So many recommendations and tips on when and how to introduce
complementary foods to a child, that sometimes you get lost. Everyone assures that only his method is correct and true! How to understand where the truth is? It seems that it is worth starting from the fact that we are animals. It sounds a little rude, it’s better to replace the term mammals, but believe me, nothing changes from that. We are the children of the earth, and it is she who can feed us. Somehow, our ancestors survived without wonderful jars from Hines or Agusha, without the recommendations of doctors and nutritionists. By the way, to this day all individuals of our class live (monkeys, for example). They are not tormented by the question of how to introduce
complementary foods to a child. They just enjoy motherhood and act on the environment.
The question of whether to give the child what we eat is debatable. Although ... Watch your baby not as a mom, but as an outside observer. The child pulls everything in his mouth, tries it "by the tooth", licks and sucks from birth. Does this surprise you? Maybe nature was given to him to study the first food, in order to survive. Do we have the right to deprive him of this? By the way, note that the key word is “try”, this is important. The main food for the child is milk (as nature intended), even if mom does not have it. Therefore, the introduction of
complementary foods to infants, in principle, should not be discussed. Their main food is milk. Now about complementary foods, more precisely, about the opportunity to try. According to the stories of our grandmothers, a mother and her child sat at the same table with everyone (they ate from one cup in Russia), ate herself and gave everything to their baby to try. It was he who decided whether he liked it or not, whether he wanted it or not. The question of
how to introduce complementary foods to a child simply did not stand. And by the time the little man could already hold the spoon, he had an idea of what he needed and what wasn’t, and his body was ready to digest everything that he put into his mouth. This usually happens by about six to eight months. It all depends on the physical and mental development of the baby. True, starting from reality, it is worth mentioning that the current nutrition and in the old days are very different. Our "table" is much more abundant. Therefore, if without fanaticism begin to instill in the child a culture of proper nutrition (without sausages and bacon), then at the right time he will love pumpkin and apples, kefir and cottage cheese, what nature gives, and not cooked in factories.
The only thing experienced parents emphasize is that the introduction of vegetable or fruit supplements should be primary and should not exceed 10 ml per month of the child’s life. Simply put, you can add 10 ml of apple or pumpkin juice to water for a monthly baby (do not give it in its pure form). Doing this is worth no more than once a day for several days, until you understand that there is no allergy or other side effects. Then you can enter something new. Over time, give mashed potatoes and vegetable oil a try. When you realize that your child responds well to fruits and vegetables with rosy cheeks and good weight gain, introduce cereals: cereals and pastries (bagels, cookies, bread). Do not overdo it with volumes. By the way, your child may well refuse them in favor of milk. Remember: he has the right to do so. You should not customize it to the standards and rules of new-fangled trends. He knows better than you what he needs. You only need to give him the opportunity to try and draw your own conclusions. Love your children, believe me, the question of how to introduce complementary foods to a child is not the most important thing in life. The main thing is that the baby is healthy and happy.