When can babies digest 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.

Top of Page

How a Baby’s Digestive System Works, for Parents

What should a baby eat? How much and how often? When can you give a baby solids?

These are just some of the questions a parent thinks about when caring for an infant. It’s very important that babies receive adequate nutrition to grow and develop, but it can be hard to know how to feed them. It helps to understand what’s going on inside their digestive systems.

The Baby Diet

Within the first few hours of life, a newborn will have his or her first meal.

“Breast milk or formula are the only two options for a baby to consume during the early months of life because a baby can’t chew and swallow solid food yet,” says Ricardo Baler, MD, UNC Health pediatrician.

If a mother is breastfeeding, she’ll notice small amounts of a protein-rich substance called colostrum coming out of the breasts first for the baby to eat. Formula-fed babies will consume about a half-ounce of formula during those early hours. From that point on, every two or three hours a newborn will consume about 2 ounces of milk, whether from breast or bottle (though you can’t measure what’s coming from the breast). As the baby continues to grow, the stomach begins to expand.

“The capacity for a baby’s stomach right at birth is about half an ounce to 1 ounce. By the end of the first week, a lot of babies are eating twice that. It’s a rapid stretch to hold more,” says Edward Pickens, MD, UNC Health pediatrician.

When it comes to feeding a baby, it’s all about following cues. Watch out for hints of hunger; hungry babies might suck on their lips or tongue, put their fingers in their mouth or cry.

The best way to confirm that a baby is eating enough is to monitor weight gain. Growth spurts typically happen when a baby is 2 to 3 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months and 6 months old.

Starting between 4 and 6 months of age, a baby is typically ready for solids. A baby who is ready has good head and neck control, can sit with little or no support and might open his or her mouth and lean forward when food is near.

It’s important for a baby to eat a variety of foods such as fruits, vegetables, grains, yogurt, cheese and meat. Foods that can be made into a pureed form are best when introducing solids. Pediatricians recommend that parents introduce one food at a time to the baby, then wait a couple of days to try something different. This will allow time to see if the baby has any allergic reactions.

“Give the baby time to explore the food in front of them. It’s great for the baby to touch the food and experience its taste,” Dr. Baler says.

At mealtime, feed solid food first and then finish with milk. Around the first birthday, food becomes the primary source of calories and milk becomes secondary.

What to Know About Baby Poop

The first bowel movement after a baby is born is meconium. This green-black, sticky lining of the intestines flakes off and collects before birth.

“It takes about 24 hours once the meconium is gone for milk to complete its course through the digestive system to eventually lead to a bowel movement,” Dr. Pickens says.

There’s a huge range of normal when looking at an infant’s stool color. Green, brown or yellow “seedy” poop is common to see in a diaper in the early months of life. Oftentimes, the poop can be runny or of a liquid consistency, which is not a cause for concern.

When a baby is born, his or her digestive system is fairly inefficient. As the baby learns to pass stool he may strain, grunt, cry or turn red in the face. As long as the stool is soft, this is not due to constipation.

A baby might experience gas while digesting milk or after swallowing air while crying. Changing the baby’s position or “bicycling” his or her legs might help, and some parents swear by an over-the-counter supplement called gripe water.

But oftentimes, there’s nothing that can be done about gas, and it’s normal and OK, Dr. Pickens says.

“There’s a certain amount of gassiness and a certain amount of fussiness that cannot easily be fixed, but it gets better in time. Newborn gassiness tends to improve after 6 to 8 weeks of age,” he says. “Be patient and trade off when you can, so no parent is ‘on duty’ all the time.”

Once you give your baby solids, the color, smell, texture and frequency of the stool changes. It will become a bit thicker with a stronger odor, and the color might depend on the food the baby ate.

How often a baby has a bowel movement can vary as well. Bowel movements can occur multiple times a day or once every few days, and both situations are normal.

“Sometimes a baby can have a bowel movement every three or four days and they are fine. It doesn’t necessarily mean that they are constipated. If the baby is showing happy behavior, feeling well and wetting diapers, there’s no cause for concern,” Dr. Baler says. “The way the gut moves and responds to food in the digestive system changes as a baby continues to grow.”

Common Digestive System Problems in Babies

Here are some of the most common digestive problems a baby might experience in the first year of life, according to Dr. Pickens and Dr. Baler.

Colitis is when babies are exposed to a protein in their diet that causes an irritation in their intestines. For breastfed babies, these proteins are in what the mother usually drinks or eats. They are also found in formula. The usual suspects are cow’s milk, soy and eggs. Symptoms include fussiness, gassiness and blood in the stool.

Intolerance to the mother’s diet is also fairly common in breastfed babies. If baby is gassier and fussier than normal, he or she could be having a reaction to something Mom ate.

Constipation in children can be caused by a range of problems including the use of certain medications, poor health or a lack of proper nutrition. Symptoms include hard, dry stools, straining more than normal to have a bowel movement, belly pain and bloating.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is when a normal behavior for babies—spitting up—comes with abnormal signs and symptoms, including poor weight gain and pain. Rarely, some babies gag and wheeze. If a baby seems happy and comfortable and is gaining weight, he or she might experience reflux (spitting up), but it doesn’t rise to the level of GERD.

Allergic reactions like a rash or hives are seen when a baby or toddler is having a reaction to something in his or her diet. The eight most common allergenic foods are milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat and soybeans.

If you’ve noticed your child having digestive system problems, contact your doctor or find one near you.

Digestive system of a child

Author of article Pyrieva Catherine Anatolievna September 15, 2021

26009 views

How does a small child eat and how does the digestive process of a newborn differ from the digestive process of an adult? How to facilitate the process of adapting the baby to complementary foods?

Our questions are answered by Pyreva Ekaterina Anatolyevna , nutritionist, candidate of medical sciences.

How is the process of feeding a baby during pregnancy?

Babies are introduced to nutrition long before they are born. The baby's own digestive system begins to develop very early - already at the end of the 3rd week of intrauterine development. Gradually improving, by the time of birth, it is already ready to perform its main function - to digest and assimilate food.

The fetus receives from the mother the substances necessary for its growth and development, including oxygen, proteins, fats, carbohydrates, microelements, and biologically active substances. At the same time, the baby, with the help of the mother's body, gets rid of unnecessary substances - carbon dioxide, waste products of vital activity.

All this exchange between the body of the mother and the fetus occurs through a special organ that functions only during pregnancy - the placenta. In the placenta, the blood vessels of the mother and fetus are located close to each other and in such a way that exchange of substances easily takes place between them.

Features of the digestive system of a newborn

But then the baby was born, and everything changed. Now the baby's nutritional processes are not connected with the mother's placenta, and the newborn needs to adapt to new, unusual conditions for him.

The digestive system of a newborn differs from the digestive system of an adult in immaturity and the ability to digest and assimilate so far only one product - breast milk (or milk mixtures close to it in composition). Does the child have enough food, how adequate is the feeding regimen, whether the mother has mastered breastfeeding techniques correctly - all this should be assessed by the doctor who observes the baby. A nursing mother should talk to a doctor about the features of her diet, as improper nutrition of a nursing woman can harm her baby.

The immaturity of the digestive system of the newborn is manifested in increased permeability of the intestinal mucosa, insufficiency of digestive enzymes, incoordination of the motor activity of the intestine, as well as the absence of teeth and the imperfection of the processes of swallowing (solid food) and chewing.

Digestive problems in a newborn baby

Parents often worry when faced with so-called functional - that is, temporary, not associated with any pathology - digestive disorders in babies. These include colic, regurgitation, constipation, bloating. In children of the first months of life, these disorders occur precisely in connection with the immaturity of the digestive and nervous systems and their adaptation to extrauterine life. The baby's digestive system, as it were, "learns" to accept, digest and assimilate food. Usually, all these problems go away by themselves by the age of 3-4 months - as the baby's gastrointestinal tract matures and adapts.

However, even if the baby's digestive disorders are similar to functional ones, when they appear, it is imperative to show the child to the doctor. There are frequent situations when colic, regurgitation or constipation not only does not go away, but also intensifies, and additional symptoms are added to them. Most often this happens with food allergies in a child, which can only be diagnosed by a doctor.

How do you know if your baby is ready for complementary foods?

The scheme and timing of the introduction of complementary foods should be discussed with the doctor who observes the child and knows his individual characteristics of development and health. The timing of the introduction of complementary foods varies from the age of 4 months to the age of 6 months - it is during this time period that the maturation of the child's digestive system occurs. The signs of the child's readiness for the introduction of complementary foods are determined by the doctor.

What does the term “common table” imply?

When does a child's digestive system become similar to that of an adult - and what does the concept of "transfer to a common table" imply?

The concept of "adult" food or "common table" for a young child implies only a gradual decrease in the degree of grinding of complementary foods and some expansion of the menu.

But we are by no means talking about the fact that now potentially allergenic or difficult-to-digest foods should be introduced into the child’s menu. Fried potatoes, fast food, fried borscht, shrimp and exotic fruits that are not typical for our band - all this is not suitable for the nutrition of young children. If you want to add any new foods to your baby's diet, be sure to talk about it with your baby's doctor.

Enjoy your meal!

Author of the article Pyrieva Catherine Anatolievna

Nutritionist, PhD

All expert articles

Overeating in children, digestive problems in children: symptoms and treatment

Why does heaviness occur after eating?

Eating from birth occupies an important place in the life of every person. First we are fed, then we learn to eat ourselves. Not all periods go smoothly, because almost from birth, the digestive system can have problems. The baby always has a risk of getting an intestinal infection, as he pulls everything into his mouth, studying the world around him.

Another cause of problems with the tummy can be intolerance to lactose or other products that can be very difficult to determine, much less predict. All this can affect the digestion of the child.

A great influence on the digestion of a child is not only what he eats, but also how it happens. Sometimes, in order to persuade the baby to eat calmly, not to spin and not be distracted at the table, different settings are used: “When I eat, I am deaf and dumb”, “Do not indulge”. Eating turns into a status event, where everyone should behave decorously, quietly, nobly. But what about the child? He is looking for a way out of the situation. You can swallow the food you hate and return to the game. Or start playing for time, playing at the table, begging for sweets.

Stress, school grades, tests, exams, sections pile up on teenagers. Everything needs to be in time, but there is not enough time for a measured proper meal. In addition, in adolescence, and sometimes even with the start of school attendance, parents no longer have such precise control over everything that a child eats.

Most of the time the child eats outside the home. The quality of food in the school canteen may not be suitable for everyone, especially if there are restrictions. Advertising of fast food, snacks and carbonated drinks looms everywhere. Snacking on the run becomes habitual. What can we say about children, if adults can be dominated by the desire to get by with a sandwich between chores instead of a full meal. As a result, children may experience discomfort in the abdomen: discomfort, heaviness after eating, stool disorders, etc. What can help?

Surprisingly, the habit of chewing food well can be a useful tip. Few people know that digestion begins already in the mouth, and chewing is important not only for grinding food. The fact is that during chewing, food is processed by saliva, which contains enzymes - substances that help break down and further assimilate food.

Telling a child to eat slowly and chew everything thoroughly rarely works. First of all, the baby watches how the parents eat at the table. You can involve the child in cooking, and the meal itself will be the final stage of the whole game. So children can get to know the products better, touch them. It is better to touch a raw potato than to catch a boiled one from the soup with your hands. Children may be more willing to eat their own food. You need to learn how to chew food thoroughly and instill this skill in children.

Prohibitive measures often do not apply to teenagers. A simple ban on not eating candy bars and not drinking soda is unlikely to help. The child should have an affordable alternative: food taken from home, the opportunity to buy ready-made healthy products.

Intestine and brain

It is believed that our mood and psychological attitude can affect the digestive process. And what about emotions? If eating turns into stress, it can affect the process of digestion ¹ . Many people know the lack of appetite in a stressful state, when the brain depresses digestion and distributes the body's resources for flight or attack in order to protect itself.

Sometimes overeating can be a way to relieve stress. Overeating can turn into the habit of eating everything to the last crumb, not from hunger, but to receive praise and permission to eat sweets.

A child under two years of age gains weight very quickly. From 2 to 5 years, his growth slows down, the need for food in proportion to his weight is no longer so great ¹ . It is important for parents not to confuse these two concepts and to ensure that nutrition is optimal, and not excessive.

Even if the parents do not overfeed the child, this can happen on holidays, at a party, on vacation. The digestive system may not be ready for a sudden overload.

The opposite situation is the refusal of the child to eat. This may not be just a whim, but an attempt to avoid the unpleasant sensations that arise after eating certain products. Not all children can explain their feelings to their parents in detail and simply refuse what makes them uncomfortable. So "dislike" to certain products or dishes can be formed and persist for life. So there may be a lack of digestive enzymes for the digestion of any component of food, such as fats.

Main symptoms of indigestion in a child

⁴ :

heaviness in the abdomen;
discomfort after eating;
bloating, rumbling;

flatulence;
nausea;
pain.

Prolonged disruption of the digestive processes can lead to diarrhea and even weight loss due to impaired nutrient intake ⁴ .

How and what to feed a child with "indigestion" of the stomach?

There are a number of recommendations that can help with digestive problems in children

^{3. 4} :

A regular daily routine and food intake, when the body gets used to and produces enzymes to digest food in a timely manner.
Fractional nutrition - eating in small portions up to 5 times a day in order to prevent overeating and comply with the regimen.
Thorough chewing and measured eating.

A balanced diet or following your doctor's recommendations, if available.
Gradual introduction of new products.
Sufficient amount of water.

Naturally, this is not always possible to achieve. But it is better to try to follow these rules in order to improve the digestion of the child.

How to deal with indigestion in a child?

To compensate for the lack of digestive enzymes in children, enzyme preparations can be used. They help improve digestion0105 4 .

Learn more

Creon ^® is a recognized enzyme preparation in Russia and worldwide. It supplements its own digestion and helps digest proteins, fats and carbohydrates ⁵ .

Feature of the drug Creon ^® is its release form - a capsule, which contains hundreds of small particles inside. They are called minimicrospheres. These particles are especially suitable for taking by the youngest children, since the capsule can be opened and mini-microspheres can be added to food, puree or juice ² . In children, the drug should be used in accordance with the doctor's prescription ².

Particle size and ease of use distinguishes Creon ^® from the usual tablet forms. A newborn will not swallow a pill, older children can accidentally bite a pill with their teeth or refuse to swallow it, and not all adults are comfortable taking whole pills or capsules.

The life hack that a pill can be crushed or divided into parts is actually a delusion. If the integrity of the tablet is violated, its protective shell is destroyed, and the acidic environment of the stomach is detrimental to the unprotected enzyme.