How to introduce complementary feeding to an infant?

For any mom, it's no secret that her little baby grows very quickly, so he needs more and more vitamins, proteins, minerals that he receives from food. And it does not matter what kind of feeding your baby is from the birth, the main thing is that from the age of six months his life needs to gradually feed the crumbs, so that he will have enough strength for new feats. How to introduce complementary feeding to an infant? It is not simple. But we'll tell you about the fundamentals of this complex phase.

Of course, on the topic "How to introduce complementary feeding to an infant" can be said for a long time, considering dozens of options for replenishing its diet. But all these menus are reduced to one thing: after reaching the infant 6 months old, he should receive food that is rich in carbohydrates, vitamins, vegetable proteins, dietary fiber and, of course, minerals.

By the way, because of the age with which to give food to the child, there have always been sharp disputes. Previously, doctors stopped on the option of four months, one now proved inexpedient such a introduction of complementary foods. If you see that your baby does not lag behind in development, adds to weight and grows well - do not try to add it from four months - because your baby is so well. But in case the crumb looks too slim for his age, does not have an excellent appetite, and the tests indicate a lowered level of hemoglobin in the blood - then immediately one should introduce lure, carefully and patiently.

Another doctor often nods at the teeth - they say, nature has ordered that the babies are born without teeth and initially require liquid food. But as soon as the cute mouth decorates the first tooth - this can be considered a beacon of the body that he is ready to take in the diet and more solid food. Although there is a significant "but": the teeth can come out in five and ten months - but in the second case, waiting for their appearance to start feeding is clearly inappropriate.

To introduce complementary foods must be very carefully, gradually and very carefully - so as not to frighten the baby with new food. After all, he can refuse new products afterwards! Doctors-experts advise to start feeding the child during the second morning feeding - to look at his reaction during the day: whether there is a hint of an allergy, did the rash appear? Do not immediately try to give the crumb a lot - limit yourself to two spoons, let them thoroughly try out a new product. After the lure is eaten, let the child "seize" him with what he has already become accustomed to eating. For example, breast milk or a favorite mixture. And do not worry if the first attempts are unsuccessful and the baby spits out all your food, do not force it. Just try again to unobtrusively feed it in a couple of days.

Remember, new products can be allergens, so watch closely - did the red rash appear on the cheeks or your baby's body, did not the other chair become? If you do not observe any dangerous changes, then you can safely increase the portion of complementary foods twice, the next day. And so bring the amount of new product to about 200 grams. But if you notice the alarming signs that the baby is unwell, temporarily stop giving him a lure, perhaps his body is just not ready for such loads.

If the introduction of complementary foods occurs without complications and incidents, then in a week or so your baby will not eat once a day with a mixture or breast milk, but with a new product for him.

How to correctly introduce complementary foods: when to start?

Just want to note that there is no generally accepted guidance on this issue. Neither regarding the age of the baby, nor about the first foods that you will give him. Some mummies are the first to introduce juice into their kids' diet, others prefer to start with mashed potatoes. Councils of pediatricians in this issue do not always coincide. Clearly only one thing: in mashed potatoes, of course, much more vitamins and other nutrients. However, do not forget that the baby is already so used to liquid food: breastmilk or liquid mixture, that thick mashed potatoes will become for him a very unusual and unusual food. The main thing in lure is not to harm the gastrointestinal tract of crumbs.

Often a young mother decides that the best early lure is vegetables. In this case, you do not need to grab all the vegetables in a row. Start to introduce complementary foods from those vegetables, the color of which is not very bright and saturated. The ideal option will be zucchini, cauliflower, broccoli and pumpkin. After the baby gets used to these foods, try adding a little potatoes and carrots to his diet. You do not need to give raw vegetables immediately: boil them and wipe them until smooth (that was "puree") - so the baby will be more comfortable eating the food.

Also in the store you can buy ready-made vegetable purees in jars. And some pediatricians advise to buy just such products. After all, the manufacturers of baby food have already surely taken care that only the best quality and fresh products are sent on puree, specially homogenized, so that the composition of the delicacy does not have fibrous fiber 0 because the latter can easily occur allergies.

In the event that it seems to you that your baby is too skinny and frail, you can introduce the first porridge into the supplementary supplement. Start with gluten-free options: rice, buckwheat, corn porridge or oatmeal. There are two options for preparing cereals: you can boil them yourself and rub them, or you can buy a ready-made mush in the store. You will notice how it differs from the "adult" - the contents look like dust, during cooking porridge turns into a thick mass, which is easier to eat the baby. If you decide to give the child porridge - try to feed her before going to bed. After all, this food contributes to the saturation of the body - and you will be sure that the full-grown baby will sleep until morning, without worrying or waking up.

The next variant of complementary feeding is sour-milk products. For example, a special children's kefir. By the way, children quickly get used to it - in fact kefir so reminds a parent's milk or a usual milk or dairy mix. Most likely, this kind of complementary feeding will take root in the baby's diet more quickly and most willingly. In addition, such products are very useful - because they contain useful and necessary for the child's organism sour-milk bacteria.

If everything goes well, then by the age of eight months your baby should eat up to five times a day. Approximately two feedings can already be completely replaced by supplement: kefir, kashka or vegetable puree. Within a month and a half you can go to three feedings. At this age, the cottage cheese can already be added to the baby's diet, but in this case you can not overdo it - cottage cheese, although useful, but very heavy on the stomach, so somewhere up to one year old it is not worth giving to his child in quantities of more than 50 grams per day . Nine-month-old baby can also be boldly pampered with fresh fruit. But be careful with the choice: it seems that the market is selling so many useful fruits. Avoid buying a baby exotic - let him start eating something that is familiar, that grows where you live. Beware of bananas, oranges and kiwi, start introducing the first green apple, pear and berries from the garden.

We want to offer you a version of the baby's menu that has already reached the age of one year.

8:00, breakfast

Prepare the baby 200 grams of his favorite cereal, 30 grams of vegetable puree and 50 ml of fresh juice.

12:00, lunch

Treat the crumb with vegetable soup with rusks (a serving - 40 grams), vegetable puree (150 grams), steak cooked (60 grams) and, of course, give him all the juice (30-40 ml).

16:00, afternoon snack

Treat your baby only with cooked curd (remember, not more than 50 grams a day!), Fresh fruit (for example, a green apple), kefir or milk (you can safely put 200 grams).

20:00, dinner

For dinner, cook crumbs of puree from his favorite vegetables or cereal (100 grams), give a fresh fruit (or a handful of apples). Drink dinner can be juice (50 grams).

When the crumb turns ten months old, you can add light vegetable soup to its diet. Start to cook the first on the water, then you can cook the soup on the meat broth (preferably start with the chicken). If you see that the introduction of soup in the diet of the child does not lead to negative consequences and does not cause allergies, then you can grate a piece of meat and add it to the first dish. After a couple of days, cook the hard-boiled egg, take out the yolk, separate the fifth part from it and put it directly into the soup. Up to a year the baby can be given no more than half of the egg yolk.

Meat is an indispensable component in your baby's diet from the age of ten months. Start with light meat - homemade chicken, pork, rabbit meat or turkey - the latter two are especially suitable for those children who previously had a food allergy. But with the fish it is worthwhile to wait until the baby reaches the age of one year - precisely because of the high allergenicity of this product. First, wipe the meat for the baby, but after a month you can easily prepare the meatballs for a couple - so the child will have the opportunity to get used to eating bits.

When the crumb is about to complete a year, its daily menu should already contain meat, juice, and porridge (milk-cereals), you can give him a slice of apple peeled, or cracker - let the baby sucks, the gum will scratch or just play. You should only remember that fruit juices are not a substitute for food, so it's not advisable to give them so simply. It is better to supplement with juice the next portion of breast milk or a mixture.

Make sure that the baby's diet is constantly expanding and was quite diverse. If you do not experience a deficiency in breast milk (which is quite possible if the young mother leads the correct way of life: sleeps at least eight hours a day, often walks with the baby in the open air, is engaged in herself), then at least once in day, give your baby a breast - so you stay on longer emotional contact and close connection with the baby. Well, if you were previously on artificial feeding, then remember that a high-quality milk formula can continue to be given to the baby until reaching the age of two.

Before you put the crumb to sleep, it is advisable to give him or a baby kefir, or a little milk of milk, or to add a special milk formula.

It happens that you cook and prepare different dishes for your child, try to introduce the correct feeding method as correctly as possible, without frightening or choking on it - and the child just does not want to eat, pushes food out of his mouth and starts to cry in fright or hurt. Well, do not be upset and do not try to stick him a "spoonful" of vegetable puree or soup. Maybe he's just not ready to eat another food, or he does not like it. Continue to slowly experiment, but do not pressure his opinion. If you see that in his development (physical, psychological) there are no deviations from the accepted norms, that the weight and height have parameters corresponding to the established pediatricians, that the kid is active, everyone is interested and is playing with pleasure - then the lure is not necessary, you can safely wait a couple of weeks - and get down to business again. Perhaps, it is necessary to replace cauliflower with broccoli - and vegetable purée will go "with a bang." Or try instead of pear juice to give the baby apple fresh. Suddenly, the last will be to his liking? In the end, if the child does not want to eat the store lure from a jar, prepare him what you eat. Only less salt or spice - they do not need a baby. But a small piece of a good creamy, or a spoonful of vegetable oil will flavor the porridge and make it times more delicious.

After all, your baby, although not a gourmet yet, but he does not really like eating dry buckwheat - try to eat this dish yourself. After all, a child is practically an adult in miniature, and the task of parents during the introduction of complementary foods is to develop its taste qualities, rather than instill a dislike for the process of eating food!