Reasons for mixed feeding. How to properly mix breastfeeding

How to add a recipe

Sharing your recipes in the Valio Culinary Club is very simple - you just need to fill out short form. Please read before filling out simple rules formulation of prescriptions.

Recipe Name

The name of your recipe must be unique. Check in advance in the site search whether your name has already been used. If you find a 100% similarity, show your imagination and reformulate your name. For example, instead of the name "Borscht", write "Russian borscht" or "Borscht with mushrooms". Focus your name on the type of dish and its ingredients. The title should be clear and as short as possible.

Brief announcement

In this column, you can tell other users why you publish this particular recipe or what makes it special/exclusive.

Cooking time

Enter the total cooking time for the dish (excluding waiting time).

For the competition

If in currently We are running a recipe contest and if you want your recipe to be entered, check the box. Ingredients

If you use Valio products in your recipes, please specify which and in what proportion. Our catalog will help you quickly find the right ingredient. Enter the first letters of the product in the field and then select the one you need from the drop-down list. If you have used non-dairy products, please look for alternatives in the Valio product line and list them.

Other Ingredients

Enter in this field all the remaining ingredients from your recipe in turn, from the most important product to the secondary. Enter the first letters of the product in the field and then select the one you need from the drop-down list. Be sure to include the required dosage. Don't despair if you can't find desired product in our culinary catalogue. You can "add your product" to our catalog by clicking on the appropriate link. Please make sure in advance that the required product is not available. Think about the differences in names, such as "tomato" and "tomato".

How to cook

This field is for the recipe itself. Try to describe the recipe step by step, separating each step with the "Enter" key. Our culinary club welcomes uniqueness in texts. Recipes copied from other sources will not be moderated. When to apply?

In order for users to learn a little more about you, fill out a short questionnaire about yourself, if you have not filled it out before.

Before publishing a recipe, use the "Preview" button to make sure that all fields are filled out and there are no errors.

Culinary Club Valio reserves the right to moderate recipes before uploading them to the site. By filling out the form, you agree that your recipe will be reviewed by a moderator and only after it has been checked for compliance with the filling rules will it be displayed on the site. The moderator also has the right to make his own corrections to the recipes if they are written with grammatical or stylistic errors, as well as if any semantic correction of the text or images is necessary. Recipes copied from other sites do not pass moderation.

Thanks for your recipe!

Nothing can be better than breastfeeding mother's milk for the baby, but in some cases you have to supplement the baby artificial mixtures so that he is not hungry, sleeps well and develops correctly. There are many stereotypes about how useful mixed feeding. Many are convinced that it is harmful to digestive system baby. But if you properly organize the diet, then no problems will arise. In this article, we will explain in detail, how to switch to mixed feeding and there is a need for it.

First, let's understand what a mixed diet is. Mixed feeding of the baby is called such a diet, which includes the use of mother's milk and formula by the child. Each product should always be used in equal amounts.

It may seem to a new mother that she has problems with lactation immediately after childbirth. However, this is not the main indicator by which to judge whether the baby has enough milk or not. If the doctor does not see the need for supplementary feeding, then you should not take away from him the best food for him.

In what cases do young mothers switch to mixed mode baby feeding:

  1. If mommy was diagnosed with hypogalactia, which is characterized by a small amount breast milk.
  2. If a newly-made mother has such circumstances that she cannot breastfeed all the time, she needs to study, work or be treated in a hospital for a long time.
  3. If a newly-made mother has an inferior milk composition, then she also needs to switch to mixed feeding so that the child does not develop anemia and malnutrition.
  4. If expectant mother done C-section, in which she lost a lot of blood, if she has a Rh conflict with a child, then in this case she will not be able to breastfeed her baby.

Can be individual reasons and indications, according to which doctors prescribe the transition to mixed feeding and the rejection of exclusive breastfeeding.

Signs indicating the need to switch to mixed feeding of a child

What can make you think that you do not have enough milk to feed your baby:

  • Your baby is emptying bladder not less than 7 times a day, while stools with pungent odor have a concentrated color.
  • The baby is not gaining weight well. If after the first month of life the child has gained less than 500 g, this is an occasion to think about switching to mixed feeding.
  • If the baby is constantly hungry, looking for a breast, not active, lethargic and sleepy, he may become too capricious, which means that he does not have enough milk.
  • If his stool has changed, it has become rare, liquid, has become green or dark brown color, which means that there are problems with the quality of milk, it needs to be supplemented with mixtures.

How to choose a formula for mixed feeding?

If you have been prescribed supplemental formula by your doctor, you will need to find out for yourself which formula is best for you. mixed feeding just for your child.

As a rule, all existing mixtures are made from cow or goat milk. This milk is pre-checked, undergoes anti-allergic treatment. After that, the manufacturer distributes the infant formula into the following groups, indicating the degree of adaptation:

  1. Mixtures intended for feeding infants of several days of life. They can be sour-milk, liquid, fresh and dry. It is believed that such mixtures are ideally close in composition to the composition of breast milk.
  2. Mixtures made on the basis of milk curd protein. This is a product that is ideal for babies who are allergic to lactose. If you are going to switch to mixed feeding, then it is with these mixtures that pediatricians recommend starting supplementary feeding.
  3. Mixes of transitional type, which are intended for feeding babies from 6 months.
  4. Mixtures, the main purpose of which is to treat children in cases where they have unstable stools, allergies, if they were born with low weight.

Mixed feeding: how to feed?

Mixed feeding of babies can be of several types:

  1. When a mother breastfeeds her baby first and then supplements with formula
  2. When a mother breastfeeds 1 time, and in next feeding gives milk formula
  3. When a mother connects a special system to her breast that mixes breast milk with formula

In any case, no matter what type of feeding you choose, you need to follow a series of binding rules to make your baby feel good and cheerful:

  • First, try to give the baby the breast so that he completely empties it, only then give the mixture as a supplement.
  • Complementary foods with mixed feeding should not be given to the baby from a bottle. It is better to pour it into a spoon and feed it from it. Otherwise, lactation will be reduced.
  • Feed your baby on demand as often as possible. Never skip night and morning breastfeeding.
  • Do not stop breastfeeding your baby for as long as you are lactating. If there is a lot of milk, pump.
  • The mixture must be prepared fresh each time for each feeding. The utensils must be sterile.
  • Keep in mind that the mixture will take longer to digest, so in without fail stick to the mixed feeding regimen.
  • Do not give your baby fresh, unprocessed milk from a cow or goat. So you will create a big load on his pancreas and stomach.

  • if your baby is 0-14 days old, then the volume of the mixture should not exceed 2% of his weight, which must be multiplied by the number of days that have passed since the birth of the child;
  • if your child is 15 and more days, then the amount of the mixture should be 1/5 of the weight of the child.

Advantages and disadvantages of mixed feeding

When you switch to mixed feeding, you should consider that it will definitely affect the well-being of the child:

  • the baby's intestinal microflora will change - the number of bifidobacteria will increase in it
  • the child may develop an allergy to dairy foods
  • constipation may occur in infants with mixed feeding
  • due to mixed feeding, the baby may develop dysbacteriosis, accompanied by colic and loose stools

Experienced grandmothers and mothers can advise you to specifically switch to mixed feeding, proving to you that the child will develop better this way, grow faster. Only this is all wrong. If there is no need to supplement the baby, then do not do it, otherwise all this will lead to childhood obesity and other health problems.

What to do so that you do not have to use mixed feeding?

Famous pediatrician Evgeny Komarovsky notes that a child can avoid mixed feeding if the mother follows simple and understandable rules:

  • she should rest as much as possible and eat well;
  • you need to use special teas that increase lactation;
  • feed the baby 1 time per hour so that lactation is constantly stimulated, the main thing is that the break does not exceed 2 hours;
  • feed the baby with two breasts (first apply to one, and then to the other);
  • everything that remains in the breast after feeding, be sure to express it so that new milk is produced;
  • practice night feedings as many times as your baby requires (if the baby eats properly, then he will wake up a maximum of 2 times a night).

If it so happened that for some reason you cannot breastfeed your baby in the amount you would like, do not be upset and worry in vain. Just entrust the process of organizing the transition to a mixed diet to your pediatrician. The doctor will take into account the health characteristics of your baby, select the ideal feeding scheme for him, which will help you raise a healthy and strong child.

The most important thing that parents can give their baby is love and care. If the baby will feel a constant connection with you, he will be comfortable and good!

Video: “Mixed and artificial feeding, mixtures”

Mixed feeding is the feeding of a child with breast milk (at least 150-200 ml per day) in combination with its artificial substitutes.

Introduction to the diet of a newborn, especially in the first months of life, is a real stress for little man, because none of even the most expensive and modern milk formula can fully replace the baby.

The transfer of a newborn to mixed feeding must be strictly justified. This is done only if neither the prevention of hypogalactia nor the stimulation of lactation lead to the desired result.

There are many possible reasons for a decrease in breast milk production, but the most common are:

  • physical fatigue of a woman;
  • temporary fluctuations in the level of hormones in her body or the so-called lactation crises;
  • chronic sleep deprivation of the mother;
  • nervous, mental stress (including postpartum depression);
  • stress (loss of loved ones, problems with her husband's job, housing issues, etc.);
  • , insufficient amount of fluid to drink;
  • unreasonable feeding of the baby with water, sweet drinks, mixture.

However, in practice, pediatricians are more often faced with the fact that a woman simply does not seek to breastfeed her child.

How to choose a formula for mixed nutrition

The mixture must be chosen based on the age of the child and his health problems.

With mixed feeding, the approach to choosing a milk replacer does not differ from that when switching to artificial feeding. That is why you need to choose a modern adapted mixture, taking into account the following points:

  • Child's age. Milk mixtures of each manufacturer have a category for children under 6 months, they are encrypted with the number 1. From the second half of life - mixtures under the number 2. For children older than a year mixtures are marked with the numbers 3 and 4. Some manufacturers produce specialized food for premature and low birth weight babies under the number 0.
  • Some formulas contain probiotics (live lactic acid bacteria), these products are needed to prevent digestive disorders. Note! In the first month of life, children are recommended to enter only fresh mixtures. Children from 1 to 6 months old should be given in a ratio of 1:1, 1:2 with fresh, especially with digestive disorders. Feeding only fermented milk mixture can provoke regurgitation in a child, refusal to eat, shifts in the acid-base state of the body.
  • How less age the baby, the more acutely he needs a highly adapted, modern milk nutrition.
  • There are mixtures, the latter are more convenient to use.
  • For children with allergies, specialized mixtures are produced with a low sugar content, containing soy protein. These mixtures change the color and consistency of the stool, children do not like them for taste.
  • With frequent and profuse regurgitation you need to choose an anti-reflux mixture.

How to feed

It will not be superfluous to remind mothers of a few useful rules:

  1. At each feeding, the mother should first of all offer the baby the breast, and then supplement it with formula, since the alternation of natural and artificial feeding leads to . To know how much the baby should eat the formula, you need to control each breastfeeding on the scales, subtracting this amount of milk from daily requirement breast in nutrition.
  2. With a small amount of milk for one feeding, the baby should be applied to both breasts.
  3. When feeding from a baby bottle, tight nipples with small holes should be used. The mixture through the nipple from the inverted bottle should drip in drops, and not flow out in a trickle. The easier it is for a baby to drink formula from a bottle, the less desire he will have to suck milk from his breast.
  4. When the baby grows up, it is better to feed him with a mixture from a spoon or cup, you need to apply the child every feeding as before, in order to prolong lactation as long as possible and prevent the baby from refusing to breastfeed.
  5. Milk formula for a child needs to be prepared fresh for each feeding, it is impossible to store the prepared mixture and warm it up.

Methods for calculating the volume of milk formula

First 10 days of life

quantity of milk, necessary for the child in the first 10 days of life, can be calculated by the formula: the volume of the daily amount of milk \u003d 2% of the child's weight at the time of birth * the number of days of the child's life.

This means that if the weight of the baby after childbirth is 3500 g, then on the 5th day of life the volume of the daily amount of milk for him is 70 (this is 2% of 3500 g) * 5 = 350 ml. To calculate how much formula is needed per feeding, you need to divide the total daily amount of milk by 8-10 feedings and subtract the amount of milk that the baby sucks from the breast.

The amount of formula needed for one feeding is calculated by the formula: a day of a child's life * 10, i.e. on the 3rd day of life, the child should eat 30 ml of milk, on the 8th - 80 ml.

After the first week of life

It is most convenient to calculate the amount of milk by the age and weight of the baby:

In general, realizing that some babies are more plump, the latter are underweight, when calculating the amount of food, you can take into account the child's need for energy - in the first half of life it is 115 kcal / kg, in the second - 110 kcal / kg per day. The calorie content of the mixture is indicated on the package, on average it is about 700 kcal / 1 liter.

Example: if two month old baby weighs 5 kg, then he needs to eat 115 * 5 = 575 kcal per day. Calculation: in one liter of milk mixture (1000 ml) - 700 kcal, which means (575 * 1000) / 700 \u003d 820 ml of the mixture. Next, the amount of milk received should be divided by the number of feedings and subtract from it the amount of breast milk that the baby sucks from the mother's breast.

How to understand that nutrition is organized correctly


With a properly organized mixed diet the child is active, cheerful, sleeps well and gains weight.

Indicators of properly organized mixed feeding and right choice mixtures.

If you decide that the baby is not full and it's time to introduce the mixture, do not rush to give him the age limit written on the jar with the mixture. According to the rules daily rate calculated according to special formulas that take into account not only the age, but also the weight of the child. The difference in the amount of the mixture according to different formulas does not exceed 5 ml, so you can choose the one that is convenient for you and calculate, the search engine can easily find it.

Unfortunately, bottle feeding carries the risk of overeating due to stomach distension. In a child, the need to suck is associated not only with the need to eat, but also with the need to calm down and reduce discomfort: this is a feature of the work child's body. A baby who suckles at the breast does not receive milk in a constant stream, but only at high tide. All the time that the child sucks pours from the bottle, and he will suck as long as it is required of him. nervous system. It turns out this: the stomach is already full, and the need to suck is not yet satisfied, and the child sucks further, each time stretching and stretching the stomach. The more the stomach is stretched, the more later child feels full, the more nutrients it gets the bigger the threat overweight. Therefore, mixtures are not given to the child without restriction, and the need to suck is satisfied by the artificial dummy. More than a liter of the mixture per day is not given at any age!

If the child eats exclusively mixtures, then everything is clear with the volume of food: we take the formula, calculate the daily volume of the mixture, divide the resulting amount by the number of feedings per day and get the amount of the mixture per feeding. Personally, it is more convenient for me to use the Geibener and Czerny method. For example, at the age of 6 weeks to 4 months, the child receives 1/6 of his weight per day, but not more than one liter. Let's say that at 2 months the child weighs 5600. We apply the formula: 5600/6=933.3(3) is the daily rate. The child eats 7 times a day (once every three hours with one night break), which means that at a time he needs 933/7 = 133.3 (3) ml. If a child weighs 6500 at 2 months, then its daily norm will be 1083.3 (3) ml, but more than a liter of the mixture is not given, which means that the child with 7 feedings per day will receive no more than 142.86 ml at a time.

A what to do if the child is mixed-fed, and calculate how much he ate from the chest, it will not work? Let me remind you that pumping is not indicative of the volume of milk that a child receives. Pumping is a good indication of how much milk a mother can pump, not how much a baby is getting. There are two reliable ways make sure that there is not enough milk: 1) control of weight gain (min 125 g / week = 500 g / month) 2) control of urination per day (min 10-12 per day for a child older than a week and up to 6 months). It is best to combine these methods, but for a single assessment, one method is quite sufficient. From this, two methods for selecting the required amount of supplementary feeding can be deduced.

Option 1: mom introduces the mixture, starting with the minimum amount. For example, 30 ml 1-2 times a day. Once a week, the mother conducts control weighings and, when recruiting less than 125 g / week, increases the amount of supplementary feeding per day by minimal amount: adds 1-2 more feedings of 30 ml. If there are 6-7 feedings of 30 ml each, then an increase in the volume of a single feeding begins: 6 feedings of 30 ml + 1 feeding of 40 ml to all feedings of 40 ml. Etc. The increase in supplementation should be stopped when the baby starts gaining 125g/week or more. One more additional control weighing(control - not the one before and after the meal, but the control - gained 125 g or not) to make sure that this volume is enough.

Option 2: the mother counts the number of urinations of the child and adds approximately 30 ml of supplementary food for each missing time. For example, a baby peed 8 times a day. He lacks the norm 2-4 times, which means that the minimum amount of supplementary feeding can be set to 2 feedings of 30 ml each. After two or three days, the count of urination is repeated. As soon as the number of urination is established slightly above the minimum norm (12-14), the increase in supplementary feeding is stopped. Attention: this method requires confirmation by weight gain control! Those. after establishing the right amount urination requires one to two weighings 7 days apart to ensure weight gain is 125 g/week or more.

Exist several rules for the introduction of supplementary feeding, which contribute to the preservation of lactation at the current level, i.e. ensure that the amount of milk does not decrease.

Rule 1: Supplementation is NOT given from a bottle. Eat good video on the website of the St. Petersburg consultants "The ABC of Motherhood" (easy to find through the search engine), which calls "supplementation without a bottle." You can choose from the recommended methods that suit you and your baby and not risk rejection of the breast due to the introduction of a bottle. The best ways- those that involve supplementary feeding while suckling the breast.

Rule 2: Supplementary feeding is better to break into small portions. For example, a child needs 120 ml of supplementary food. It is better to give 4 times 30 ml than once 120, because by drinking 120 ml at a time, the baby will ignore one breastfeed, which can lead to a decrease in milk production. If the volume of supplementary feeding is more than half, then it is worth considering the possibility of purchasing or self-manufacturing systems supplementary feeding(SNS).

Rule 3: supplementary feeding with a mixture is given only and exclusively by the hour. All other suckling needs are met by breastfeeding on demand.

Most healthy diet For a baby, it's breast milk. But if for some reason it is not enough, they switch to mixed feeding. The baby will receive all the nutrients with mother's milk, and the missing amount will be supplemented with a mixture. This type of feeding has its own characteristics that you need to know and consider.

The mixture should not push breast milk into the background. It only solves the problem of lack of sufficient nutrition. None adapted mixture will not be able to replace the set of those nutrients that are contained in mother's milk.

Mixed feeding continues temporarily. From 6 months, when the time comes for the first complementary foods, the lack of food is replaced with cereals, fruit or vegetable purees.

Be sure to fight for quality lactation. This contributes frequent application baby to the breast, night feeding, increasing the amount of fluid consumed. You should not replace the baby's search reflex with bottles or nipples. Very often, these measures are enough to stop mixed feeding after a few weeks.

Supplementary formula feeding is a long and difficult process. It is necessary to prepare a bottle for each feeding, dilute the mixture, while it should be warm. Breast milk is always at hand and also contains antibodies that protect the baby from infections.

When do you need to supplement

Often a woman begins to feed her baby with mixtures, without real reasons for this, taking her soft and empty breasts for lactation problems. In fact, this may be a sign mature lactation. Milk begins to be produced only at the moment when the baby is applied to the breast.

The amount of milk expressed is also not an indication of nutritional deficiencies. The baby can suck a lot more. You can try to express milk before feeding, pour it into a bottle and check how many grams came out. One more point should be taken into account. To the resulting volume, you need to add 20-30 grams.

You can try to weigh the baby before and after feeding. The resulting difference in weight will be equal to the volume of milk drunk.

The behavior of the child should not be regarded as an indicator that nutrition is insufficient. The baby may cry and turn away from the chest if it is too overexcited, upset. Feeling unwell can lead to a similar reaction: abdominal cramps, teething, clogged nose.

It is very important to make sure that the baby is properly latching onto the breast. In this case, swallowing excess air, the appearance of sores and cracks in the nipple, as well as problems with malnutrition can be avoided.

Mixed feeding is started only if the baby is not gaining weight and there is not enough urination per day. A child should have about 12 urinations per day. You can count if you put diapers instead of diapers.

By medical indications mixed feeding is prescribed in the following cases:

  • decreased lactation;
  • diseases of the mother, which are accompanied by medication;
  • lack of nutrients in milk with anemia in a woman, malnutrition;
  • the need to switch to nutrition with therapeutic mixtures.

Mixed feeding of the child can begin as early as maternity hospital. There may be several reasons for this: large blood loss during childbirth, multiple pregnancy, premature baby, Rhesus conflict.

Supplementary Power Technique

On each package of the mixture is indicated detailed instructions about the rules of breeding and the total volume that the baby should eat per day. Here you also need to take into account the age and characteristics of the development of the organism. The entire recommended amount of the mixture should be divided into five feedings. It is better to start supplementary feeding at morning time. It is not necessary to give the mixture at night.

The best indicator of how many grams of formula to dilute is to weigh the baby before and after feeding. The data obtained are in line with the norms, and the shortage is replenished by supplementary feeding. But there is one nuance here. The baby can drink different amounts of breast milk in different time. In the morning he may drink little, and after a few hours he will be satisfied with another volume of milk.

We need to reconnect the wet diaper count method. Normally, there should be 12. If the number of urination is insufficient, you need to correctly offer extra food. The following diagram will help.

At the age of 3 months, the child is additionally offered 30 grams for each missing urination, in subsequent months, 10 grams are added. And already at the age of six months, the baby receives an additional 60 grams of complementary foods for each missing wet diaper.

For example, if a child aged 4 months urinated 9 times a day, you need to multiply 40 by 3. 120 grams of nutrition are missing, which should be divided into five servings per day.

If the mixture has to be diluted in a small amount, then do not rush to use the bottle. The baby quickly gets used to light sucking and may not take the breast after the bottle.

Feeding is recommended to be done with a spoon, syringe, pipette. The spoon should not be made of metal. Take a small amount of the mixture and pour over the baby's cheek. After he swallows a portion, offer the next. The pipette with the contents must be placed in the corner of the mouth and poured inside.

If a lot of complementary foods are used, then similar methods use is inconvenient and long. Therefore, you need to choose correct pacifier for a bottle. It should be tight and have a small hole.

In order for mixed feeding to take place correctly and successfully, you need to use the following scheme:


It is also necessary to take into account the fact that there is more breast milk in the morning. Therefore, you need to try to feed more often at this time. If milk remains in the breast, it is better to express it and give it to the baby later.

If all these tips are taken into account, the mother will simultaneously fight for the establishment of lactation, and mixed feeding will not turn into artificial feeding.

Mothers are afraid that mixed feeding can lead to upset stools in a child and gas in the tummy. If the mixture is diluted correctly, given in a small amount and not the entire volume at once, then there will be no problems.

Mixed feeding, as well as completely natural, provides the child's body with the necessary immune bodies. There are no such antibodies in mixtures. Therefore, it is not necessary, at the slightest difficulty, to switch to artificial nutrition.