But there comes a time when the baby needs to be introduced into the diet of complementary foods in the form of new products, but if possible, do not stop breastfeeding. Then there is the question of what kind of food to choose for an infant. The way a child grows and gains weight, takes possession of motor skills and new skills, is an indicator of his correct and adequate nutrition. The right choice of food, for an even baby is very difficult to do. A huge choice is in front of us, in the stores shelves are loaded with children's goods, but what to choose? Cereals? Fruit? Vegetable? What is the first, real, useful and importantly delicious food for your child? How to choose the right food and what is suitable for an infant, every young mother is interested.
According to the latest recommendations of WHO (World Health Organization), children should be fed after half a year, by this age the organs of the gastrointestinal tract are ready to receive other foods than mother's milk (the adapted mixture), the baby in most cases sits alone and shows frank food interest.
If the child picks up a little, then you need to start with cereals, best of all gluten-free (buckwheat, rice, corn), because. gluten is difficult to digest. If the baby's weight is normal or exceeds the norm, then start with the vegetables. First with the least allergenic: zucchini, squash, cauliflower, broccoli, potatoes. Then pumpkin, carrots, onions, dill, parsley, beetroot are introduced. Eggplants, tomatoes should be put off till a year. After 2 -3 weeks from the beginning of the introduction of vegetables, you can add a couple drops of vegetable oil (olive, corn, sunflower). First it is necessary to give microdoses - about half a teaspoon and gradually bring the portion to 100 - 150 gr.
Kids should be given water, compote from dried fruits, unsweetened teas from broth of wild rose, fennel. Gradually, you should enter into the diet of dairy products - low-fat cottage cheese, yogurt, kefir, children's curd. Also these dairy products can be obtained in a children's dairy kitchen. Thus, the menu of the baby is close to the menu of the general table, but we must not forget that baby food categorically excludes smoked, sharp, fried, fatty foods, as well as confectionery, caffeine.
Salt and sugar is recommended to give after a year, tk. the weak kidneys of the baby are not able to remove salts from the body, and the addition of sugar at such an early age is fraught with the development of diabetes.
After the porridge and vegetables are brought to a full portion, you can enter fruits, namely green apples, pears, bananas. With the rest of the fruit, it is better to tolerate up to a year. First, micro-doses can be mixed into the porridge, and then you can do the mashed potatoes and give separately, for example, for a mid-morning snack.
Meat is administered after 8 months, starting also with microdoses. For the first time, hypoallergenic meats such as rabbit, turkey, low-fat veal, beef and chicken breast are well suited. From the children's menu should be excluded fat meat mutton, pork, as this is a heavy product for the child's body. It is not necessary to give the child a sausage, sausage, because of the presence of harmful components in their composition. Gradually, after a year, you can introduce meat by-products, chicken liver is very useful, its nutritional value is irreplaceable, it includes a large dose of iron, potassium, phosphorus, calcium and a complex of B vitamins, which is necessary for the growing organism, the proper development of the skeleton. The use of chicken liver in the diet will serve the child as a "herbal remedy" against the prevention of iron deficiency anemia and rickets. To abuse this product too it is not necessary, as the liver contains cholesterol. Nutritional value also has such by-products as language, heart.
A few tips on what food to choose for an infant:
* If you use canned food, get acquainted with the composition of products - study in detail the composition and list of components. Some manufacturers produce 100% one-component puree, such as fruit or vegetable, and some fruit / vegetable / meat purees are bred with a little water. It is necessary to dilute more dense products.
* For more complex products such as meat, fish, cottage cheese - check that these ingredients are listed in a percentage, so you can control how much of the food your child consumes.
* Starch or rice flour? They are sometimes needed to get the right consistency. For example, if it is rice pudding, or an adapted milk mixture with rice, buckwheat or oat flour - then not starch should be in the composition of this product, and rice flour.
* Food supplements in baby food are limited. Vitamin C is often added to compensate for losses in processing, it acts as an antioxidant to prevent the appearance of fatty plaques, so fruit and vegetable purees become dark in color. In no event should food preservatives, flavorings, colorants be present in the baby food.
* Sugar and salt? Check the list of ingredients for the composition of sugar and salt, for 100 g of a child's product, it should not exceed 100 mg. Some manufacturers of baby food, use much less than this rate.
* First, second and dessert? Does your child need a dessert? Doctors, nutritionists say that desserts adapted for babies do not produce. Fruit puree mix with low-fat yogurt, with the curd obtained in the children's kitchen, this will be the best dessert for your baby.
* Do not add sugar, artificial sweeteners, honey or salt to baby foods. After 6 months, if you decide to give the baby to try the juice, choose 100% natural, unsweetened, pasteurized juice and offer the baby as part of the meal. Do not teach your child to drink a full meal with juice. It's unhealthy!
From birth to the age of three, children grow and develop at an accelerated rate. Nutrition is the fuel of this process, the health and condition of your child depends on proper nutrition.