Introducing baby to food

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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Introducing solids: why, when, what & how

Solid foods: why babies need them

As babies get older, they need solid food to get enough nutrients for growth and development. These essential nutrients include iron, zinc and others.

For the first 6 months of life, babies use iron stored in their bodies from when they were in the womb. They also get some iron from breastmilk and/or infant formula. But babies’ iron stores go down as they grow. By around 6 months, babies need to start having solid food.

Introducing solids is also important for helping babies learn to eat, giving them experience of new tastes and textures from a range of foods. It develops their teeth and jaws, and it builds other skills that they’ll need later for language development.

Signs that it’s time to introduce solids

Signs your baby is ready for solids include when your baby:

has good head and neck control and can sit upright when supported
shows an interest in food – for example, they look at what’s on your plate
reaches out for your food
opens their mouth when you offer them food on a spoon.

Most babies start to show these signs by around 6 months, although this can vary.

It’s recommended not to introduce solids before 4 months.

If your baby is nearing 7 months of age and hasn’t started solids, you might like to get some advice from your child and family health nurse or GP.

The best times of day to introduce solids

When you’re first introducing solids, it’s good to offer solids when you and your baby are both happy and relaxed.

This is often after a feed of breastmilk or formula. Babies will still have room in their tummies for a taste of new foods after a feed of breastmilk or formula. But if they’re really hungry before a feed, they just want the breastmilk or formula that they know satisfies their hunger.

As time passes, you’ll learn when your baby is hungry or full, not interested or tired.

Signs of hunger include your baby:

getting excited when they see you getting their food ready
leaning towards you while they’re sitting in the highchair
opening their mouth as you’re about to feed them.

Signs your baby is no longer interested include:

turning their head away
losing interest or getting distracted
pushing the spoon away
clamping their mouth shut.

Your baby’s appetite can vary from day to day.

How much food to offer when introducing solids

When you’re first introducing solids, try offering 1-2 teaspoons of food once a day. At first, your baby might have only a small taste and probably won’t swallow much.

As your baby grows, you can increase the amount according to your baby’s appetite and signs.

By 12 months, your baby should be eating around 3 small meals a day, plus breastmilk or infant formula.

The right textures for first foods

When your baby is ready for solids, first foods might be smooth or finely mashed, depending on what baby likes. Over the next weeks and months, your baby can move on to roughly mashed or minced foods and then chopped foods. All foods should be very soft.

Your baby needs a variety of food textures. This helps your baby learn how to chew, and chewing helps with speech development and self-feeding. It also helps to prevent feeding difficulties as your baby develops. Babies can chew even before they get their first teeth.

By the time your baby is 12 months old, they should be eating the same foods that the rest of the family is eating. But you might still need to chop some foods into smaller pieces and cook vegetables until they’re soft.

To prevent choking, always supervise babies and young children while they’re eating solid food. Avoid nuts, take special care with pieces of meat and check fish for small bones, because these are choking hazards. And if your baby can move around, make sure baby is sitting down while they’re eating. If you sit with your baby while they’re eating, baby is less likely to move around.

Types of food to offer when introducing solids

All new foods are exciting for your baby.

The key is to include iron-rich foods of the right texture in your baby’s first foods. Iron-rich foods include:

iron-fortified infant cereal
minced meat, poultry and fish
cooked tofu and legumes
mashed, cooked egg (avoid raw or runny egg).

To these iron-rich foods, you can add other healthy foods of the right texture like:

vegetables – for example, cooked potato, pumpkin, sweet potato, carrot, broccoli or spinach
fruit – for example, banana, apple, pear, melon or avocado
grains – for example, oats, bread, rice and pasta
dairy foods – for example, yoghurt and full-fat cheese.

You can introduce any number of new foods at a time and in any order. When you offer your baby a variety of foods, they can try plenty of new tastes and get a range of nutrients.

Read our tips for introducing solid foods to learn how to get your baby interested in new foods and manage mealtime mess and play.

Breastmilk and infant formula while introducing solids

You should keep breastfeeding or using infant formula until at least 12 months.

When you start introducing solids, breastmilk or infant formula should still be the main source of your baby’s nutrition. Over the next few months, your baby will start having more solids and less milk or formula. The rate that this happens will vary.

By around 9 months, babies have generally developed enough chewing and swallowing skills to move from having milk before solids to having milk after solids.

Here are some signs that your baby is getting enough nutrition from both solids and breastmilk or formula during this time. Your baby:

has plenty of wet nappies – at least 6-8 wet cloth nappies or 5 very wet disposables in 24 hours
is alert and mostly happy after and between feeds
is gaining weight at about the right rate – your child and family health nurse will weigh your baby at your regular check-ups.

From 12 months onwards, solids should be the main source of your baby’s nutrition. Your baby doesn’t need infant formula after 12 months, but you can keep breastfeeding for as long as you and your baby like.

If solid food replaces breastmilk and/or infant formula too quickly, babies can miss out on important nutrition. If you have any concerns about your baby’s feeds or weight, talk to your midwife, child and family health nurse, lactation consultant or GP.

Introducing water

Once your baby has reached 6 months, you can start to offer baby cooled, boiled water in a cup at mealtimes and at other times during the day. This is so your baby can practise drinking from a cup, but baby still doesn’t really need fluids other than breastmilk or formula at this age.

Once your baby has reached 12 months, you can offer fresh tap water without boiling it.

Foods and drinks to avoid while introducing solids

There are some foods to avoid until your baby is a certain age:

Honey until 12 months – this is to avoid the risk of infant botulism.
Raw or runny eggs and foods containing raw eggs like home-made mayonnaise until 12 months – bacteria in raw eggs can be harmful to babies.
Reduced-fat dairy until 2 years – babies need full-fat dairy for growth.
Whole nuts and similar hard foods until 3 years – these are choking hazards.

There are some drinks to avoid until your baby is a certain age:

pasteurised full-fat cow’s milk as a main drink until 12 months
dairy alternatives like soy, goat’s, sheep’s, rice, oat, almond and coconut milk until 2 years, unless your GP or child and family health nurse has recommended these for a particular reason
unpasteurised milks at all ages
tea, coffee or sugar-sweetened drinks at all ages
fruit juice – this should be limited at all ages (whole fruits are better because they have fibre and help babies develop chewing and feeding skills).

Your baby doesn’t need added salt or sugar. Processed or packaged foods with high levels of fat, sugar and/or salt aren’t good for babies and children. These foods include cakes, biscuits, chips and fried foods.

Food allergy and introducing solids

Introducing allergenic foods early can reduce the risk of your child developing food allergy. Allergenic foods are foods that might cause allergies.

All babies, including babies with a high allergy risk, should try solid foods that might cause allergies from around 6 months of age. These foods include well-cooked egg, peanut butter and other nut butters, wheat (from wheat-based breads, cereals and pasta) and cow’s milk (but not as a main drink).

Once you’ve introduced an allergenic food, it’s a good idea to regularly include it in your baby’s diet.

It’s a good idea to get advice from your GP, child and family health nurse, dietitian, paediatrician or allergy and immunology specialist for the following reasons:

Your baby already has a food allergy.
Your baby has severe eczema.
Your family has a history of food allergy and you’re concerned about starting solids.
You’re worried about reactions to foods.

Acquaintance of the baby with "adult" food. – Krya-Krya

08/18/2017

| Section: Blog

| Question from: admin

Your baby has grown up, he can do a lot. The first few months have flown by, and it seems that it is time to introduce the baby to “adult” food. For this, complementary foods are introduced into the diet. This event raises many questions. How to enter it correctly? From what age? What is the peculiarity of the first feeding?

The first food of a newborn is mother's milk. Studies claim that it contains all the necessary micronutrients for the growth and development of babies. In the case when breastfeeding is not enough due to a lack of milk, newborns are supplemented with an adapted milk formula or completely switched to it. Such mixtures also contain all the necessary nutrients and are as close as possible to breast milk.

When should we start introducing complementary foods?

World Health Organization recommends from 6 months. By this time, the weight of the little one should double, the child begins to be interested in what the rest of the family eats; also, the baby does not push out reflex food, although it can turn away from food, showing that it has already eaten.

Why not sooner? First, we have already found out that breast milk satisfies all the needs of the baby up to this time. Secondly, the children's digestive system is not ready to cope with adult food at an earlier date, as it does not have the necessary enzymes in sufficient quantities.

We introduce complementary foods according to all the rules.

The teaspoon rule. Starting from six months, there is a fascinating and long acquaintance with the whole variety of delicious food. And the task of mom is not to overdo it. Any new product is given for the first time in a minimum amount, starting from 5 grams. Within a week, the volume can be increased to 150 gr. The rules for introducing food say that a new product is introduced no more than once a week. This is done to detect possible allergic reactions.

Who eats complementary foods in the morning, he acts wisely. As they say, that's what morning is for ... That is, in the event of an allergy, you have a day ahead of you to monitor the baby and take action, if necessary.

Complementary food consistency and temperature. Baby food should be at a comfortable temperature, namely around 36 C. It can be a little hot or cold later. The first complementary foods from vegetables are given in a boiled puree-like state. By 8 months, the baby has more teeth, which means that food can be thicker.

Child's well-being. The baby should be in a good mood, not after vaccination and not during illness.

Feed elements. Since we are trying new adult food, then let the serving utensils be like those of adults. The kid should have his own small spoon, plate (deep and not very deep). Until, of course, mother will feed. But it will take quite a bit of time, and the child will learn to eat on his own.

The baby eats with a spoon - the mood and his own spoon play a significant role. The rules are quite simple.

6-month-old baby - Vegetable purees

7-month-old baby - Dairy-free, gluten-free cereals

8-month-old baby - Diet meat, potatoes, yolk

9-month-old baby - Dairy products

10-month-old baby

Complementary foods at 6 months. Where to begin ?

There are three options for the introduction of the first complementary foods: vegetables, cereals, dairy products. Which one will be the first is not so important. When children do not have enough body weight, it is recommended to start with cereals.

As far as vegetables are concerned, it is better to start your acquaintance with vegetables with zucchini. Then you can try cauliflower, broccoli; after which pumpkin and carrots, rich in carotenoids, go for introduction into complementary foods. Carrots are usually given in soups along with other vegetables no more than three times a week.

6 months: Vegetable puree

Vegetable puree is one of the first to be tasted. Vegetable puree is very easy to prepare. The necessary products are washed, then they are cleaned and boiled in water or steamed. Preference is given to steam cooking - this way the maximum amount of vitamins is preserved. After the cooked vegetables are chopped in a blender, adding water or vegetable broth, bringing them to the consistency of thick sour cream. Keep 1 day.

Here's a rough weekly complementary feeding schedule:

Monday - a teaspoon of squash puree, followed by supplementary feeding with formula or breast milk.

Tuesday — 10 g of squash puree (corresponding to 2 teaspoons), then breastfeed.

Wednesday - 20 gr + top dressing as usual.

Thursday - 40 gr and supplement with milk.

Friday - double the portion again, 80 g of zucchini puree + supplement with breast milk.

Saturday - 120 gr and additional feeding.

Sunday - 150 gr and supplement with breast or formula.

Next week a new vegetable is taken for sampling and further, according to the scheme. When several products appear in the child's diet, you can prepare multi-component purees, but so far only one of them is taken as the basis. The goal of gradually increasing the portion is to replace one of the feedings with a similar food.

Please note that meals must be voluntary. If the child refuses to eat up, do not force feed him, so to speak, “for mom”, “for dad”. This is especially true for children who are breastfed.

7 months. Kashi.

It's a new month, which means we're trying a new product: porridge. Children under one year of age are strongly advised to consume gluten-free cereals, which include corn, rice and buckwheat. The fact is that gluten is a protein found in cereals and forms gluten. Some people, including small ones, have a predisposition to gluten intolerance. Therefore, temporary hypofunction of food enzymes can provoke the development of celiac disease. This condition is dangerous because it causes damage to the small intestine. It is for this reason that it is not recommended to give semolina porridge to infants.

8 months. Meat and more.

This month, the child is ready to try meat puree of rabbit, veal and turkey. Such types of meat are considered the most suitable, as they belong to dietary varieties. In addition, they are hypoallergenic. After another month, chicken, beef puree can be added to the diet.

At this age, consumption of no more than 50 g per day is allowed. meat. Closer to the year, this figure will increase to 100. As for pork, its intake should be postponed until one and a half years old, and then exclusively low-fat varieties.

At 8 months it is time to get to know the yolk. This is done carefully for the same reason: allergic reactions. The first time, give the crumbs only 1/10 part, after three days, if everything is fine, a quarter, then a half. Quail eggs are better than chicken eggs. The yolk is given twice a week, preferably in the morning feeding.

At this age, vegetable and butter are also introduced (no more than 5 g per day). They can be alternately added to vegetable puree.

9 months: curds and kefirs.

If you have chosen the same order of introduction of products as described in this article, then it is time for curd puddings and kefir. They also need to be child friendly. If there is a children's dairy kitchen near your place of residence, be sure to sign up for it. The cottage cheese is chosen low-fat, given at first by a teaspoon, gradually the portion increases to 50 gr. Kefir by the year is 200 ml per day in the child's diet. His reception is planned for the evening hours before bedtime. As for baby cottage cheese, it should not be too greasy.

10 months: sweet time.

Sweet in the sense that the time has come to get acquainted with fruits. At this age, those species that are grown in your area are selected. It is better to wait a little with overseas curiosities. An excellent option would be mashed apples, pears, and prunes. Since the child already has several teeth, you can give him a piece of fruit to chew on. But this should be done, of course, under the supervision of adults.

With regard to red berries such as strawberries, raspberries, currants, it is considered that they should not be given until the age of one because of the risk of an allergic reaction. If you still decide to treat the baby with a red berry, give him one ripe one and watch the reaction during the day.

It is worth noting that cookies and other sweets (especially sweets) are unacceptable for newborns.

Source: http://mladeni.ru

Feeding. Alternative Food Introduction

It's time to introduce your little one to something other than milk and don't know where to start? Let's talk about food supplements.

There are two types of complementary foods. Pediatric , which is more to the taste of clinicians because the products are introduced strictly one at a time and it is easier to track allergies or adverse reactions. The purpose of pediatric complementary foods is to accustom the child to adult food and to gradually eliminate mother's milk from his diet. and p educational , which is considered more natural and gentle for the gastrointestinal tract, since the baby continues to receive most of the nutrients from milk, but at the same time, his body gradually learns to produce the necessary enzymes. Further, we will talk about him.

Complementary food has several significant advantages .

First of all, you don't need to prepare anything especially for the child. You do not have to wait until late at night until three cutlets are steamed in a double boiler or whip vegetables in a blender. And you do not need to buy cereals and mashed potatoes in jars, which will significantly save the family budget.
Secondly, pedigree food means lunch only on mother's lap and from mother's plate. So if your little one refuses to eat something, you won't have to toss the mashed broccoli you've been fiddling with the night before in the bin.
Thirdly, there is no need to be nervous, in vain forcing the child to eat, because he will get everything he needs from your milk anyway.

When to start? Pediatricians advise introducing any complementary foods no earlier than six months. It is at this age that the child's body begins to secrete the enzymes necessary for the processing of adult food. Which implies the absence of colic, bloating and problems with the stool. At the same time, food interest awakens. And if the child is eagerly watching what you put into his mouth and is not distracted by anything, then it's time to give him a try of what he is so interested in.

Where to start? There are no uniform rules for the introduction of products. What lies on the mother’s plate, what will interest the baby, treat him to it. Start with microdoses: one grain of rice or a few meat fibers. The amount of food should fit between the pads of the thumb and forefinger of an adult. At one meal, a child can be given 5 types of foods and a maximum of 3 microdoses of each. Do not be alarmed if you notice that at first the body does not digest any of this. Over time, he will begin to produce the necessary enzymes in sufficient quantities and the process will improve. Of course, common sense must be present. And if it is customary in your family to eat fried potatoes, scrambled eggs with bacon and julienne, then you will have to give up all this for a while and switch to more healthy food. It is possible that in the future you yourself will begin to give preference to a healthy diet. If the family is against such radical measures - means that it is worth forgetting about pedigree food once and for all .

How to start? You put the child on your lap. Anything he asks you put on the edge of your plate. Let him take his hands and eat. If you eat soup - give him a spoon, let him dip it in liquid. At first, what will remain on it will be enough for him. In the future, the better he learns to use it, the more he will eat. He asks for a drink - put the same cup for him as you have with a sip of liquid. Tea, juice or compote dilute in advance every 5-10 times. Some believe that even coffee can be given in such proportions. But whether and why to give - it's up to you.

The rules of behavior at the table during the introduction of complementary foods do not differ much from the generally accepted ones. At first, the child eats with his hands, drops food on the floor, smears it on the table and mother's dress. Gradually, following your example, he learns to eat with a spoon and fork and drink from a cup. Of course, it will not be easy for the baby to sit through the entire dinner from beginning to end. And forcing him to do it is useless. Eat and let go. If he wants more, he will return. Over time, put him on a separate chair, put his personal plate and put on it a piece of food from yours.

To prevent your child from choking while eating, exclude at first everything that he can be distracted by: TV, tablet, books, etc. If this nevertheless happened and he coughed, do not interfere, let him cough, this is a natural reaction of the body that helps to remove the stuck piece from the esophagus or respiratory tract. If you can't do nothing, raise his hands up, which will help relax the muscles of the esophagus and the food will slip further. And best of all, right after reading this article, spend half an hour on video lesson by Dr. Komarovsky about emergency assistance in such situations.

If a child has a predisposition to allergies - parents or the baby already had an allergy to some foods eaten by the mother - then try to exclude them at first. But still give little by little as the child grows and things change. Do not forget that potential allergens should be given in the morning.

And finally, let us remind you that complementary foods must go along with breastfeeding.