The first lure: where to start, at what age?

The first exciting days and weeks after birth have passed. The kid is actively growing, every day discovering something new in the world around him. The little man receives only breast milk or artificial milk mixture. Soon the time will come when he will try the real food for the first time. Where to start the first lure and when to offer the crumbs to taste a new dish?

When to give the first lure?

The timing of the first feeding depends on the age of the baby, as well as on the state of his health. Many parents look forward to when the child grows up, and you can treat him with juice or fruit puree. No matter how much my mother would like to speed up this process, she still does not have to rush to start feeding. So what time does the first lure start?

The World Health Organization advises: if the baby receives high-quality breastfeeding, then new products can begin to be given from six months. The famous pediatrician, candidate of medical sciences Evgeny Olegovich Komarovsky in his book claims that complementary foods should be started regardless of the feeding system - at six months.

If a young mother has correctly prepared various meals, the beginning of the first feeding of a child earlier than this period is simply pointless. Because the body of the newborn is fully provided with the necessary nutritional components in order to fully develop. But after the baby celebrated his first six months, he needs extra food. Mom's milk is starting to be missed.

Readiness of the child for feeding

Children of the same age develop differently. One baby begins to hold its head at three months old, and the other at two. The development of infants is affected by both heredity and the course of pregnancy, how the birth took place, and the quality of care. Moreover, children grow at different rates, have their own individual characteristics. Therefore, it is impossible to name the exact age when a particular baby is ready to try new food.

Pediatricians identify two factors that indicate that the child is ready for feeding:

• sufficient development of the central nervous system of the newborn;
• preparedness of the stomach and intestines of the baby.

When these two factors coincide simultaneously, this means that you can start complementary foods.

First signs

Parents will be convinced when it is possible to start the first feeding of the baby, these signs will help:

• Age of the child.
• Weight. It should double from birth. For premature babies - two and a half.
• Checking the reflex of pushing out the tongue. Such an innate movement is intended to protect the newborn from swallowing objects accidentally caught in his mouth. It is necessary to give the baby water from a spoon. If he did not spit it out, this indicates a child’s readiness for feeding.
• A child in six months sits well. He must be able to coordinate head movements and turn away, showing failure.
• Breast milk begins to be missed. If the baby sucks all the mother’s milk in one feeding, while remaining hungry, or when the “artificer” requires more than one liter of the mixture per day, complementary foods become necessary.
• The child knows how to move the tongue up and down and back and forth. Immediately opens his mouth when they bring him a spoon with water or food.
• The first teeth are cut.
• It shows interest when adults eat, trying to try unfamiliar food.

No need to wait for all these signs. It is enough to notice most of them. However, only the pediatrician will tell you when you can start the first lure.

Acquaintance with new food is delayed

The beginning of complementary foods is postponed for a week or two if:

• the baby is sick;
• the teeth begin to cut, the child cries, the temperature has risen;
• change of residence or lifestyle of the family (for example, the mother went to work, the babysitter is with the baby);
• the child reacted poorly to complementary foods (diarrhea, rash on the skin began);
• vaccinated;
• beginning of feeding coincides with hot weather.

What foods to start lure with?

Most recently, pediatricians recommended starting feeding children from three months old, introducing them to fruit juices. They prepared the baby’s digestive system for other foods. Currently, the point of view has changed both on age for the beginning of complementary foods, and on the first products. But if signs of the child’s readiness appeared much earlier, they offer the first lure at 4 months. Where to begin?

Recent studies have shown that more minerals are found in vegetables than in fruits. Starting to feed crumbs with sweet juices and mashed potatoes, it is more difficult to switch to vegetables and cereals.

It should be based on the recommendations of the World Health Organization. Where to start the first lure? The first products will be vegetables. It is especially good to start with them when the child is prone to constipation. When choosing the first vegetable, one must remember that potatoes are strong and also contain a large amount of starch, which can cause an allergic reaction. Therefore, it is better to start with zucchini.

With frequent stools in infants, the best start to the first feeding is porridge. To make the taste of an unfamiliar product seem more familiar, it is recommended to dilute vegetable purees or cereals with mother's milk. And after unfamiliar food, you can breastfeed. Consultation with a pediatrician cannot be ignored. The specialist will help with advice on which product to choose for the first feeding, how to make a menu for a child.

The beginning of complementary foods: recommendations

A few tips from Dr. Komarovsky will tell young parents how and where to start the baby’s first feeding:

1. You can only feed if the child is absolutely healthy.
2. Unfamiliar food is recommended at the second feeding.
3. Give the baby everything warm. Offering unfamiliar food should be done before main feeding.
4. Eat the baby must certainly with a spoon.
5. Any new dish starts with a quarter of a teaspoon. Over two weeks, the amount of complementary foods is adjusted to the required portion.
6. The first puree is prepared from vegetables and fruits that are familiar to a particular locality.
7. The next dish is offered only after two weeks. The child must first get used to the first.
8. Begin complementary foods, consisting of a single product. Thus, it will be understood what caused the allergy.
9. The first puree should at first resemble only thick milk. Gradually they make it thicker.
10. If you decide to use baby food from jars, it should be fresh. The composition should not be salt, sucrose, as well as sugar, dextrose.

Monthly Product Introduction Procedure

The local pediatrician at the reception will tell you where to start the first feeding. Modern children's doctors adhere to approximately the same scheme for introducing new products to the child’s menu, as presented below.

Komarovsky feeding order

Now a slightly different view of the introduction of babies to adult food. Yevgeny Olegovich Komarovsky, a pediatrician of the highest category, developed his methodology, explaining where to start the first feeding during breastfeeding.

Acquaintance of the baby with new food begins with kefir. Fruits are offered next, and only after them do juices and mashed vegetables appear on the menu. Milk cereals, egg yolk are administered only at 8 months. At 9 months, the child begins to receive a variety of meat, and at 10 - fish.

Parents will have to decide whose recommendations to follow - they know the individual characteristics of the child better than anyone. The final decision on where to start the first feeding should be made taking into account the readiness of the baby for such important innovations.

Porridge for the first feeding

In stores, a huge variety of cereals for babies. And croup on the shelves - a complete set. What kind of porridge to start the first lure? How to navigate in such a variety? Porridge is rich in vitamins, mineral complex. They contain carbohydrates, essential proteins and fats. Dietary fiber in porridge helps digestion. For the first feeding, doctors recommend not all cereals. Begin with those where there is no gluten content. This protein often causes allergic reactions in children of the first year of life.

Most modern parents choose to feed finished products in jars or packaging.

1. Because it is fast, simple and very convenient.
2. As a rule, enterprises specializing in baby food produce high-quality, balanced products that are fully adapted for feeding babies.
3. There is always a choice of hypoallergenic cereals without milk, which significantly reduces the risk of allergies in children.

Buckwheat porridge

The ideal option for the first feeding - buckwheat porridge. It contains iron, so necessary for hemoglobin in the blood. There is a lot of magnesium and potassium in such a porridge. They are useful for the work of the heart and blood vessels of the child. Buckwheat porridge provides calcium for tooth growth and a strong bone system. The presence of such a porridge on the baby’s menu will increase its immunity, since allergies to buckwheat porridge are extremely rare. Therefore, the question of what kind of porridge to start the first lure with is decided by itself. It is permissible to introduce it into the nutrition of children four to six months old.

Rice porridge

Rice porridge can also become the first lure of the baby. It does not contain gluten and is a hypoallergenic dish. Rice contains many complex carbohydrates. They give the baby’s body strength and energy. The ability of the cereal to eliminate toxins helps to establish the intestines. But babies prone to constipation have to give rice porridge carefully. As you know, rice has a bonding property. Daily feeding the baby with such porridge is not recommended. Grain contains a lot of fluoride, which displaces calcium from bones.

Cooking yourself

You can cook porridge yourself. This is not at all difficult. But there is confidence in the quality of the product. It is only necessary to choose a recipe corresponding to the age of the crumbs. Until he is eight months old, porridge is boiled in water. Sugar and salt should not be added.

The necessary cereals are first sorted, washed, dried. After this, grind to a state of flour. To do this, you can adapt a coffee grinder or kitchen blender. If buckwheat porridge, you need to take premium cereals. It should be light brown and large.

To prepare the dishes, take a teaspoon of such flour and pour half a glass of cold water. The mixture is heated until steaming, stirring gently, for 15 minutes.

When the child is ten months old, the cereals are no longer grind. Boiled porridge in the water. A little later they try to cook a dish in milk. It will take half a glass of cereal and a glass of water. They start to cook porridge in the water. Bring to a boil and then drained. Pour a glass of milk and boil until completely absorbed. Porridge is ready.

Putting porridge into the diet

Porridge is also introduced gradually into the baby’s nutrition. Correctly you need to change the power according to the scheme:

• In the first week they give porridge, starting with one teaspoon. Thus, at the end of the week, the child receives about seven teaspoons of the new food.
• Next week it is permissible to feed the same porridge. And you can gradually introduce the baby to new food. For example, one spoonful of new and six tablespoons of the usual porridge. On the second day - two spoons of new food and five - of a friend. So in a week, a familiar dish is replaced with a new one. And the menu can be diversified, alternating both.

Careful observation of the gourmet baby is a must. If the baby is sick, acquaintance with new products is canceled. No need to rush: gradually by the year the child’s diet will expand significantly.