Do babies need baby food
Feeding Your 4- to 7-Month-Old (for Parents)
Most babies this age are ready to try solid foods. Experts recommend starting solid foods when a baby is about 6 months old, depending on the baby's readiness and nutritional needs.
Be sure to check with your doctor before giving any solid foods.
Is My Baby Ready to Eat Solid Foods?
How can you tell if your baby is ready for solids? Here are a few hints:
- Does your baby swallow food or push it out of their mouth? Babies have a natural tongue-thrust reflex that pushes food back out. Wait until this reflex disappears (typically when babies are 4–6 months old).
- Can your baby support their own head? To eat solid food, an infant needs good head and neck control and should be able to sit up.
- Is your baby interested in food? Babies who stare, reach and grab, and open their mouths for food are ready to try solid foods.
If your doctor gives the go-ahead but your baby seems frustrated or uninterested in solid foods, try waiting a few days before trying again. Breast milk and formula will still meet nutritional needs as your baby learns to eat solid foods. But after 6 months, babies need the added nutrition — like iron and zinc — that solid foods provide.
Do not add cereal or other food to your baby's bottle because it can lead to too much weight gain.
Watch for signs that your child is hungry or full. Respond to these cues and let your child stop when full. A child who is full may suck with less enthusiasm, stop, or turn away from the breast or the bottle. With solid foods, they may turn away, refuse to open their mouth, or spit the food out.
How Should I Start Feeding My Baby Solid Foods?
When your baby is ready and the doctor says it’s OK to try solid foods, pick a time of day when your baby is not tired or cranky. You want your baby to be a little hungry, but not so hungry that they’re upset. So you might want to give your baby a little breast milk or formula first.
Have your baby sit supported in your lap or in a high chair with a safety strap.
Most babies' first food is iron-fortified infant single-grain cereal mixed with breast milk or formula. Place the spoon near your baby's lips, and let the baby smell and taste it. Don't be surprised if this first spoonful is rejected. Wait a minute and try again. Most food offered to your baby at this age will end up on the baby's chin, bib, or high-chair tray. Again, this is just an introduction.
When your little one gets the hang of eating cereal off a spoon, it may be time to try single-ingredient puréed meat, vegetables, or fruit. The order in which you give them doesn't matter, but go slow. Offer foods that are high in iron and zinc — such as meat, poultry, eggs, and beans — especially if your baby is breastfeeding. Try one food at a time and wait several days before trying something else new. This will let you identify any foods that your baby may be allergic to.
Which Foods Should I Avoid?
Foods that are more likely to cause allergies can be among the foods you introduce to your baby.
These include peanuts, eggs, cow’s milk, seafood, nuts, wheat, and soy. Waiting to start these foods does not prevent food allergies. Talk to your doctor if you’re concerned about food allergies, especially if any close family members have allergies, food allergies, or allergy-related conditions, like eczema or asthma.
Infants with severe eczema or egg allergies are more likely to have allergies to peanuts. Talk to your doctor about how and when to introduce these foods to your child.
Possible signs of food allergy or allergic reactions include:
- rash
- bloating or an increase in gassiness
- diarrhea
- vomiting
Get medical care right away if your baby has a more severe allergic reaction, like hives, drooling, wheezing, or trouble breathing.
If your child has any type of reaction to a food, don't offer that food again until you talk with your doctor.
Babies shouldn't have:
- foods with added sugars and no-calorie sweeteners
- high-sodium foods
- honey, until after the first birthday.
It can cause botulism in babies. - unpasteurized juice, milk, yogurt, or cheese
- regular cow's milk or soy beverages before 12 months instead of breast milk or formula. It’s OK to offer pasteurized yogurt and cheese.
- foods that may cause choking, such as hot dogs, raw carrots, grapes, popcorn, and nuts
Tips for Feeding Your Baby Solid Foods
With the hectic pace of family life, most parents try commercially prepared baby foods at first. They come in small, convenient containers, and manufacturers must meet strict safety and nutrition guidelines.
If you prepare your own baby foods at home, here are some things to keep in mind:
- Follow the rules for food safety, including washing your hands well and often.
- To preserve the nutrients in your baby's food, cook it in ways that keep the most vitamins and minerals. Try steaming or baking fruits and vegetables instead of boiling, which washes away the nutrients.
- Freeze portions that you aren't going to use right away.
- Whether you buy the baby food or make it yourself, texture and consistency are important. At first, babies should have finely puréed single-ingredient foods. (Just applesauce, for example, not apples and pears mixed together.)
- After your baby is eating individual foods, it's OK to offer a puréed mix of two foods. As babies get older, they will learn to eat a greater variety of tastes and textures.
- If you use prepared baby food in jars, spoon some of the food into a bowl to feed your baby. Do not feed your baby right from the jar — bacteria from the baby's mouth can contaminate the remaining food. If you refrigerate opened jars of baby food, it's best to throw away anything not eaten within a day or two.
- Around 6 months of age is a good time for your baby to try a cup. You might need to try a few cups to find one that works for your child. Use water at first to avoid messy clean-ups. Do not give juice to infants younger than 12 months.
Over the next few months, introduce a variety of foods from all the food groups.
If your baby doesn't seem to like something, don’t give up. It can take 8 to 10 tries or more before babies learn to like new foods.
When, What, and How to Introduce Solid Foods | Nutrition
For more information about how to know if your baby is ready to starting eating foods, what first foods to offer, and what to expect, watch these videos from 1,000 Days.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend children be introduced to foods other than breast milk or infant formula when they are about 6 months old. Introducing foods before 4 months old is not recommended. Every child is different. How do you know if your child is ready for foods other than breast milk or infant formula? You can look for these signs that your child is developmentally ready.
Your child:
- Sits up alone or with support.
- Is able to control head and neck.
- Opens the mouth when food is offered.
- Swallows food rather than pushes it back out onto the chin.
- Brings objects to the mouth.
- Tries to grasp small objects, such as toys or food.
- Transfers food from the front to the back of the tongue to swallow.
What Foods Should I Introduce to My Child First?
The American Academy of Pediatrics says that for most children, you do not need to give foods in a certain order. Your child can begin eating solid foods at about 6 months old. By the time he or she is 7 or 8 months old, your child can eat a variety of foods from different food groups. These foods include infant cereals, meat or other proteins, fruits, vegetables, grains, yogurts and cheeses, and more.
If your child is eating infant cereals, it is important to offer a variety of fortifiedalert icon infant cereals such as oat, barley, and multi-grain instead of only rice cereal. Only providing infant rice cereal is not recommended by the Food and Drug Administration because there is a risk for children to be exposed to arsenic. Visit the U.
S. Food & Drug Administrationexternal icon to learn more.
How Should I Introduce My Child to Foods?
Your child needs certain vitamins and minerals to grow healthy and strong.
Now that your child is starting to eat food, be sure to choose foods that give your child all the vitamins and minerals they need.
Click here to learn more about some of these vitamins & minerals.
Let your child try one single-ingredient food at a time at first. This helps you see if your child has any problems with that food, such as food allergies. Wait 3 to 5 days between each new food. Before you know it, your child will be on his or her way to eating and enjoying lots of new foods.
Introduce potentially allergenic foods when other foods are introduced.
Potentially allergenic foods include cow’s milk products, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soy, and sesame. Drinking cow’s milk or fortified soy beverages is not recommended until your child is older than 12 months, but other cow’s milk products, such as yogurt, can be introduced before 12 months.
If your child has severe eczema and/or egg allergy, talk with your child’s doctor or nurse about when and how to safely introduce foods with peanuts.
How Should I Prepare Food for My Child to Eat?
At first, it’s easier for your child to eat foods that are mashed, pureed, or strained and very smooth in texture. It can take time for your child to adjust to new food textures. Your child might cough, gag, or spit up. As your baby’s oral skills develop, thicker and lumpier foods can be introduced.
Some foods are potential choking hazards, so it is important to feed your child foods that are the right texture for his or her development. To help prevent choking, prepare foods that can be easily dissolved with saliva and do not require chewing. Feed small portions and encourage your baby to eat slowly. Always watch your child while he or she is eating.
Here are some tips for preparing foods:
- Mix cereals and mashed cooked grains with breast milk, formula, or water to make it smooth and easy for your baby to swallow.
- Mash or puree vegetables, fruits and other foods until they are smooth.
- Hard fruits and vegetables, like apples and carrots, usually need to be cooked so they can be easily mashed or pureed.
- Cook food until it is soft enough to easily mash with a fork.
- Remove all fat, skin, and bones from poultry, meat, and fish, before cooking.
- Remove seeds and hard pits from fruit, and then cut the fruit into small pieces.
- Cut soft food into small pieces or thin slices.
- Cut cylindrical foods like hot dogs, sausage and string cheese into short thin strips instead of round pieces that could get stuck in the airway.
- Cut small spherical foods like grapes, cherries, berries and tomatoes into small pieces.
- Cook and finely grind or mash whole-grain kernels of wheat, barley, rice, and other grains.
Learn more about potential choking hazards and how to prevent your child from choking.
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QUESTION-ANSWER
FREE PROVISION OF CHILDREN IN THE FIRST THREE YEARS OF LIFE WITH DAIRY PRODUCTS IN THE REPUBLIC OF TATARSTAN IN QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS.
(program “BELEKECH”)
1. Question : Who has the right to free of charge of dairy products?
Answer : children of the first three years of life who are artificial or mixed feeding, permanently residing in the Republic of Tatarstan, registered as an outpatient at the place of residence in a healthcare institution of the republic, belonging to preferential categories (Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Tatarstan dated December 31, 2009 No. 933)
2. Question : Why do other regions give food to all children, but we don't?
Answer: Federal Law No. 323 of November 21, 2011 “On the Fundamentals of Protecting the Health of Citizens in the Russian Federation” regulates the provision of adequate nutrition for children under the age of three upon the conclusion of a doctor, in accordance with the legislation of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation (Article 52).
In the Republic of Tatarstan, this is the Decree of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Tatarstan No. 933 dated December 31, 2009 “On the procedure for providing children of the first three years of life free of charge with special dairy products and mixtures according to doctors' prescriptions and financing the expenses for its organization”.
3. Question: Which categories of children are eligible for free dairy products?
Reply : children are eligible for benefits:
- From families with an average per capita income not exceeding the subsistence level established in the territory of the Republic of Tatarstan according to a certificate from the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Protection of the Republic of Tatarstan.
- Children with chronic diseases who have a medical condition on the opinion of a doctor:
- iron deficiency anemia,
- protein-energy deficiency of moderate and severe form (weight loss).
3. Children with HIV infection, children born to HIV-infected mothers.
4. Question : On the basis of what documents is food issued?
Reply : The main document for receiving meals is a prescription issued by a pediatrician at the clinic where the child is registered. When receiving products at a milk distribution point, you must present a prescription and a document confirming the identity of the recipient (parent). One of the parents has the right to receive food. Another recipient, along with a prescription and a document, must have a power of attorney from a legal representative (parent) to receive meals.
5. Question: What are the criteria for determining medical indications?
Answer: The decision to prescribe nutrition is made by the local pediatrician based on the results of clinical studies, clinical recommendations, standards of medical care.
6. Question: In case of disagreement with the opinion of the local doctor, where can the parent apply?
Answer: A parent can apply to the head of the department, to the deputy head physician, to the head physician of the polyclinic.
7. Question: How often do I get a prescription for free meals?
Answer: Prescriptions for free meals are issued by the district pediatrician once a month in two copies, one of which is given to parents, the other is kept in an outpatient clinic. This rule applies to all recipients of nutrition (medical, social indications).
8.Question: Why is a prescription for free baby food valid for 1 month?
Answer:
Since the number of children's dairy products (kefir, milk, cottage cheese, liquid adapted milk formula) must correspond to the number of recipients in each age category of each children's clinic, a prescription is issued once a month.
9.Question: How long is free baby food issued for?
Answer: The period of preferential provision of food for a child is determined by the period of the benefit: the period of treatment of the disease or the validity period of a certificate issued by the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Protection of the Republic of Tatarstan, the age of the child (up to three years). There are no regulated terms for the duration of receiving baby food in the regulatory documents.
The validity period of the certificate is established by the territorial department of the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Protection of the Republic of Tatarstan.
The term of treatment of the disease is determined by the local doctor in accordance with the current standards of medical care, clinical guidelines.
10. Question: How safe and of high quality are children's milk products of the Zelenodolsk Dairy Plant (ZMK)?
Answer: During the 10 years of the existence of the "Belakech" program, not a single case of adverse effects of ZMK products on the child's health has been registered.
Milk for baby food is supplied only by the best enterprises of the Republic of Tatarstan, which have automated milk collection lines. The ZMK baby milk food production line is fully automated. ZMK baby milk products are certified and consist only of a natural product without the addition of preservatives or other additives. At all stages of the collection, transportation and manufacture of products, continuous monitoring is carried out. Each batch of products is delivered to milk distribution points with a certificate of conformity for this batch. Delivery of products from ZMK to milk distribution points is carried out in specialized vehicles equipped with refrigeration equipment.
11. Question: How many children receive milk nutrition under the program “Belakach”?
Answer: 40,938 children.
12. Question: I live with a child in Kazan, registered in Pestretsy. Can I get baby milk food for a child in Kazan.
Answer: Yes, you can. To do this, you need to get a detachment at the clinic in Pestretsy and register with a children's medical institution at the place of residence in Kazan.
13. Question: My child has low hemoglobin, but the district pediatrician does not write out a prescription, he says it is not allowed. Why?
Answer:
The district doctor makes a decision on the need to issue a prescription for free baby food based on clinical and laboratory indicators, guided by the standards of medical care, clinical recommendations of leading pediatricians and pediatric nutritionists. At the same time, the doctor is obliged to explain the reason for the refusal to the parent of the child.
14. Question: How is a child underweight determined and in what case is it necessary to provide baby food?
.
15.
Question: What range of foods should a child receive under the Belacare program?
Answer: Child under 6 months old. receives a liquid adapted milk formula - 200 ml per day.
Infants born to HIV-infected mothers and infants with HIV up to 6 months of age receive 800 ml of liquid formula milk per day.
Child over 6 months old up to 1 year receives:
- liquid adapted milk formula - 200 ml
- milk - 200 ml
- kefir - 100 ml
- cottage cheese - 30 gr.
A child aged 1 to 3 receives:
- milk - 200 ml
- kefir - 200 ml
- cottage cheese - 40 gr.
16. Question: If the mother was not able to get food on distribution days, what happens to this product?
Answer: Dairy products that the parent does not show up for within three days are considered unclaimed. Within one day, a medical organization redistributes unclaimed good nutrition in favor of newly registered children who are entitled to free provision of good nutrition.
A child whose parent does not show up for dairy products within three days is entitled to adequate nutrition until the end of the grace period, excluding days during which no food was provided.
17. Question: Who can get baby food in the dairy kitchen except parents?
Answer: This may be a relative (grandmother, grandfather, sister, etc.) who must have a prescription and a power of attorney.
18. Question: My child gets free baby food, but he doesn't eat the yogurt included in the meal. Can I receive a set without kefir?
Answer: A measure of social support in the form of gratuitous provision of special dairy products and mixtures according to doctors' prescriptions (complete nutrition) is issued in full and is not divided into parts.
19. Question: I brought a certificate from social security to the local pediatrician on February 21.
The doctor said that they would only put my baby on the baby food list from mid-March. Is it legal? And why can't I receive groceries from March 1st?
Answer: Medical institutions update the lists of children for receiving baby milk food every five days. Therefore, your child must be included in the application for infant milk formula from March 1st.
20. Question: My child and I live in Tatarstan, but we are registered in Saransk. Can my sick child receive free infant formula?
Answer: Financing of expenses for free provision of baby food is carried out at the expense of the budget of the Republic of Tatarstan, therefore, children are provided, permanently residing in the Republic of Tatarstan, registered as outpatients at the place of residence in medical organizations of the republic.
21. Question: Is a child with a disability under the age of three entitled to free children's meals?
Answer: The presence of a disability is not included in the list of categories that have the right to provide free food for children.
22. Question: Why can baby milk be stored for 3 months if it is an organic product and there are no additives?
Answer: The manufacturer of children's dairy products, ZMK JSC, uses a progressive method of heat treatment - milk ultra-pasteurization. At the same time, vitamins and microelements are preserved in milk. Pathogenic microorganisms and spores are killed, which lead to rapid deterioration of the product.
The product is bottled in a multi-layer hermetic package, which ensures the storage of the product during the expiration date. The entire production and bottling process takes place under sterile conditions and in a closed system.
23. Question: Who controls the supply of free baby milk products?
Answer: Delivery of free baby food (quantity, quality of packages, return and replacement of baby food) is monitored all days of the week by specialists from the Dairy Nutrition Department of the Dispatch Center of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Tatarstan.
Phone for consultations: (843) 221-16-95, 221-16-90.
how to get it, who is supposed to, what products are provided in Moscow and the regions, work schedule
Yulia Shubina
refused dairy cuisine
Author profile
In Russia, expectant mothers and families with children can receive free food.
Each subject has its own rules. I received kits at a dairy kitchen in Moscow - I'll tell you who usually gets help and how to get it in different regions.
What is a dairy kitchen?
The forerunners of the dairy kitchen were centers called "A Drop of Milk" where they gave out food for premature babies. They appeared in the Russian Empire in 1901 year.
Dairy kitchen - Big Medical Encyclopedia
There are more such organizations in the USSR. Dairy kitchens helped save the lives of many children during the Second World War: then they began to offer additional food, including to full-term babies.
They continued to do so after the war.
Today there is no concept of "dairy cuisine" in Russian legislation. But there is a guarantee: according to the doctor, children under three years old, pregnant and lactating women must be provided with food. What to give and to what extent - the leadership of each region decides independently.
Art. 52 of the law "On the Fundamentals of Protecting the Health of Citizens in the Russian Federation"
How to get a dairy kitchen in Moscow
Only people with a Moscow residence permit can use a dairy kitchen in Moscow. Here are the people who will be given food:
- pregnant and lactating women;
- formula-fed or formula-fed children under 6 months of age;
- children from 6 months to 3 years;
- children under 7 from large families;
- children under 15 with chronic diseases: glomerulonephritis, hemoblastosis, malignant neoplasms;
- disabled children under 18.
Regulation on the provision of free food to certain categories of children and women who are residents of the city of Moscow
But you can’t just go to the dairy kitchen for food: first you need to get a prescription from a doctor. For this, pregnant women need to contact the antenatal clinic, in all other cases, the prescription will be issued at the children's clinic where the child is assigned.
To confirm the right to receive products, the antenatal clinic or polyclinic will ask you to submit documents. They will need to be brought only once, after which all the necessary information will already be in the system. Here's what you need:
- Pregnant woman's passport or child's birth certificate together with the passport of either parent.
- MHI policy for a pregnant woman or child.
- Certificate of registration of a child in Moscow (form 8), pregnant women will need to show the registration page in their passport instead.
- If the child is under guardianship, you will additionally need a document confirming the establishment of guardianship.
- If the child is older than 3 years, you will need to confirm his benefits: a certificate of a large family, a certificate from a medical and social examination, or a medical certificate confirming the presence of a chronic disease will do.
They will also ask you to fill out an application for receiving products: a ready-made form will be provided at the clinic, you only need to sign it.
/kids-rule-everything-around-me/
Benefits for families with many children in Moscow until the 10th day of the month. It was tiresome.
Now everything has changed: a doctor issues a benefit once through the EMIAS system and information about it is automatically transferred to the dairy kitchen until it expires. For example, this happens when a pregnant woman gives birth to a child or he reaches the age of three.
Now you can go to the dairy kitchen right away, without wasting time getting a prescription from a doctor and without worrying about what date is on the calendar.
Where to go with a prescription for a dairy kitchen
Each clinic has its own dairy kitchen - you will need to get food packages there. Sometimes several points are assigned to one clinic - then parents are offered to choose. You can find out what milk distribution points are in your area using the map on the Gormedtekhnika portal.
Those who come to buy food for the first time are assigned a number by the dairy kitchen staff. It must be remembered and called every time to get a set. Nothing critical will happen if the parents forget the number and instead ask to find a set by the child's last name, but it is more convenient for the kitchen staff to work with him.
Dairy kitchens usually distribute visitors by day of the week. In some kitchens, employees ask parents when it is more convenient for them to come for kits, while in others they appoint themselves: for example, they give out kits for pregnant women on Mondays, and for children under six months on Wednesdays.
This rule is also not strict: if you miss the right day, you can safely come for a set on another.
/baby-cost/
How much does a child cost in the first year? We did not encounter this: even at the end of the month, my husband easily received a full set of products for 30 days.
Dairy kitchens in the capital are open from 06:30 to 15:00 from Monday to Saturday. From 12:30 to 13:00 - lunch break.
To receive food, you will need to show your passport or other identification document - the husband usually shows the rights. According to the rules, dairy kitchens give out food packages only to parents, and if you need someone else to receive them, you need to issue a power of attorney. In reality, you can agree with the employees: sometimes my brother got the dairy kitchen and no one asked for additional papers - I think the point is that we have the same last name with him.
Before you go to the dairy kitchen, think about how you will collect food.
We had to take a taxi, and other parents came with hiking backpacks: a set for a child of 6-12 months for 30 days weighs about 10 kg.
What kind of products are given in the dairy kitchen in Moscow
Pregnant, lactating women and children of different ages are given different amounts and composition of products. Mothers are given juice and milk, and babies are given supplementary or complementary foods, depending on their age. These can be mixtures, canned purees, instant cereals and similar juices and milk, as for mothers.
Regulation on the provision of free food for certain categories of children and women who are residents of the city of MoscowPDF, 653 KB
| To whom they give | What is | How much per month |
|---|---|---|
| Formula-fed infants 0-3 months | Powdered and liquid milk formulas | 5.5 kg |
| Formula-fed babies 4 months old | Powdered and liquid milk formulas, fruit juice, fruit puree | 7. 9 kg |
| Formula-fed babies 5 months old | Powdered and liquid milk formulas, fruit juice, vegetable puree, dry porridge, fruit puree | 9.8 kg |
| Children 6 months on any type of feeding | Dry and liquid mixtures, fruit juice, dry porridge, vegetable puree, fruit puree | 7.3 kg |
| Children 7-8 months | Dry and liquid mixtures, children's cottage cheese, fruit juice, dry porridge, vegetable puree, fruit puree, meat puree with vegetables, meat puree | 9.9 kg |
| Children 9-12 months | Dry and liquid mixtures, children's cottage cheese, kefir, fruit juice, dry porridge, vegetable puree, fruit puree, meat puree with vegetables, meat puree | 12.3 kg |
| Children 1-2 years old | Milk, kefir, cottage cheese, fruit puree, fruit juice | 9.8 kg |
| Children 2-3 years old | Milk, kefir, cottage cheese, fruit puree, fruit juice | 8. 4 kg |
| Pregnant | Fruit juice, milk | 12.9L |
| Nursing | Milk, fruit juice | 16.2 L |
| Children from large families, disabled children | Milk | 18 l |
Children 0-3 months on artificial feeding
that
Dry and liquid milk mixtures
volume
5.5 kg
Children 4 months old 4 months on artificial feeding
What
Success and liquid milk formulas, fruit juice, fruit puree
Volume per month
7.9 kg
Children 5 months on artificial feeding
, fruit puree 9Ol000 7.3 kg
Children 7-8 months old
What
Dry and liquid mixtures, baby cottage cheese, fruit juice, dry porridge, vegetable puree, fruit puree, meat puree with vegetables, meat puree
90 903volume for a month
12.
3 kg
Children 1-2 years old
What are
Milk, kefir, cottage cheese, fruit puree, fruit juice
volume
9.8 kg
9000,0005 children 2-3 yearsWhat
Milk, kefir, cottage cheese, fruit puree, fruit juice
volume
8.4 kg
Pregnant
What
Fruit juice, milk
volume
12.9 l
Burners
What
Milk, Fruit juice
FILLOSE per month
16.2 l
Children from large families, children with disabilities
that
Milk
volume
volume
0003
18L
Free food for 11 months baby for 30 daysMy experience of getting nutrition in a dairy kitchen
I started getting free food when I was pregnant. I was observed at the antenatal clinic by registration, so I was given a prescription for the nearest dairy kitchen. But due to the fact that I live in a different area, getting groceries was inconvenient.
They found a way out quickly: my younger brother began to call for boxes. The products remained with him: I didn’t really need them.
When our daughter was born, we assigned her to a polyclinic in our place of residence. They began to receive recipes for a dairy kitchen near the house. As a nursing mother, I was given juice and milk. I did not plan to take these products, but my brother liked them. Therefore, we used the recipe.
/guide/prikorm-detyam/
How to introduce complementary foods to children
Later, I learned that in the first six months we were also given a dairy kitchen for our daughter: she was mixed-fed. But for some reason, the pediatrician did not report this. True, this fact did not upset me much: I fed my daughter with Nutrilon Comfort, they are not given out in sets. And we would not change the mixture just to get it for free: for a baby, this is fraught with digestive problems.
What purees, juices and mixtures did they give us
From the age of 5 months, on the recommendation of the pediatrician, we began to introduce complementary foods on our own.
I read the advice of pediatricians on Instagram and decided, at least at first, to follow the composition of baby food. I didn’t want fanaticism in food, but mashed potatoes without unnecessary components were important to me. Therefore, in the first month of complementary foods, I carefully chose jars of mashed potatoes, which we bought with our own money.
From 6 months we began to receive dairy products. I was pleasantly surprised: there was nothing superfluous in the compositions. Therefore, for six months we actively used the food that was given to us. Monthly managed to save 1000-2000 R.
up to 2000 R
we saved on baby food
The variety of canned purees in the dairy kitchen pleased me. First, they gave the classic trio of vegetables that are recommended to start complementary foods with: broccoli, cauliflower and zucchini from Agushi. True, I didn’t really like the Agusha zucchini: it was too liquid and it was inconvenient to feed a child with it.
Later, carrots and pumpkins of the same brand were added - with excellent composition and consistency.
Meat puree was also varied: the sets included poultry, beef, and veal. From 9months, jars of “chicken and vegetables” and “beef and vegetables” began to be issued. My daughter still eats this, despite the fact that she mostly prefers a common table. By the way, for some reason, there were no fish in the set from the dairy kitchen, although the pediatrician's memo said that fish should be introduced from 10-11 months.
Meat puree from the dairy kitchen had a good composition. True, the smell was not very appetizing, but my daughter ate with pleasureFruit puree was also given out by Agusha. The compositions were good, the tastes were different: we came across an apple, a pear, a peach. When my daughter got older, they began to give puree from several fruits and berries, for example, "apple, cherry, blueberry."
In addition, the set contained a mixture of two types: dry and liquid.
We refused the liquid mixture: my daughter ate another, and in the kitchen they gave the same Agusha. The liquid mixture was packed in a separate box, so the husband immediately said: “We don’t take this.” We gave Nestogen dry mix to friends.
/list/fake-healthy-foods/
Corn flakes and "children's menu": what not to feed a child
My daughter fell in love with Agusha cottage cheese: she liked trying to eat from plastic packaging on her own.
What I didn't like about the dairy kitchen
Firstly, the composition of some of the products that were given out on a monthly basis was contrary to the recommendations for complementary foods.
National program for optimizing the feeding of children in the first year of life in the Russian Federation - methodological recommendations of the Union of Pediatricians of Russia, p. 45PDF, 4.45 MB
Moreover, the recommendations were issued by a pediatrician in the very clinic where they wrote out a prescription for a dairy kitchen.
The documents indicated that the products were issued in accordance with the age marking of the manufacturer, but in our case this did not always coincide with reality.
For example, milk porridges were not recommended until 9 months of age. In fact, we began to receive instant cereals with powdered milk from 7 months. Even the pediatrician did not advise giving fruit juice until a year old. And we began to receive it from 6 months - as a result, adults drank the juice from us.
Feeding and nutrition of infants and young children - guidelines for the WHO European RegionPDF, 1.28 MB0003
Secondly, cereals included fructose and milk powder. Rospotrebnadzor does not recommend introducing sugar up to a year. And WHO recommends to refrain from cow's milk in favor of breast milk, as cow's milk is too rich in protein and sodium.
We started getting milk porridge "Agusha" from 8 months. Unlike other products, its composition was not ideal Thirdly, did not contain mashed potatoes with chunks in the packages.
This was a little depressing: it is recommended to start introducing pieces from 9-10 months.
But in the end, I understand that mashing food with a fork is much easier than making a full-fledged puree on your own. In addition, I know that in other regions the level of support for the authorities is significantly lower compared to Moscow. So I was grateful for what I have.
Why did we end up giving up free products
This happened simultaneously for two reasons. The first - by the year my daughter switched to a common table. The second - a set of products for children from the age of one did not suit her.
For example, I try to give cow's milk and juices as treats, the rest of the time she drinks water. My daughter prefers grained cottage cheese and ordinary cereals to dry cereals and children's creamy cottage cheese: she likes to eat them with her hands or with a spoon. I never add sugar to buckwheat or rice - purchased cereals cannot boast of this.
The only thing that could really be useful to us from the set for children from one year old is Agusha kefir, it has a good composition. But they give a lot of it, and the shelf life is short. On the one hand, this is good: it means that there are no preservatives in kefir, with which ultra-pasteurized milk is stored for months. But on the other hand, we had to drink kefir with the whole family until it got spoiled.
/farm-products/
I feed my family with farm products and save money
In addition, it was simply unprofitable to force my husband to go to the dairy kitchen for one yogurt.
How are things going with free meals in the regions
Each region independently determines what products, to whom and in what quantities to provide. In some regions, payments are assigned instead of products.
You can usually find out if there is a dairy kitchen in the region and who is entitled to it, usually at the children's clinic or social security departments. I will tell you about how things are in several large regions.
Moscow region. Dairy cuisine has been canceled in the Moscow region. You can get money instead. The amount of the monthly cash payment in 2022:
- Pregnant women - 400 R.
- Nursing mothers - 1000 R.
- Children from 0 to 1 years old on artificial or mixed feeding - 1000 to 905 years old Children from 9005 years old on artificial or mixed feeding - 600 R.
Decree of the Government of the Moscow Region dated November 26, 2019No. 868/41
If a woman has several children, she will receive payments for pregnant and lactating women in a single amount. If there are several children and they are formula fed, then a monthly cash payment is provided for each child.
Appointment of a monthly cash payment for food - the portal of public services of the Moscow region
St. Petersburg. In St. Petersburg there is neither a dairy kitchen nor compensation. But there is a "children's" card - it receives regional payments and benefits: for example, a one-time compensation payment for the birth of a child or a monthly allowance for a child up to one and a half years. You can only spend money on baby products in certain stores, including baby food.
Rules for using a "children's" card - St. Petersburg public services portal
You can order a card together with a one-time payment at the birth of a child. This is done online on the public services website or through the MFC. The card will be ready within three months, the service is free. You will need a passport to get it.
Nizhny Novgorod. Dairy products are distributed only to low-income families until the child is 2 years old. In order to receive food for children under one year old, the average per capita income of a family should not exceed two living wages, and if the child is from one to two years old, the average per capita income must be less than one living wage.
Regulations on the provision of adequate nutrition for children under the age of 3 through special nutrition points (dairy kitchens) according to the opinion of doctors in the city district of Nizhny Novgorod
What products are distributed in Nizhny Novgorod
| What is | How much per month | |
|---|---|---|
| Children up to 5 months | Dry mix | 3.5 kg |
| Children 6-7 months | Dry milk porridge, dry mix, cottage cheese. By prescription, kefir | is issued4.13 kg + 12 liters of kefir |
| Children 8-12 months, depending on doctor's prescription | Dry milk porridge, dry mix, cottage cheese | 6 kg + 12 l kefir |
| Children 1-2 years old | Dry milk porridge, cottage cheese | 2 kg + 13.2 l kefir |
| Children 2-3 years old | Dry milk porridge, cottage cheese | 1. |
Children up to 5 months
that
Dry mixture
volume
3.5 kg
months 9000
What
Dry milk porridge, dry mix, cottage cheese . Kefir is dispensed by doctor's prescription
Volume per month
4.13 kg + 12 liters of kefir
Children 8-12 months old, depending on the doctor's prescription
that
Dry milk, dry mix, cottage cheese
volume
6 kg+ 12 l kefira
children 1-2 years old
that
Dry milk porridge, cottage cheese
volume for month
2 kg+ 13.2 l kefira
Children 2-3 years old
What are
Dry milk porridge, cottage cheese
volume
1.9 kg+ 13.2 l kefira
Kaluga region. Children of the first year of life on artificial and mixed feeding receive free meals. For children from 2 to 3 years old, the poor are paid compensation - up to 500 R.
Explanations on the provision of adequate nutrition for children of the first year of life who are artificially and mixed-fed - the official portal of the authorities of the Kaluga region can apply if the income per family member does not exceed the regional subsistence minimum by more than 1,000 rubles.
What products are distributed in the Kaluga region
| To whom they give | What is | To what extent |
|---|---|---|
| Children up to 6 months | Dry mix | It is not known exactly, at the rate of 900 R per month per child |
| Children 6-12 months | Dry mix, dry porridge | It is not known exactly, at the rate of 900 R per month per child |
Babies under 6 months
What
Dry mixture
volume for a month
is not known exactly, at the rate of 900 r per month per child
children 6-12 months
What are
Dry mix, dry porridge
volume
, at the rate of 900 R per month per child
In Bashkiria. Products are provided to orphans, as well as children, lactating and pregnant women from low-income families. You can get a dairy kitchen if the family income per person does not exceed 10,015 R.
Dairy cuisine of the Republic of Bashkiria
Provision of specialized food for pregnant women and nursing mothers - Republican Center for Social Support of the Population
What products are distributed in Bashkiria
| What is | How much per month | |
|---|---|---|
| Pregnant | Pregnancy Powder | 2 kg |
| Lactating | Nursing Powder | 1 kg |
| Children up to 6 months | Powdered formula or specialty formula for medical reasons | 0.75 kg |
| Children 6-8 months | Dry or specialized mix for medical indications, dry porridge, cottage cheese | 2 kg |
| Children 8-12 months | Dry or specialized mixture for medical indications, dry porridge, milk, kefir, cottage cheese | 2 kg + 6. |
| Children 1-2 years old | Dry porridge, cottage cheese, milk, kefir | 2 kg + 16.4 l milk and kefir |
| Children 2-3 years old | Curd, milk, kefir | 1.1 kg + 16.6 l milk and kefir |
Pregnant
What
Pregnancy powder
Monthly volume
2 kg
Nursing
that
Dry mixture for feeding
volume for a month
1 kg
Children up to 6 months
What
Dry mix or specialized mixture for medical reasons
volume
0.75 0.75 kg
Children 6-8 months
What
Dry or specialized formula for medical indications, dry porridge, cottage cheese
Monthly volume
2 kg
Children 8-12 months
What
Dry or specialized mixture for medical reasons, porridge dry, milk, kefir, cottage cheese
volume
2 kg+ 6.
