How to properly introduce complementary foods to a child

What is the first complementary food and why is it needed

Complementary foods are any food other than breast milk or formula that a baby receives.

The American Academy of Pediatrics and WHO consider The World Health Organization's infant feeding recommendation: up to 6 months, only milk is enough for a child for full growth and development. However, over time, the needs of the child's body increase. And milk is no longer able to provide the necessary nutrients.

The first complementary food also has another purpose: chewing solid food helps to form the chewing apparatus (which includes the jaws, teeth, chewing and facial muscles) and taste habits.

When is it time to introduce complementary foods to your baby

Once again: pediatricians insist What are the recommendations for breastfeeding? exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months of life. Therefore, manufacturers indicating "4+ months" on cans with baby food violate these recommendations. However, this is partly justified.

In fact, most babies are ready. Solid foods: How to get your baby started to start eating solid foods at 4-6 months of age. By this time, they have lost the reflex that causes newborns to push foreign objects out of their mouths with their tongue. And they develop coordination of movements, which allows you to move food from the front of the mouth to the back - for swallowing.

However, all children are unique. Therefore, there is still no general exact time when it is necessary to start complementary feeding. To determine whether your child is specifically ready to eat baby food, experts from the reputable research organization Mayo Clinic recommend looking for additional signs.

You should start complementary feeding if all of the following conditions are met:

the child is already able to keep the head in a stable upright position;
sits, albeit with support;
the baby is actively pulling hands or toys into the mouth;
expresses a desire to eat something by leaning forward and opening his mouth.

And do not delay with the first feeding. Your baby should start eating something solid before he is 9 months old. According to the study Delayed introduction of lumpy foods to children during the complementary feeding period affects child's food acceptance and feeding at 7 years of age, children who did not receive lumpy foods before that age had more nutritional problems by age 7. In particular, they were more likely to skip fruits and vegetables and lack important nutrients. As a result, growth and development slowed down.

How to introduce complementary foods correctly

Start with a small dose of one-ingredient fruit or vegetable puree or infant formula diluted with breast milk. Place a small amount of food on the tip of a soft plastic spoon (this is important not to accidentally damage the gums) and offer it to the child.

Don't put food in your mouth! The baby should reach for it on its own. If your child is not very interested in the contents of the spoon, let him just sniff the food and try again after two to three days.

If he's showing obvious cravings for new foods, there are a few important rules to follow.

1. Offer products with only one ingredient for the first few weeks

No sugar, salt or other additives. If you want your child to love a variety of foods in the future, give them the opportunity to sample each new flavor and texture.

2. Wait 3-5 days before proposing a new product

During this time, you will track whether the child has an allergic reaction to the previous type of complementary foods.

Watch for diarrhea, vomiting, and rashes. If you experience similar symptoms while using a specific product, be sure to consult your pediatrician on this topic.

3. Combine only ingredients that have already been tested

For example, if a child 3–5 days without problems ate applesauce, and then also carrot, you can offer him an apple-carrot mixture. But apple-peach is not worth it yet - until you are convinced that there are no allergic reactions specifically to the peach.

4. Be sure to include meat purees in the diet

Meat contains iron and zinc - substances that are essential for a child to develop in the second half of life. If for some reason these purees are not available, choose iron-fortified cereals.

5. At the age of 8-10 months, offer finely chopped, not mashed potatoes

By this time, most children can already chew and swallow small portions of finely chopped soft foods: non-hard fruits, vegetables, cheese, pasta, well-boiled meat.

What should not be given to a child during the introduction of complementary foods

Many people are afraid to give children famous allergenic foods, for example, peanuts, eggs, fish. However, according to the Mayo Clinic, these precautions are unnecessary. Even harmful. The early introduction of the same peanuts or eggs, on the contrary, reduces the risk of developing allergies to this food in the future.

There is only one caveat. If one of the child's relatives has this disease, a specific product should be offered with caution: only at home (and not, say, in a restaurant) and having an antihistamine approved by a pediatrician on hand.

Nevertheless, foods that are contraindicated during complementary feeding do exist. Here they are:

Juices. Eating them can lead to diarrhea and weight problems. In addition, the habit of sipping juice during the day provokes the development of caries on milk teeth. Pediatricians recommend introducing such drinks no earlier than the child is one year old.
Sugar in any form. Condensed milk on a nipple, a piece of cookies, a sip of a milkshake - these treats only seem harmless. In fact, sugary foods and drinks can affect future food preferences. And as a result, "reward" the child with excess weight and associated health problems. The American Heart Association recommends that the American Heart Association Scientific Statement do not add sugar to foods or drinks in children during the first two years of life.
Cow's milk. There is little iron in it. If a child relies on cow's milk, a deficiency of this important micronutrient may develop. Set aside the first glass for ages after a year.
Honey. It may contain spores that can cause infant botulism.
Foods that you can choke on. In the first year of life, do not offer pieces of meat or cheese, grapes, thermally unprocessed vegetables and fruits, unless they are cut into small pieces. Also banned are unmilled nuts, seeds, popcorn, caramel. And, unexpectedly, marshmallows and peanut butter.

Finally, not so much a ban as a warning. Do not feed your child exclusively with rice cereals and mixtures - be sure to alternate them with other foods. Arsenic in Rice and Rice Products may be present in products made from this cereal. Risk Assessment Report - in insignificant quantities, but still more than in other children's cereals (yes, and it also occurs there). Minimize your risks.