When can I introduce complementary foods? By the age of 6 months, the digestive system of the baby, while breastfeeding, adapts so much that it is able to digest, in addition to breast milk, other products. In children growing on a mixture, this moment comes a little earlier, at five, five and a half months. In addition, during this period, the physical activity of the baby increases significantly - he begins to crawl, then walk. The body requires the intake of additional calories, vitamins and minerals. Supplementation satisfies these needs and introduces the child to adult food, more dense and structured. It is categorically not recommended to start complementary foods before 5 months, as the fragile digestive system is not yet able to digest food, which can lead to various diseases of the gastrointestinal tract in the future.
Where to begin?
In the Soviet Union there was a definite answer to this question - complementary foods began with apple juice or a grated apple in 2-3 months. Currently, pediatricians, answering the question of how to introduce complementary foods to children, recommend leaving the fruit at a later time and starting with vegetables or cereals. If the baby is not gaining weight or has stomach problems, then cereals are the best choice for the first feeding. If everything is fine with weight, but the child suffers from constipation, it is worth starting with mashed vegetables, which are instantly absorbed and are able to establish digestion.
How to introduce complementary foods to children?
It must be remembered that complementary foods should be administered very carefully, in small parts, carefully observing the baby's reaction. You should start with a single product with a volume of half a teaspoon, gradually bringing it to the norm of consumption. A convenient thing is the table of the introduction of complementary foods, where it is planned systematically on which day which product should be introduced. However, it is not worthwhile to blindly follow such a table, because the tastes of even such babies are very different, and you need to be prepared instead of the hated zucchini that is on the table, to offer the crumbs another vegetable: cauliflower or broccoli.
Vegetables
Traditionally, vegetables are used for the first feeding , such as zucchini, cauliflower, broccoli, potatoes, and later carrots. The basic principle is a soft color and inexpressive taste, plus a vegetable should be grown in your latitudes. If the time of feeding has come, and seasonal vegetables have not yet appeared, then you can cook from frozen or use canned food. In both cases, you should carefully study the packaging so that the shelf life of the product is relevant. At first, boiled vegetables are carefully ground, later, when the crumbs have teeth, it will be quite enough to knead them with a fork.
Porridge
How to introduce complementary foods to children in the form of cereals? You should start with low-allergenic gluten-free cereals on the water - buckwheat, rice and corn. The risk that the crumbs will have a negative reaction to such cereals is minimal. You can buy the finished product in boxes, or you can cook porridge for the baby yourself, grinding grain in a coffee grinder. The advantage of purchased cereals is that they are additionally enriched with vitamins and minerals, and also do not require cooking. It is enough to pour warm water.
Other products
Dairy products, meat, yolk should be given to the baby no earlier than 8 months, since they are all quite difficult to digest and can harm the baby at an earlier age. Knowing how to introduce complementary foods to children, you can avoid many problems with a fragile children's stomach in the future. Do not rush with complementary foods, because the child is just starting to get acquainted with adult food. Acquaintance should be leisurely and gradual.