Breastfeeding has always been, is and remains the healthiest choice for a newborn baby. If a child eats breast milk, and all complementary foods are administered in a timely manner, then he receives absolutely everything necessary for healthy growth and development of the body. But such cases are frequent when breastfeeding for some reason becomes impossible, and there is a need to transfer the baby to artificial feeding.
But there are enough pitfalls here: not every mixture can suit a child. And if suddenly it turned out that the food should be reviewed, then a reasonable question arises: "How to switch from one mixture to another?"
Principles of Artificial Feeding
If it is possible to feed the baby in a natural way, then the question of artificial feeding is better to postpone as long as possible. But if this is not possible, and the child, for one reason or another, still needs to be transferred to the mixture, contact your pediatrician. He, knowing the features of your child, will advise a suitable mixture. And also the doctor will explain how to transfer the child to another mixture if the previous one did not fit him.
Switching to
artificial feeding, the volume and frequency of feedings should be determined. Volume, first of all, depends on age, but also on the body weight of the child. As for the frequency of taking the mixture, for babies from birth to four months, it is six times a day. From six to ten months - four times a day. And the kids are older and up to a year - twice a day.
What are the mixtures?
Choosing a mixture is not an easy task. After all, they are all different, and not everyone is suitable for your child. Firstly, it all depends on the age of the baby. And by this criterion, all existing milk mixtures can be divided into three groups. The first is for children of the first 6 months of life. The second - up to a year. And the third group already includes mixtures for children older than one year.
One of the most widely known is the Baby mix. The mixture is also selected, taking into account the features of its health and development. For healthy babies, standard mixtures are suitable. And for children with certain digestive problems, there are
lactose-free mixtures, hydrolyzed, sour-milk, antireflux, soy and others. The mixture "Baby", in addition to the option for newborns, can offer some other varieties. For example, in the menu of children under one year, this manufacturer suggests including cereals with the addition of various grain mixtures. In a separate group,
mixtures for premature babies can be attributed
. In general, so that the question of how to transfer the baby to another mixture is more likely to bypass you, you should immediately take the process of choosing a substitute for mother's milk quite seriously.
Rules for the use of any mixture
The first thing to remember is that the temperature of the mixture you give your child should not be higher than thirty-seven degrees. Carefully observe all hygiene rules during the preparation process. Use only purchased or filtered water. But it should also be boiled first. The boiling time should be at least two minutes.
Carefully track all the proportions mentioned on the package. Do not mix products from different manufacturers. Always prepare the mixture only fresh and study all
storage periods for any of its conditions especially well.
Feeding schedule
A child who uses the mixture, not breast milk, is much easier to accustom to the regimen. What does the regime give? Well, firstly, it gives more freedom to parents. And secondly, it’s much easier to understand how to switch to another mixture of babies, if necessary, to those parents who completely or at least partially control the processes of eating their child’s food. Accustoming the baby to the regimen, wake him during the day, not allowing him to sleep between feedings for more than three hours. Then the night’s sleep will be longer. And he wakes up, most likely, no more than once.
How to determine that the mixture is not suitable?
Thinking about how to switch from one mixture to another follows in a number of cases. The child may begin to cry after eating. After each meal, vomiting or persistent stool disturbances follows. Pain in the abdomen caused by colic, which comes complete with bloating and tension. The child is very annoyed during the day, and wakes up very often at night. A rash may appear on the face, and the skin will become rough and will feel like sandpaper. If you find one or more of the above symptoms, then you need to contact a specialist to explain how to switch to another mixture correctly and advise which one is best for your child. He, of course, will take into account all the features of your baby's body.
How to switch from one mixture to another?
Changing the mixture without good reason is not necessary. Also, do not unreasonably use hypoallergenic or other special types. If, however, the transition to another mixture is necessary, then it should be carried out in the right way. For example, you feed your baby seven times.
Then the first feeding should give the baby ten milliliters of the new mixture, and leave everything else as it is. Just remember that you can’t mix the mixture into one bottle. First we give one, and then the second. All other meals remain on the old mixture. If all is well, then the next day you give twenty milliliters of a new mixture in the first and fifth feeding. Every day you increase the volume of the new mixture by 20 milliliters until both feedings are completely replaced. Now daily replace with a new mixture another feeding, but already immediately in full. Such a gradual transition will help a small organism best adapt to a change of diet.
This article examined how to switch from one mixture to another. You don’t need to do this just for the sake of variety or because of colorful advertising. A change in the mixture should be fully justified, because this is a kind of stressful situation for the child's body. And do not forget that for any questions that somehow affect the health of your baby, you should contact your pediatrician. And then the child will be healthy, and his parents - happy and calm.