Milk formula is the best substitute for breast milk. She saves modern parents in a variety of life situations - from a lack of breast milk to the need for an early mother to go to work. However, a high-quality milk mixture is not cheap. And therefore, young parents, forced to artificially feed the baby, often wonder about how old the baby should be fed with the mixture, how nutritious and important it is for the growing infant body.
Composition
Despite the abundance of brands, the composition of infant formula, in terms of quality and safety, is approximately the same. After all, the process of registering baby milk and sour-milk mixtures is quite complicated, and the quality criteria are so strict that unscrupulous manufacturers simply do not touch on the topic of baby food.
The composition of the milk mixture:
- Milk powder is the basis of the milk mixture. It is produced from whole cow or goat milk. Also, soy based mixtures are found.
- Vitamins and minerals are an essential supplement for milk formulas. Their number is strictly controlled at the legislative level.
- Nucleotides are the builders of cells in the human body.
- Prebiotics help grow beneficial bacteria in the intestines, have a direct effect on the digestion of the baby.
- Probiotics are directly beneficial microbes.
- Polyunsaturated fatty acids are part of a group of substances that affect brain development, vision and immunity.
Thinking about how old it is necessary to feed a child with a mixture, it is worth first of all thinking about what benefits it can bring to a baby.
Benefit
Strict quality control of the mixtures forces manufacturers to bring the indicators as close as possible to the composition of mother's milk. However, the same substances found in the mixture and in breast milk are assimilated differently in the infant body. Therefore, it is extremely important, even with minimal production, to fight so that the child receives mother’s milk, and not a mixture. But in the absence of such an opportunity, definitely, replacing breast milk with a mixture is the only reasonable way out.
The question of at what age you can feed your baby with the mixture is, rather, in another. Most often, the milk mixture is used from a bottle. And therefore, many mothers are worried whether sucking the nipples will affect the proper development of the child, a change in the bite or speech? Baby formula is a healthy, balanced product, and if you are afraid to drink your baby for a long time from a bottle, just let him use it from a mug.
Can a baby be fed cow or goat milk?
Milk formulas appeared relatively recently, and, some 100 years ago, no one could think of any substitutes, except for cow or goat milk. In this connection, a quite reasonable question arises: how old is it to feed a baby with a milk mixture and when can it be replaced with ordinary milk?
Whole milk is categorically not recommended for feeding babies who are not yet a year old. This is due to the fact that the amount of substances such as phosphorus and calcium significantly exceeds the norm contained in breast milk. Immature infant kidneys can not cope with the removal of excess substances from the body, as a result of which, the baby has various symptoms of intoxication.
For these reasons, milk formulas are the only safe substitute for human milk. In exceptional cases, when it is impossible to get the mixture, it is permissible to feed animals with milk, but only in diluted form.
How to choose the milk mixture?
Since the composition of the mixtures is approximately the same, the choice should be based on, first of all, financial opportunities. Having decided on the price, pay attention to the labeling. The number “1” indicates that the mixture is adapted for a child under 6 months of age. The number "2" marked mixtures for babies from 6 months to a year. The three says that you can give it to children, starting from the second year of life.
The choice of special mixtures must be discussed with a pediatrician who oversees the development of your baby.
How old is the baby formula?
Since milk formula is a substitute for breast milk, feeding up to 6 months is not even negotiable. To feed a child of this age, any mixture is suitable, including sour milk, marked with the number "1".
When wondering at what age a baby should be fed with a mixture, it is worth paying attention to the recommendations of pediatricians regarding natural breastfeeding. And they, therefore, speak unambiguously: feeding must be continued for up to six months, very preferably up to a year, and if possible, preferably up to two. The mixture, although inferior to breast milk in its qualities and composition, nevertheless, is a balanced diet, in which there is everything necessary for the proper growth and development of babies.
What does Dr. Komarovsky say about artificial feeding?
At one of the classes of the School, the question was asked, to what age should I feed the baby with a mixture? Komarovsky gave detailed explanations.
If the mixture is not an addition to breast milk, but has become the only means of feeding, then you can replace it with cow or goat milk only after the baby is one year old. However, if the material resources of the family allow, it is highly desirable to give the child just the mixture, not milk, after a year, because the mixture is healthier and certainly safer than milk.
Lure
Starting to feed the baby, some mothers tend to part with expensive mixtures as soon as possible. How important is the mixture during the introduction of complementary foods, and to what age should the baby be fed with the mixture if it receives a complete feeding?
Nutrient feeding for babies begins at six months, but for up to a year, it should remain just complementary foods, that is, in addition to the mixture. Some believe that the mixture is a complete balanced diet, and the introduction of complementary foods in the diet of a child up to a year is optional.
However, after six months, the child becomes quite mobile, and for this he needs a lot of energy. No matter how wonderful the mixture is endowed with, the baby mixture still remains liquid food, which is not able to give the right amount of energy to the baby. Therefore, the introduction of complementary foods at this age is mandatory. Your baby will be full and full of energy, and you will save by reducing the number of feeds with an expensive mixture.
After a year, the situation is fundamentally changing. The child should receive good nutrition, and the mixture, in this case, becomes a useful addition to food.
Night feeding
Almost every mother asks quite a reasonable question: how old is it to feed her baby with a mixture at night? After all, it is nightly feeding that is associated with inconvenience and discomfort for parents.
Up to 6 months of night feeding is more likely to be necessary, therefore, at least six months will have to be tolerated. An older kid can easily oversleep all night, provided that he is properly fed, and he eats up during the day. A hungry child will not allow parents to sleep peacefully. This should be remembered, especially for those who believe that complementary foods are not necessary for up to a year.
Mixture manufacturers recommendations
By itself, the fact that there are mixtures with the marking “4”, designed to feed children from one and a half years, suggests that at one and a half years the feeding does not end. More precisely, it is advisable to give the mixture, rather than whole milk, after the child reaches the age of one and a half years.
Firstly, as has been repeatedly said, the mixture is rich in substances necessary for the growth and development of the child, which can not be said about milk. Secondly, it is ideal for children prone to allergic reactions, especially if you choose it correctly and take into account all the recommendations of a pediatrician.
By and large, the mixture will not be harmful and will be useful at any age. Therefore, the question of at what age to feed the baby with the mixture is important only from the point of view of necessity and material capabilities. Since after 3 years, the body of any healthy child perfectly assimilates cow or goat milk, and a child at this age receives a full and varied nutrition, the need to buy expensive mixtures disappears by itself.