Nutrition - this is the food that the baby is offered upon reaching a certain age. Introduced products supplement breast milk, allowing the baby's body to get a wider range of nutrients, vitamins and minerals. In the first year of life, it is very important to formulate a proper and balanced diet, since it is during this period that the foundations of the child’s health are laid. All parents are concerned about the question of when to introduce complementary foods during breastfeeding, what products to offer the baby, according to which scheme. In this article we will try to answer all these important questions.
When to introduce complementary foods during breastfeeding: six-month-old baby menu
Russian pediatricians are advised to administer the first lure to a breastfed baby when he reaches six months of age. It is at the end of the first half of his life that he is ready to accept food other than milk. In a child, the buoyant reflex of the tongue ceases to function, that is, the baby can swallow something edible offered on a spoon. By this time, the baby learns to sit, bend to the spoon and reject the body, showing unwillingness to eat. In general, the child becomes more active and mobile, so his activity begins to require more serious "nourishment". Six-month-old babies already show an interest in food: they watch the meal of their parents and show a desire to try their food. It is believed that breast milk by the age of 6 months ceases to satisfy 100% of the needs of a growing body. Nevertheless, even if you notice several signs of your baby’s readiness to test new products, you should discuss the beginning of complementary feeding with breastfeeding with a pediatrician. It is the doctor who will tell you exactly which product is suitable for the first feeding to your child, and when exactly it is necessary to begin to enrich the diet of the baby. So, we examined when to introduce complementary foods during breastfeeding most optimally. Six months is the age that, in the opinion of the Union of Pediatricians of Russia, is most suitable for the introduction of a first feeding product. Nevertheless, all children are individual, and your specialist will tell you a more accurate time for trying out new food.
When to introduce complementary foods during breastfeeding and how? Basic rules for introducing a child to a new product
At the sixth month of life, the baby is fed 5 times a day, keeping intervals of 3.5 hours between meals. The night break is 10 hours. It is advisable to offer the first lure at lunch (12-13 hours), or at a time other than morning and evening. A new product is offered before breastfeeding, this increases the chances that the baby will be interested in food and swallow it with great enthusiasm. They begin to feed with a very small dose - half a teaspoon of porridge or vegetable puree. And over the next 10 days, the dose is gradually adjusted to the volume necessary for the child (about 150 g). For the introduction of food, it is worth purchasing a special soft silicone spoon, which reduces the likelihood of accidental injury to the baby's mouth. It is worthwhile to offer food very carefully and patiently, in no case should you exert pressure, insist and force the baby. After you have managed to introduce one product, begin to "dilute" it with a new type of vegetable or cereal. For example, feeding can be started with zucchini puree, after 10 days we add half a spoonful of cauliflower puree to it. And gradually increase the amount of cauliflower, while reducing the volume of zucchini puree. A little later, it will be possible to add vegetable oil to the vegetables - olive, sunflower, etc.
Breastfeeding recommended by Russian pediatricians
There are two main options for the introduction of complementary foods:
- beginning of complementary foods with monocomponent gluten-free cereals on the water - rice, buckwheat, corn;
- beginning of complementary foods with mashed vegetables of the same species (green or white) - zucchini, cauliflower, peas, broccoli, green beans.
The introduction of vegetables is advised to start for a child with signs of rickets, food allergies, anemia. For children with low body weight, as well as often spitting up babies, porridge can be offered as the first food product. It is worth remembering that all cereals are prepared on water, or using breast milk. Whole cow's milk is undesirable until eight months of age. A good alternative to self-cooking is ready-made cereals. They are made from quality raw materials and enriched with various vitamins and minerals. For the first time, porridge is bred to a very liquid state, and then gradually make it thicker, bringing to the consistency of liquid sour cream. Gradually, you can add butter to it.
When to introduce complementary foods during breastfeeding: seven-month-old baby menu
After familiarizing yourself with the first type of product, you can proceed to expand the diet. The next step will be the formation of the prototype of the "breakfast" - replacing ten hours of feeding with products other than breast milk. If at first you fed your child vegetables for lunch, now porridge is next in line. The choice of the first cereal depends on your child: if the baby is prone to constipation, it is advisable to start with buckwheat, if diathesis occurs - with rice or corn. Porridge is introduced in the same way as vegetables: starting with half a teaspoon for breakfast and gradually bringing the portion volume to 150 g. If the meal was cereal, the baby should be offered vegetables at 7 months. Also at this time, the yolk is introduced (the hard boiled chicken egg). Start yolk input with a few grains, bringing the total product volume to 1 pc. twice a week. The yolk can be ground with breast milk or mixed with porridge or mashed vegetables.
How and when to introduce complementary foods during breastfeeding? Meat and dairy products
In the eighth month of life, it's time to introduce your child to meat products. Meat puree is offered by analogy with cereals and vegetables, starting with 1/2 teaspoon, during the week the volume is brought to 40-50 g. All meat dishes should be well chopped so that the baby can easily swallow them and not choke. A good alternative to home cooking is industrial monocomponent canned meat - without salt, seasonings or other unnecessary additives. For the first acquaintance with meat, beef, turkey, rabbit are suitable. So, the introduction of any product is carried out according to one scheme. First, the baby is offered a very small amount of food, his reaction is carefully monitored. If everything goes well, the volume of food is gradually increased. After the introduction of cereals, vegetables and meat into the child’s diet, from the 9th month of life, they begin to include fermented milk products (cottage cheese, kefir) and bakery products. And from the 10th month - fruit purees and juices (apple, pear, plum, etc.). At 11 months of life, you can offer your child a fish. Thus, by the year a full-fledged diet and diet is formed, and the baby joins adult food, eating varied and high-quality.