The first complementary food is a topic that does not leave indifferent any young mother. At what age should a child be given adult food? How to cook it correctly? How much should a baby eat? What is the peculiarity of introducing new products into the artificial man's menu? What is the best diet to follow? What to give if a child is prone to allergies? We'll cover these issues, as well as dispel some common myths about baby nutrition.

Is it time to feed?

In the diet of babies breastfeeding begin to introduce "adult" products from six months. Until this time, all the energy, necessary nutrients, vitamins and minerals are fully provided by mother's milk. For babies on artificial and mixed feeding, new foods can be introduced into the diet from 4 and a half months (mixed feeding - when babies receive and breast milk, and adapted mixtures).

Studies conducted by the World Health Organization have shown that the body of children receiving the formula begins to produce the enzymes necessary for the digestion of ordinary food faster. Therefore, these babies are introduced to complementary foods earlier.

It is also necessary to feed children with underweight, anemia and other medical indications (but not earlier than four months). In premature babies, the age when they get acquainted with adult food is reckoned from the actual date of birth.

Signs of readiness for new products

It is necessary to begin to acquaint the baby with food, guided, first of all, not by the age of the crumbs in months, but by a set of signals that WHO calls "signs of readiness for complementary foods":

• the weight with which the baby was born doubled, and in premature babies it increased 2.5 times;
• the pushing reflex of the tongue faded away: 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 deviate from the spoon when he does not want to eat;
• the artificial eats more than one liter of the mixture per day;
• the baby wants to eat more and more often, eats milk from both breasts and asks for more;
• the baby knows how to clamp an object in a fist and put it in his mouth;
• the child has a food interest (he observes when someone eats, and very much asks to give him a try).

If you start feeding your baby "adult" food before these signs appear, you may experience nutritional problems both in the present and in the future:

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

The first spoons

The principal characteristics of the first complementary foods are that they should be a thick puree of a smooth, uniform consistency. The calorie content of the dish must exceed nutritional value breast milk (67 kcal). Otherwise, it will not be additional food, but a variety of flavors that the baby does not need yet.

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

Introducing adult foods into the diet of the crumbs begins either with vegetable puree or with cereals. Vegetables are added to the menu of babies with normal weight and with a tendency to constipation (stool every few days). With a lack of mass and frequent loose stools (2-3 times a day), complementary foods begin with cereals.

For mashed potatoes, it is better to take fresh vegetables grown in your own garden or purchased from a trusted manufacturer. First courses are prepared from zucchini, cauliflower, broccoli, potatoes. These vegetables are highly digestible as they do not contain coarse fiber, taste good and rarely cause allergic reactions.

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

• from cereals crushed in a coffee grinder;
• break already cooked porridge with a blender.

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 much to cook such porridge? The resulting mass is kept on low heat for 10 minutes, adding boiled water if necessary.

In the second case, porridge is boiled in water. When the dish is ready, grind it with a blender to a puree consistency. You do not need to add butter, sugar, salt to the porridge.

Product introduction rules

Vegetables or porridge should be given before breastfeeding or formula. How much complementary foods can you offer your baby? On the first day, give the crumbs half a teaspoon of a new dish. If there is no allergic reaction and no signs of indigestion, increase the serving size to 1 to 2 scoops the next day. If everything is still in order, gradually increase the volume of the dish to the required amount over the course of a week (focus on the baby's age in months).

When your baby starts eating enough of the food on offer, you can gradually start introducing new foods into the diet. This is done sequentially. Do not give two new dishes at the same time (in case of allergies it will be difficult to find out what exactly was the catalyst). Gradually diversify the child's diet in such a way as to facilitate his final transition to the "common table" as much as possible.

The older the baby becomes, the thicker food he needs to offer. From about 10 months, you can try giving food in chunks.

It is advisable to feed the baby with a spoon and teach the baby to chew. The nibbler helps to master this process very well, in which you can put pieces of the baby's favorite fruit. When complementary foods are introduced, the baby is given water. Keep it boiled.

Myths about the transition to adult nutrition

The most common beliefs about complementary foods that are actually myths:

• Complementary feeding starts with cereals

This is not the case, in the vast majority of cases the first course of the child is vegetables.

• Many babies are allergic to complementary foods.

Allergy to the food itself is 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 reddened after zucchini - this is not necessarily an allergy to a vegetable. The product simply activated a genetically engineered reaction, for example, to house dust.

• If the baby does not eat, then he does not like it

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

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

What needs to be given to the baby for lunch is still up to the parent. The child is not aware of the nutritional value and health benefits of each of the foods on offer.

• Canned puree is better than homemade puree

Very often you can witness a dispute: which vegetables are better - canned or your own. Not a single food manufacturer will give mom reliable information on how the products were actually grown, how much was stored and where the products for mashed potatoes were processed. In the case of the gifts of your garden, you can always be sure that the baby will receive all the most useful and tasty.

When introducing complementary foods, the most important thing is not to rush to provide more and more new products. Do not strive to quickly transfer the baby to the common table. Remember that breast milk or an adapted formula should remain the staple food of a baby until twelve months.

With age, the baby grows, actively moves, which requires more nutrients. There is no longer enough mother's milk or formula. The first complementary feeding of the child begins at 4-6 months of age, depending on the type of feeding.

When to start complementary feeding

The first feeding of a child is allowed from 4-6 months.

The food should be puree, not thick. The food temperature is 37 ᵒ C. This will prevent burns of the oral mucosa.

First products for a baby

They begin to feed the baby with the most neutral and hypoallergenic foods. The bright taste of food can cause food rejection. It is not advisable to start with fruit purees.

Baby feeding table by month

WHO proposes standards for the introduction of complementary foods. They are compiled according to the physiological characteristics of infants.

Main types of food up to 1 year

Types of food	Age, months
Vegetable puree	4-6
Dairy-free or milk porridge	4-6
Fruit puree	4-6
Fruit juice	4-6
Yolk	4-6
Meat puree	6
Cottage cheese	6
Fish puree	8
Butter	4-6
Vegetable oil	4-6
Wheat flour bread	8
Croutons, biscuits	7
Kefir	8

This is the approximate timeframe for the introduction of a new meal. The feeding tactics are made by the doctor.

Complementary feeding of a child at six months

The first product for the baby can be (buckwheat, corn) or. Depending on the health of the baby, schemes for the introduction of additional nutrition are made.

A healthy baby is first given vegetable puree. The first vegetables are:

• Cauliflower;
• Broccoli.

It is also allowed to give ¼ of the yolk with porridge, which was introduced earlier. If, then by the age of 6 months it is shown to include vegetable and butter.

Children with malnutrition are first given porridge. They start with dairy-free buckwheat porridge.

Then you can offer the baby. After the introduction of dairy-free porridge, give milk. Then add vegetable puree, meat, cottage cheese in small quantities.

When overweight the child's first product is vegetable puree. Zucchini is introduced first.

Then add cauliflower, broccoli, white cabbage, asparagus to the diet.

With an excess of body weight, porridge is introduced as a second complementary food. Dairy-free cereals are shown first.

They can be diluted with formula or breast milk. Then they give milk.

If a child has anemia, they first give porridge, since it contains iron. It is better to introduce buckwheat first.

Such a selection of nutrition for a 6-month-old baby allows you to raise the hemoglobin level without the use of iron preparations.

The tactics for introducing new food in babies with constipation are as follows:

• vegetables (zucchini, cabbage, broccoli);
• porridge (buckwheat, oatmeal, corn), rice is introduced after a year;
• vegetable oil;
• fruits - apples, prunes;
• vegetable oil;
• yolk;
• meat - turkey, rabbit, chicken.

Be sure to include cottage cheese to improve microflora. The diet contains breast milk or fermented milk mixture.

Children with calcium deficiency are shown cereals, vegetables, cottage cheese. Porridge is prepared with mother's milk or mixture.

Feeding your baby at 7 months

By 7 months of age, the portions of the introduced food are increased, new food.

The list includes:

• cottage cheese;
• potato;
• carrot;
• meat - beef, chicken;
• butter;
• milk porridges that were not introduced: wheat, millet, oatmeal, barley and others.

Fruits are actively introduced: apples, pears. They give fruit juices.

You can combine products with each other, but only those that have already been introduced.

By 7 months of age, carrots are allowed.

Complementary feeding of a baby at 8 months

By 8 months, fish puree is included in the diet, but no more than 30 g. Green peas are added if there is no swelling. They give beets.

It is allowed to add kefir up to 200 ml and other fermented milk products without additives to the menu. The amount of yolk is increased to ½.

You can enter cookies, wheat bread, crackers up to 5 g. Increase the amount of vegetable and butter to 5 ml.

Feeding a baby at 9 months

Nutrition for a 9 month old baby does not differ from an 8 month old baby.

Only portions increase:

• Butter and vegetable oil - 6 ml;
• Bread, crackers, cookies - 10-15 g;
• Fish - 30-60 g.

You can enter beets, kefir, if they are not entered. Includes apricots, bananas. Increase the portion of cottage cheese to 50 g.

The amount of meat puree is 50-60 g per day. The yolk is given up to ½. Yolk protein should not be given. A serving of fruit juices is up to 100 ml.

The child is already preparing soups in the second broth.

Season it with introduced vegetables.

Complementary feeding of a child at 10 months

At 10 months healthy child all major products have been introduced. He eats soup, fish, meat, cereals, cottage cheese, dairy products.

If the baby is allergic, then the introduction of allergenic food, such as dairy products, fish, red vegetables, yolk, begins after 12 months.

At 10 months, the ban on sausages, salty foods, fried foods remains.

You cannot salt dishes prepared by yourself.

You should limit the use of wheat bread. You can not give black bread, fresh cucumbers. They provoke gas formation.

Exotic fruits, whole cow and goat milk are also not recommended to be included in the diet.

Vegetable introduction table

Vegetables should be introduced gradually. The most neutral foods are given first, and then red, orange and other vegetables are added.

Introduction table by month

After a year, it is allowed to add fresh cucumbers, stewed eggplants, bell peppers, tomatoes and other vegetables to the menu.

Complementary feeding problems

New foods can cause allergic reactions, so they are introduced gradually in small portions.

If the product is incorrectly administered or if the child has a tendency to allergies, the appearance of a rash, itching, redness of the skin is noted.

Quincke's edema, stenosis of the larynx is sometimes possible.

When complementary foods are introduced, colic and bloating, stool instability, constipation, and diarrhea appear.

Coarse and poorly processed food causes damage digestive tract... This is dangerous with the appearance of pathologies of the digestive tract in the future.

They begin to feed babies from 4-6 months of age. The first foods are cereals or vegetables.

Later add fruits, meat, fish, dairy products. The main principle of inclusion in the diet of complementary foods is gradualness, which helps to reduce the likelihood of allergies and dyspepsia.

Proper nutrition is the foundation of a child's health, which is laid from early childhood. By the age of 4-6 months, the child's need for additional energy, vitamins and minerals increases. Food should provide the baby with all the nutrients that are necessary for the growth and formation of his body. The child's first meals should consist of vegetables (vegetable purees), dairy products for children and cereals. The first complementary food promotes the development of the chewing apparatus, stimulates the enzyme systems of the gastrointestinal tract and prepares the baby for weaning.

Baby feeding

The beginning of feeding the baby (from how many months)

Children on GV

Children on IV

The readiness of children for the first complementary foods can be determined by focusing on their age and taking into account the following signs:

• the child more often than usual asks for mother's breast or formula in a bottle (does not gorge on);
• the weight with which the baby was born;
• the baby is able to sit with the support of an adult, while confidently holding the head and turning it in all directions;
• when solid food enters the child's mouth, the reflex of pushing it out with the tongue is absent;
• the child has not been sick for several weeks, he has not been and will not be vaccinated in the near future;
• the baby is interested in the food of the parents, looking into the plates and chewing mouths.

We read in more detail about how to determine that the child is ready for complementary foods -

Complementary feeding rules

1. Offer any new product to your baby, if only he is absolutely healthy. A contraindication to the introduction of new complementary foods is also preparation for vaccinations, the period after them and recovery from diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
2. Give complementary foods before breastfeeding (juices after feeding). We start with 5 g and gradually (within two weeks - a month), bringing the amount of complementary foods to 150 g. All this time, carefully observe the baby.
3. When making juices and purees at home, take necessary measures: Wash hands, kitchen utensils, fruits thoroughly.
4. Food for an infant should only be freshly prepared. Even short-term storage of the finished product in the refrigerator quickly leads to a deterioration in its quality.
5. Complementary foods are given warm, with a spoon, in a sitting position. It is impractical to give 2 dense or 2 liquid complementary foods in one feeding.
6. It is not recommended to give the same type of food 2 times a day.
7. To switch to another type of complementary foods only after the child gets used to the first - after 10-15 days.
8. The main rule of complementary feeding is the gradualness and sequence of the introduction of new products. A new type of complementary food is introduced after full adaptation to the previous one.
9. When introducing complementary foods, watch the baby's stools. If the stool remains normal, then the next day the amount of complementary foods can be increased.
10. At each new stage of the introduction of complementary foods, be sure to consult with your pediatrician.

The video tells how to balance the child's diet and provide him with all the necessary nutrients.

Where to start the first feeding

It used to be thought that the first product that a baby should try (can be introduced at 4-5 months). (By the way, we read on the topic:) but it is not.

Porridge and vegetables - these are actually the main products for the introduction of the first complementary foods. If the child is underweight or has unstable stools, it is best to start with cereals. Conversely, if you are overweight, of normal weight or a tendency to constipation, it is recommended to introduce complementary foods with vegetable puree.

Attention!

A few words about fruit purees and vegetable purees.

Fruit puree (usually a green apple and a pear) is a traditional complementary food that has been one of the first to be introduced to a child for decades. it contains fiber, which is good for the intestines, and children are happy to eat it. But some nutritionists and mothers notice that when they try sweet fruits first, children do not want to eat vegetable purees and cereals later.

Vegetable pureeit is rather difficult to enter. The transition from the sweet taste of breast milk or milk substitute to a very unsweetened vegetable is not easy for a child. You should be patient. You need to offer a new dish not once, but at least 10–12 times, and only after the child stubbornly refuses it, switch to another type of vegetables.

Error . After a child has not taken one or another vegetable, parents usually switch to porridge, making a big mistake! It is highly likely that the baby will not want to eat vegetables at all, after the introduction of sweet porridge. Mothers make another mistake when they additionally sweeten industrial cereals.

• Vegetables (vegetable purees). Ideal for starting complementary foods: zucchini, broccoli, potatoes, cauliflower. It is important to first offer 1 type of vegetable and observe the child's reaction for 5-7 days. If during the adaptation period no allergies or digestive upsets have occurred, you can introduce a new type of vegetable, and then make a mixed puree. There is no need to add salt in mashed potatoes until the child is used to different tastes, he will like everything. (We read a detailed article on the rules for the introduction of vegetable complementary foods + 3 popular)
• Porridge. It is important to choose one-component, low-allergenic cereals, which do not contain sugar, lactose, gluten (gluten-free cereals): these are buckwheat, corn, rice and oatmeal. It is better if it is a product of industrial production, since it is rather difficult to prepare porridge from the most chopped cereal, saturated with all the elements and vitamins necessary for the baby. Do not sweeten the porridge! We repeat - it is recommended to introduce cereals as the first complementary food for children who do not gain weight. ()
• Dairy. If the baby does not suffer from cow's milk protein intolerance, cottage cheese can be introduced into his diet at 6-7 months (). It is better to cook it yourself by heating kefir in a water bath.
  • See about for newborns;
  • See about for newborns .
• Meat puree.At 7 months old, the baby is ready to eat meat puree. It is best to offer commercial canned puree at the beginning, starting with turkey, rabbit, beef or chicken (For details, see the article -).
• Juices and fruitsit is better to offer the child later: at 7-8 months. The least allergenic are pear and green or yellow apple, followed by apricots, cherries, banana, plum. After 8 months, you can offer kiwi and strawberries to the crumbs. If the baby eats cottage cheese, add to it the fruits that he carries - you get a ready-made afternoon snack.
• Fish.Only after 9 months of age should the child be given fish dishes. Such complementary foods should be introduced very carefully, since fish is a strong allergen. To start fish feeding, flounder, hake, pollock are suitable. At the same age, you can give your child kefir or bifidok at night.

(An article is being prepared with a clear menu for feeding a child for months to a year. A link will appear here soon)

(Table of introduction of complementary foods. Clickable)

Complementary feeding table (click to enlarge)

5 mistakes in introducing complementary foods

The correct introduction of complementary foods into the baby's diet is the key to his good health. But often parents themselves provoke allergies and other problems, wanting to feed the baby with something useful.

On the topic of complementary foods:

Anna Gapchenko advises and answers questions: at what age and where to start complementary foods, how much to introduce new products

Video: Introduction of complementary foods

How and what to feed a child

Your little one never ceases to amaze his mom and dad. He's just clever: he is active in his movements, turns over on his own, learns to sit, enjoys his favorite toys and, most importantly, recognizes you. Well, you can surprise him with new nutrition.

The infant's need for certain vitamins is often not met by their content in the mother's milk. To prevent the consequences of a lack of vitamins, a child from three months begins to give raw juices of berries, fruits or vegetables.

When giving juices, it is advisable to be very careful so as not to cause digestive upset in the crumbs. Raw juices are best given before breastfeeding. You need to start with just a few drops. After making sure that neither the appearance nor the frequency of the baby's stool changes, you can gradually increase the dose and at the end of the fourth month reach four teaspoons a day, and in the fifth month - up to two to four teaspoons twice a day.

It is good to feed the child with mixtures of juices, for example, a mixture of berry or lemon juice with carrot juice, which contains vitamins A and C. A mixture of tomato and orange juice, which also contains vitamins A and C, is very useful. Carrot juice weakens a little; it is useful for your child's tendency to stool retention.

At about the fifth month, the baby should be given vitamin D to prevent rickets (a few drops a day).

In children, after four months, a significant amount of saliva usually begins to be released, which at first they do not yet know how to hold, so that it often flows out of the mouth. Human saliva acts on starch, converting it into sugar. Consequently, the appearance of saliva means that the baby can already digest food containing starch, and that he has a need for such food.

A five to six month old baby, regardless of the amount of milk in the mother, needs to be fed, as he grows, develops and mother's milk can no longer satisfy all the needs of his body. During this period, the baby tries products that are qualitatively new for him. Therefore, you need to be very careful, because it is at this time that gustatory habits and preferences are formed. Everything will certainly go absolutely smoothly if you follow the following rules.

Complementary foods are introduced in the first half of the day to monitor if there is an adverse reaction (skin rash, changes in stool pattern, abdominal pain) when a new product is introduced.

You always need to start with very small amounts of food (one teaspoon), gradually (over the course of a week) bringing the portion volume to the full, set for the crumbs by age.

You cannot start complementary foods if the child does not feel well or even is capricious. "Forced" feeding will lead to a negative reaction to food and the child will remember this negative experience for a long time.

The doctor should advise which product to choose for the first feeding.

Most often, complementary foods start with cereal products. Porridge is very healthy and has a high nutritional value. Currently, doctors recommend feeding a child with industrial cereals, since they have a guaranteed composition, are enriched with trace elements, minerals and vitamins important for children.

The label inscription necessarily says what the product is enriched with. For example, if you added

If you are reading this article, it means that not so long ago an addition took place in your family, and a long-awaited and beloved baby was born. You, of course, have already decided how you will bring up and develop your child, how to breastfeed or with a formula, what regime and favorite activities he will have, and this article will tell you about how to properly introduce complementary foods to your baby, where, how and when to start , and will help mom to quickly and accurately diversify the diet of her child and introduce healthy foods containing various vitamins and minerals into it.

What is complementary foods? This is food that babies begin to receive at a certain stage in their development, in addition to breast milk or formula.

The beginning of the introduction of the first complementary foods for infants on natural and artificial nutrition is slightly different in terms of timing. If babies receiving breast milk are more long time can remain without adult food, then artificial children can be given additional nutrition as early as 4.5 months, because not a single milk formula contains the necessary trace elements in sufficient volume.

When is the time for complementary feeding?

The period in which complementary foods should be introduced depends on several parameters, including:

• Doubled since birth, baby's weight
• The baby has acquired the ability to grip objects in the handles, and the need to try everything on the tooth
• He shows interest in the spoon, may reach for it or deviate from it
• Interested in foods that adults eat
• Knows how to drink liquid from a spoon
• Knows how to sit, leaning on the back of a chair or the hand of an adult, holds and turns his head well
• Doesn't push food out into the mouth with the tongue
• During the last 14 days, the baby has not been sick, and has not tolerated preventive vaccinations

A very important point at the beginning of introducing additional food for breastfed babies is the lack of milk in the mother. That is, if you feed the baby from both breasts at one meal, and at the same time he remains hungry. For children using the formula, the time to start complementary foods comes from the moment when he begins to eat more than one liter of the mixture per day.

The World Health Organization advises to start complementary feeding no earlier than six months of age. Digestive system By this period, the baby is already ripe and becomes able to accept and process food that is more solid than milk. But on the recommendation of a pediatrician, who will tell you how to quickly and correctly introduce complementary foods, this moment may come a little earlier, especially if the baby eats milk mixture.

So, we came to the conclusion that it is not recommended to start acquaintance with "adult" food earlier than six months of age. But now the due date has come, and my mother has a number of specific questions. How to properly introduce complementary foods to a child? How many grams of puree or porridge should you give? With which product is it better to start introducing "adult" food?

The rules for feeding babies are simple and safe, the main thing is to follow the schemes and principles of introduction, and then both you and your child will receive only positive emotions from the new food.

The most important principle that must be followed in the correct introduction of complementary foods is small doses of solid foods. That is, it is necessary to start giving the baby complementary foods with half a teaspoon, over and over again increasing the portions.

Pediatricians and international consultants point out several rules that must be followed during the introduction of complementary foods.

• Carefully observe the change in the baby's stool. If he began to suffer from increased gas production, intestinal upset, or, conversely, constipation, it is too early to introduce this product. Changes in the color of excrement should not be scared, it's just a reaction to a new food.
• Rashes on the skin should also serve as a signal to temporarily cancel the product.
• Observe the behavior of the baby during the day, and his night's sleep.
• Assess how the baby will gain weight after the introduction of a new food

If on the first day after the baby has tried a new food, his condition and behavior have not changed, the portions can be increased to a whole teaspoon, and over the next 14 days, the amount of this product can be brought to the norm for age.

Starting the introduction of any complementary food, it is very important to understand that it is not able to replace full-fledged meals, but is aimed only at familiarizing the crumbs with the variety of tastes of "adult" food, and as a source of additional trace elements and vitamins.

Complementary feeding rules

And a few more views from doctors and experts:

• Do not start the introduction of complementary foods during the period of illness and for two weeks after its end
• Do not add new foods to the child's diet during hot periods
• Do not force feed the child if the first spoonful of new food does not suit his taste
• Do not introduce several products at once, approach this in stages, and start introducing a new one only after the baby has got used to the previous one
• Give complementary foods in the morning, preferably at the very first meal. This procedure will help to control the state of the baby and help him in case of a negative reaction.
• New dishes should be completely homogeneous, hard pieces are unacceptable in them, and their consistency in density should be close to milk or mixture
• Food should be freshly cooked and warm, ready-made puree cans must be warmed up
• Do not use puree from exotic fruits and vegetables for the first feeding
• For complementary foods, it is best to use a special silicone baby spoon, a large assortment of which can be found in a pharmacy or specialty store.
• It is most advisable to give complementary foods in the morning feeding, and after the "adult" food, be sure to offer the baby breast milk or formula

Where to start the first feeding

Many mothers and grandmothers mistakenly believe that juice or fruit purees are the best food for a first meal. This is a huge delusion, because having got used to the sweet taste of the juice, the child will definitely not want to feast on vegetable dishes. In addition, fruit acids have a negative effect on the gastrointestinal tract of the baby.

So, the first on the baby's menu should be local, familiar to your region, vegetables, white or green, turned into one-component puree.

An approximate table for entering vegetables into a child's diet:

• 5-6 months - cauliflower, zucchini
• 6-7 months - pumpkin, potatoes, carrots, broccoli
• 8 months - green peas
• 9 months - beets
• 1 year - cucumbers, tomatoes, bell pepper, eggplant, onion.

As you master the one-component vegetable dishes, you can offer the crumbs puree from several components.

After a child gets used to vegetables, porridge becomes the next optimal product for introduction into the diet. Fruit purees and juices are introduced after vegetables and become a kind of dessert for the child. Juices are best diluted with boiled water in a ratio of 1 part juice to 2 parts water.

For children whose weight is lagging behind the norm, doctors recommend cereals as a product for the first complementary feeding. In order to avoid allergic reactions, the first cereals that should be introduced into the diet should be: rice, buckwheat and corn. If the child is prone to constipation, rice will have to be canceled. By the age of eight months, you can enter millet, oatmeal, semolina and wheat groats. If you give preference to ready-made cereals from well-known manufacturers, then you need to choose dairy-free and gluten-free products. They should also be introduced gradually, starting with a few spoons and gradually increasing the portions to the required weight. You can cook them yourself, pre-crushing the cereals, or you can purchase a finished product adapted specifically for kids. To prepare ready-made porridge, you need to use warm boiled water, breast milk, or the usual milk mixture.

If your child is not prone to allergies, at the age of 8 months it is time to start introducing chicken yolk. It can be given alone, or added to mashed potatoes and cereals. In the first days after adding this product to the diet, you must carefully monitor the reaction of the crumbs.

By the age of 9 months, you can add such a delicacy as cookies to the children's menu. It is better to choose a special one, made directly for children, since various vitamins and trace elements are added to it, and it quickly dissolves in liquid. It can be consumed dry or soaked in milk.

After 8-9 months, meat products should be present in the baby's menu. For the first feeding, it is necessary to take those types of meat that do not cause allergies. These are pork, lamb and turkey. If you introduce chicken or veal into the diet, you need to carefully monitor the reaction of the crumbs, since these varieties are the most allergenic. At the same time, the child's acquaintance with the liver should take place, but it is worth considering that not everyone will like such a specific product. You should not give your baby broth to your baby, as it is quite heavy food for small stomachs.

Closer to the year, at the age of 10-11 months, fish can be introduced into the diet. But do not forget that fish is a rather allergenic product, so it must be introduced with caution and in small portions, carefully observing the reaction of the child's body. Preference should be given to seafood, lean and white fish varieties.

By 10 - 12 months, cottage cheese and dairy products are added to the menu. The introduction scheme is no different from other products, it starts with one teaspoon and within 7-10 days is brought to the amount appropriate for age.

According to the degree of allergenicity, all products are divided into three categories, and this should also be taken into account when compiling a baby's menu:

• Low - courgettes, cauliflower, apples, plums, pumpkin, pears, rice, pork, and turkey
• Medium - broccoli, potatoes, green peas, peaches, bananas, chicken and lamb
• High level - cow's milk, eggs, fish, nuts, soy, wheat, honey, citrus fruits, chocolate, strawberries, tomatoes

The amount of complementary foods by month

Finished volume table vegetable dish according to age:

• 6 months - 150 g
• 7 months - 170 g
• 8 months - 180 g
• 9-12 months - 200 g

After the child's body has adapted to the one-component puree, you can start cooking it with the addition of vegetable oil.

Table of volumes of finished fruit dishes according to age:

• 7 months - 70 g
• 8 months - 80 g
• 9-12 months - 90-100 g

Table of volumes of ready-made cereals:

• 7 months - 150 g
• 8 months - 180 g
• 9-12 months - 200 g

The volume of chicken yolk in the child's diet by months:

• 7 months - ¼ part
• 8 months - ½ part
• 9-12 months - ½ part

The volume of meat products in the child's diet by months:

• 8 months - 30 g
• 9 months - 50 g
• 10-12 months - 60-70 g

The volume of fish products in the diet by month:

• 10 months - 30 g
• 11 months - 50 g
• 12 months - 60 g

The volume of cottage cheese in baby food by month:

• 10 months - 30 g
• 11 months - 40 g
• 12 months - 50 g

The main mistakes when introducing complementary foods

• Many parents who begin to feed their son or daughter with vegetables are faced with the rejection of such food, and instead I start offering him porridge. This is not recommended, because after sweet and delicious cereals there is a high probability of complete rejection of fresh and not salted vegetables. Therefore, if the child has abandoned this or that vegetable puree, it is necessary to offer him a replacement in the form of another vegetable, which may be to the taste of the crumb.
• Never add sugar to ready-made cereals for baby food, there is enough of it. It is absolutely not necessary to accustom the baby to sweet food, this can have a negative effect on him taste preferences in the future, and become the cause of excess weight and other diseases.
• Do not add salt to ready-made vegetable and meat purees, it is present in sufficient quantities.

Introduction of complementary foods without consequences for the child's body

With the early introduction of complementary foods in a fragile baby's body, various changes can occur. One of the main negative factors accompanying the addition of more solid food to the diet is constipation, in order to avoid them, you must follow some rules:

1. Not giving complementary foods too early
2. Control the fiber, protein and fat in food
3. Control the flow of water into the body of the crumbs
4. If a child has constipation, the first step is to determine if this deviation is a consequence of a food allergy

For any negative symptoms that appear during the introduction of complementary foods, an urgent consultation with a pediatrician is necessary.

How to prepare complementary foods

• You should not add salt and sugar to the food you prepare for your baby. The best way is to teach him to taste natural. It is best to start adding salt and sweetening after one year of age.
• Vegetable, fruit and meat products need to be crushed in a blender, because at the age of 6-7 months the baby is not yet able to chew food and, as a rule, has only 2-4 teeth. Upon reaching the age of ten months, the food can not be ground, but kneaded with a fork, and by the age of one, it is enough to crumble it into small pieces.
• Vegetables and meat are best cooked with steam; this method of cooking allows you to preserve the maximum amount of nutrients in products.
• Mashed potatoes for your crumbs should be prepared at one time so that they receive only the freshest ingredients each time.

How the amount of complementary foods changes by day

• 1 day - 1 tsp
• 2 days - 2 tsp
• 3 days - 3 tsp
• 4 days - 4 tsp
• 5 days - 50 g
• 6 days - 100 g
• 7 days - 150 g

Over time, it is necessary to put vegetable or butter in porridge and mashed potatoes of our own production. You need to start with 1 drop, gradually bringing the amount to a whole teaspoon.

Approximate menu for a day for a six-month-old child

First meal - breast milk or formula in the amount of 150-200 ml

Second meal - dairy-free or milk-free porridge 150 ml

The third meal - vegetable puree 150 ml

Fourth, fifth and sixth feeds - breast milk or formula in the amount of 150-200 ml

Of course, the introduction of adult food into the infant's diet requires some preparation, reading special literature and consulting a pediatrician. Everything will go smoothly if the baby is healthy, his mother has received the necessary knowledge, and the main nutrition of the baby is organized correctly.

Another important point in the organization of proper feeding is the encouragement of the desire for crumbs to eat on their own, of course, at the age of up to a year, this is fraught with certain inconveniences, but in no case should it be suppressed by the parents. Otherwise, it may result in the baby's refusal to eat on its own in the near future.