More recently, you and your baby were experiencing a difficult period, when his tummy got used to digesting breast milk, responding to it with colic, constipation and diarrhea. All this is in the past, the baby already eats quietly and in most cases normally sleeps at night. For all the worries, you may not even notice how the baby is 6 months old. It's time to think when infants are to be fed.
Don't rush
A young mother needs time to recover from childbirth. While the baby is exclusively breastfed, she does not need to cook anything for him. Instead, you can lay him side by side and sleep. Take advantage of this opportunity. Until six months old, the baby does not need anything other than mother's milk. It satisfies all the needs of his body. Ask your pediatrician when to give your baby complementary foods.
Individual characteristics of the body
Do not forget that all schemes are conditional. The development of the baby in each case is unique. If one turns away from the spoon even at 7 months, the other will show food interest much earlier. Typically, pediatricians are guided by the ratio of height and weight of the child, his constitution. If he is obviously gaining little weight, it is recommended to introduce lactating infants earlier. When? Usually at 4.5-5 months.
What does food interest mean? The kid does not just pull his hands to the objects on the table, but tries to try them. Moreover, all attempts to distract from this fail. This means that the body has already begun to produce digestive enzymes to break down products other than mother's milk.
The first lure and allergies
Remember that the proposed product too early, for which the baby’s digestive tract is not yet ready, is fraught with various complications. These are various skin rashes, diarrhea and constipation, bloating, restless night sleep. The worst part is that such actions can trigger an allergic reaction, which then will have to be treated for a long time, refusing the crumbs in most products.
As you can see, it is not so easy to answer the question of when to administer infancy. This usually occurs between 4.5-7 months. The average figure is six months. But if the baby is prone to allergic rashes, then they postpone the introduction of new products for another month. By the way, giving the child something that he is not familiar with (mother did not eat during pregnancy and lactation) is strictly not recommended. This can cause problems with the gastrointestinal tract, which will automatically delay lures for some more time.
Where to begin
Usually, first of all, mothers give their babies fruits. A banana or an apple is a favorite treat. Sweet taste excludes the refusal of the peanut from such a dessert. If you ask your parents for advice, they will answer that they chose semolina as the first independent meal. Today, doctors strongly advise against giving it to children.
So, the baby received the first portion of applesauce in his life. The beginning of self-nutrition is laid! Now it is important to monitor the condition of the crumbs. Has there been any negative reaction? Excellent! After a week or two, you can try a banana. Although in most cases pediatricians advise first of all to “acquaint” the peanut not with fruits, but with vegetables. Of course, no tomatoes, nothing red and yellow. The best choice would be zucchini, broccoli or cauliflower. So doctors say, and what will the baby answer to this?
First experience
In defense of this, I want to say that the kids do not give up tasteless, in our opinion, mashed potatoes. The beginning of complementary foods means the introduction of a single product in small quantities. The first doses should be half a teaspoon. After that, we observe the reaction and gradually increase the dosage.
At least two weeks must pass before something else can be entered into the menu. Moreover, the scheme remains the same. If you were the first to give broccoli, then in two weeks you can add one spoonful of cauliflower in the morning. After lunch, it is worth feeding the baby an already familiar product, in the usual amount.
Do not forget that the reaction may be different. If the child began to sleep restlessly, a rash appeared, then the product is immediately removed. Again, you can try to introduce it into the diet only after a month. For the time being, leave only your breasts for a few days, after which start trying something else.
Drinking mode
Take your time to increase the serving. Let the baby decide how much food is enough for him. As soon as he begins to turn away - remove the spoon. Once the amount of food eaten reaches 150 g, we can say that you have replaced one feeding. From now on, it is necessary to give crumbs and clean water. If the baby is on artificial feeding, then he has known her for a long time.
Regardless of the fact that the first is introduced into lactating infants, you will immediately notice changes in the digestion process and the nature of the stool. The baby will have a bad breath. This is a normal physiological phenomenon. Soon the gastrointestinal tract is adapting, and everything will return to normal.
Vegetables or porridge
This is a question that concerns rather individual characteristics of children. Nutrient porridge has long been considered ideal for adaptation to adult nutrition. And only recently, doctors began to recommend starting with vegetables. But many mothers continue to offer babies rice, buckwheat or oatmeal today.
Feeding with cereals is good for babies who are poorly gaining weight. But this is only one side of the coin. If your child is prone to diarrhea, then it is better to start dating food with cereals. But those who suffer from constipation from birth, it is much better to give vegetables, while solving this problem.
Individual reaction
Do not forget that vegetables are a source of fiber. To digest it, you have to use considerable forces. The baby’s digestive system is still imperfect, so often the baby begins to worry, sleep poorly, it is tormented by gases. If you tried zucchini and broccoli, pumpkin, and received a negative reaction to each of these vegetables, then you should put the vegetables aside and go to cereals.
Classic Monthly Lure Scheme
The reference point will be different for each baby, but on average we take 6 months for it. We begin to introduce the child to vegetables and cereals. The latter must be taken only dairy-free. Within two weeks, you can enter one or two vegetables, and half a month will remain on cereals. If the child is prone to diarrhea, then it is better that it is rice. Conversely, buckwheat is chosen for children suffering from constipation. For now, stop at gluten-free cereals. All the rest you can enter a little later.
We continue to consider complementary foods for months. From 6 to 7 months, the baby's digestive tract is included in the work, and further the introduction of new products will go easier:
- at 7 months, you can add fruits (apple, banana) to the diet;
- 7-8-9 months - we continue to introduce porridge and drink water;
- at 8 months - meat and soup with already familiar vegetables;
- 8-9 months - yolk;
- at 9 months - dairy products (cottage cheese, kefir);
- juices - at 9-12 months;
- low-fat fish - 9-12 months.
Often, mothers ask when it is possible to introduce kefir to complementary foods for infants, because the information is very different. Some sources indicate that no earlier than 12-18 months. Firstly, you need to pay attention to the fermented milk product itself. It must be alive and fresh, just cooked. If there is no allergic reaction, then you can start from 6 months. Some pediatricians recommend starting lures with him.
As for children who are allergic to cow's milk protein, they will have to wait a bit - it is recommended to postpone this product for up to a year. After the first birthday, you can begin to enter it literally one spoonful. A small rash - and remove the milk for another 5 months. Usually, up to three years, children completely outgrow problems with allergic rashes and can go to the general table.
Basic Rules
As you can see, there are only indicative schemes, at what time you can introduce complementary foods for babies. All the same, you will have to navigate to your baby, his needs and features. The main thing is to choose only the highest quality food. Pediatricians recommend not taking pharmacy jars and boxes, but give preference to home, garden vegetables and fruits. They can be harvested in the summer by freezing in a freezer. So you will be sure that no dyes and preservatives will get into baby food.
Everything has its time
Mom really wants to quickly feed the little ones delicious. Therefore, many try to turn over the page with boring mashed cabbage and carrots. After all, fruit and cottage cheese casseroles, meat soufflé, cookies and much more follow. And the kid and reaches for plates and glasses, eagerly trying everything to taste ...
Sometimes mothers make a big mistake, believing that once a child eats, you can feed him as much as he wants. Often after this, they encounter gastrointestinal disorders and allergic reactions in the crumbs, sleepless nights. Do not chase quantity. The child still receives mother's milk, which means that he is not at all hungry. The more carefully new dishes are offered, the easier this difficult period will pass.