Steps to introducing baby 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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Helpful Resources | Nutrition | CDC
If you would like more information on topics related to feeding your baby or toddler, here are some resources:
General
CDC’s Infant and Toddler Nutrition microsite syndication
CDC offers a free Web Content Syndication service that gives public health partners the opportunity to syndicate CDC content directly to their sites without having to monitor or copy updates. To search the CDC infant and toddler nutrition website available for syndication as well as other resources you can share, visit the CDC Public Health Media Library and browse or search for “infant and toddler nutrition”. Learn more about content syndication and how to add CDC syndicated content on your site.
CDC’s Child and Teen Resources
This collection of resources provides parents and caregivers, health care providers, and partners with tools and information to help children and teens maintain a healthy weight and prevent obesity.
CDC’s Child Development Positive Parenting Tips (Infants)
This CDC website provides information about infants’ development, as well as tips for positive parenting and promoting the safety and health of infants.
CDC’s Learn the Signs. Act Early.
This website includes tools to track children’s milestones and resources about children’s development.
CDC’s Parent Information
This CDC website provides resources and information on pregnancy, infants and toddlers, children, and teens. Learn how to handle common parenting challenges through interactive activities, videos, and more. Healthcare professionals and researchers can also find information on children’s health and safety.
CDC’s Division of Oral Health
Tooth decay (cavities) is one of the most common chronic diseases of childhood in the United States. Untreated tooth decay can cause pain and infections that may lead to problems with eating, speaking, playing, and learning. CDC’s Division of Oral Health provides information on what parents and caregivers can do to ensure good oral health for your child.
Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020–2025 pdf icon[PDF-30.6MB]external icon
These guidelines provide science-based advice for Americans on what to eat and drink to promote health, reduce chronic disease, and meet nutrient needs. The 2020–2025 edition provides recommendations for all life stages, including infants and toddlers.
Feeding Guidelines for Infants and Young Toddlers: A Responsive Parenting Approachexternal icon
This report presents recommendations for promoting healthy nutrition and feeding patterns for infants and toddlers from birth to 24 months, with an emphasis on dietary quality, portion sizes, and mealtime environment.
Healthy Childrenexternal icon
This website was developed by the American Academy of Pediatrics for parents. It features thousands of articles in English and Spanish on children’s health and safety, as well as interactive tools.
United States Department of Agriculture Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)external icon
The WIC Program provides support to low-income pregnant, postpartum, and breastfeeding women, babies, and children up to age 5. WIC provides nutritious foods, information on healthy eating, breastfeeding promotion and support, and referrals to health care.
United States Department of Agriculture Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)external icon
SNAP provides benefits to low-income individuals and families and provides economic benefits to communities.
Feeding and Beverage Recommendationsexternal icon
Healthy Eating Research, a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, offers science-based recommendations for parents and caregivers. Tips are available for feeding children from birth through 24 monthsexternal icon and beverages for children from birth through 5 yearsexternal icon. Tips for older children are also available.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Advice About Eating Fishexternal icon
The U.S. FDA and EPA provide advice regarding eating fish. This advice can help people make informed choices when it comes to the types of fish that are nutritious and safe to eat. It is especially important for those who might become pregnant, who are pregnant, or who are breastfeeding, as well as for parents and caregivers who are feeding children. This advice supports the recommendations of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
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Breastfeeding
CDC’s Breastfeeding Information
CDC’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity (DNPAO) is committed to increasing breastfeeding rates throughout the United States. CDC provides information for public health professionals and others to help support breastfeeding mothers, such as managing breastfeeding during various maternal and infant illnesses and conditions, any precautions for vaccines during breastfeeding, and recommendations for proper storage and handling of expressed human milk.
International Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA)external icon
ILCA is the member association for professionals who care for breastfeeding families. ILCA’s “Find a Lactation Consultant Directory” can help you find a lactation consultant to get the breastfeeding support you need.
United States Lactation Consultant Association (USLCA)external icon
USLCA is a professional association for International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLCs) and other health care professionals who care for breastfeeding families. USLCA’s “Find an IBCLC” can help you find a lactation consultant to get the breastfeeding support you need.
WIC, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children—Breastfeeding Support external icon
The United States Department of Agriculture Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Breastfeeding Support website includes resources for expectant and current mothers about breastfeeding, overcoming common challenges, and thriving to make breastfeeding work for their families.
La Leche League USAexternal icon
La Leche League USA helps mothers to breastfeed through mother-to-mother support, encouragement, information, and education and promotes a better understanding of breastfeeding as an important element in the healthy development of the baby and mother.
Office on Women’s Healthexternal icon
The Office on Women’s Health’s vision is for all women and girls to achieve the best possible health outcomes. They provide information on breastfeeding to help women make infant feeding decisions and to guide mothers through the breastfeeding process.
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Infant Formula
Questions & Answers for Consumers Concerning Infant Formulaexternal icon
The U.S. Food & Drug Administration regulates infant formula and has a list of questions and answers about infant formula.
Infant Formula Do’s and Don’tsexternal icon
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration provides information on infant formula preparation and storage, as well as other tips on how to keep infant formula safe.
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Food Safety
Food Safety Concerns for Children Under Fiveexternal icon
Food safety is particularly important for young children. Foodsafety.gov provides information on safely preparing food for your child.
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Meal Time
Fruits & Veggies—Have a Plant Movementexternal icon
A resource designed to help spread the word about the health benefits of adding more fruits and veggies to your diet.
USDA MyPlate Kitchenexternal icon
This online tool features a large collection of recipes and resources to support building healthy and budget-friendly meals. Site features include:
- Extensive search filters on cuisine, cooking equipment, nutrition content, and more.
- Detailed nutrition information.
- Cookbooks to browse and download or build your own.
- Recipe star ratings, review comments, and sharing on social networks.
Video Series on How to Introduce Solid Foods
1,000 Days has developed helpful videos about introducing solid foods to your baby. Topics include:
- Is your baby ready to start eating foods?
- What is a good first food for your baby?
- What to expect when introducing first foods
- How much should I feed my baby?
- How to win at mealtimeexternal icon
- What foods should my baby avoid?
- What should your baby eat in the first year?
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Vitamins and Minerals
Vitamin and Mineral Fact Sheetsexternal icon
The National Institutes of Health’s Office of Dietary Supplements has fact sheets for consumers and health professionals about vitamins, minerals, and dietary supplements.
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Import substitution of baby food products
UDK 339.138:664.8
”, Minsk
Introduction
Nutrition is the most important physiological need of the human body. Good nutrition, especially for children, is one of the main factors affecting the physiological and mental development, the body's resistance to negative influences in an unfavorable environment.
The guarantee of national food security is the saturation of the domestic market with domestic food products available to citizens. If there is not enough food and a third of the population cannot get it, then the country or region is declared a disaster zone.
The Belarusian economy depends on imports, as in many sectors of the economy, including the agro-industrial complex, the share of imported components and raw materials is still high, which negatively affects the country's balance of payments. Therefore, the problem of import substitution in the Republic of Belarus is extremely relevant. Import substitution helps to save foreign currency, sell domestic products and reduce consumer costs, since the price of domestic products is lower than the price of imported analogues.
Main part
The problem of import substitution of baby food is closely related to the need to determine the capacity of its market. Knowledge of the real capacity of the market is a prerequisite for the activity of the enterprise [1]. However, specialists of domestic enterprises producing canned baby food face a significant problem at the stage of determining the market capacity - to determine the market capacity, it is necessary to know the annual need for canned food for children of different ages. However, it is difficult to obtain such information due to the lack of information exchange between canned baby food manufacturers and specialists from the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Belarus. As a result of studying specialized medical literature, the authors obtained information on the norms of complementary foods for children under one year old, presented in Table. 1, and the norms of consumption by children of the main nutritional components of food (proteins, carbohydrates, fats and biologically active substances) during the day, are given in table. 2.
Table 1
Recommended timing of introduction and approximate daily requirement for baby foods in children of the first year of life
Names of products and dishes Months of life
4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11-12
Fruit juice, ml 5- 30 40-50 50-60 60 70 80 90 90-100
Fruit puree, g 5-30 40-50 50-60 60 70 80 90 90-100
Vegetable puree, g - 10-100 150 150 200 200
Meat puree, g - - - - 5-30 50 60 60-70
Developed by the authors based on the analysis of medical literature.
Table 2
Children's need for basic substances during the day
Age, years Proteins, g Fats, g Carbohydrates, g Calcium, mg Phosphorus, mg Vitamins, mg
total including animals total including animals А С В1 В2 Вб РР
0.5-1.0 25 20-25 25 - 113 1000 1500 0.5 20 0.5 0.6 0.5 6
1.0-1.5 48 36 48 - 160 1000 1500 1.0 35 0.8 1.1 0.9 9
1.5-2.0 53 40 53 5 192 1000 1500 1.0 40 0.9 1.2 1.0 10
2.0-3.0 63 44 63 8 233 1000 1500 1.0 45 1.1 1.4 1.3 12
Note. Developed by the authors based on the analysis of medical literature.
Referring to the regulatory and technical documents for the production of canned baby food and taking into account the data given in Table. 1 and 2, the authors made an attempt to calculate the capacity of the domestic baby food market. The results obtained are presented in table. 3.
Table 3
Approximate capacity of the Belarusian baby food market, mln conventional cans, mub
Kind of baby food 2009 2010
Fruit and vegetable juices, mub 21. 16 22.23
Fruit puree, mub 20.75 21.82
Vegetable puree, mub 14.15
Canned meat, mub 5.89 6.10
Canned fish, mub 4.52 4.68
Note. Calculated by the authors.
However, these are only approximate data obtained based on information on the number of children in the Republic of Belarus as of 01/01/2009 and 01/01/2010 and based on the recommendations of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Belarus, which became available to the authors through the Ministry of Agriculture and Food. Domestic enterprises-manufacturers of baby food, which are part of the concern "Belgospischeprom", when planning production volumes, proceed from the volume of its order by retail outlets. This approach is rational, but it does not reflect the level of coverage of consumer needs at present and in the future.
When solving the problem of import substitution, another problem is also revealed - the distrust of some consumers in domestic baby food. This is facilitated by the virtual absence in the media of advertising of domestic and the abundance of advertising of imported baby food. In this regard, domestic producers of baby food should improve the opinion of consumers about their products, although this is expensive for each individual enterprise.
To overcome this problem, it is not enough for an enterprise to simply produce high-quality products. We need a brand. And it's not just a brand. In order for the impression of the brand to be formed in the direction necessary for its owner, it is necessary to make significant efforts, building communications with the market. The process of creating the impression that the owner needs and clearly designed in the brand concept is the process of brand management. In fact, the object of brand influence is the consumer's personality with a whole set of its specific characteristics.
The concept of a successful brand must be complemented by an aggressive marketing policy. The brand includes, in addition to standard channels, also sensory channels of communication (smell, tactile sensations). Studies have confirmed that 70% of emotions are caused by smell, and not by what a person sees or hears [2]. An example of the use of this fact is the sale of coffee - along with the sealed packs sold
, several pierced ones are put on the shelf or air fresheners with the smell of coffee are used. As a result, a light aroma floats in the air, which encourages visitors to the outlet to buy a pack of coffee. Something similar should be done for baby food to attract consumers to it.
For parents, branded baby food should offer bonuses (eg discounts, discount cards, loyalty cards, sweepstakes) and extras (eg online or telephone ordering with home delivery). This is also a manifestation of aggressive marketing.
In order for baby food to become a strong brand in an ever-changing market environment, strategic promotion programs must be updated, complemented by new approaches. Building a brand is hard work. The development and implementation of a brand promotion strategy includes the study of future opportunities, the definition of goals and target audience, the choice of marketing communication tools, the development of a marketing message strategy and marketing communication channels [3].
When implementing branding and aggressive marketing, one should also keep in mind modern technologies such as mobile communications. Today, marketing is on the verge of a revolutionary transformation, the root causes of which are the development of mobile communication technologies and the approximation of the cellular penetration rate to European values, which gives rise to the phenomenon of mobile marketing. Its distinguishing feature is absolutely personalized communications with the consumer. The features of this type of marketing are [4]:
- first of all, it affects the sphere of marketing communications;
- allows you to increase the effectiveness of an advertising campaign when used in conjunction with traditional communication channels;
- helps to evaluate the effectiveness of any advertising company with virtually no errors.
Mobile marketing includes phone customization (brand logo, commercial jingle), ad-gaming (playing with Product Placement elements), information services, and SMS mailings (notifying consumers about new products, services, special prices, and promotions). The implementation of all of the above can overcome customer distrust, if any.
Another solution to the problem of import substitution of baby food would be a cluster approach. It means the application of organizational and economic measures to the creation of a holding for the production of baby food, possibly of a vertically integrated type. All strategic issues of market research, marketing, branding would be taken over by the intellectual core of the holding - a separate structure that has specialists on its staff, whose job responsibilities will be precisely the solution of such issues. Based on the results of the work of the intellectual core of the holding, tasks will be set for the release of a particular product to the production core of the holding - manufacturing plants. The holding should also include raw material cores - agricultural enterprises specialized in growing a particular crop (or several), in the production of fish or meat. At the same time, specialization should be carried out according to the principle of economic feasibility and expediency of growing a crop (production of fish or meat) in the area where the farm is located. For example, the Vitebsk region may be suitable for breeding elite breeds of cattle. At the same time, the meat will be of the highest quality, environmentally friendly and comparable to marble. This means that high quality raw materials will go into meat and meat and vegetable canned food. Such canned food will appeal to children and will be in demand for Belarusian mothers.
The practice of developing the most successful firms and prosperous economic systems shows that the most effective form of economic growth is the theory of the cluster mechanism. It is based on the concept of "cluster" -
concentration of the most efficient and interconnected types of economic activity. For the national economy, clusters serve as growth points for the domestic market and production base. The high competitiveness of the country is based precisely on the strong positions of individual clusters, while outside of them even the most developed economy can give mediocre results [5].
In addition to the fact that this approach will increase consumer confidence in domestic products, it will contribute to the rational use of agricultural enterprises of their resources. The agricultural economy will be confident in the demand for the grown products, and hence in its marketing. As a result, the employment of the population will be guaranteed, which is a socially significant factor.
When a cluster is formed, all industries in it begin to support each other. The effect extends in all directions of connections. Interactions within a cluster, often completely unexpected, lead to the development of new ways of competing and give rise to entirely new opportunities. Thus, the presence of clusters allows the national economy to maintain its competitive advantages.
Obviously, national competitiveness largely depends on the level of development of individual clusters. Large companies and firms need a large amount of equipment and materials adapted to their technologies, which creates a capacious market for small firms - suppliers of simple components and raw materials. Cluster enterprises are forced to raise the quality of semi-finished products supplied to them and thus force their suppliers to also increase their competitiveness.
The innovative structure of the cluster helps to reduce the total cost of research and development of innovations through the use of economies of scale in production. This allows cluster members to consistently carry out innovative activities for a long time. Firms from a cluster of interconnected industries invest in specialized related technologies, in information, infrastructure, and human resource development, which leads to the mass emergence of new firms.
Belarusian food enterprises producing canned baby food have already taken certain steps towards the implementation of the cluster approach. Thus, Gamma Vkusa JSC already has a subsidiary farm, which grows crops used for the production of canned products, including baby food. In addition, the specified processing enterprise acquired a plot of land on which a garden is being laid. The rest of the raw materials JSC "Gamma Vkusa" purchases from farmers and agricultural enterprises. When concluding contracts for the supply of raw materials, the named enterprise indicates the need for its strict compliance with the requirements of SanPin and TNLA. Thus, OJSC "Gamma Vkusa" has already begun to implement a cluster approach. OAO Malorita Canning and Vegetable Drying Plant is also starting to introduce a cluster approach. To date, in the Brest region, a berry field with an area of 17.7 hectares has been laid especially for this processing enterprise.
Conclusion
Our study allows us to conclude that import substitution in the Republic of Belarus cannot but face some problems, which include difficulties in determining the market capacity, protection of the domestic market from imports and consumer distrust in domestic products. The solution of these problems will contribute to effective import substitution, which will allow domestic processing enterprises and agricultural enterprises to develop sustainably. The main directions of solving the problems faced by import substitution in Belarus include branding and a cluster approach. Benefits and achievements of implementing these approaches in 9 countries0003
prosperous economy allows us to conclude that their use in the Republic of Belarus is useful.
Literature
1. Gerus, A. Determination of the market share of the enterprise / A. Gerus // Marketing, advertising and sales. - 2005. - No. 2. - S. 51-57.
2. Sukhoverkhy, M. Brands and alternative consumer worlds / M. Sukhoverkhy // Marketing communications: new methods. - 2008. - No. 1. - S. 12-15.
3. Morina, M. The concept of brand promotion: nine stages of creativity / M. Morina // Trademark promotion strategies: AT and VT. - 2008. - No. 1. - S. 54-61.
4. Tadzheva, Z. Mobile marketing / Z. Tadzheva // Marketing communications: new methods. - 2008. - No. 1. - S. 2-11.
5. Davydov, VA Theoretical foundations for managing the competitiveness of enterprises in the context of the globalization of the world economy / VA Davydov [et al.]. -M. : Spektr, 2011. - 392 p.
Received on February 18, 2012
Kindergarten No. 67 | Belgorod, st. Gubkina, house 8a
Good afternoon, dear parents!
We are glad to welcome you on our website!
The site was created to provide open access to information about the activities of MBDOU d / s No.
67, its content complies with the requirements of the legislation of the Russian Federation. We hope that the site will contribute to the prompt receipt of reliable information about the functioning and development of our institution.On our website you can get information about the activities of the institution, the services provided, priority areas of development, ongoing educational programs, project activities, regulatory legal documentation governing the activities of our educational institution. The pages of the site will acquaint you with the latest news from the life of our kindergarten, our successes and achievements. At your request, the specialists of our educational institution are ready to answer all your questions regarding the education, upbringing and development of your children.
By e-mail ([email protected]), by phone (8-4722-55-19-84), each of you has the opportunity to ask a question to the head and specialists of the educational institution, to express your point of view on the quality of preschool education in our preschool institution, to thank the employees, to make suggestions for improving the work.
With great pleasure I will answer all your questions and suggestions aimed at improving the work of our institution, at a personal meeting at reception hours:
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Thursday: from 16.00 to 18.00
Reception is made by phone: 55-19-84
: [email protected]
55-19-84e-mail address: [email protected]
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Historical reference