When a child reaches the age of 6 months, his need for proteins, vitamins and minerals increases significantly. Previously, doctors recommended introducing complementary foods from 4 months. But this doesn't make much sense. If there are no problems with growth, development and health, then it is better to start feeding at 6 months. If the baby is thin, has a poor appetite, and low hemoglobin, then it is better to start complementary feeding earlier, at 5 months.

In general, there is an opinion that complementary foods begin to be introduced when the baby’s first tooth grows. After all, the first tooth is a signal from the body that it is ready to accept food other than milk. But sometimes teeth begin to cut even at nine months, then, of course, you don’t have to wait.

How to proceed?

Any new food is included in the diet gradually and with caution. It is best to start introducing complementary foods during the 2nd morning feeding. Offer your child 1-2 spoons of a new product. After this, it is better to supplement with the usual food - breast milk or formula. If the baby refuses, do not despair - you can try again in a few days.

After this, it is necessary to monitor the reaction to complementary foods - the appearance of a rash, changes in stool. If everything is in order, the next day the dose is doubled and so on, in geometric progression, up to 150 - 200 grams. If something is wrong, the experiments are temporarily stopped.

Thus, it takes, on average, 7 to 10 days for one feeding to be completely replaced by complementary foods.

Where to start complementary feeding?

There are no clear guidelines on this matter. Some people start complementary feeding with vegetable purees, and others with juice. Many pediatricians recommend starting with vegetable purees, as they are rich in vitamins and minerals. But, on the other hand, the structure of the new food is too different from milk, which may be unusual for a child.

If parents decide to start with vegetables, then first it is better to give white or green vegetables - zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower. Later - pumpkin, potatoes, carrots. Vegetables need to be boiled and pureed, but you can buy ready-made puree in jars. In jars it is even preferable, since there are guaranteed high-quality products, ideally homogenized, without fiber, to which children are often allergic.

If the child is thin, then you can start with cereals. It is best to use rice, buckwheat and corn as the first porridges. Then oatmeal is introduced. You can cook it yourself, or it’s better to buy ready-made baby ones. At first, you need to give dairy-free porridge, and closer to the year you can cook with milk. It is better to replace the very last feeding with porridge, before bedtime. Then a satiated child will sleep better and longer.

Sequence

Some people start with fermented milk products - optimally kefir from a children's dairy kitchen. Babies accept this complementary food well, since there is no fundamental difference in composition compared to milk. In addition, fermented milk products contain beneficial lactic acid bacteria.

So, at 8 months the child eats 4-5 times a day, of which 2 feedings are completely replaced with kefir, vegetable puree and porridge. At nine months of age, 3 feedings are completely replaced with complementary foods. Cottage cheese is added (up to a year you can give no more than 50 grams per day) and fruits. It is better to give fruits that grow in the same zone where the child was born. So, for example, you should not give your baby from Moscow kiwis and bananas as first fruits; green apples, pears, and berries are optimal.

At ten months you can introduce vegetable soups. It is better to cook the soup first in water, and then in meat broth (ideally chicken). If no problems arise, add pureed meat directly to the soup; after a couple of days, again directly to the soup, add a hard-boiled chicken egg yolk - at the beginning 1/5, then more. In any case, until the age of one, you should not give more than half a yolk.

Meat products are present in the diet every day from ten to eleven months. It is best to introduce rabbit meat first (it is low-allergenic). Then - lamb, chicken, pork, beef. It is better not to give fish until one year of age - it is a very allergenic product. Meat can also be pureed, or you can make steamed meatballs so that the child gets used to eating in pieces.

Closer to the year, you can give juices, milk and cereal porridge with fruit, and just a piece of peeled apple or a cracker - suck, scratch the gums, play with. Juices do not replace the main meal; they are given in addition after breastfeeding or formula feeding.

It is advisable that from the age of one the child’s menu be quite varied. If the mother has a desire and milk, it is advisable to feed the child milk at least once a day until the child is one and a half years old. It is quite possible to give high-quality milk formulas up to 1.5 and up to 2 years - once a day.

At night, it is advisable to give kefir, or breast milk, or an adapted milk formula.

If the baby doesn't eat

If a child, for some reason, does not want to eat complementary foods, there is no need to insist. If his growth and mental development correspond to age standards, the tests are in order, then the delay in the timing of the introduction of complementary foods is not so important.

An approximate menu for a one-year-old child looks like this:

8 ocloc'k

• Porridge – 200 gr.
• Fruit puree – 30 gr.
• Juice – 50 ml.

12 hours

• Vegetable soup with croutons – 40 gr.
• Vegetable puree – 150 gr.
• Steam cutlet – 60 gr.
• Juice – 30 ml.

16 hours

• Cottage cheese – 50 gr.
• Fruits – 50 gr.
• Kefir or milk – 200 ml.

20 hours

• Vegetable puree or porridge – 100g.
• Fruits – 50 gr.
• Juice – 50 gr.

Complementary feeding should be introduced to a child strictly individually, depending on the factors of his physical and mental development. Previously, Russian pediatricians insisted that it is possible to supplement a baby with stunted growth and development with semolina porridge starting from the age of 1 month. To date, the World Health Organization has developed clear recommendations regarding the timing of the introduction of complementary foods.

According to the recommendations, complementary feeding can be introduced to a breastfed baby who is breastfed only at 6 months. Until this time, all juices, fruit drinks, compotes and even honey, which caring parents lubricate pacifiers with, should be excluded. For a bottle-fed baby, this period can be shifted two weeks earlier.

From what month should complementary foods be introduced to a child?

So, we have decided from what month it is safest to introduce complementary foods to an infant. Now let’s look at the scheme for forming a baby’s diet in more detail, with an approximate reference to the age scale. Parents should consult their pediatrician before introducing any type of complementary foods. Each child has his own developmental characteristics. You should pay attention to the presence of skin and systemic allergies, stool frequency, profuseness of regurgitation and a number of other factors.

If your child does not suffer, then you can start giving pureed vegetables such as zucchini, cauliflower or potatoes at 6 months. The latter root vegetable contains a large amount of starch, so it can cause the development of allergic skin reactions. Observe your baby carefully after introducing the first complementary foods.

At 7 months It is allowed to introduce porridges from cereal crops. The first ones could be buckwheat, barley, and oatmeal. Avoid using semolina and rice cereals. They are sufficiently allergenic for a child under one year of age. Before preparing porridge, the cereal must be ground to the state of flour. To prepare porridge, use water or milk formula appropriate for the child’s age. You cannot cook porridge with cow's milk. It contains gluten, which can cause vomiting and loose stools in infants.

From 8 months of age It is allowed to introduce complementary foods consisting of kefir and cottage cheese. Fermented milk products should be prepared at home in compliance with hygienic rules. It is not recommended to give an infant under one year old cottage cheese and kefir prepared using a bacterial starter. Try making cottage cheese using a calcium chloride solution. It's safer for . It is recommended to obtain products for introducing complementary foods in specialized children's dairy kitchens that operate at children's clinics.

At 9 months You can start giving your child fruit purees and juices in small quantities. For now, you should exclude butter and sunflower oil, table salt and sugar. Already at 10 months, the baby can begin to try boiled fish. At 11-12 months, doctors recommend starting to introduce pureed meat and steamed meat into complementary foods.

From 6 months of age Start giving your child a few grams of egg yolk. Just a few crumbs dissolved in formula or breast milk. Gradually increase this amount. By the age of one year, a child’s daily diet should include half a boiled chicken yolk.

General rules for introducing complementary feeding to infants

Pediatricians have developed special rules for introducing complementary foods to infants. Stick to them and you most likely won't have any problems with your baby's digestive health.

Basic rules for introducing complementary foods:

• start introducing a new type of food with a small dose, literally - with half a teaspoon;
• increase this amount by 2 times every day;
• observe the baby's reaction;
• at the first symptoms of a gastrointestinal disorder, stop feeding;
• give complementary foods before the main meal;
• strive to give complementary foods in the first half of the day;
• do not introduce two different foods into your child’s diet at the same time;
• For complementary feeding, use only environmentally friendly products without dyes or flavors.

Give up the desire to give your child the food that you yourself eat. Even if this makes your baby hysterical, you should not calm him down by starting to feed him from your plate. It is even more dangerous to feed him with the same spoon that you just ate yourself. It may contain bacteria that will cause severe intoxication in the baby.

If you start feeding a child too early or too late, there is a risk of improper formation of his eating behavior. In order not to provoke the baby to refuse adult food in the future, parents should consult with a pediatrician. You and your doctor decide at what time to start feeding your baby complementary foods.

The staff of the Daughters-Sons online store will introduce you to the range of baby food.

At what months is it appropriate to start complementary feeding for babies?

According to the latest recommendations of pediatricians from the World Health Organization, newborns can be fed complementary foods from 6 months. Until six months, the child receives all the components necessary for development with breast milk or formula. The baby most often signals his readiness to try a new food himself.

The start of complementary feeding for infants should coincide with the following conditions:

• the reflex of denying solid food is suppressed;
• teeth begin to cut;
• the child can sit independently;
• the baby is able to turn his head away;
• shows interest in adult food;
• the child’s weight has doubled since birth;
• no vaccinations were given for 2 weeks;
• the baby is not sick.

Many people are interested in the question of when to start feeding a bottle-fed baby. Children whose diet consists of formula milk are ready to try new foods earlier - at 5 months. By this time, the child’s gastrointestinal tract has already adapted. Complementary feeding of a bottle-fed baby is carried out not only with the aim of obtaining additional nutrients, but also to familiarize him with new products and develop taste analyzers.

From what month complementary feeding will be introduced to a formula-fed baby depends on the child’s desire to eat a new product. Parents should not worry if the baby refuses to accept the food offered. You can try again with another complementary food in 2-3 days.

Important!

At what months should infants be introduced to complementary feeding? The solution to this issue is to a large extent determined by the time at which the body begins to produce special enzymatic components. Until 5-6 months they are absent, so the digestive system cannot process solid food. This is fraught with constant stool disturbances, allergies and abdominal pain.

Where to start feeding your baby

When introducing complementary foods for a 5-6 month old child, you should be guided by the following rules:

• use only one ingredient to prepare the dish (zucchini, cauliflower or corn);
• Give complementary foods in the morning before taking the main food - breast milk or formula;
• the dosage of a new product should start with 5 g (no more than 1 teaspoon);
• You can try the next dish only if you have successfully taken the first one for a week.

Expert opinion

“In our online market for complementary feeding of infants and formula-fed infants, you can choose baby cereals with and without additives (Heinz wheat, “Babushkino Lukoshko” buckwheat, “Malyutka” buckwheat with prunes, “FrutoNyanya” buckwheat with apple), various vegetable purees, for example , Hipp zucchini, as well as other products.

You should not force your baby to eat all the new food, the daily norm of which for a 6-month-old child is 150-160 g. Complementary feeding is an addition to the main diet. At 5-7 months, complementary feeding can be considered as the first acquaintance with adult food and the baby’s body’s reaction to its intake.”

Specialist of the online store “Daughters and Sons”
Antonova Ekaterina

conclusions

Pediatricians say the best time to start feeding babies is:

• 6-7 months – for children fed with breast milk;
• 5 months – for babies fed infant formula.

You can start feeding your baby only when he is healthy, has an interest in adult food, and has doubled his weight since birth.

If you delay the first feeding until 8-9 months, this will complicate the baby’s transition to solid food. Early feeding will cause disturbances in the gastrointestinal tract. Before introducing new foods into your baby’s diet, you should definitely consult with your pediatrician.

Around six months of age, babies need more energy and nutrients. The mother is faced with the question of how to properly introduce complementary foods. The development of the digestive organs in the future depends on it. The first food becomes the basis for the development of chewing technique and the proper production of enzymes.

The World Health System (WHO) has developed a system for introducing complementary foods and has determined the approximate range of when it can be given. The goal is not only to enrich children’s bodies with nutrients, but also to introduce them to solid, adult food.

According to generally accepted WHO standards, the time of introduction of complementary foods depends on the type of feeding.

Complementary feeding during breastfeeding should be started no earlier than 6 months. By the age of six months, breast milk becomes insufficient in vitamins and minerals for the full growth and development of the child.

Formula-fed babies can try new foods a little earlier, at 4-5 months. Their need for microelements is much greater than that of breastfed children. By this time, the immune and digestive systems have matured enough to absorb new foods.

The beginning of complementary feeding can be determined by the behavior and development of the child himself. Signs defined by WHO:

• the baby does not have enough usual portions of breast milk or formula;
• the baby can sit without support;
• the first teeth have appeared, the baby does not push food out of his mouth, he tries to chew it;
• is interested in what is on an adult’s plate.

It is important to remember that throughout the entire period of introducing new products, a nursing mother should not relegate breastfeeding to the background.

The table will help you figure out where to start, when and how much to give complementary foods while breastfeeding. The data corresponds to accepted WHO standards.

Rules for entering products and dishes

In order for a new product to bring only benefits to children and not cause unwanted reactions, several rules must be followed.

• At the time of introducing a new product, the baby must be healthy. This cannot be done during the period of scheduled vaccinations, at the time of separation from your mother or moving to a new place.
• Give complementary foods in the first half of the day, a few grams at a time, before the main feeding with breast milk or formula.

• Dishes must be thoroughly washed and food properly prepared.
• It is not advisable to store the prepared dish, even in the refrigerator.
• Complementary foods should be given using a spoon (not a metal one).
• You should switch to the next new product no earlier than a week.

If a new product causes vomiting, diarrhea, rash and other unpleasant symptoms, then you need to exclude it from the diet for a month. After this, repeat the administration again.

The diagram will clearly help you understand how the sequence of introducing new foods to a child is carried out, according to WHO recommendations.

1. If the child is only breastfed, then he should be offered water with the first complementary foods.
2. If you are underweight, complementary feeding starts with cereals.
3. If you have problems with stool, it is recommended to introduce prunes into your diet earlier.
4. When the baby does not have time to absorb the product in a week, the time frame can be increased. Portions depend on the baby's weight.

The table for introducing new foods for 6-month-old children, using vegetables as an example, will help you figure out how much complementary feeding is allowed to be introduced in the first days.

The table will help you figure out how many grams of the dish and on what day you can offer your baby during the period when new products are introduced.

Getting to know something new

Where to start feeding your baby? The first complementary foods during breastfeeding depend on the baby's health status. If he is not gaining valuable kilograms, then it is better to start with porridges made from gluten-free cereals. In other cases, the introduction begins with vegetable dishes, but not with fruit ones.

Vegetable dishes are good for constipation. Fruits themselves are sweet, and after them it is more difficult to accustom the baby to other dishes.

The first porridges should be given as single-ingredient, gluten-free ones. These include corn, rice, buckwheat and oatmeal. If the baby is prone to constipation, then rice porridge should not be given first, and it can be cooked no more than once a week. The most useful is buckwheat. It prevents the development of anemia, gives energy, and is easily absorbed by the body. On the contrary, it should be included in the diet at least twice a week.

The first cereals for children should be dairy-free. They should not contain sugar or salt. The same rule must be followed when cooking dishes at home. Closer to the year, porridge can be cooked in pasteurized milk with the addition of water. When the child turns one year old, it is allowed to give completely milk porridge.

Vegetable dishes form the correct intestinal microflora and stimulate intestinal motility. It is better to start feeding with zucchini, broccoli, and cauliflower. Closer to 8 months, carrots and pumpkin can be introduced into the diet. You need to start with one component. Once the child gets used to several vegetables, they can be mixed in one dish.

The first fruit puree should be a green apple or pear. You just need to introduce them with caution. They can increase the formation of gases and cause flatulence.

Meat dishes should be introduced after 7 months. You need to start with lean meats: turkey, veal, chicken. If a child is breastfed and does not want to take meat dishes in his diet, then you don’t have to insist. If a child is bottle-fed and has low hemoglobin, then meat must be included in his diet.

At 9 months you can start giving fish (hake, pollock) - up to 2 times a week. During the same period, fermented milk products such as kefir and cottage cheese are introduced.

Scheme of priority for introducing complementary foods to breastfed children, according to accepted WHO standards:

• 6 months – vegetable dishes;
• 6.5–7 months – fruits;
• 7–9 months – porridge;
• 8–9 – yolk;
• 9–11 – fish, meat;
• 11–12 – kefir;
• 12 – cottage cheese.

Innovations

The term “pedagogical complementary feeding” appeared relatively recently. It has slight differences from the WHO standard, includes the experience and advice of parents and is not supported by any other scientific data.

Pedagogical complementary feeding does not serve the purpose of feeding the child. A nursing mother just needs to teach her baby table manners and instill an interest in food.

Pedagogical complementary feeding includes the following tips:

1. Feeding is not according to certain boundaries in the calendar adopted by WHO, but at the request of the child. At the same time, it is still taken into account that the first complementary feeding of an infant should not be introduced earlier than 6 months.
2. Failure to comply with the food consistency standards proposed by WHO for first complementary feeding. The child takes everything from the table that the adults eat. Mom needs to make sure that the food is properly prepared (there should be no smoked, fried, spicy, or canned foods). The pieces are not crushed.
3. Separate children's meals are not prepared. Children eat what adults eat.
4. Up to 9 months, a child can freely eat from an adult’s plate. And only after the specified period he is given a separate spoon and plate.
5. Pedagogical complementary feeding is not used during artificial feeding. Supporters of this trend are in favor of allowing a nursing mother to preserve her milk for as long as possible.

Pedagogical complementary feeding has many positive aspects. Among them, the main thing is to introduce children from the very first day of complementary feeding to the traditions of eating within their family. A nursing mother does not need to waste time and effort to prepare a separate dish. In addition, pedagogical complementary feeding promotes good lactation, so milk is stored for a long time.

A mother's guide to introducing new dishes using this method:

1. For breakfast, mom should put only fresh and high-quality products on her plate, for example, cottage cheese, cookies, cheese.
2. The child is seated on his knees and given a spoon in his hands. As mom begins to eat, he also becomes interested in the process.
3. If your baby reaches for food, you should give him a small piece (equal to a match head).
4. The baby either chews the product or spits it out.
5. If the baby liked it and asks for more, it is allowed to give two more such servings. Gradually, over 3-5 days, the amount of the product you like is increased to 5 g.
6. If you feed a child the same product, he will quickly lose interest in it. Therefore, it is worth attracting his attention to other foods.

At the same time, the mother needs to instill in the baby table manners. There is no need to allow the child to be mischievous, allow him to try everything that is on the plate.

These tips will help you adapt to new foods faster. But it should be borne in mind that most children under one year of age suffer from food allergies. In this case, it is more difficult to use this technique.

When the period of first complementary feeding begins, you need to take into account the baby’s health and taste preferences. Advice from others may not be appropriate as each child develops differently. The best option is to consult a specialist.

- a topic that does not leave any young mother indifferent. At what age should a child be given adult food? How to cook it correctly? How much should a baby eat? What is special about introducing new products to the artificial menu? What diet is best to follow? What to give if a child is prone to allergies? We will cover these issues and also dispel some common myths about baby nutrition.

Is it time to feed?

“Adult” foods begin to be introduced into the diet of breastfed babies from six months. Until this time, all energy, necessary nutrients, vitamins and minerals are fully provided by mother's milk. For bottle-fed and mixed-fed babies, new foods can be introduced into the diet from 4 and a half months (mixed feeding - when babies receive both breast milk and adapted formulas).

Research conducted by the World Health Organization has shown that the body of children receiving formula quickly begins to produce the enzymes needed to digest regular food. Therefore, these babies are introduced to complementary foods earlier.

Children with underweight, anemia and other medical conditions also need to be fed (but not earlier than four months). In premature babies, the age at which they are introduced to adult food is counted from the actual date of birth.

Signs of readiness for new products

You need to start introducing your baby to food, guided, first of all, not by the baby’s age in months, but by a set of signals that WHO calls “signs of readiness for complementary feeding”:

• the weight with which the baby was born doubled, and in premature babies it increased 2.5 times;
• the pushing reflex of the tongue has died down: the child swallows the water that is brought to him in a spoon;
• the baby sits with support, holds his head well, knows how to express his desire and protest: he can turn away or lean away from the spoon when he doesn’t want to eat;
• the artificial person eats more than one liter of formula per day;
• the baby wants to eat more and more often, eats milk from both breasts and asks for more;
• the baby can grasp an object in his fist and put it in his mouth;
• the child has a food interest (he watches when someone eats and asks very much to let him try).

If you start feeding your baby “adult” food before these signs appear, you may experience problems with nutrition both in the present and in the future:

• refusal of food,
• underweight or overweight,
• autoimmune diseases (including allergies),
• nervous disorders.

First spoons

The fundamental characteristics of the first complementary food boil down to the fact that it should be a thick puree with a smooth, uniform consistency. The calorie content of the dish should exceed the nutritional value of breast milk (67 kcal). Otherwise, it will not be additional nutrition, but a taste variety that the baby does not need yet.

Babies should be given only freshly prepared food. Even if stored in the refrigerator for a short time, the product loses its taste and sterility and can become a source of infection. Before serving, the dish must be cooled to room temperature. The most convenient way to feed your baby is with a special baby spoon made of smooth plastic or porcelain.

Babies begin introducing adult foods into their diet either with vegetable puree or cereal. Vegetables are added to the menu for babies of normal weight and those who are prone to constipation (stool once every few days). If there is a lack of weight and frequent loose stools (2-3 times a day), complementary feeding begins with cereals.

To prepare puree, it is better to take fresh vegetables grown in your own garden or purchased from a trusted manufacturer. The first courses are prepared from zucchini, cauliflower, broccoli, and potatoes. These vegetables are well digestible because they do not contain coarse fiber, have a pleasant taste and rarely cause allergic reactions.

If you have chosen porridge as your first complementary food, then to create this dish you need to give preference to buckwheat, rice or corn groats. These cereals do not contain gluten, which can cause allergies. Porridge can be prepared in two ways:

• from cereals ground in a coffee grinder;
• Use a blender to blend the already cooked porridge.

In the first case, the resulting flour is poured with boiling water in a ratio of 1 to 4 (for one tablespoon of cereal - 4 tablespoons of water). The average portion for a six-month-old child is prepared from about three to four tablespoons of flour. How long does it take to cook this porridge? Keep the resulting mass over low heat for 10 minutes, adding boiled water if necessary.

In the second case, the porridge is cooked in water. When the dish is ready, grind it with a blender to a puree consistency. There is no need to add butter, sugar, or salt to the porridge.

Rules for introducing products

Vegetables or porridge should be given before breastfeeding or formula feeding. How much complementary food can you offer your baby? On the first day, give your baby half a teaspoon of the new dish. If an allergic reaction does not appear and there are no signs of stomach upset, the next day increase the serving size to 1-2 spoons. If everything is still in order, over the course of a week gradually increase the volume of the dish to the required amount (focus on the baby’s age in months).

When the baby begins to eat a sufficient amount of the food offered, you can gradually begin to introduce new foods into the diet. This is done sequentially. You cannot introduce two new dishes at the same time (in case of an allergy, it will be difficult to find out what exactly was the catalyst). Gradually diversify your child’s diet in such a way as to make his final transition to the “common table” as easy as possible.

The older the baby gets, the thicker food he needs to be offered. From about 10 months, you can try giving foods in pieces.

It is advisable to feed the baby with a spoon and teach the baby to chew. A nibbler, in which you can put pieces of your baby’s favorite fruit, helps to master this process very well. , the baby is given water. Make sure it is boiled.

Myths about the transition to adult nutrition

The most common opinions about complementary feeding, which are actually myths:

• Complementary feeding starts with cereals

This is not true; in the vast majority of cases, a child’s first dish is vegetables.

• Many babies are allergic to complementary foods

Allergies to the foods themselves are rare. But when a new dish is introduced, the body’s defenses weaken and autoimmune processes appear, which is expressed in a reaction to environmental factors. Cheeks turning red after eating zucchini is not necessarily an allergy to the vegetable. The product simply activated a genetically determined reaction, for example, to house dust.

• If your baby doesn't eat, it means he doesn't like it.

If it comes to a new product, offer it again and again. Someday the baby will taste it.

• Children are able to choose the dish that they need most now

What should be given to the baby for lunch is still up to the parent to decide. The child is not aware of the nutritional value and usefulness of each of the products offered.

• Jarred puree is better than homemade puree

Very often you can witness a dispute: which vegetables are better - jarred or your own. Not a single food manufacturer will give mom reliable information about how the products for puree were actually grown, how long they were stored and where they were processed. In the case of gifts from your garden, you can always be sure that your baby will receive all the healthiest and most delicious things.

When introducing complementary foods, the most important thing is not to rush to give more and more new foods. Do not try to quickly transfer the baby to the common table. Remember that until twelve months the main product in the child’s diet should remain breast milk or an adapted formula.