Stage 1 baby food what age
When is a child ready to start solids?
Diving into the world of solid food with your baby is a messy, adorable milestone that, let’s be honest, sometimes feels a little confusing. While some little ones happily slurp down baby cereal at 6 months, others won’t go near a mashed carrot until they’re hitting the 9-month mark — what gives?
The truth is, while solid food exposes babies to new tastes and textures, it’s not even necessary in the very beginning (yes, really).
“While the general recommendation for starting solids is between 4 and 6 months old, solids at this point are more about introducing baby to new tastes and developing oral motor function,” says Dr. Melanie Custer, a pediatrician at Deaconess Clinic in Evansville, Indiana. “Breast milk or formula should continue to be the primary source of nutrition through 12 months.”
Of course, when your baby is eyeballing your bowl of oatmeal every morning, it’s only natural to start wondering when to start baby food. Here, experts and veteran parents weigh in on the dos and don’ts of starting solids, a.k.a. Stage 1 baby foods. Ready the bibs!
What is Stage 1 baby food?
Stage 1 baby foods are single-ingredient foods that are very thin in consistency. You can either buy them at the store or make them yourself, as long as they’re a smooth puree with zero chunks and include just one ingredient so you’re introducing your baby to one new food at a time.
And remember, every child is different and develops at their own individual pace. Check with your child’s doctor for baby food recommendations during the first year.
When to start Stage 1 baby food
According to Custer, the reason it’s recommended that full-term babies wait until 6 months to try solids is because they’re losing iron stores that were built during pregnancy, and iron is important for infants’ brain development.
“Growing babies need all the nutrients they can get — and breast milk and formula are both far superior to solids when it comes to nutrients, including iron,” says Jenifer Thompson, an advanced practice dietician at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore.
“It’s important to remember that solid foods are also called complementary foods because their intention is to complement the breast milk and/or formula baby is drinking.”
Thompson also notes that offering solids too early on — prior to 4 months — has been associated with excessive weight gain and adiposity (excess fat) in preschool and older ages.
Signs baby is ready to start solid food
Knowing your baby is ready for Stage 1 foods goes beyond celebrating their half-year birthday. It’s important to look out for developmental and social signals, as well.
“One of the biggest indicators that your baby is ready for solid foods is that they’re showing an interest in what other family members are eating,” says Dr. Kristen Treegoob, a pediatrician at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
If you notice baby staring at your food and opening their mouth or leaning forward if food is ever offered, these are signs that solid foods have piquéd your baby’s interest, according to Thompson.
“I knew my son was ready for solids when, at 7 months, he started staring — like, really staring — at all of our food during dinner,” says mom of two Erin Henderson, of Waltham, Massachusetts. “It reached a point where we felt bad eating in front of him!”
Other signs your baby may be ready for solids, according to Custer and Thompson, include:
- They can sit up with little to no support.
- They can hold their head up without being wobbly.
- Their tongue thrust reflex has disappeared. “Before introducing solids, it’s important to make sure your baby can open their mouth for a spoon and accept food off of it, rather than pushing it away with their tongue, which is an involuntary habit until about 4 months,” says Custer.
What Stage 1 baby food to start with
According to Thompson, it’s recommended that early solid foods provide a source of iron, protein and zinc. But remember, you’re complementing your baby’s diet, not revamping it, so it’s OK to get a little creative and go with your gut.
“There is no medical evidence that solid foods must be introduced in any particular order, or that vegetables must be introduced before fruits to ensure that they don’t have a preference for sweets and will it not lead to a dislike of vegetables,” says Thompson.
And once you get going, continue to mix it up.
“There is no one-size-fits-all for solid food introduction, and we typically recommend parents introduce a variety of tastes, colors and food groups in the first few months,” says Treegoob. “That said, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that breastfed infants first begin with iron-rich foods, which include iron-fortified infant cereals and iron-rich pureed meats. Formula-fed infants typically get enough iron through formula, so they may have a little more flexibility at first.”
Here’s a list of first foods to try (make sure all are pureed to very thin consistency):
- Bananas.
- Avocados.
- Sweet potatoes.
- Carrots.
- Pureed meats, such as chicken and turkey.
- Butternut squash.
- Peaches.
- Applesauce.
- Grains, such as barley, oats, wheat and rice.
Custer does note that infants should not eat raw or cooked honey until 12 months, as it might contain spores that can cause infantile botulism, a serious illness that can hamper an infant’s ability to move, eat and breathe. For more tips on food storage, our experts weigh in on how long baby food lasts.
How to start Stage 1 foods safely
When your baby first starts experimenting with solids, keep in mind it’s a gradual process, and you’re still a ways off from three solid meals per day. In the beginning, it’s best to think of solids as more of a snack than a meal.
“Babies will often start with just a bite or two at first and advance to three to four tablespoons at a time,” says Custer. “When they’re first starting off around 6 months, they can have solids one or two times a day.”
“Foods should be offered one at a time when babies are starting off with solids,” says Thompson.
“Then, wait between three to four days before introducing a new one, so you can properly identify an adverse reaction or intolerance.”
Here are a few more tips for feeding your baby:
- Make sure they’re sitting in an upright position, such as in a highchair, to prevent the risk of choking.
- Add a little breast milk or formula to their food. “At first, foods should be just slightly thicker than breast milk or formula to allow the infant to get used to eating,” Custer says. “Foods can get thicker as their eating skills are mastered.”
- Always feed your baby with a spoon. “Unless you’ve been advised by your pediatrician, never put solid foods, including infant cereal, in bottles with or without milk,” says Treegoob.
- Give baby breast milk or formula first. “Both of my babies were more open to trying solid foods in the beginning when they were happy and relaxed,” says mom of two Darcy McConnell of Garwood, New Jersey. “That was always after they had their bottle.
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Also, be patient. Starting solids is a learning curve for everyone.
“If your baby turns their head away, spits out food or pushes you away with their hands when you try to feed them solid food, then they are not quite ready,” says Treegoob. “Try again in a few days.”
How baby-led weaning works
A less conventional way to start your baby on real food is baby-led weaning, which forgoes what’s thought of as Stage 1 baby food altogether, as well as a spoon.
“The baby-led weaning approach to introducing solid foods recommends that purees and traditional baby foods be omitted, and to start with finger foods, as well as self-feeding right from the beginning,” says Thompson. “This method may be preferred for some, but should always be discussed with a pediatrician since a possible concern of this method is the risk of choking, which could be minimized with appropriate food choices.”
Proponents of baby-led weaning believe that letting baby pick, choose and explore food on their own will help with appetite control overall (possibly reducing the risk of obesity later in life), as well as promote a taste for a wider range of foods.
All of this said, research on baby-led weaning is still fairly scant, so it’s important to discuss it with your pediatrician if you choose to take this approach.
Ready for the next stages?
- Stage 2 baby food
- Stage 3 baby food
The 3 baby food stages: What foods and when
Making the leap from breast milk or formula to solids and then eventually to table food is an exciting time. But it’s also a little confusing because there isn’t a one-size-fits-all rule when it comes to baby food stages. While one child may happily take to pureed carrots at 6 months, another may purse their lips at anything but a breast or bottle until 8 months.
To simplify the whole process, here’s a general rule of thumb to keep in mind: Most foods are OK to give to babies in the first year, as long as they’re properly prepared. And if you’re concerned about food storage, read more from our experts on how long baby food lasts.
Here’s the quick lowdown on what to feed baby and when:
- Stage 1: Purees (4 to 6 months).
- Stage 2: Thicker consistency (6 to 9 months).
- Stage 3: Soft, chewable chunks (10 to 12 months).
“With the exception of raw or cooked honey, which shouldn’t be consumed until 12 months because of the risk of infantile botulism, babies can have any food that is texturally appropriate for their developmental feeding stage,” says Dr. Kristen Treegoob, a pediatrician at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
In other words, it’s perfectly fine to give both a 6- and 12-month-old peas, but for the 6-month-old, they need to be pureed.
In the past, parents have been advised to start their baby with single-grain cereals, such as rice cereal, but the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) now says there’s “no medical evidence that introducing solid foods in any particular order has an advantage for your baby” — nutritionally or when it comes to long-term food preferences. (So, when your Aunt Joanne tells you that your baby will be a vegetable-hater for life if you start off with applesauce, she’s wrong.
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All of this said, there is a method to the messy madness that is the three stages of baby food. In order to make things less complicated — and more delicious — we tapped top experts and veteran parents to find out everything you need to know about feeding little ones at every stage (plus, we included a handy baby food stages chart). All you have to do now is serve the food and clean the high chair!
Stage 1 (4 to 6 months): What you need to know
The fun begins! Stage 1 baby food is typically for babies who are between the ages of 4 months and 6 months. But as with all things parenting-related, it’s important to keep in mind that each baby is different, and there’s no hard and fast rule for starting solids.
“While the AAP recommends exclusively breastfeeding from birth to age 6 months, it’s important to remember that not every baby is exclusively breastfed,” says Dr. Zulma Laracuente, a pediatrician in Alexandria, Louisiana. “Also, some babies show signs of readiness to start food earlier than others.
You know your baby best.”
Solids that fall under the Stage 1 category are thin and smooth in texture — not much thicker than breast milk or formula — and contain a single ingredient. If you’re making your baby’s food at home, make sure it’s blended to an almost-watery puree.
“Stage 1 baby foods should have no chunks whatsoever,” says Jenifer Thompson, registered dietician and advanced practice dietician at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. “Formula or breast milk can be added to the purees to make them thinner.”
While there’s no specific food parents need to start with, many pediatricians recommend beginning with iron-rich foods, such as iron-fortified cereals or pureed meats.
“The reason we advise introducing solids at 6 months and starting with iron-containing foods is because iron stores that were built up during pregnancy are depleting, and iron is important for infants’ brain development,” says Dr. Melanie Custer, a pediatrician at Deaconess Clinic in Evansville, Indiana.
Custer also says that babies should “absolutely not” decrease their breast milk or formula when they first start off with solids.
“Infants still should receive 24 to 32 ounces of formula or breast milk each day,” she says. “Solids at this point are more of a snack, with baby eating about 3 to 4 tablespoons once or twice a day.”
How to tell your baby is ready for Stage 1
According to Treegoob, here are the signs your baby is prepared to start Stage 1 foods:
- They’re showing an interest in what family members are eating.
- They’re learning to open their mouths for a spoon.
- They’ve outgrown the involuntary habit of pushing food and spoons out of their mouth with their tongue.
- They have steady head control.
- They have the ability to move food from a spoon to their throat and swallow without choking.
Stage 2 (6 to 9 months): What you need to know
Time to mix it up! While Stage 2 solids are still basically mush, food has a little more texture at this point, as well as a few soft chunks.
“Stage 2 baby foods are thicker in consistency than Stage 1 purees, and many of the jars you find in stores have some small mashable bits in them,” says Treegoob. “These are great for infants who have done well with Stage 1 but who are not quite ready to chew. The typical age for Stage 2 is between 6 to 9 months.”
Treegoob also notes that the 7 to 9 month time frame is also when many babies begin modifying their breast milk or formula intake.
“As long as an infant’s weight remains on track and they’re drinking enough to stay hydrated, there isn’t a reason to worry if baby is showing interest in smaller or less frequent bottle or breastfeeds,” she says. “Infants typically take in somewhere between 24 to 32 ounces a day when they’re between 6 to 9 months.”
Whether you’re making your little one’s food on your own or getting it pre-made at the store, you have a little more room to play once you hit Stage 2.
“In addition to being thicker in consistency, Stage 2 foods usually have multiple ingredients, including some spices,” says Custer.
“At this point, baby is usually taking in more food than they were in Stage 1, so it’s important to make sure they’re being introduced to a wide variety of foods from different food groups.”
According to the AAP, babies should be eating about 4 ounces of solids — about one small jar of baby food — at each of their meals.
How to tell your baby is ready for Stage 2
Once your baby has consistently been eating Stage 1 foods, they’re likely ready for the next step. Here are other signs to look for, according to Thompson:
- Their oral skills are continuing to develop.
- They’re consistently taking food in and swallowing when you offer it (and not spitting it out).
Stage 3 (9 to 12 months): What you need to know
Now, the true culinary adventure begins — Stage 3 foods! While some babies will still happily have mom and dad spoon-feed them mashed food at this age, many babies will have what you’re having at this point — and they’ll do it themselves, thank you very much.
“As soon as we thought he was ready — at about 9 months — we started giving my son softer, cut-up versions of whatever we were having for dinner,” says mom of two Jennifer Reilly, of New York City. “There was more cleanup, but I actually got to sit down and eat my meal!”
Once babies hit the age range for Stage 3 foods, most have the oral and fine motor skills to self-feed.
“Between 8 to 12 months, babies develop the pincer grasp ability and should be able to pick up small pieces of finger foods with their finger and thumb and bring it to their mouth,” says Thompson.
Technically speaking, Stage 3 solids are thicker, more sophisticated versions of the baby food your little one has already been eating (think vegetable and beef pilaf or tender chicken and stars), but also, they’re not necessary for everyone.
“Stage 3 food is starting to have chunks mixed in, in order to prepare baby for table foods,” says Custer. “But some babies wind up skipping this stage altogether and go straight to soft table foods.
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While it’s perfectly fine to continue with Stage 3 foods up to your child’s first birthday, Treegoob advises letting your baby try their hand at “real food.” “Well-cooked veggies, ripe fruits, shredded meat, scrambled eggs, soft cheese and cooked pasta are all great options for babies this age,” she notes.
Between 9 months and 12 months is also when you’re likely to see a significant drop in how much breast milk or formula your baby is drinking.
“As babies continue to eat table foods, I’ve seen their breast milk or formula intake drop to as low as 16 to 20 ounces per day,” Treegoob says. “That said, some infants continue to show a heavy preference for breast milk or formula despite months of solid introduction. If you feel like your baby may be drinking excessive amounts of breast milk or formula, and they have no interest in food, I would recommend speaking with your pediatrician.”
How to tell your baby is ready for table food
Your child’s readiness to start table food will likely be more discernible than any other baby food stage.
As long as they’re continuing to hone their oral skills, as well as their ability to pick food up and bring it to their mouth, you can count on them to let you know they’re ready for “big kid” food.
“My daughter looked like she was ready for pasta, eggs and basically anything we were eating shortly after she started solids,” says mom of two Julie Cortez of Brooklyn, New York. “We waited until about 8 months, when we knew she knew how to properly eat, and sure enough, she ate her whole plate on the first go! We completely skipped the Stage 3 jars of food.”
Follow these safe feeding must-knows
Even though your baby’s eating skills will continue to progress as they gain more experience, it’s important baby is always sitting upright, strapped in a high chair and never left unattended while eating. Also, make sure table food is always soft and cut into small pieces to avoid choking hazards. When first starting out with solids, be sure to wait a few days before giving them something new.
“This allows for observation for any adverse reaction or intolerance to the new food,” Thompson says.
And finally, be sure to give your baby a wide range of healthy food in order to expose them to a variety of tastes and textures — and don’t be discouraged if they don’t take to a specific food at first.
“If baby refuses a food or makes a strange face when eating, this may simply mean that it is a new food and unfamiliar to them,” Thompson says. “Try again. It may take 10 to 20 exposures of a new food before they accept it.”
Here’s more on every baby food stage:
- Stage 1 baby food.
- Stage 2 baby food.
- Stage 3 baby food.
Canned nutrition - Understanding age
Viktoria Levchuk©
Parents often come across complementary food tables and schemes that indicate the approximate portion at each age stage, and when which product should be introduced into the child's diet. The dream of any mother is a unified policy for the introduction of complementary foods, so that the industrial production of baby food agrees with pediatricians and mothers on the age of introduction of the product into complementary foods.
Some brand labels can be confusing when to use prepared foods, as well as how to combine canned food with home cooking.
The popular Gerber brand has registered trademarks labeled "1st Foods", "2nd Foods" and "3rd Foods". Other brands simply use "1", "2" or "3" or indicate the child's age in months, and some use it to indicate the stage at which a child is ready for a certain type of food consistency.
WHO baby feeding steps
Table of Contents:
The World Health Organization, in its booklet Infant and Young Child Feeding and Nutrition, divides childhood into several stages. These main stages are calculated up to the year of the child, they imply a smooth transition of the baby "from mother's milk to food from the family table." The most popular brands of baby food use the main stages of the transition of the child's diet in the labeling of canned food. There are four stages in total, starting at 4 months and ending at 12 months. These steps are not standardized.
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You can read more about the age stages of baby food in the following articles:
- First stage of baby food: (4) 6-7 months
- Second stage of baby food: 7-8 months
- Third stage of baby food: 8- 10 months
- Fourth stage of infant feeding: 10-12 months
Food can label
Stage 1: Age at (4) 6 to 7 months
Start of complementary foods at (4) 6 to 7 months of age, includes foods from one-ingredient, smooth, light texture without a single lump, with a low level of allergy, without salt, sugar and seasonings, for example, rice porridge or zucchini puree.
Here are some examples of popular brands:
- Silent porridge Fleur Alpine from 4 months
- rice porridge HIPP from 4 months
- Rice porridge Sempler Sempler from 4 months
- puree from 4 months of
- zucchini Sady pridonya from 4 months
- Gerber zucchini puree from 4 months
Stage 2: Age 7 to 8 months
When children are 7 to 8 months old, they are given one-component and two-component products, simply pureed, medium density, sometimes products that seem to rubbed, i.
e. food appears in pieces that are easy to swallow, but do not choke. Products are given with a low level of allergy, but slowly they begin to introduce the child to the average.
Second step product examples:
- Bebivita vegetable soup with beef from 8 months
- Bebivita mixed vegetable puree from 7 months
- Rabbit ragout with Gerber broccoli from 8 months
- Semper veg with veal liver from 8 months fritters
- Carrots with potatoes and salmon Hipp from 8 months
- Mixed vegetable puree Hipp from 7 months
- Welling oatmeal with banana and prunes Semper from 8 months
Stage 3: Age from 8 to 10 months
Between 8 and 12 months of age, babies receive a thicker textured meal that is easy to chew and swallow. There are more three-component purees. Foods with small pieces help stimulate baby's chewing. Sugar, salt and spices are still missing from baby food.
Examples of products from the third stage:
- Hipp noodles with sea fish and vegetables in creamy sauce from 10 months
- Mediterranean risotto with sea bream Semper from 10 months
- Gerber Italian treat from 10 months
- Marmaluzi mashed potatoes with fish pieces from 9 months
- Vegetable stew with salmon and Semper rice from 9 months
3-stage jar food is very easy to find in the store.
Calm down, around this period, many mothers begin to cook for 2 times (the dish is stored in the refrigerator for about 24-36 hours), the child's body is already strong enough and adapted to complementary foods that pathogenic microbes in the finished dish are not dangerous to him. We just follow the rules of cleanliness, namely, we took a clean spoon, put a small portion from the jar into a separate plate, put the jar in the refrigerator with the rest of the food, and warmed up the postponed dish, fed the baby. nine0005
Stage 4: 10 to 12 months
Approximately one year old, the consistency of baby food is close to that of an adult table.
If by 10 months the dish is thick with pieces of food, then closer to 12 months the baby eats small pieces of food, by 1.5 years it completely eats adult dishes, only occasionally large pieces that are difficult to chew, for example, meat, are crushed by adults.
By the age of 2, the child eats completely from the common table without the help of strangers. At this point, you can continue to feed the baby with canned food or completely transfer the baby to an adult table. Parents who initially fed the baby only canned food, by about 2 years old, are transferred to homemade food, i.e. up to 2 years they do not refuse jars, simply because they are used to it and it is convenient, safe, etc. nine0005
Examples of products of the fourth stage:
- Young potatoes with green beans and Hipp rabbit from 12 months
- Italian pasta with trout in Semper cream sauce from 11 months
- Heinz0 apple-raspberry-blackcurrant milk porridge from 12 months 0 from 12 months
- Multi-cereal Semper porridge from 11 months
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- Vegetables with rice and beef stroganoff Semper from 18 months
- FrutoNyanya apple-raspberry puree (fruit pieces) from 12 months
- Fleur Alpine Organic apple marmalade cookies from 18 months 3 years.
However, it should be noted that after a year, all age restrictions indicated on canned food most likely carry information on products allowed for a given age, and not food consistency. We also take into account that the portion for a 3-year-old child is much larger than for a one-year-old baby. For example, Frutonyan has milk porridges of 200 ml from 6 months, and 500 ml from 3 years old, the porridge can be identical in composition, the difference is only in the portion. nine0005
Canned food age recommendations
Please note that the age recommendations for each stage are only general recommendations. The age of introduction of complementary foods for each child is individual, so one will be ready at 5-6 months, and the other closer to 7 months. We look at signs of readiness for complementary foods, consult a pediatrician.
Moreover, the transition to a new consistency also occurs individually, as the baby is 7-8 months old, it is impossible to abruptly transfer the baby to thicker food or add hard pieces, there may be consequences in the form of vomiting or suffocation.
It is important that the child gradually learns to chew food, with gradual complication, for effective skill acquisition. Don't forget our pediatricians, who can help a mother determine if a baby needs extra time to learn chewing skills or if it's time to move on to the next stage. nine0005
Consistency of food up to a year. Click on me!!!
And a little about baby food manufacturers. They indicate early dates for the introduction of complementary foods, this is a common marketing ploy to sell more, or they simply do not want to revise the layout of their labels, taking into account the recommendations of Russian pediatricians or the World Health Organization. Although recently, there is less and less canned food on sale, recommended from 3 months.
The main thing is that parents understand and know the rules and terms for the introduction of complementary foods, as well as listen to their intuition, which does not deceive. The appearance and abilities of the baby will tell parents more about the readiness for complementary foods than the age marking on canned food.
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Chaos in canned food
A strange name for a subtitle, but it's hard to describe in another way what is happening in the industrial production of baby food. Each brand has its own recommendations for the introduction of complementary foods, based on their data, they label jars. Moreover, it is very difficult to understand their logic. The first two steps are easy for many parents because in general one or two ingredient purees are easier to navigate than multi-ingredient purees.
Therefore, the first 2 stages parents either listen to a pediatrician, or look at a diagram from the Internet, or follow a complementary food table, which is listed on the website of their favorite canned food manufacturer. Although here, too, manufacturers can spoil the situation, so I met thickeners in the form of oatmeal in one-component baby purees (to which an allergy is possible at the beginning of complementary foods). Think for a moment, a one-component puree should contain 1 product and water, the only additional ingredient, but no, they can put any thickener, and it’s good if it’s rice or oat flour, but if the thickener is a preservative? Therefore ALWAYS read the composition of baby food before you buy it.
The first 2 stages seem to be not difficult, but as soon as the child approaches the 3rd stage or lumpy food, then it's just a disaster. Either some manufacturers do not produce food with pieces, then they do, but the composition is complex, there are many ingredients, more than half of the child was not introduced into complementary foods. Parents have to switch from one brand to another or choose 2-3 brands that inspire confidence.
Consider the situation on the example of milk. Now pediatricians, scientists and most parents agree that it is better to introduce dairy products into complementary foods gradually, starting with fermented milk, and milk is given after a year. But what do manufacturers of baby food offer us, milk porridge from 6 months old, or goat milk porridge from 4 months old. It seems that the recommendations of doctors for brands of baby food are empty space, the main thing for them is to offer an assortment, and parents will have to take care of the children.
Therefore at the beginning of complementary foods, it is important to decide on a strategy, namely, to choose at least approximately a table of complementary foods or to make a list of the introduction of products, focusing on the recommendations of a pediatrician. You can not blindly buy canned food, looking at the age on the label.
No one canceled the risk of an allergy to a product, and the earlier a child gets acquainted with a highly allergenic product, the stronger the reaction, read here for more details. If you feed the baby only canned food, focusing on age markings, that the child will eat delicate light food that will not teach him to chew, and then at 2 years old the question arises: Why does the child vomit on adult food? And the answer is simple, his body simply does not know how to chew, swallow and digest ordinary adult food. Therefore, as always0007 I speak and will speak and write, everything in moderation, the golden mean.
Canned nutrition is convenient, simple and easy, but should be in moderation.
Up to a year, diversity, diversity, the first 2-3 months is a quiet pace, which grows and grows by the year. We offer the child different food, canned and homemade, but at stage 3 we try to give more homemade food, because it is always different, well, it is not possible to make mashed potatoes always the same, especially if you use only a fork, this is what the baby needs, different textures, different components, as in the game - different levels, for complication. nine0005
Therefore, from the above, there are some rules to follow:
- Never look at the age marking on canned food;
- Always check the composition of the canned food;
- Always taste baby puree before giving to baby;
- Comply with safety measures for the quality of canned food, such as cotton when unscrewing the lid, storage temperature, etc.
- If the composition is multi-component, even if the products were introduced separately into complementary foods, give a jar very carefully, for example, give not all, but only 1/3 of it.
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Russian Union of Pediatricians
Nutrition for children aged 1 to 3 years
The period from 1 to 3 years of life is a crucial stage in the transition to an adult type of nutrition, which has certain features. In order to ensure that all the necessary nutrients enter the child's body and at the same time prevent an excess of individual nutrients, nutrition should be balanced and varied. nine0005
The daily amount of food for children aged 1 to 1.5 years should be 1000-1200 g, from 1.5 to 3 years - 1200-1500, the amount of food in one feeding should not exceed 300-350 ml. The diet consists of three main meals per day and two snacks. It is considered optimal when breakfast is 25% of the total energy density of the diet, lunch is 30–35%, dinner is 20%, and additional meals are about 10%. In general, the child can eat the same food as the rest of the family. nine0005
In the diet of a child of 1-3 years of age must be present daily : animal or poultry meat, dairy and sour-milk products, vegetables, fruits, bread, cereals, vegetable and butter; fish and eggs are included in the diet 2-3 times a week.
Cereal products: bread - 2-3 servings per day, cereals and side dishes - 1 time per day
Fruit and/or vegetables: at least 5 times a day
Dairy products: at least 3 servings per day (including those used to make cereals, yoghurts, fermented milk drinks, cottage cheese, infant formula or breast milk). nine0005
Domestic pediatricians recommend, when compiling a diet for children aged 1–3 years, preference should be given to specialized children's dairy products of industrial production that meet high quality requirements and safety indicators for this age. Most children's dairy products are additionally enriched with vitamins and/or minerals and other biologically active components, taking into account the physiological needs of children of this age. At the same time, in foreign recommendations, children over 1 year old are offered the gradual introduction of whole cow's milk, which is rich in fats necessary for proper growth and development, the absorption of vitamins A and D, the development of the brain and nervous system of the child.
