ways of solving your questions, but each case is unique! If you want to know from me how to solve your particular problem - ask your question. It's fast and free!

When to start complementary foods? From 6 months or as soon as the child crosses the line of 5 months and steps into the world of six months? The correct time is 24 weeks, that's a full 6 months. If you start complementary foods earlier, at 20 weeks, you will be faced with an immature digestive system.

At 6 months, the child's body is already ready to take new food.

It is important to remember the following features of complementary foods:

Feeding is done with a spoon before breastfeeding or before formula. Reheat food to a comfortable temperature.
The new product is introduced in minimal doses of ½ teaspoon. For 10 days, the child gradually masters a full portion of a new type of food.
Products introduced afterwards can be adapted more quickly. For 5-7 days, it is quite possible to test and fix a new type of food and observe the body's reaction to it, whether there is a rash or digestive disorders.
It is always worth starting with one-piece products.
All types of complementary foods are introduced in the first half of the day precisely because there is always enough time in stock to observe the reaction of the crumbs to a novelty.
In a state of illness or on the eve of vaccinations, it is not recommended to introduce new products. Make sure your child is okay and then start introducing new products.

For the first samples, cereals and vegetable purees are suitable. It is better to take the following vegetables: squash, pumpkin, potatoes, cabbage, as they contain a minimum amount of allergenic substances. Leave the fruit purees for later, because after trying such sweet food, the child is unlikely to want to eat fresh vegetables and cereals.

In the first complementary food, it is best to give the child porridge or vegetable purees.

Where to begin?

Considering this or that type of complementary foods from six months, make a choice in favor of vegetables if the child has constipation or other disorders in terms of stool, as well as if the baby is overweight. For treats, use commercial mashed potatoes or cook them yourself.
A baby who is poorly gaining weight, with a tendency to anemia, should be fed primarily with cereals. It is advisable for an allergic child to start with gluten-free cereals on a dairy-free basis. Choose the following cereals: corn, rice, buckwheat (we recommend reading :).
A couple of months after the development of vegetables, closer to 8-9 months of age, it is allowed to introduce meat. Having started feeding the baby with adult food from six months, you will get to meat just by 8 months, but if you started complementary foods at the age of 4 months, then already in the middle of the 6th month it is worth introducing the baby to meat. The best options are turkey and rabbit.
Soup cooking should be done only after the crumb has already tasted all the ingredients separately. For a start, it is better to cook vegetable soups, and then diversify them with dietary meat: turkey or rabbit.
Do not rush to introduce fish dishes into the children's diet. This product is very often allergic. Start fish when your baby is 1 year old.

Soup is added to complementary foods after all ingredients have been tested

Table - scheme for the introduction of complementary foods for a child up to a year

Baby age	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
Vegetable puree	< 30 мл	< 50 мл	< 60 мл	< 70 мл	< 90 мл	< 100 мл	100 ml
		< 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

Feeding type and complementary foods

The regimen for introducing the new adult food will differ depending on the type of feeding the baby is on. Breastfed babies receive complementary foods later than those who are artificially fed. The optimal start is vegetable purees, provided that the mother is well nourished and at a good pace of physical development.

It is not uncommon to hear the opinion of some pediatricians that the type of feeding does not affect the timing of the introduction of complementary foods. They justify earlier terms for artificial people by the fact that in earlier times the mixture was made from diluted cow's milk. Dr. Komarovsky claims that modern formulas are as close as possible in composition to breast milk, so there is no longer a strong difference in feeding.

The baby's refusal from some product does not mean that you need to try to introduce something else. Continue to offer the same product over and over again as your child's gustatory habits are being established. A child prepared in this way will feel more comfortable in kindergarten and at school, because the right to choose is not given there, and the menu implies not only goodies, but also usefulness, which are not always very pleasant.

If the child refuses a certain product, it can be given after a while

How to feed children correctly, where to start and according to what scheme? The difference in the diet will be determined by the degree of preparedness of the body to accept new types of food.

Children on artificial feeding, who have already tried cereals, vegetables and fruits, will receive food every day according to the following scheme:

Babies who have just started trying new food will eat according to the following principle:

In the morning after waking up, the baby must first be given a breast.

Consider one important point! The first and last feeding of the day is done with an adapted formula or breast milk.
Feed your baby a liquid porridge before bed. Most young children have a physical need for food at night.
A baby who is on a mixed type of feeding should be fed according to the schedule of babies. The only difference is that mother's milk is replaced with a mixture during the day, if necessary.

Food recipes for a 6 month old baby

By preparing meals on their own, mothers can be sure that the entire menu is prepared from natural and high-quality products. Modern household devices have been developed to help mothers: a multicooker, a double boiler and a blender.

Do not forget that before offering a child a mixture of several products, you must first introduce each of them separately and see the reaction. This rule works for absolutely all products, including vegetable or olive oil, milk and others.

If mom has time, she can make mashed potatoes on her own.

Vegetables

Cauliflower in a slow cooker (we recommend reading :). According to the recipe, 100 grams of cabbage must be thoroughly rinsed, put on a multicooker grid, turn on the "Steamer" mode and set the time to 15 minutes. Grind the cooked cabbage with a blender and cool.
Pumpkin puree (read more in the article :). The pumpkin pulp (you should take about as much as the crumbs usually eat), wash, cut into small cubes and put on the grid of a double boiler. Cooking is carried out for about 20 minutes in the "Steamer" mode. Grind the finished pumpkin with a blender.
Carrot puree. Carrots should be washed and peeled, then the vegetable is cut into small pieces and placed on the steamer rack. You can use the usual cooking method in a saucepan. After 20 minutes, the vegetable is ready and you can grind it with a blender.
Mashed potatoes. Pre-peeled potatoes should be soaked in cold water to remove starch. You need to soak for a period of 12 to 24 hours. Boil the potatoes and rub through a sieve. Add milk to an optimal consistency and let it simmer.

Porridge

Rice porridge without milk. Grind the rice grits in a coffee grinder. Pour cereals (3 tablespoons) into boiling water (1 glass). Stir regularly and cook for about 10 minutes.
Corn porridge without milk. The recipe suggests taking 3 tablespoons of cereal per glass of water. Boil water, add cereal there and cook for about 5 minutes over medium heat. Reduce the flame to minimum and cook for about half an hour, until the cereal is tender. Grind the cooked porridge with a blender and let it boil a little more.

For young parents, there are a number of rules that should be followed in order not to harm your child:

All products are steamed or boiled. Browning is strictly prohibited.
Help your child to taste the natural taste: do not add any salt or sugar. For soups, olive oil can sometimes be used as an additive, and after a year, a small amount of salt can be added. Overly sour fruit drinks and compotes can be sweetened with sugar a little (we recommend reading :).
In the first months of sampling, all food should be finely chopped with a blender. By the age of 8 months, the baby usually acquires one or two teeth, but it is still impossible to chew food with them. By the age of 9 months, start crushing the dishes with a fork, and closer to the year - cut them into small pieces.
Serve only freshly prepared food. Try to cook for one meal. There is no need to give your baby any leftovers from previous feedings. Also discard the idea of preparing in advance - for example, from the evening the next day.

Closer to the year, food for the child will be offered cut into pieces.

Complementary feeding according to Komarovsky

Neither pediatricians nor nutritionists have a consensus regarding foods for the first complementary foods at 6 months. Dr. Komarovsky advises to introduce fermented milk products first, although generally accepted recommendations indicate the need to enter vegetables first. He explains his opinion by the fact that the children's digestive system has already adapted to the digestion of dairy products (breast milk or an adapted formula).

The content of the article:

The first complementary food is introduced to a child from 6 months, but according to indications, juices can be introduced from 3 months, and vegetable and fruit purees from 4 months. After 5 months, cereals are introduced to children, and after 6 - meat and cottage cheese. Consider the phased introduction of breastfeeding and formula feeding products starting at 3 months.

The most necessary and indispensable product in the diet of a baby during the first year of life is breast milk. It contains all the nutrients, vitamins, microelements necessary for proper growth and development. With breast milk, the child receives immune defense factors - antibodies against those diseases that a woman has had in her life.

However, over time, the baby's milk diet should be expanded. This is due to the growing needs of the child for basic nutrients, as well as the need to prepare the child's maxillofacial apparatus for solid food intake.

At what age are complementary foods introduced?

The timing of the introduction of complementary foods depends on the nature of the child's feeding (the child receives breast milk or formula), his monthly weight gain, allergic predisposition, the nature and regularity of stools, etc.

The timing of the introduction of new products into the diet may differ slightly from the usually recommended, depending on:

- from the type of feeding

If a child is artificially fed or mixed feeding, then already at 4 months he is recommended to introduce the first complementary foods. If the baby receives the mother's breast, then with the introduction of complementary foods, you need to wait at least another month. According to the modern recommendations of pediatricians, with sufficient lactation in the mother, the introduction of new products into the baby's diet should take place no earlier than 6 months. Until that time, breast milk covers all the basic nutritional needs of the child. The risk of allergic reactions while breastfeeding is much lower.

- from the weight of the child

Children suffering from malnutrition (underweight, low monthly gains) are given porridge first. Babies with average monthly gains, with signs of paratrophy (overweight), should receive vegetable puree as their first feeding. You can familiarize yourself with the norms of weight gain for children under one year old on our website.

- from the consistency and from the regularity of the stool

With a thick stool consistency, a tendency to constipation, the pediatrician may recommend an earlier introduction of vegetable puree, fruit juice and fruit puree. Due to the high fiber content in these products, the digestive system begins to work more intensively, the feces become softer and easier to be excreted by the child's body.

1. Each new product is introduced solely against the background of the child's full health. Any acute illness or exacerbation of chronic pathology should delay the introduction of complementary foods.

2. To start giving a new product should be from a small volume - from 0.5 teaspoon. With good tolerance of complementary foods (no skin rashes, stool disorders), this volume should be gradually increased from day to day. It is necessary to bring the product to the recommended one-time volume within 2 weeks.

3. Introduce any new product should be two weeks after the introduction of the previous one. In the event of an allergy, it will be easier for the baby's parents to find out which food component caused the child's unwanted reaction.

4. It is forbidden to introduce complementary foods two weeks before routine vaccination and two weeks after vaccination.

The timing of the introduction of new food products into the child's diet when the child is artificially or naturally fed

Complementary foods introduction table

Food product	Age in months for bottle feeding	Age in months for breastfeeding
Fruit juice	2-3 months (5-6 months)	3-4 months (6-7 months)
Fruit puree	3 months	4-5 months
Vegetable puree (1st feeding)	4.5 months	5-6 months
Porridge (2nd complementary food)	5 months	5.5-6 months
Meat (complication of the first feeding)	6 months	6.5 months
Cottage cheese	6 months	6 months
Kefir	7 months	7.5 months
Yolk	7 months	7 months

Complementary feeding scheme

Let's look at the step-by-step scheme for introducing complementary foods for each product, the amount required, and the time interval for their best use and replacement of the main food (breast milk or formula).

Fruit juices

The introduction of juices was previously recommended from 3 months. Now, most pediatricians believe that the first introduction of juices into a child's diet can contribute to disruption of the digestive tract, that is, lead to frequent regurgitation, diarrhea, and flatulence. Therefore, the juice is introduced after the vegetable puree and porridge, that is, the baby will try the first juice somewhere around 6 months.

Fruit juice is introduced to the baby to increase appetite and the production of digestive juice, to enhance intestinal motility. First, you need to introduce juices from fruits of a calm color: from green pears and green apples. They are less allergenic, they are better tolerated by the child's digestive system than others.

There is a formula for a child's daily need for juice: V = 10 * n, where n is the child's age in months. According to this formula, a three-month-old child should receive 30 ml of juice per day, a four-month old - 40 ml, etc.

The introduction of juice, like any other new product, should be carried out gradually. Starting with 5 ml per day and gradually increasing this volume, after two weeks the child should be offered his entire daily allowance.

Having introduced the baby's body to apple and pear juices, the mother can give him apple and pear juice. Then the child will taste the taste of peach, apricot. Berry juices are allowed from 8 months of age.

First, a mono-component juice should be introduced into the child's diet, and only if certain fruits and berries are well tolerated, he can be offered juice from several of their types.

Due to their high allergenicity, strawberries and citrus fruits (tangerines, oranges, grapefruits) should be included in the child's diet no earlier than 1 year of age.

Juices are not included in either the one-time or the daily amount of food. In other words, if a child at 4 months of age is supposed to eat a portion of 120-130 g, then 40 ml of fruit juice drunk by him will not be included in this volume.

The entire daily volume of juice can be drunk by the baby at one time or divided into 2 doses. The juice is given to the baby immediately after a meal or in between feedings.

Fruit puree

Acquaintance of a child with fruit puree will take place according to the same principle and in the same sequence as with fruit juice. The daily volume is also calculated, and its introduction begins with the same types of fruit.

Fruit puree is included in both one-time and daily feeding. The fruit is given to the baby immediately after feeding.

Vegetable puree

Vegetable puree is the first complementary food that pediatricians recommend for a healthy child with standard weight gain. This means that starting with a small amount and further increasing it, the mother will replace one milk feeding of the baby completely with a vegetable one.

The child begins acquaintance with vegetables from four to five months. First, he should try vegetables of a calm color: zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, then vegetables of more saturated colors will enter his diet: carrots, pumpkin.

Vegetable puree is served at lunchtime. A one-time amount of vegetables for a four-month-old child will be 120-130 g, at 5 months. the baby will eat 150 g at 6 months. and further up to 180-200 g.
You should feed your baby with vegetables from a spoon. Starting the introduction of vegetable complementary foods, the child should be given 5 g of zucchini, and then supplemented with breast or mixture.

Porridge

Porridge food is the second food for a healthy baby. Buckwheat and rice porridge start first. You should start with these cereals, tk. they do not contain gluten, a substance that may not be tolerated by the child's body.

Rice porridge can provoke constipation in a baby; its daily intake is not recommended.

Gradually, the baby's diet will include other types of cereals: corn, wheat, multigrain.

Semolina is the least rich in vitamins and nutrients. Its predominance among other types of cereals in the child's diet is not recommended.

Porridge is given to the child with the second feeding (the first feeding is breast or formula, the second feeding is porridge).

One-time feeding is the same as for vegetable puree.
For small children, porridge can be recommended twice a day (in addition, porridge is given before bedtime).

Meat

Meat is a source of iron, as well as essential amino acids necessary for the proper development of a child's brain. In a shabby form, it is given to a baby from six months. It is worth starting its introduction with 5 g, by the year the daily rate of meat is 100 g. You should start with dietary rabbit meat, lean pork, and beef. Poultry meat (turkey, chicken) is considered more allergenic, therefore it is introduced a little later.

It is preferable to offer the child purchased meat puree for baby food. Such meat, before getting on the counter, must undergo veterinary control and undergo the necessary heat treatment. When making meat puree with your own hands at home, it is important to remember that a small piece of meat weighing 250-300 g should be boiled for at least 3 hours. Only such heat treatment contributes to the complete destruction of those microorganisms that can grow on meat products.
Meat is given to the baby at lunchtime along with a vegetable side dish. If your child doesn’t eat mashed potatoes well, you can try mixing it with vegetables.

Cottage cheese

It is recommended to offer cottage cheese to a child from 6 months. It is preferable that it was a special children's curd, rather than homemade curd. The children's product is maximally adapted in composition for the nutrition of children under one year old, additionally enriched with calcium and vitamins.

First, you should introduce the curd without fruit additives. With good tolerance of this dairy product, you can offer your child cottage cheese with the taste of those fruits that he has already tried in the form of fruit purees.

Cottage cheese is given to the child in the evening. The starting volume of 5 g should be gradually increased to 50 g per day. The baby should be fed with breast milk or formula.

Yolk

Chicken or quail yolk should be introduced into the child's diet from 7 months. Protein often causes manifestations of food allergies, therefore it can be offered to the baby only after a year.

The yolk is offered to the child for lunch, along with vegetables and meat. The introduction of the yolk is started from 1/8 part and the one-time volume is gradually increased to 1/2 of the yolk every day or to the whole yolk every other day.

A fish

The fish is offered to a healthy child from 8 months of age. For the children's nutrition, fish varieties such as hake, pike perch, pollock, salmon, and trout are recommended.

Fish is given to the child for lunch twice a week instead of meat. You should start with a volume of 1/2 teaspoon. Further, this volume should be increased to 50 g. You can either purchase ready-made baby food with fish, or make minced fish yourself. To do this, one of the proposed varieties of fish is boiled or steamed, and then all the bones are selected and the fish is ground to a state of puree.

Kefir

Kefir should be given to a child from 7 months in the evening. First, a small volume of it (5 ml) is injected, then this volume must be gradually increased. So one feeding of the baby will become completely kefir.

Often babies refuse to eat kefir, which is due to its sour taste. In such cases, the mother can replace the evening feeding with yoghurt (drinking yoghurts are allowed from 8 months). Also, the child may be offered a milkshake.

Conclusion

The nutrition of the child of the first year of life should be given special attention by the parents. Only by observing all the recommendations of the pediatrician on feeding, the mother will be able to provide the child with all the necessary substances for his proper growth and development.

Complementary feeding schedule for children under one year old

Typically, up to six months of age, an infant feeds on breast milk and does not need additional nutrition. Complementary feeding of a child at 6 months is introduced in the event that he is artificially fed. The reason for this is the lack of intake of useful substances necessary for the full development of the body.

But even with breastfeeding, sooner or later, the baby needs other food that compensates for the mother's milk and accustom the baby to normal nutrition.

How do you know if your baby needs complementary foods?

As a rule, mothers recognize that it is time to feed their child at the age of 6 months, according to several characteristic signs:

the little one sits confidently;
Shows interest in unfamiliar food
The baby is cut.

It is at this moment that complementary foods must be added to the diet of a 6 month old baby. At the age of six months, a number of functional changes take place in the body of children, which allow it to get stronger. The digestive system develops, which allows you to digest not only healthy mother's milk, but also more serious food, for example, fruit puree or juices made specifically for this category of children.

The first teeth will also help the baby to cope with the transition to an adult diet easier - now he can even chew food a little, thereby developing a chewing skill.

We introduce complementary foods from 6 months gradually

It is important to remember that the introduction of complementary foods even at the age of six months is a serious process. Therefore, every mother needs to closely monitor the reaction of the child and his body to unusual food.

Where to start feeding? For the first few days, you need to introduce complementary foods in small portions - for example, a few drops of fruit juice or a little mashed potatoes. If the reaction to such food in the crumbs is positive, you can increase the portions.

After a couple of weeks of positive dynamics, breastfeeding can be completely replaced with complementary foods. It should be borne in mind that the average portion of complementary foods for six-month-old children is 150 grams. You also need to know that the first feeding of the child should consist of only one type of food- for example, one specific juice or one puree. Ten days after the introduction of the first serious product, you can pay attention to other types of food, but their introduction should be careful, as it can immediately lead to diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.

Basic rules for the introduction of complementary foods from 6 months into the diet

During the period of introducing additional nutrition, the infant develops individual taste preferences, therefore it is important to pay attention to the baby's reaction throughout the entire period of introducing new food. In order to correctly introduce complementary foods to a child from 6 months old, it is necessary to be guided by several basic rules:

it is necessary strictly in the first half of the day. So the mother will be able to track all reactions and prevent unpleasant consequences if they occur. During this period, it is important to pay attention to all the little things about changing the behavior of an infant.
At the first stage, complementary foods from 6 months are served to the baby in small portions. For example, for juice - it's a few drops, for soft puree - one teaspoon is enough. With a positive reaction of the child to food, you can gradually increase the amount of food prescribed for his age.
New food should be offered to the little one only in those moments when he is in a good mood. Otherwise, he will begin to perceive unfamiliar products negatively and will be capricious at the sight of a spoon.
Porridge at 6 months of age is offered at the very beginning of feeding - the child must be hungry, so he quickly realizes that the new food is no less tasty and healthy than breast milk.
Use foods that contain only one product in the primary feeding of a child. For example, juice should be made from only one fruit, and puree should be made from only one vegetable.
During the period of illness or before an ordinary vaccination, additional feeding will have to be abandoned - here it is necessary to withstand several days.
For the first feeding of a child of 6 months, specialized food is used. It is brought to a consistency convenient for the baby and contains an abundance of substances useful for the body.

When introducing additional nutrition into the child's diet in the first stages, it is necessary to combine it with breastfeeding or infant formula.

Approximate feeding table for the introduction of complementary foods at 6 months

6 am - breast milk or formula;
10 am - a small portion of complementary foods (juice, or);
2 pm - breastfeeding and a few tablespoons of fruit juice;
6 pm - a small portion of porridge, fruit puree;
ten in the evening - breast milk or formula in a bottle.

It should be remembered that the schedule and menu of complementary foods from 6 months are drawn up solely based on the needs of the baby. If the baby needs to be urgently weaned from breast milk, the amount of complementary foods increases.

Important! For the first few weeks, complementary foods cannot fully compensate for breast milk, so you should not give up feeding for the entire period of accustoming your baby to serious food.

At the entire stage of the formation of new taste preferences of the child, it is important to monitor the reaction of his body, and if necessary, stop additional nutrition and contact a specialist for advice.