How to properly introduce a child feeding

Timely introduction of complementary foods and a balanced diet is the key to the future health of the crumbs. The first months after birth, the baby receives all the necessary substances with breast milk or mixture, but soon the growing organism needs additional sources of important minerals and vitamins. How to introduce the first complementary foods to do it so that it benefits your child?

1

How to properly introduce complementary foods - when to start feeding

The World Health Organization advises to start introducing complementary foods for half-year-old babies on breastfeeding, and if the child eats the mixture, then it is better to enter additional products in 4-5 months.

In addition, you need to focus on such indicators that indicate the readiness of the child to eat:

• The baby has teeth.
• The child can already sit with support.
• There was interest in food.
• The baby requires more milk/mixture.
• The baby's weight doubled.
• The reflex of the tongue is gone.

2

Leading rules for introducing complementary foods

• Power feeding can only be introduced completely to a healthy child. You also need to wait if you plan to vaccinate or have just been vaccinated.
• Power feeding is offered to the baby before breastfeeding (if it is juice, it is better to give after the main feeding).
• You need to start with a small portion weighing no more than 5 g, which can be given for 2-3 weeks, and then gradually increased to 150 g.
• If you use puree and home -made juices, wash your hands thoroughly and sterilize the container.
• Each portion of complementary foods should be freshly prepared.
• Food is offered to the baby in warm form, in a sitting position.
• Do not give the child the same type twice a day.
• New products must be entered with an interval of 10-12 days.
• If the child stubbornly refuses to eat new food, then it should not be forced to force him. Set aside complementary foods for 1-2 weeks and try it all over again.
• All the time, follow the child’s chair. If constipation or diarrhea does not appear, you can increase the day portion.
• Talk a plan for introducing new products with a pediatrician.

3

How to properly introduce complementary foods - where to start

Previously, pediatricians recommended complementary feeding from freshly squeezed juices. But as it turned out, this is not entirely useful. Now it is recommended that kids with excess weight and poor stool start complementary foods with fruit and vegetable puree, and babies with insufficient weight-from cereals.

• Vegetable mashed potatoes. To begin with, broccoli, pumpkin, potatoes, zucchini is ideal. Each vegetable is offered separately for a week, starting from 1 tsp. And reaching to 50 g, if the adaptation passes normally, the next vegetable is introduced according to the same scheme. Salt is not recommended.
• Porridge. Give preference to one -component gluten -free porridge - buckwheat, oatmeal, corn. It is better to buy industrial cereals, since they are quickly prepared, finely chopped and additionally enriched with vitamin complexes.
• Dairy products. If the baby is well digesting milk fat, then from 7 months you can introduce cottage cheese, and from 8 months. - Kefir and yogurt.
• Meat and fish mashed potatoes. From 7 months, the child must be given meat, which serves as a source of iron. For this, turkey, rabbit, beef is suitable. Chicken meat should be given with fear, since it provokes allergies. Fish puree is introduced from 9 months. Low -fat fish varieties are suitable - Hyk, Mintay.
• Fruits and berries. This type of product is introduced from 7 months. You can cook mashed potatoes or juices. For feather lure, a pear, an apple is suitable, and behind them you can introduce cherries, apricots, blueberries, banana.

If complementary foods are organized correctly, then the child is fully developing and growing, and its digestive system adapts well to new products. Remember that complementary foods should be gradual, diverse and consistent.