Where does infant feeding begin? table. Introduction of complementary foods for lactase deficiency. Modern complementary feeding schemes

As the baby grows, so does his menu. Gradually it becomes almost the same as that of mom and dad! But still, these are specially prepared dishes.

Vegetable puree

This type of complementary feeding is usually prescribed to children no earlier than 5 months. It is better to start with puree from one type of vegetable, as this allows you to avoid food allergies, which are often observed in infants when using multi-component mixed dishes. But later you can move on to them.

On the 1st day of introducing vegetable puree, a serving of 5-10 ml (1 - 2 tsp) before feeding, and then supplemented with breast milk or formula. It is necessary to monitor the nature of the stool. If it remains normal (yellowish-brown, without mucus, greens, or lumps), then the next day the amount of puree can be increased to 30-50 ml.

Usually, within 1 week, one feeding is completely replaced with vegetable puree and increased to 130-150 ml. The second week is reserved for complete adaptation to the new food.

A variety of vegetables are gradually included in the puree, each type in turn for 5-7 days (zucchini, cauliflower, white cabbage, potatoes, pumpkin, carrots, etc.). By adding them one at a time, it is easy to track which of them cause allergic reactions in the child and eliminate them from the diet in time

Cook at home

To prepare vegetable puree at home, you need to take one type of vegetable, for example, cauliflower, rinse thoroughly, put in an enamel pan, add water and cook until tender. Drain the water, but not completely, mash well, add 3-5 ml of vegetable oil (sunflower, olive), maybe a little boiled milk, and stir until a homogeneous mass is obtained.

Porridge

This dish is given to the child approximately 2 months after the start of complementary feeding. If the baby received his first spoonful of juice at 4 months, then it’s time for him to try porridge at 6 months. And if complementary feeding began when the baby was six months old, porridge is introduced at 8 months.

The first thing the baby is given is porridge that does not contain the vegetable protein gluten (it can cause damage to the cells of the small intestine in young children - celiac disease and allergic reactions, since babies a few months old have a deficiency of the enzyme peptidase, which breaks down gluten). At the beginning, rice, buckwheat, corn are recommended, then oatmeal, and after a year - semolina porridge. Start complementary feeding in the same way as in the case of juices and purees - with 5-10 ml before breastfeeding. It is better to do this in the morning, and vegetable puree, which the baby is already accustomed to, can be postponed to a later time. On the 2nd day, the amount of porridge increases to 30-50 g, and in a week the volume of one feeding is increased to 130-150 g. The second week is reserved for complete adaptation to the new product. Add 3-5 g of butter or baby cream (10%) in a volume of no more than 50 g to the porridge, which can also be used in preparing vegetable purees.

When introducing 2 complete complementary foods into the baby’s daily diet, it is advisable to separate them by taking breast milk or formula, for example, 6-00 - breast milk, 10-00 - porridge, juice, 14-00 - breast milk (or formula), 18-00 - vegetable puree, 22-00 - breast milk.

Modern industrially produced porridges are prepared immediately before consumption. They are divided into dairy and dairy-free (for children with milk intolerance), as well as those that need to be boiled and those that do not require cooking. These baby cereals have proven themselves well; they are enriched with vitamins, minerals, and iron, taking into account the physiological needs of babies in their first year of life. A number of cereals (both dairy and non-dairy) contain fruit and vegetable additives. In addition, industrially produced porridges that do not require cooking significantly save time. But sometimes they can cause allergies in children predisposed to this disease due to the various additives they contain.

Children's porridge should be prepared strictly following the recommendations for the cooking method indicated on the packaging. It is also necessary to observe the terms and conditions of storage of both opened and unopened packages.

Cook at home

Cooking porridge at home is also easy. The cereal can be pre-ground in a coffee grinder to the state of flour (of course, the coffee grinder should not contain coffee residues) or the already prepared porridge can be broken in a mixer until a homogeneous mass is obtained. It is better to cook the cereal in water, and immediately before feeding, add 20-30 ml of breast milk or the formula that the baby usually eats. This will improve the taste of the dish and make it more “familiar” for the child. At first, the porridge should be liquid (5 g of cereal per 100 grams of water), but gradually you can make it thicker.

When can you cook porridge with milk? Recently, many nutritionists have strongly recommended postponing a baby’s introduction to whole milk until a later age: according to some data, up to a year, according to others - up to 2-2.5 years, since recently the number of cases of food allergies to cow’s milk protein has increased significantly. .

Cottage cheese

This dairy product is introduced into a child’s diet no earlier than 6 months. (If the first complementary foods were introduced at 6 months, then, accordingly, from 8 months). They start giving it with 0.5 teaspoon (according to the same rules as other types of complementary foods), after a month the portion is increased to 30 g, and by the year - to 50 g per day. Sometimes, with insufficient weight gain, the amount of cottage cheese increases. However, in every specific case It is necessary to consult a doctor, as cottage cheese is rich in protein, calcium, and a large number of This product may lead to obesity and high blood pressure in the future.

The modern food industry produces children's cottage cheese, which is prepared from natural cow's milk using a special starter culture. In terms of fat composition, it can be milk (4.5%) and creamy (10%). In addition, natural fruit, berry and vegetable fillings are often added to the composition of cottage cheese for children, which allows not only to diversify the assortment, but also to enrich the baby’s nutrition with plant fibers, vitamins and microelements. However, children with a tendency to allergies should be given cottage cheese with fillers with caution.

Cook at home

You can prepare cottage cheese for your child yourself. Of course, the question may arise, why do this if this product is on sale?

The answer is simple: at home you can always be sure of its quality and freshness. In addition, self-cooking makes it possible to prepare cottage cheese of the desired consistency and in the required quantity. The methods for making homemade cottage cheese are quite simple and, in principle, remain the same as many centuries ago. You just need to keep in mind that this is a perishable product, so it should only be stored in the refrigerator, and no longer than 2-3 days.

1. Cottage cheese with sourdough

Required Products:

milk: 1 l;
50 - 75 g kefir, yogurt or sour cream for sourdough

Preparation:

Milk is boiled and cooled to a temperature of 35 - 40 degrees. Then the starter is added to it, mixed and left until the milk acquires the consistency of curdled milk. After this, the sour milk is heated over low heat until the whey separates. Then take a colander, put gauze in it and pour the heated mass onto it. The whey flows down, and the gauze with cottage cheese is tied and hung so that the excess moisture drains completely. If you want the cottage cheese to be denser, place a board treated with boiling water with a weight on the semi-finished product in gauze. After 5 - 6 hours, the cottage cheese is ready. You can do without sourdough, but then the milk must sour on its own, and this requires a longer time.

2. Cottage cheese without leaven

Required Products:
kefir 600 g

Preparation:

One-day kefir is poured into a clean saucepan, covered with a lid, placed in a water bath and simmered over low heat for 30 minutes. During this time it should curdle. After this, remove the pan from the heat and place it in a bowl of cold water. The cooled cottage cheese is placed on a sieve covered with clean gauze, lightly squeezed and rubbed through the same gauze. From 600 g of kefir you get 100 g of cottage cheese.

Yolk

From 7 months, babies are given the yolk of a chicken egg (if the first complementary foods were introduced at 6 months, then the yolk is introduced at 9 months). Start with 1/8 of it and gradually increase the portion to 1/2 yolk per day. This product is unacceptable in the diet of children with allergic diseases. If you are prone to allergies, quail egg yolk is recommended.

To prepare such complementary foods, you need to thoroughly wash the egg with running water and boil it for at least 10 minutes, then remove the protein, which is the main allergen in the egg, and take that part of the yolk that did not come into contact with the protein. After this, it needs to be kneaded and given to the baby along with breast milk or added to vegetable puree.

Meat

From 8 months, the child’s daily menu includes meat purees - a source of protein and easily digestible iron (if the first complementary foods were introduced at 6 months, then meat should be given from 9-10 months). For healthy children, meat purees are given starting from 5 g (1 teaspoon), and by the age of one year they are gradually increased to 60-80 g. It is better to start with turkey, beef, and lean pork.

Cook at home

You can prepare meat puree at home. To do this, fat-free meat, cleared of veins and films, must be boiled, finely chopped with a knife and minced at least twice. The resulting minced meat can be mixed with vegetable puree or milk (mixture). To save time and effort, you can take a different route: prepare meatballs from raw minced meat, put them in the freezer and use as needed. They can also be boiled together with vegetables, and then chopped together in a blender.

Important Limitations

Chicken meat should not be used in the diet of children with allergies, and the menu of children with allergies to cow's milk protein should not contain veal and beef. If a child is allergic to many types of foods, it is best to use horse meat, venison, and rabbit meat for complementary feeding. And in children with anemia, meat puree can be introduced earlier than 7-8 months. From 8-9 months you can give meat in the form of meatballs. They are prepared as follows: meat without fat, films and veins is passed through a meat grinder twice, the crumb of white bread is soaked in milk and added to the minced meat, then the mass is passed through the meat grinder again. To make the minced meat more fluffy, beat it thoroughly. Then small balls are made from the bread and meat mass and steamed or boiled. By the year you can cook baby and steamed cutlets. The minced meat for them is made in approximately the same way as for meatballs, but the serving size should be about 10 g larger.

If you don’t have a special pan for cooking steamed dishes, you can put the meatballs or cutlets in a bowl, fill halfway with water, cover with a lid and cook in the oven. Meat broths are not used in the nutrition of children of the first year of life.

Kefir

As recent studies have shown, the use of this fermented milk product by children 6-8 months old can lead to pinpoint hemorrhages in the intestines, so kefir can be given to babies starting from 9-12 months in an amount not exceeding 200 ml. Baby kefir and kefir enriched with bifidobacteria are sources of protein, some vitamins and mineral salts. They are prepared from natural cow's milk using a starter containing kefir grains, which ensure better absorption of lactose and protein. Enrichment of kefir with bifidobacteria has a positive effect on intestinal flora, reduces the risk of developing infectious diseases, and normalizes activity digestive tract.

Other complementary foods

You can also diversify the menu of a growing baby with special baby cookies, which quickly dissolve under the influence of saliva. Thus, there is no danger that the child may choke on crumbs. These cookies are given to babies starting at 7 months. But despite all the safety of the mentioned product, the baby should not be left alone with it. The baby can stuff the entire cookie into his mouth and will not be able to cope with such a volume. If a child does not show interest in liver, it can be “masked” by dissolving it in juice or mixing it with cottage cheese or fruit puree.

From 7-8 months, wheat bread in the form of crackers is introduced into the baby’s diet, which the child happily tries to bite with 1-2 teeth that have recently broken through, or even just with his gums.

From 8-12 months it is recommended to treat your baby with fortified milk. However, due to the high ability of this product to cause allergies in the menu of children of the first year of life, it is better to use it in small quantities - only for preparing cereals and vegetable purees.

Children 10-12 months old can be given low-fat fish (cod, pike perch, hake, etc.) instead of meat puree 1-2 times a week if they are not allergic.

In addition, from 8-12 months, the baby will benefit from specialized baby milk (not creamy!) yogurt with a moderate content of fats and carbohydrates.

We feed correctly!

When feeding your baby, you should not be guided by your own, “adult”, tastes. There is no need to sweeten your child's food or add salt and spices to baby food. The natural amount of carbohydrates and minerals contained in vegetables, fruits, meat, and fish completely satisfies the baby’s needs. Do not reheat food or reuse leftover crumbs of food. For feeding, it is better to use a plastic (silicone) spoon with smooth edges.

You should never force your child to eat. You should be prepared for the fact that he will reject some new tastes. However, the preferences of a young gourmet are usually changeable, and therefore a dish that has fallen out of favor can be prepared for him again, after some time.

Some children love liquid food and are willing to eat a lot of it, while others prefer thicker food in smaller quantities. Sometimes the baby eats a whole plate of porridge, and sometimes only a spoonful. In addition, babies often ask for a drink while eating. Don't deny them this - after taking one or two sips, they will continue eating. And there is no need to be upset if not everything goes smoothly during the process of feeding your baby. The main thing is that the child is healthy and gaining weight well.

The first feeding of a child often causes disturbances in his body. Therefore, it is important for parents to know when to introduce their baby to more varied and solid foods. Which ones are best to start feeding and much more.

Of course, the best product for a baby is breast milk. It contains all the necessary nutrients: vitamins, microelements that are important for the growth and development of the child as a whole. In addition, when breastfeeding, the baby receives antibodies that help his body fight diseases.

When to start the first complementary foods, how to administer them correctly?

If such situations are detected, it is necessary to stop complementary feeding and seek advice from a specialist.

What can you give during the first feeding?

First, the baby is introduced to vegetable purees, followed by porridge, then fruit puree, meat, cottage cheese and fish.

Parents should remember that the baby's first complementary foods should be prepared only from fresh products. Long-term storage of prepared food is unacceptable, as it reduces its quality and usefulness.

Vegetable purees come in a variety of varieties. First, low-allergenic vegetables are introduced into the child's complementary feeding: cauliflower, pumpkin or homemade zucchini. Once you reach 0, you can start adding finely chopped potatoes, grated beets and carrots to your diet. Ingredients such as salt and sugar in baby food are strictly prohibited.

You can move on to other types of complementary foods if the child is accustomed to the first. The approximate time for introducing new food is two to three weeks, but not earlier than this period.

What cereals are best to give during the first feeding?

Porridge is considered a must-have product in a child’s diet and is one of the first to be introduced into complementary foods. It is better to introduce the baby to this dish after its gastrointestinal tract has adapted to the first complementary foods, that is, vegetable puree.

Of course, the baby should only try anything low-allergenic for the first time, since the body is new and the risks here should be minimal. As a rule, these are porridges that do not contain such a component as gluten. These include: rice porridge, buckwheat, etc. In the beginning they should be cooked only with water (dairy-free), and closer to 9 months milk should be added.

Gluten-free cereals in complementary foods

Buckwheat. One of the best for introducing complementary foods, as it does not contain gluten, but contains a lot of vegetable protein necessary for the development and growth of children. Buckwheat porridge has a significant fiber content and a minimal dose of starch. This porridge perfectly performs the work of the intestines, especially if the baby is predisposed to constipation.

Rice. It is also a hypoallergenic product. Rice contains a high amount of starch, which is easily digestible and is considered useful for a child's unstable stool. For constipation, such porridge should be limited or abolished altogether.

Corn. Its usefulness for the baby’s body is that it does not contain gluten, which means it is low-allergenic. Corn porridge contains many vitamins necessary for the development of a child in the first year of life: iron, calcium, potassium . Does not cause constipation.

Fruit puree, meat and cottage cheese when feeding a baby for the first time

Fruit purees are also introduced gradually from 7 months of the baby’s life. Of course, the safest fruit for baby’s health is homemade apples or pears. These fruits do not often cause allergic reactions in the baby’s body.

Meat should be introduced into baby's complementary foods no earlier than 8-9 months.. For this, lean meat is used. It is best to buy beef, pork, poultry or rabbit. Of course, everything is introduced carefully and with caution.

Meat is a valuable product rich in vitamins, but if the baby is allergic to goat or cow's milk protein, then a similar reaction may occur to meat products.

Pork is a fattier meat product; it is used as a substitute for beef if there are allergic reactions. To begin with, it is better to start with turkey or rabbit meat, as it is hypoallergenic. The product should be introduced gradually, starting with half a teaspoon, increasing the volume of the meat product from 20 to 60 ml by the age of 12 months.

Cottage cheese- This is a healthy fermented milk food. This product is introduced into complementary foods from the age of 8 months. It contains vitamins and minerals such as calcium and phosphorus, which help in the formation of bone tissue. The product must be given to the child in small portions, gradually and with caution.

You need to start complementary feeding with cottage cheese in small portions: at first, half a teaspoon is enough. If everything is normal, then the volume of the product is gradually increased, bringing it to the norm of 50 grams by the first year of life.

The baby is 8 months old, within 5 days the amount of curd mass can be increased to 40 grams, and by 9 months to 50 grams.

How to introduce fish into complementary foods

Fish should be present in the diet when the child reaches 9 months, but if allergic reactions are present, it is better to postpone the introduction of the product until 1-1.5 years. The following types of sea fish are suitable for the first feeding of children:

  • Cod
  • Pollock
  • Haddock

These types of fish are less allergic to the body and are well absorbed by the digestive system of small babies. The serving size reaches 30 grams of fish puree per day and no more than once a week.

Table of products for first feeding

Below is a table with indications for introducing main foods into complementary foods during the first year of a child’s life.

Products Volume 5 months 7 months 8 months 9 months 12 months
Vegetable puree G 10-120 70-120 150 170 200
Dairy-free porridge ml 10-150 150-180 200
Milk porridge ml 180-200 180-200
Fruit puree G 5-60 60 70 100
Meat G 10-30 30-70 80
Cottage cheese G 10-30 40 50
Fish G 10-30 60

You should not exceed the amount of food specified in the complementary feeding plan, as the body will receive a huge workload internal organs. And this entails a failure in their work and can cause problems with the child’s health in the future.

After the first three to four months of the child’s life, the mother thinks about introducing the first complementary foods into the baby’s diet. The baby’s body develops, and at the same time its needs grow. To satisfy them, it is necessary to supplement the menu with new, properly selected products. How to introduce complementary foods, at what age and “how much to weigh in grams,” you will learn in our article.

Introduction of complementary foods: first steps

Most pediatricians recommend introducing complementary foods between 4 and 6 months. The WHO does not give an exact formulation of when this moment will occur; their recommendations include the vague “at the child’s age of about six months.” It is worth noting that you should not introduce the first complementary foods beyond the permissible time limit. Introducing complementary foods too early (as well as too late) can provoke the development of diseases in the baby.

Consequences of early introduction of complementary foods (up to 4-4.5 months):

  • Stool disorders– a child who receives complementary foods early is 90% likely to experience problems with bowel movements (constipation, diarrhea).
  • Allergic reaction– the baby’s digestive tract is too immature for complementary feeding.
  • Delayed development and growth– complementary feeding too early can cause damage to the intestines, food will no longer be absorbed correctly, which will cause a lot of problems in the physical development of a four-month-old baby.

Consequences of late introduction of complementary foods (after 6.5-7 months):

  • Delayed formation of the masticatory apparatus– at 5-6 months, the development of chewing muscles requires additional food in addition to breast milk/formula. Thicker, it stimulates the active development of the chewing apparatus, which later in life is important for the baby’s correct articulation and speech;
  • Stunting- V breast milk not enough iron and protein for a five-month-old baby. Their deficiency inhibits the physical development of a five-month-old baby, and even the development of anemia is possible;
  • Celiac disease is a medical term for plant protein intolerance. Celiac disease can occur with late complementary feeding; it is especially pronounced when crumbs of various cereals are introduced into the diet;
  • Stool disorders– the intestines of a six-month-old baby need dietary fiber for active work, which is not found in milk and formula. Without dietary fiber at this age, the baby will be prone to constant constipation.

When introducing a new diet to your baby’s menu, you must take into account medical recommendations. And specific terms, products and methods will be determined by the first trials by none other than your own baby.

Important! Complementary feeding in no way eliminates the child's consumption of breast milk (or formula), and does not replace it. Even if complementary feeding was introduced early, a nursing mother, if desired, can continue to breastfeed her baby not only for up to a year, but also for 2, 3 or more years.

Is your baby ready for complementary feeding?

Full readiness for complementary feeding occurs when the child:

  • has doubled its birth weight or weighs more than 6 kg (for premature babies, the figure should be 2.5 times its “newborn” weight);
  • no longer spits out thick food (mashed potatoes) from the mouth reflexively;
  • when hungry, at the sight of food he becomes excited, and clenches his lips when he does not want to eat;
  • in a reclining state, sit on the lap of an adult and can turn away from the spoon;
  • shows an active interest in food - he watches what adults eat, strives to try food from his mother’s plate, and willingly “pulls” the food offered to him in his mouth.

Note! The eruption of the first milk teeth and the ability to sit independently are not signs of a child’s readiness to learn the first complementary foods.

Introduction to complementary feeding with natural and artificial feeding

It would seem that as soon as breastfeeding has improved after the difficult first months of life or the optimal option for artificial nutrition has been selected, the time comes for complementary feeding.

Why is it so important to introduce new, thicker food to a baby?

  • The chewing apparatus and digestive system develop.
  • Complementary foods are an additional source of nutrients (protein, zinc, iron, dietary fiber and others that cannot be found in the required quantities in breast milk and adapted formula).
  • More solid foods stimulate intestinal motor activity.
  • With the introduction of complementary foods, the child gets acquainted with new tastes.
  • The baby gradually learns to eat food on his own.

All of the above needs are individual for each child and complementary foods are recognized to satisfy.

Complementary feeding while breastfeeding

Mother's milk is the best food for children in the first months of life. The World Health Organization recommends that infants fed breast milk begin complementary feeding no earlier than 180 days after birth, which corresponds to 6 months of life. For a six-month-old baby, breast milk alone is no longer enough for proper and successful development. Additional nutrition in the form of new food is required for the proper formation of all vital systems of his body: nervous, renal, muscular, etc.

Formula-fed complementary foods

A child who has been drinking an adapted milk formula since birth can be introduced to complementary foods earlier - already at 4-4.5 months of life. In infants on IV, the digestive system has matured sufficiently by this age, and intestinal immunity is actively developing. Increased permeability of the mucous membrane of the intestinal walls is normalized. The digestive system as a whole becomes optimal for accepting and digesting thicker foods. A baby on formula must be introduced to complementary foods no later than 4.5 months. Later complementary feeding can create a deficiency of vitamins and microelements in the body, which will lead to the occurrence of various pathologies.

Mixed feeding

With mixed feeding, when the baby's diet includes both breast milk and formula, complementary feeding can begin on average at 5 months. Mixed-fed babies receive less breast milk, making up for its deficiency with formula milk, and begin to need useful substances for proper development and growth earlier than natural babies. In this case, complementary foods become an important supplier of nutrients.

Five steps to a successful start to complementary feeding

The right approach to introducing complementary foods is already half the success. Let’s note a few tips for parents who are going to introduce their child to “real grown-up food.”

  1. New foods can only be introduced when the baby is completely healthy. During illness, a child should not be given any food that has not been tried before. However, foods already introduced into the diet must continue to be given.
  2. Do not introduce several different types of food at once - otherwise it will be impossible to identify the exact cause of an allergy or bowel disorder.
  3. There is absolutely no point in rushing your child while eating. The baby should eat at the speed at which he is comfortable doing it.
  4. Offer your baby complementary foods when he is hungry. If the baby tries to play with food, or avoids the spoon in every possible way and pushes it away, then stop feeding. The child will definitely catch up next time.
  5. It happens that a child categorically does not want to try a new product. Don't be upset - you can invite him to try this food again after a few days.

On a note! Do not turn the feeding process into a game - dancing, singing songs and asking to “eat a spoon for mom” is not at all necessary. You should also not force feed, respect your baby. When he gets hungry, the meal you planned will certainly take place.

What products are the first complementary foods made from?

Meat

This is the main source of animal proteins, which must be present in the menu of a child six months and older. An easily digestible puree is prepared from rabbit meat, lean beef, and lean pork can also be used. Meat is a fibrous product, so for babies it needs to be chopped as much as possible using a blender. If this is not possible, it is better to start complementary meat feeding with canned baby food that does not contain salt, starch and spices.

Fish

Fish puree is one of the dishes to prevent rickets in infants. This food product is of particular need for babies with vitamin D deficiency. For infants up to one year old, it is best to try dishes made from ocean fish: hake, cod, pollock or salmon. River pike perch and trout are also perfect for complementary feeding. Fish is almost completely digestible and, among other things, is rich in potassium, calcium, phosphorus and iron, which is important for a growing body.

Bird

According to pediatricians, turkey is the best baby food for babies, and you can’t argue with that - it is easily absorbed by the body. Moreover, boiled turkey puree is considered one of the hypoallergenic dishes, and turkey meat is rich in iron, and a baby with this product on the menu will never have anemia. But chicken can easily cause diathesis, so it is better to introduce chicken into the diet closer to a year.

Vegetables

Rich in nutrients, vegetables will give your baby energy and support the immune system. Cauliflower and potatoes are rich in vitamin C, carrots and pumpkin are responsible for vitamin A, zucchini is a storehouse of phosphorus and magnesium. Well, what about broccoli, because it is the optimal source of beta-carotene. Cooked in a double boiler, they will retain all their beneficial qualities and become an excellent basis for the diet of a “matured” baby.

Fruits and berries

For your first acquaintance, it is better to look for vitamins and fiber in domestic fruits that have thick skin. Green apples and ripe pears are ideal choices. The baby will also benefit from purees made from raspberries, currants and strawberries - only for them you need to wait until the baby is 6-8 months old.

Rules for introducing complementary foods by month - what, when and how much

For a healthy child, the first complementary food can be a one-component vegetable puree, porridge, and after some time, fruit juice. For children prone to diarrhea, it is better to first offer gluten-free porridge. For constipation - vegetable puree. If you are going to use canned food, read the label carefully - it indicates the age recommended for introducing a baby to this product.

An approximate scheme for introducing complementary feeding to a child looks like this:

  • 4-5 months– one-component fruit purees/juices (from apples, pears, apricots, then plums and peaches), vegetable purees (mainly from zucchini, cauliflower, broccoli and carrots), as well as gluten-free porridge (rice and buckwheat);
  • 5-6 months– multi-component fruit purees/juices (pear+peach, apple+apricot, etc.), children's drinks with the addition of berries (currants, lingonberries, cranberries, raspberries containing up to 20%), vegetable purees (pumpkin and small amounts are added quantities of white cabbage); gluten-free porridge with corn grits and gluten-containing oatmeal; drop by drop in puree - vegetable oil, 1/2 tsp. butter;
  • 6-7 months– cottage cheese, egg or quail yolk appear in the diet, meat (rabbit, turkey, then chicken, beef and pork), gluten-containing cereals are required, bananas, baby instant cookies, white bread crackers are also allowed from six months;
  • 7-8 months– in addition to consuming the above products, soft wheat bread is introduced, mashed green peas can be given;
  • 8-9 months– an introduction to baby yogurt occurs, fish is added to the menu (oceanic - hake, cod, flounder or river - carp, pike perch, silver carp), meat purees with offal (mainly liver, tongue), spinach, leaf parsley and onion are added to vegetable purees onion;
  • 10 months and older - the diet is supplemented with pasta from soft varieties of wheat; it is also allowed to add a pinch of the first spices to dishes: white pepper, basil, coriander.

For convenience, below is a table for introducing complementary foods, which will tell you when a child can be introduced to a new product and in what quantity to start giving it to the baby.

Child's age

Description of complementary foods

What can be added to the menu (new products)Recommended size (daily value)Cooking methods
4-5 months
  • Vegetable puree (zucchini, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots).
  • Gluten-free porridges (buckwheat, rice).
  • Fruit juices and purees from one component (apple, pear, prune-based drink).
  • Children's granulated teas (with herbal and/or fruit extracts).
  • We try fruit purees with 1/2 teaspoon, gradually increasing to 40 g by 5 months.
  • We try vegetables from 1 teaspoon, and by six months we bring it to 120 g.
  • We give porridge from 1 teaspoon, by six months we bring the portion to 150 g.
  • We try teas with 20 ml, gradually increasing to 100 ml.
  • Homemade puree: steamed boiled vegetables and mashed through a fine sieve without salt with 1-2 drops of vegetable oil.
5-6 months
  • Gluten-free (corn) and gluten-containing (wheat, oat) porridges.
  • Multi-component fruit juices and purees (apple + peach, apple + pear, apricot).
  • Vegetable purees (beets, pumpkin, potatoes).
  • Cottage cheese.
  • Add cottage cheese from 0.5 teaspoon, gradually increase to 40 g.
  • We start trying multi-component fruit purees with 1 tsp, working up to a serving of 50 g.
  • We give vegetable purees 100-120 g per dose.
  • A serving of porridge – 150 g.
  • Special curd for baby food
  • Industrial jars
  • Industrially produced porridges or cooked in water with the addition of breast milk
6-7 months
  • Porridge from a mixture of grains (3 or more).
  • Meat (chicken, rabbit, turkey, pork, beef).
  • Fruits and berries (bananas, mangoes, melon, strawberries).
  • Vegetables (tomatoes, cumin, dill).
  • Egg yolk.
  • Give the yolk “in crumbs”, starting with 1/8 of the part and bringing it to 1/4 of the part.
  • Give meat purees from 1 teaspoon, gradually increasing the portion to 20 g.
  • Vegetable purees – 150 g each, fruit purees – 60-70 g each.
  • A serving of porridge per meal is 150 g.
  • Boiled and crushed egg yolk (cook in boiling water for at least 15 minutes)
  • Boiled and pureed meat or industrial jars
  • Special children's instant cookies
  • Dried fresh bread
7-8 months
  • Bread.
  • New fruits (exotic fruits: pineapples, papaya).
  • Vegetables (green peas).
  • Fruit purees and juices – 70 g (ml).
  • Cottage cheese – 40 g.
  • Egg yolk per serving – 1/2 part.
  • Meat puree – 40 g.
  • Crackers (cookies) – no more than 5 g.
  • Fresh fruit, blended or pureed through a fine sieve
  • Bread made from premium flour
8-9 months
  • Meat dishes with the addition of offal (liver, heart, tongue).
  • Lean fish fillet (hake, cod, haddock, flounder).
  • Children's kefir and yogurt.
  • Vegetable purees with meat (green beans, celery).
  • Give yogurt or kefir 150 ml per day.
  • Meat purees – up to 50 g per day.
  • Fish from 1 teaspoon, bring to a serving volume of 40 g/day.
  • Vegetable puree and porridge – 180 g.
  • The norm of yolk, cottage cheese, fruit purees remains the same.
  • Fermented milk products for baby food
  • Industrial jars
  • Steamed and thoroughly pureed fish
  • Homemade puree
9-12 months
  • Baby porridge with honey filling, muesli.
  • Dairy products (yogurt, bifidoc, acidophilus, sour cream, cheese).
  • Chicken egg (including white).
  • First sweets (marshmallows, marshmallows).
  • Milk porridge – 200 g.
  • Vegetable purees – 180 g.
  • Fruit puree, juices – 100 ml.
  • Cottage cheese – 50 g.
  • Meat – 70 g.
  • Fish – up to 60 g.
  • Wheat bread – 10 g.
  • Kefir, yogurt – up to 300 ml.
  • Steaming vegetables
  • Baking
  • Cooking in water
  • The degree of grinding of products can be varied

On a note! Complementary feeding is always individual. Parents can vary the sequence of introducing foods depending on the tastes of their baby. The main thing is that by the 12th month of his life, the child has had time to become familiar with two types of cereals, try at least 2-3 types of vegetables and fruits, a couple of varieties of meat, as well as fish, cottage cheese and egg yolk.

First feeding and child health - nutritional features

There are cases when complementary foods are introduced not according to a general, but according to a special scheme. This is important for mothers whose babies have health problems to know. Let us note several common situations that young parents and their children face.

Digestive problems

If a child often has problems with the gastrointestinal tract, then porridge would be a suitable complementary food for him. If you are prone to constipation, the first complementary food should be plant foods (vegetable puree). Infants older than 7.5 months may benefit from infant milk products containing pro- and prebiotics. They restore intestinal function in the best possible way and create ideal conditions for the development of beneficial intestinal bacteria.

Underweight

Low birth weight infants need to supplement their diet with new foods with caution. Feeding babies who are lagging behind in weight should first of all be provided by breast milk/formula. The first complementary food for an underweight baby should be porridge - choose a product additionally fortified with calcium, iron and zinc.

Tendency to allergies

Babies with allergies should be introduced to complementary foods a little later than others - at about 5-6 months. Dairy-free porridge is a great start to complementary feeding and should be gluten-free. It is also worth paying attention to hypoallergenic industrial products; they have appropriate inscriptions on the labels.

Parents of healthy children should also be attentive and not rush to master the entire range of complementary feeding products with their infants. Introduce your baby to 1-2 types of new foods and allow the baby’s body to get used to them for at least a week. Boiled food is easier to tolerate, even fruits are recommended to be given boiled or baked (for example, a baked pear or apple is well digested).

Advice! Offer the next product only in the morning or before lunch: this way you can assess the body’s response throughout the day and draw the right conclusion regarding a specific ingredient.

First feeding menu: how to introduce the next product

At the beginning of this part we would like to show a video of preparing complementary foods from a collection of recipes from a young mother:

Any new food, be it porridge or puree, regardless of the composition, is offered to the child according to the following scheme: start with 1/2 teaspoon and increase the portion to its full volume within 7 days. The amount of complementary feeding depends on the baby’s age and health status, so only the pediatrician observing the baby can give more specific figures. We can only name generally accepted norms:

– Vegetable purees – 100 g/day;

– Fruit purees - 50 g/day;

– Porridge – up to 150 g/day;

– Meat – up to 50 g/day.

Then the new product is given for another couple of days to “fix” the body, and the next one begins to be introduced.

We offer you as an example of a menu showing how a new product – broccoli – is introduced into the diet, while the baby already eats 100 g of zucchini puree per day.

Day 1: 1/2 tsp. Broccoli puree, the rest is zucchini.

Day 2: 2-3 tsp. Broccoli puree, the rest is zucchini.

Day 3: 5-6 tsp. Broccoli puree, the rest is zucchini.

Day 4: about 40-50 g of broccoli (half a jar) and the same amount of zucchini.

Day 5: almost the entire jar of broccoli puree (about 80-100 g).

Day 6-7: a full jar of broccoli (100 g).

In the following days, the puree can be alternated: today - broccoli, tomorrow - zucchini, or you can give both purees, 50 g of each. You can also mix purees as an option, the main thing is that the amount of vegetables offered to the child does not exceed the recommended daily allowance.

Canned complementary feeding: what is important to pay attention to

When preparing the first complementary foods for their baby, mothers often ask themselves the question: cook or buy?

It is worth noting that both baby food and homemade food have their own disadvantages and advantages.

  • Canned purees can be safely called a “guarantor of safety” - they are properly crushed, have undergone the necessary heat treatment and contain all the declared vitamins and microelements.
  • Homemade food, first of all, costs parents much less than canned food. Homemade puree has a unique taste, and mom knows exactly what quality of product she used as a basis.

What should you pay attention to when choosing a “canned” product?

Composition of puree. An ideal puree for complementary feeding should include only natural (and understandable) products. That is, vegetables, fruits, meat, cereals and water. The presence of vegetable oil in the composition is allowed.

Child's age. On the jars you can find the inscriptions “6 months+” or “from 8 months”. This means that this product can be given to a child only from the indicated age, and not earlier. Keep in mind that manufacturers write a minimum age on the packaging, which may not correspond to that recommended by a pediatrician. Be sure to consult your doctor regarding a specific brand of product.

Grinding degree. Baby purees can come in two types: homogenized and puree. In the first, all ingredients are crushed as much as possible, pieces no more than 0.3 mm. In a puree product they are 1.5-3 mm. If the word “with pieces” is written on the package, then the puree is for babies who can chew such food (over 10-11 months).

A short summary in the form of a short video for young mothers. Everything you need to know about complementary feeding:

The growth of children is directly related to an increased need for more nutrients. When introducing complementary feeding to a child by month, it is important to take into account what kind of feeding the baby was previously fed: breast or bottle-fed. To make it more convenient, create a daily schedule and table for the introduction of adult food for infants under 1 year of age.

To add nutrients to the baby's body, groundbait is usually introduced.

When to introduce complementary foods to a baby

Based on WHO research, complementary feeding of infants should begin at six months of age - at this age the readiness of the digestive tract and nervous system to changes in the usual diet is noted. When artificial feeding, introducing new foods is allowed from 4–5 months.

The main signs that a child is ready for complementary feeding are:

  • he sits with support or independently, confidently turns his head to the sides;
  • the weight became 2 times greater than at birth, in premature infants - 2.5 times;
  • the regime changes, after feeding the baby remains hungry, he more often asks for the mother’s breast;
  • stops pushing hard pieces of food out of the mouth;
  • is interested in the foods on his parents’ plate;
  • holds the spoon independently and pulls it into his mouth.

Complementary foods are introduced no earlier than a week after vaccinations. From 7 months it replaces 1 full feeding.

Rules for introducing first complementary foods

The introduction of new food helps develop the chewing apparatus, activates the gastrointestinal tract enzyme production system and speeds up the process of weaning from mother's milk or formula. To minimize the risk of deterioration of the baby’s condition, it is important to follow the correct sequence of introducing new products into the children’s menu and adhere to a number of recommendations:

  1. The first feeding is carried out between 9 and 11 am. At the same time, it is allowed to introduce 1 new product, with a volume of no more than 10 g. Children should be fed adult food on an empty stomach, later supplemented with formula or breast milk. Every day you should increase the portion by 10 g until the recommended daily intake is reached. For children with breastfeeding, start giving small amounts of purified water along with new food.
  2. Feed your baby by teaspoon, reducing the use of nipples and bottles. Only freshly prepared and warm food is used. The shelf life of prepared food is no more than 2 hours.
  3. Before the baby begins to develop teeth, the selected product is first subjected to heat treatment and thoroughly crushed. Before introducing new ingredients into your diet, you need to wait 5 days to a week. It is possible to compose dishes from various products only after introducing each of them separately.
  4. There is no need to force your child to eat food - if he does not want to eat new foods, take a week break, and then try again. Avoid complementary feeding while your baby is sick, vaccinated, or teething. Also take into account the child’s stressful state in the event of a move or sudden climate change.

There is no need to force your child to eat if he doesn’t want to.

It is not recommended to start complementary feeding in the summer. If a child experiences an allergic reaction or worsening stomach function, remove the inappropriate product from the menu. You can try introducing it into your diet again after several months and only after consulting a doctor.

The introduction of complementary foods involves continuing to feed the baby after regular meals with formula or breastfeeding. The untimely introduction of new ingredients to the menu contributes to a lack of useful microelements and weight loss in the child, and early complementary feeding significantly increases the likelihood of developing an allergic reaction due to immature immune system. In addition, a prolonged monotonous diet increases the risk of developing rickets and iron deficiency anemia.

According to Komarovsky, kefir and cottage cheese are introduced at the beginning of complementary feeding, since their composition is similar to breast milk.

The doctor's main advice is as follows:

  1. For the first 4 days, the baby should be given kefir from a teaspoon, increasing the dosage from 10 ml to 100 ml.
  2. On day 5, add cottage cheese to the fermented milk product, stirring until the lumps are eliminated. Up to 8 months, the daily intake of the product should not exceed 30 g; for children from 9 months, the daily amount is allowed to increase to 50 g.

Complementary feeding according to WHO

In its turn, WHO recommends starting complementary feeding in the following order:– vegetables, porridge, meat, fish. Juices are given to the child later than other products, since they increase the risk of an allergic reaction, contain excessive amounts of sugar, and often lead to deterioration in the functioning of the kidneys or pancreas. To begin with, give preference to apple or pear juice, since they are less likely to cause allergies and do not lead to extra pounds.

If you are underweight or have weak stools, it is correct to initially introduce porridge; if there is excess weight and constipation, start with vegetable complementary foods.

Complementary feeding table for children under one year old

The most common thing in complementary feeding is vegetable puree.

Scheme for introducing adult food into a child’s menu by age:

Product variety Unit of measurement Daily servings by age
5 months (with IV) 6 months 7 months 8 months 9 months 10 months 11 months 1 year
Grams 5–35 5–100 60–120 150 160 170–210
Fruit puree 5–25 5–50 30–50 60 70 70–90 100–120
Children's cookies 2–5 6 7–10 10
Chopped boiled lean meat 5–25 30–50 60–70 80
Cottage cheese 5–10 10–25 30 50
Chopped boiled fish 5–30 30–50
Wheat bread 5 10
Butter 1 2–4 5
Vegetable oil Milliliters 1 2–4 5
Gluten-free porridge 10–100 10–140 140–180 180–200
Milk porridge 150–200
Natural juice from fruits 5–25 30–50 50–80 100
Kefir 5–20 30–100 150–200
Yolk Part 1/4 0,5 0,5–1
Type of complementary foods The order of introduction of products of each group
1 2 3 4 5
Vegetable Zucchini Cauliflower Broccoli Potato Pumpkin or carrots
Fruit Apple Pear Apricot Peach Prunes
Meat Rabbit Turkey Chicken Beef Lamb
Fish Hake River perch Pollock Zander Haddock
Porridge Buckwheat Rice Corn Oatmeal Millet

Don't give kids confectionery

Children under 1 year of age do not need to introduce semolina porridge, fresh vegetables or fruits, seafood, confectionery, fatty fish and meats, semi-finished products, canned food, and carbonated drinks into complementary foods. Avoid broths as they have a negative effect on kidney function in infants under 1 year of age. Children under 2 years of age should not add salt, sugar or spices to food.

Baby feeding schedule by day

Introducing a daily food diary will help you quickly identify the food that led to constipation, diarrhea or allergies. It is recommended to fill it out at least up to one and a half years.

The following information is noted in the complementary feeding schedule:

  • type of product, its volume;
  • time of use;
  • method of cooking - steamed, boiled or stewed foods;
  • when feeding from jars - a brand of puree.

The order and time of introducing adult food into a child’s diet directly depends on his weight, age and individual developmental characteristics. The introduction of complementary feeding before one year means introducing the child to new foods, and not a full transition to an adult diet.

Complementary feeding scheme
Signs of readiness to introduce complementary foods
Complementary feeding is not introduced upon reaching a certain age - age is only one of the factors. Readiness can only be judged by the presence of a combination of factors:

1. At least 4 months old. (for babies born prematurely, gestational age is taken as a basis).

2. The child has doubled his weight since birth. For premature babies, the coefficient is x2.5.

3. The child’s tongue thrust reflex has disappeared. If you give him something to drink from a spoon, then its contents will not end up on the chin (and we give complementary foods EXCLUSIVELY from a spoon so that it is treated with saliva).

4. The child knows how to sit. May lean the body towards the spoon or lean back, refusing to eat. Able to control the turn of his head - he can turn away in case of refusal. Or tilt your head.

5. If he is artificial, then he eats more than a liter of formula a day and does not get enough. If she is breastfed, she eats both breasts at every feeding and really wants more.

6. A child can hold something in his fist and purposefully put it in his mouth.

7. And most importantly, children show a HUGE interest in their parents’ food and are eager to try it. Nature itself lets you know when the child’s body is already able to accept food other than the adapted one (formula or mother’s milk).

For each child, this period, when ALL readiness factors have already been manifested, comes individually. On average between 5 and 9 months. By the way, even twins can show signs differently. There are situations when a child shows all signs of readiness already at 4 months, and there are situations when a child can wait up to a year - but these are more extreme situations, although they are also a variant of the norm.

Therefore, DO NOT Rush with complementary foods. It’s better to be “a little” late than to rush. If the child has good adequate nutrition (breast milk or a good adapted formula), he will not be deprived of a source of nutrients.

Basic rules for introducing complementary foods
· Start introducing complementary foods only to a healthy child or, as a last resort, during the recovery period, with normal stools;

· complementary foods are introduced warm before breastfeeding or formula feeding;

· complementary foods are given from a spoon, vegetable puree can be first added to a bottle of milk so that the child gets used to the new taste more easily;

· each complementary feeding dish is introduced gradually, from small quantities (1-2 teaspoons) and is brought up to the age-appropriate dose within two weeks;

· they switch to a new type of complementary feeding 1.5-2 weeks after the introduction of the previous one;

· the density of complementary foods should gradually increase;

Complementary foods - vegetables
Important point!!! The first vegetable should be “typical of the family and area.” A baby from Egypt will be sick of eating peas as complementary food, but will tolerate an orange perfectly. For which the “average Ukrainian” will be treated for years.

For example, carrots in Germany are considered a hypoallergenic product. The "bright color" theory is considered a myth. It is not recommended to give squash and turnips until one is a year old... and celery and carrots are considered the best solution for first complementary feeding. The same pumpkin - the best variety is considered to be "Hokaido" - a bright red small pumpkin.

Be sure to look at the label to ensure that no spices, salt, or rice starch are added to the puree. It is very important! The first puree (and subsequent ones, by the way, too) should contain nothing except vegetables and water

How to give:

· Gradually the volume is increased to 50-100 ml, making sure that everything is in order, you can try giving another vegetable. The rules for administration are the same, starting with a small amount, the volume of puree offered to the child is gradually increased.

· do not give two new vegetables at once, only mono puree. About a couple of months after introducing vegetables, you can start giving your child vegetable oil, adding a small amount to vegetable puree. It is very useful to give oils obtained by the “cold” method, as they contain polyunsaturated fatty acids that have a beneficial effect on the condition of the skin. Flaxseed oil is rich in such acids.

· To reduce a possible allergic or other reaction to vegetables to a minimum, you need to introduce vegetables (and any other product) as carefully as possible, especially if the baby is prone to diathesis, allergies, constipation, diarrhea, etc.

· Offer a new vegetable at the end of feeding, if possible mix it with old familiar food to the child. If you are breastfeeding, then let your baby take each new complementary food with the breast (at his request, of course), this will help the baby digest and assimilate a new product for his gastrointestinal tract. If the baby is bottle-fed, then it is optimal to give a little familiar mixture after introducing a new product. If this is not the baby’s first complementary food, then mix the vegetable with “old” (familiar to the child) food.

· The smaller doses you start with complementary feeding, the better. The smaller the initial amount of vegetables, the slower it increases, the less likely it is for diathesis to occur.

Homemade vegetables

If you don’t have enough money for store-bought jars, or you have some kind of prejudice against them, you can prepare vegetable puree for your baby yourself - either from frozen vegetables or from fresh vegetables. It depends on the time of year - if it’s autumn, the season of vegetables, then you will certainly prepare puree from fresh market vegetables, if there are no vegetables on sale, then buy frozen vegetables in bags and prepare puree from them.

If you have a blender, that’s great! Prepare cauliflower, zucchini, pumpkin or turnips as usual and cook for yourself (the only difference is that for yourself you add salt and spices, and for your baby you simply cook vegetables in water). Then cool the vegetables a little and grind them in a blender. The only exception is potatoes - it is not recommended to grind them in a blender, because the starch in them will turn the puree into a sticky paste, not much like tender mashed potatoes.
When you introduce mono-puree from fresh or frozen vegetables, you can make a variety of variations from the puree, depending on the baby’s taste and his discretion: cook carrots, potatoes, cauliflower. Cook together peas, peppers, tomatoes and potatoes, etc. There are many options!

As your baby gets older, you don’t have to grind vegetable puree in a blender - it will be enough to just mash soft boiled vegetables with a fork (the baby will learn to eat in pieces, and since vegetables are usually soft, it will be easier for the baby to get used to eating in pieces).

If you don’t trust not only jarred baby food, but also frozen vegetables, then you can freeze the vegetables yourself for future use. They can be stored at a temperature of – 6°C for a week, at – 12° C for 1 month, at – 18° C for 3 months.

· the second complementary food - cereal porridges - you need to start introducing them with gluten-free porridges (rice, corn, buckwheat) and cook them with the milk or formula that the child receives;

· baby food in jars contains the optimal amount of salt and sugar and therefore should not be added.

Complementary foods - porridge.

The first porridge for a baby must be gluten-free - rice, buckwheat or corn porridge (by the way, one of the components of ordinary corn porridge is corn starch, which is 80% gluten). Therefore, when we talk about corn porridge, we mean industrially produced porridge specifically for children, and not ground corn, which is also called “polenta”). Other porridges: oatmeal, semolina, millet, barley, etc. – contain gluten and are not suitable as a first complementary food.

It is best to cook porridge in water, but it is allowed, if the baby is breastfed, to cook porridge with expressed mother’s milk. The same applies to artificial ones - it is permissible to cook porridge with the mixture that the baby usually consumes.

If your baby has a tendency to constipation, then it is advisable to start complementary feeding not with rice porridge. Best with buckwheat. Although they say that buckwheat is very allergenic, this needs to be determined by the child. If you are prone to allergies, then start complementary feeding with rice; if you have constipation, then start with buckwheat. If you are prone to allergies and constipation at the same time, then start complementary feeding with corn, and then introduce oatmeal.
If the baby does not have any problems, then it can be administered in this order - rice, buckwheat, corn or buckwheat, rice, corn. After these porridges are introduced, you can try oatmeal porridge. Semolina porridge, due to its high nutritional value, but low vitamin content and usefulness, is better to postpone until later and offer it to the baby after a year

Table with dairy-free, milk and fruit-grain porridges:

How to give?

Under no circumstances should you give even the smallest child porridge from a bottle. It’s better to make thin porridge and give it from a spoon, let the baby eat a little, but eat it right! For a baby, the amount of food at the first feeding is not so important; for him, it is still only an introductory, trial, and not satiating. When feeding from a bottle, food does not undergo enzymatic processing of saliva, which negatively affects the digestive process. The fact is that the baby’s saliva contains special enzymes – amylase and lysozyme. When food enters the baby’s mouth from a spoon, it manages to be completely, so to speak, saturated with saliva, and enters the stomach already thoroughly “soaked” with saliva. And amylase greatly promotes digestion and breakdown of food. Already in the stomach, it helps to quickly break down food into smaller components and thereby promotes faster digestion. When a baby is given food from a bottle, it does not have time to become saturated with saliva and almost immediately goes into the throat, without lingering in the mouth. Thus, it enters the stomach without primary treatment with amylase.

To reduce a possible allergic or other reaction to porridge to a minimum, you need to introduce porridge (and any other product) as carefully as possible, especially if the baby is prone to diathesis, allergies, constipation, diarrhea, etc.

Offer a new porridge at the end of feeding, if possible mix it with old familiar food to the child. If you are breastfeeding, then let your baby take each new complementary food with the breast (at his request, of course), this will help the baby digest and assimilate a new product for his gastrointestinal tract. If the baby is bottle-fed, then it is optimal to give a little familiar mixture after introducing a new product. If this is not the baby’s first complementary food, then mix the porridge with “old” (familiar to the child) food.

This is done to prepare the gastrointestinal tract for new food, so that it is easier for the enzymatic systems, intestines, and stomach to work, digesting “familiar food.” By introducing complementary foods at the end of feeding, you will not “take the child by surprise” and will not harm him.

The smaller doses you start with complementary feeding, the better. The smaller the initial amount of porridge, the slower it increases, the less likely it is for diathesis to occur.

When to give?

The introduction of porridge into a baby’s diet depends only on the baby himself and his mother. Traditionally, if the baby is underweight, if the baby is thin, then it is advisable to start complementary feeding with cereals. If the baby is chubby, if he has a slight (or large) excess weight, then it is best to start complementary feeding for such a baby with mono-vegetable puree.

The time of day for introducing porridge is not of fundamental importance. Traditionally, porridge is given either in the morning or for dinner. But for the first feeding it is better to choose the morning time in order to see during the day what the baby’s reaction to the new product will be. If you give a new product at night, you may not notice it. When you have already introduced porridge into your child’s diet and are sure that the baby reacts normally to it, you can give the porridge at night (or leave it like that in the morning).

Fruits

Fruit purees are best administered after cereals and vegetables. If you have already introduced porridge and vegetables to your baby, then it’s time to let your child try fruit puree.

For the first complementary feeding, it is necessary to take foods with a low degree of allergenicity - these are green apples, white cherries, white currants, gooseberries, plums. When low-allergenic vegetables are introduced, you can introduce “medium-allergenic” vegetables, such as peaches, apricots, red currants, bananas, and cranberries. And you need to leave highly allergenic foods, such as strawberries, raspberries, wild strawberries, black currants, blackberries, pineapple, grapes, melon, persimmon, pomegranate, citrus fruits and others, until the very end.

After the first complementary feeding with mono-fruits has been introduced, you can offer the child an assorted puree of different fruits. There are a lot of such purees!

How to give?

· Complementary foods are introduced starting with a quarter teaspoon once a day, preferably in the first half of the day. Every day the volume increases gradually, approximately 2 times. It is brought up to the age norm in 7 – 10 days. The condition of the child’s skin and digestive problems are assessed daily; if any changes appear, the introduction of complementary foods is suspended.

· Gradually the volume is increased to 50-100 ml (on average 70 grams in the first feeding, then increases to 100 g, and then to 180 g), after making sure that everything is in order, you can try giving another fruit. The rules for administration are the same, starting with a small amount, the volume of puree offered to the child is gradually increased.

· The general rule for ANY complementary foods is no more than one product every 1-2 weeks!

· Do not give two new fruits at once, only mono puree.

· To reduce a possible allergic or other reaction to fruits to a minimum, you need to introduce fruits (and any other product) as carefully as possible, especially if the baby is prone to diathesis, allergies, constipation, diarrhea, etc.

· Offer a new fruit at the end of feeding, if possible mix it with old familiar food to the child. If you are breastfeeding, then let your baby take each new complementary food with the breast (at his request, of course), this will help the baby digest and assimilate a new product for his gastrointestinal tract. If the baby is bottle-fed, then it is optimal to give a little familiar mixture after introducing a new product. If this is not the baby’s first complementary food, then mix the fruit with “old” (familiar to the child) food.

· This is done to prepare the gastrointestinal tract for new food, so that it is easier for the enzymatic systems, intestines, and stomach to work, digesting “familiar food.” By introducing complementary foods at the end of feeding, you will not “take the child by surprise” and will not harm him.

· The smaller doses you start with complementary feeding, the better. The smaller the initial amount of fruit, the slower it increases, the less likely it is for diathesis to occur.

COMPLEMENTARY FEEDING SCHEME FROM GASTROENTEROLOGIST

Give each new product for at least 7 days. Start with 1 tsp. and bring it back to normal within a week.

6 months

At about 12 noon (future lunch) - vegetables.

“Squash” (zucchini-pumpkin) is still a type of pumpkin, and not our stripe - don’t give it away.

Remove pumpkin and carrots.

Leave everything yellow for later. Start with green.

You can cook it yourself or make puree from frozen vegetables.

Zucchini – frozen. For example, the company "4 seasons"

Cauliflower – “Semper” or frozen

Broccoli – “Semper”, “Top-top” (not to be confused with “Tip-top”)

Green beans - make your own

Green peas – “Gerber”

Potatoes – “Gerber” ordinary, don’t give sweet ones, (also not our stripe), do it yourself (before soaking for 2 hours in boiled cold water, when starch is released, change the water)

Parsnips and spinach - after a year, because reduces the level of iron absorption in the child’s body by more than 76%

When you try everything, you can mix, but no more than 3 types.

Vegetable oil from 8 months.

7 months

Gradually completely replace one feeding.

Buckwheat, corn, rice without additives.

Oatmeal, semolina, milk, and soy porridges are not included in the diet for up to a year. It is harmful.

The packaging should say: “no sugar, salt, gluten, milk, dyes.”

It is best to give it in water, since with the addition of milk there is a greater burden on the gastrointestinal tract.

“Gerber”, “Baby Sitter”, “Low-allergenic Baby”

7 months

At 17:00 (future afternoon snack) – fruits:

Green apple – “Semper”, “Top-top”. Bake it yourself.

Red later.

Pear - (if there is no constipation) “Semper”.

Banana - make it yourself.

Apricots, peaches - jars, do it yourself in the summer, do not water them with anything harmful,

As for cherries and cherries, do it yourself later in the summer.

Cottage cheese - after 8 months. For an afternoon snack, add to fruit puree.

For example, 0% cottage cheese “House in the Village”. Every day a new pack.

Strictly no more than the norm; if a child is overfed with cottage cheese, he will develop anorexia.

Meat - after 12 m. (load on the gastrointestinal tract) add to vegetable puree. Do not exceed the meat limit! Strictly prepared purees with vegetables.

“Gerber” – turkey, pig, lamb, beef.

Children should not be given meat broth until they are at least one year old. It contains too many carcinogens. They serve soup with vegetable broth.

Kefir - after 12 m (it has too high acidity, and in children with perinatal damage to the central nervous system (90% of children) there is already increased acidity of the gastrointestinal tract.

Kefir in children under one year of age causes micro-bleeding in the intestines, which leads to severe hypochromic anemia), given at night.

Beefy, Agusha without sugar. If the child refuses, do not insist.

It is better to drink before meals, do not wash it down.

Juices diluted with water (min. 1/1), after a year.

Salt after a year, sugar, in general, the later, the better.

Always feed your child at your table, so that there are no distractions.

Do not snack between feedings - apple, bread, snacks

Total:

7 m. Fruits – 60 gr., vegetables – 150 gr., porridge – 150 gr.

8 m. F. – 70, O. – 170, K. – 150

9 m. F. – 80, O. – 180, K. – 180

12 m. F. – 90-100, O. – 200, K. – 200,

Butter – 5 g, meat – start 5-30 g, then 70, cottage cheese 10-30, then 50 g, then 60

Table with vegetable and meat purees

Feeding your baby from a jar:

1. After opening the jar, select a portion for feeding, and put the rest in the refrigerator.
2. Strictly follow the instructions for storing opened jars of baby food.
3. Heat only the amount of food needed for one feeding.
4. Do not return an uneaten portion to the jar - this will cause bacterial growth and saliva enzymes will dilute the mixture.
5. Do not freeze jarred baby food; it becomes inedible.