When can my baby eat pureed foods


When, What, and How to Introduce Solid Foods | Nutrition

For more information about how to know if your baby is ready to starting eating foods, what first foods to offer, and what to expect, watch these videos from 1,000 Days.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend children be introduced to foods other than breast milk or infant formula when they are about 6 months old.  Introducing foods before 4 months old is not recommended. Every child is different. How do you know if your child is ready for foods other than breast milk or infant formula? You can look for these signs that your child is developmentally ready.

Your child:

  • Sits up alone or with support.
  • Is able to control head and neck.
  • Opens the mouth when food is offered.
  • Swallows food rather than pushes it back out onto the chin.
  • Brings objects to the mouth.
  • Tries to grasp small objects, such as toys or food.
  • Transfers food from the front to the back of the tongue to swallow.

What Foods Should I Introduce to My Child First?

The American Academy of Pediatrics says that for most children, you do not need to give foods in a certain order. Your child can begin eating solid foods at about 6 months old. By the time he or she is 7 or 8 months old, your child can eat a variety of foods from different food groups. These foods include infant cereals, meat or other proteins, fruits, vegetables, grains, yogurts and cheeses, and more.

If your child is eating infant cereals, it is important to offer a variety of fortifiedalert icon infant cereals such as oat, barley, and multi-grain instead of only rice cereal. Only providing infant rice cereal is not recommended by the Food and Drug Administration because there is a risk for children to be exposed to arsenic. Visit the U.S. Food & Drug Administrationexternal icon to learn more.

How Should I Introduce My Child to Foods?

Your child needs certain vitamins and minerals to grow healthy and strong.

Now that your child is starting to eat food, be sure to choose foods that give your child all the vitamins and minerals they need.

Click here to learn more about some of these vitamins & minerals.

Let your child try one single-ingredient food at a time at first. This helps you see if your child has any problems with that food, such as food allergies. Wait 3 to 5 days between each new food. Before you know it, your child will be on his or her way to eating and enjoying lots of new foods.

Introduce potentially allergenic foods when other foods are introduced.

Potentially allergenic foods include cow’s milk products, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soy, and sesame. Drinking cow’s milk or fortified soy beverages is not recommended until your child is older than 12 months, but other cow’s milk products, such as yogurt, can be introduced before 12 months. If your child has severe eczema and/or egg allergy, talk with your child’s doctor or nurse about when and how to safely introduce foods with peanuts.

How Should I Prepare Food for My Child to Eat?

At first, it’s easier for your child to eat foods that are mashed, pureed, or strained and very smooth in texture. It can take time for your child to adjust to new food textures. Your child might cough, gag, or spit up. As your baby’s oral skills develop, thicker and lumpier foods can be introduced.

Some foods are potential choking hazards, so it is important to feed your child foods that are the right texture for his or her development. To help prevent choking, prepare foods that can be easily dissolved with saliva and do not require chewing. Feed small portions and encourage your baby to eat slowly. Always watch your child while he or she is eating.

Here are some tips for preparing foods:

  • Mix cereals and mashed cooked grains with breast milk, formula, or water to make it smooth and easy for your baby to swallow.
  • Mash or puree vegetables, fruits and other foods until they are smooth.
  • Hard fruits and vegetables, like apples and carrots, usually need to be cooked so they can be easily mashed or pureed.
  • Cook food until it is soft enough to easily mash with a fork.
  • Remove all fat, skin, and bones from poultry, meat, and fish, before cooking.
  • Remove seeds and hard pits from fruit, and then cut the fruit into small pieces.
  • Cut soft food into small pieces or thin slices.
  • Cut cylindrical foods like hot dogs, sausage and string cheese into short thin strips instead of round pieces that could get stuck in the airway.
  • Cut small spherical foods like grapes, cherries, berries and tomatoes into small pieces.
  • Cook and finely grind or mash whole-grain kernels of wheat, barley, rice, and other grains.

Learn more about potential choking hazards and how to prevent your child from choking.

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When Can My Baby Start Eating Solid Foods? (for Parents)

A friend just started giving her 3-month-old applesauce and rice cereal. My son is just 2 weeks younger than hers, and I am wondering if I should be introducing solids soon too. When should I start?
Taylor

Doctors recommend waiting until a baby is about 6 months old to start solid foods. Starting before 4 months is not recommended.

At about 6 months, babies need the added nutrition — such as iron and zinc — that solid foods provide. It’s also the right time to introduce your infant to new tastes and textures. 

Some babies may be ready for solids sooner than 6 months, but don't start until your baby is at least 4 months old.

How do you know it’s the right time to start solid foods? Here are some signs that babies are ready:

  • They have good head and neck control and sit up in a high chair.
  • They're interested in foods. For example, they may watch others eat, reach for food, and open their mouths when food approaches.
  • They don’t push food out of their mouths, which is a natural tongue reflex that disappears when they’re between 4–6 months old.
  • They weigh twice their birth weight, or close to it.

Talk to your doctor about the right time to start solid foods.

How Should I Start Solids?

When the time is right, you can start with a single-grain, iron-fortified baby cereal. Start with 1 or 2 tablespoons of cereal mixed with breast milk, formula, or water. Feed your baby with a small baby spoon. Don’t add cereal or other food to a baby's bottle because it can lead to too much weight gain. Let your baby practice eating from a spoon and learn to stop when full.

When your baby gets the hang of eating the first food, introduce others, such as puréed meat, fruits, vegetables, beans, lentils, or yogurt. Try one food at a time and wait a few days before trying something else new to make sure your baby doesn't have an allergic reaction.

Foods that are more likely to cause allergies can be among the foods you introduce to your baby. These include peanuts, eggs, cow’s milk, seafood, nuts, wheat, and soy. Waiting to start these foods does not prevent food allergies. Talk to your doctor if you are concerned about food allergies, especially if any close family members have allergies, food allergies, or allergy-related conditions, like eczema or asthma.

Infants with severe eczema or egg allergies are more likely to have allergies to peanuts. Talk to your doctor about how and when to introduce these foods to your child.

When starting your baby on solids, avoid:

  • foods with added sugars and no-calorie sweeteners
  • high-sodium foods
  • honey, until after the first birthday. It can cause botulism in babies.
  • unpasteurized juice, milk, yogurt, or cheese 
  • regular cow's milk or soy drinks before 12 months instead of breast milk or formula. It’s OK to offer pasteurized yogurt and cheese.
  • foods that may cause choking, such as hot dogs, raw carrots, grapes, popcorn, and nuts

Also, do not give fruit juices to infants younger than 12 months old.

Over the next few months, introduce a variety of foods from all the food groups. If your baby doesn't seem to like something, don’t give up. It can take 8 to 10 tries or more before babies learn to like new foods.

Reviewed by: Mary L. Gavin, MD

Date reviewed: February 2021

Elena Pavlovskaya: "How to wean a child off chips"

Feeding a child is never easy. Especially when he demands chips or other junk food. Children do not think about the cumulative damage to health. Why do they love what is harmful?

Feeding a child is never easy. Especially when he demands chips or other junk food and refuses to eat hot soup or mashed potatoes. Children do not think about the cumulative damage to health. Why do children like what is harmful? How to wean a child to snack on chips and chocolate bars? How to develop healthy eating habits in children? Elena Vyacheslavovna Pavlovskaya, candidate of medical sciences, researcher at the clinic of the Research Institute of Nutrition of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, expert of the Takzdorovo. ru portal, answered the questions of mama.ru readers.

How and what to feed a child if he does not want to eat?

Irina Firsova (Khryashchikova) : My youngest daughter is a year old, but she doesn't want to eat anything. During the whole day he eats only cookies, bread and drinks milk. In weight, we do not get 1 kg. What to do? How to feed? Elena Pavlovskaya : If you think that the child is not eating enough, it will be useful to keep a food diary for 3-4 days - write down EVERYTHING that the child eats, indicating the time of eating and the amount of food in grams. The resulting records can be discussed with the pediatrician, who will give recommendations for correcting nutrition. The reason for the lack of appetite may be too small intervals between meals - less than 3.5-4 hours, when the child does not have time to get hungry. No snacks should be given during this interval. And try to gradually introduce new dishes into your diet. In order for a child to like a new food, he needs to be given it to try at least 10-12 times. Guest : We have the same thing... We are 1 year old and we don't eat at all without entertainment. Some kind of nightmare. I suffered with the older one and the same story begins with the younger one. I would like to know how to solve this problem. Elena Pavlovskaya : Increase the intervals between meals, try to feed at the same time. Well, if you manage to have lunch or dinner with the whole family - the child will eat, imitating adults. But in this case, adults should eat healthy food. "Entertainment" while eating will not solve the problem, just like TV. Do not force the child to eat, and do not be afraid to “underfeed” him - very often mothers try to give the child much more food than they need. Guest : We are younger, we are 11 months old, but the same problem - he doesn't eat anything, he just wants to suck a tit and that's it. She refuses everything, she is ready to eat only boiled noodles, pasta figures, horns. No mashed potatoes, no soups - nothing, just pasta and tit. Tityu in the morning / afternoon / evening and at night - at any time she is ready to suck. It's good that we are not going down in weight yet. How can you accustom her to something new, tasty, you can’t live on pasta all the time? Elena Pavlovskaya : Offer new dishes little by little, over and over again - to get used to a new product, a child needs to try it more than 10 times. Therefore, the rejection of a new one for the first or second time does not mean that the child will not eat it at all. From mashed potatoes, you need to move on to piece food that is suitable for the baby by age. And try to observe the intervals between feedings - 4 hours during the day, 6-8 hours at night. Frequent breastfeeding keeps the baby from feeling hungry and wanting to try new foods. And the weight in such a situation will not go down; when overfeeding with carbohydrates, there is a risk of overweight. Anna Kustova : My daughter is 1 year and 1 month old. We eat badly: she drinks only goat's milk and even then little, she refuses cereals, she used to eat mashed potatoes and soups, but now she doesn't want them either. It seems to me that she is tired of what I cook. Any tips on how to diversify the dishes? Fantasy is no longer enough, and every meal turns into a headache: first - what to cook, and then - how to feed. Elena Pavlovskaya : First, stop being afraid that the child will be hungry. Overfeeding is much more dangerous, and mothers often overestimate the amount of food a baby needs. It is useful for several days in a row to write down everything that the child eats. It often turns out that between the main meals he gets either fruit, or biscuits, or drying, and therefore is never hungry. In addition, mashed potatoes for children older than a year should be replaced with more solid, piecey food - this applies to vegetables and meat. Kashi can also be made thicker. Nastasya1 : Daughter 1 year 3 years old, does not want to eat adult food at all, she hopes only for boobs, but I already have little milk. Because of this, we gain little weight. Help me please. Elena Pavlovskaya : It is necessary to establish a clear diet, with sufficiently large intervals - first of all, this concerns breastfeeding. And persistently offer complementary foods - if the girl has eaten a few spoons and refuses to eat further, you should not supplement her with breast milk, feed her at the next meal. Try different varieties of cereals, vegetables, fruits, meats that are suitable for the child by age (not just homogenized purees). A joint family meal is useful - the child will imitate you and gradually begin to eat new things. Guest : My son is 9 months old, on breastfeeding. They tried to introduce complementary foods: juice, compote, apples, bananas, vegetables, cereals, cottage cheese and a chicken egg. The last month we eat only cereals and cottage cheese, occasionally vegetables, everything else causes a gag reflex! And from the liquid he drinks only water. But before he ate it on both cheeks. I tried to give meat - it spits out, it does not recognize new products! What to feed him? Elena Pavlovskaya : Offer meat many times in a row, children need time to taste new food. Try different varieties of vegetables and meat, perhaps you will like something more. The fact that the child drinks only water is very good - it is much more difficult to wean from the habit of drinking only sugary drinks, and there is no special need for juices, they can be replaced with a small amount of fruit puree. Set a clear diet with intervals between feedings of 3.5-4 hours. Often, when breastfeeding, due to frequent attachments to the breast, the child does not have time to get hungry, and attempts to introduce complementary foods will be unsuccessful. Nadyushaa : I have a problem: my daughter (1.6) has started to refuse food. He doesn't want to eat anything but milk. A month ago she ate well, with appetite. and now immediately into a roar and runs away as soon as he sees a spoon and a plate. I have already changed spoons, bought beautiful plates, nothing helps. Sometimes it is possible to stuff 2-3 spoons into it, but this is the maximum. Yesterday and the day before yesterday - in the morning he will drink milk, for lunch a spoonful of mashed potatoes, for dinner he will eat yogurt, and at night a little milk. Between meals, he can eat a small piece of an apple, a banana, a cookie. She stopped eating her favorite soup, and used to gobble up both cheeks ... Well, what to do? Elena Pavlovskaya :

  • Do not feed between meals. This does not allow the child to get hungry and feel the appetite.
  • Do not force feed - it is better to skip this meal and feed next time. Not in half an hour or an hour, but in the next meal according to your child's daily routine - in 3.5-4 hours.
  • Consult a pediatric gastroenterologist, do an ultrasound of the abdominal cavity - a sharp refusal to eat may be associated with diseases of the upper digestive tract.
  • Mix between meals

    Anetka : We are a year and a month. Eats almost everything! But I don’t know if I still need to give the mixture during the day? I now think that it is not necessary, but my mother-in-law insists that it is necessary to give, you have seen a very thin child! Well, yes, my daughter is not large, weighs a little more than 9 kg, but she is sooooo mobile! I only give her a mixture at night and before bed. And during the day, mostly only mashed potatoes or fruits. Whether prompt to give all taki to her still a mix in breaks between meals or not? Elena Pavlovskaya : It turns out that the mixture is not food if it is suggested to give it "between meals"? Of course, you are right that you are trying to feed the girl correctly. Not very large, according to relatives, the weight of the child is not a reason for frequent messy feedings. Listen to your pediatrician and yourself.

    Introduction of complementary foods

    *Elya* : We are also thinking: where to start complementary foods? Elena Pavlovskaya : Looking for a competent pediatrician who will tell you everything in detail. It is important not to delay the introduction of complementary foods beyond 6 months of age - at this time the child no longer has enough milk or formula, a more varied and solid food is required. You should not start with juices, these are not complementary foods, and there is no great need for them. The first complementary foods are vegetable puree or (if the baby is not gaining weight well) porridge from gluten-free cereals.

    Feeding after a year

    February : Until the year the baby will be breastfed - then complementary foods will begin, and when to accustom to the common table? What to feed after breastfeeding? Friends say that everyone is very picky in a year or two, they don’t eat anything and spit, what can be cooked so tasty and healthy? Or am I thinking too early? Elena Pavlovskaya : Starting complementary foods after a year is unreasonably late. Breastfeeding is not a hindrance to a varied diet in the second half of life. “Common table” is a relative concept, because in a year or two children cannot eat food familiar to adults, especially if adults do not eat too well. It would be nice to buy in advance special literature on the nutrition of young children with recipes, the choice in stores is large. Just try to find books that are approved by pediatricians or children's nutritionists, and not just written by "experienced moms", which does not guarantee adequacy. Xanchk : I'm interested too. Everywhere in the network they publish tables with complementary foods for up to a year. And how much can you give after a year? Or is it at the discretion of the mother to watch how the child behaves with food? Elena Pavlovskaya : Leaving such questions “at the discretion of the mother” is quite dangerous if the mother is not a specialist, and there are many different advisers around her. Principles of nutrition after a year:

  • Feed at least 4-5 times (breakfast, lunch, dinner and 1-2 light snacks)
  • The daily amount of food is not more than 1200-1400 ml (depending on age).
  • A varied diet including meat, fish, cottage cheese, eggs, cereals, vegetables, fruits. Daily amount of cottage cheese and meat - no more than 70 g each.
  • For more detailed information, it is better to use special literature.

    Vitamins

    Katya Nosova : How to solve the problem with vitamins now. Somehow I realized that in winter the child receives less vitamins than in summer. After all, there are fewer fruits as such, I mean natural fruits, and not artificial surrogates in supermarkets. What fruits to eat and in general what to do with these same vitamins? The child eats vegetable soups, cereals, dairy, sour-milk, meat, fish, cottage cheese - I wonder if this is enough for the body? We are one and a half years old, maybe there are already special vitamins for our age? Or is it only from 3-4 years old? Elena Pavlovskaya : There are special vitamins for this age, but only a doctor should prescribe them. If a child eats a full and varied diet, he does not have a vitamin deficiency. And vitamins are contained not only in seasonal fruits, but in almost all products, only different and in different quantities. If you have any doubts, check with your pediatrician.

    The child does not like meat and vegetables

    Carrots

    Nastenushka : Mine does not eat carrots at all, in any form - I already cook soups without it. tried to somehow disguise, so she immediately discovers, here's how to change her habits so that she loves carrots? Tried and rubbed with sugar, no way. As soon as somewhere he sees a piece of carrot, a plate to the side and that's it. And you can't starve either. Hands go down. Elena Pavlovskaya : There is nothing irreplaceable in carrots to make a cult out of it. Give the girl other vegetables and fruits, there will be no harm to health.

    Meat

    Guest : Please tell me what to do if the child refuses meat completely? Girl, 5 years old. From birth, she always refused meat products, as well as poultry, fish and semi-finished meat products. Rarely can eat a piece of raw smoked sausage (but I don’t want to give it, because it’s harmful) or a piece of boiled tongue. Why does a child refuse meat and how can meat products be fully replaced? (beans and soy also does not eat). Elena Pavlovskaya : Meat products can be replaced by increasing the amount of cottage cheese, eggs, cereals and other foods rich in protein. However, a full-fledged replacement will not work, so consult your pediatrician and, possibly, a gastroenterologist and monitor the indicators of a general blood test (primarily hemoglobin).

    At what age can you start trying new foods?

    Fish

    Katarina : Everyone says that fish is healthy to eat. At what age can it be introduced? We tried hake, salmon, and sprinkled on a child. Should we give up fish altogether or try another way to cook? Or can the fish be substituted for something else? The child is allergic, so you need to carefully try everything . .. Elena Pavlovskaya : If a child has a food allergy to fish, fish cannot be good for him. For a sufficiently long time, fish must be abandoned, but over time, always under the supervision of an allergist, it is possible to gradually introduce it into food.

    Sausages and sausages

    Katarina At what age can a child be given sausages or sausages? When can I give my doctorate? She ve without fat - is it possible? What sausages are better and sausages? Elena Pavlovskaya : Not earlier than 3 years, not more than once a week. By the way, look at the packaging of doctor's sausage for the percentage of fat and make sure that it is not at all so useful. It is better not to give sausages to preschoolers at all, and sausages, if you really want to, are as fat-free as possible and only once a week.

    Citrus fruits

    Mashunechka : From what age can you give a slice of orange, tangerine for testing? Now New Year is coming soon, I'm afraid that the eldest daughter will feed her brother with tangerines . .. We are a year and a half now. I never gave citrus fruits at all. And pomelo - can it be? If pink, which is not bitter? We are artificial, so I pomelo for a sweet soul. When will the baby be able to? Elena Pavlovskaya : If the child does not have a food allergy, a little tangerine or orange can be given. After that, watch the child for a couple of days, if there are any rashes on the skin. It is better to limit yourself to only these citrus fruits, leave the more exotic ones over the age of 3 years.

    Garlic

    Anchutka : My son is almost 11 months old. A week ago, I began to give boiled garlic along with other vegetables. But someone told me that it is not necessary to give it, that it increases activity. I doubted. Tell me who knows about the presence of garlic in baby food Elena Pavlovskaya : Boiled onions and garlic can be given to children older than one year, but little by little due to the high content of essential oils. The opinion that garlic "increases activity" has no basis.

    Salt, pepper, spices

    Lena Shokhina : US 1.7. When can I add salt to the soup, to cutlets, so that it is not so bland? And when can you already pepper food like an adult? There is sea salt in stores - is it possible? And what is the difference between iodized and regular? What can babies do? We ourselves buy iodized. What about a child? After all, an excess of iodine can form in the body - maybe it’s not worth it? What is the danger of oversaturation with iodine? Elena Pavlovskaya : When choosing food for a child, one should not be guided by one's own taste habits spoiled by malnutrition. Children's food is not fresh, adults have different habits. It is better not to add salt until 3 years old - it is found in many products - in meat, vegetables, and bread. After 3 years, iodized salt can be used; with its moderate use, there will be no oversaturation with iodine. And neither children nor adults need to pepper food, there is no benefit in this.

    Sugar

    Compote : Should sugar be added to compotes? Instead of sugar, can you add grape or fructose? I don’t add anything on purpose, but if you need to sweeten something from a drink, then a banana in a bite is delicious. In general, when should sugar be introduced specifically? Elena Pavlovskaya : A little sugar can be added to compotes for children over one year old - just a little. It is not necessary to use fructose instead of the usual sugar, it is not at all as harmless as it seems. Lena Shokhina : Can I add not a spoonful of jam, but a little bit of sugar to tea? We are 1 year and 7 months old. Elena Pavlovskaya : If you add jam to tea, then the child is already getting sugar. There is no need to specially sweeten drinks.

    Eggs, milk, yogurt - is it possible and in what quantities?

    Eggs

    Nastya Novogirenko : It's time to introduce yolk into the diet, but I don't know which one is better: quail or you can start with chicken right away. If you give chicken, is it better to look for village ones or store ones are also suitable? How to cook them? what degree of yolk should be? Elena Pavlovskaya : You can start with chicken yolk. There is no need to look for any special village eggs, it is better to buy proven ones in the store that you buy for yourself. But you need to boil the egg for a long time so that there is no risk of infection - from the moment of boiling 20 minutes.

    Quail eggs

    Guest : I bought quail eggs in the morning, I will try to boil them. But there are a few questions :-) By the way, we are 9 months old. About a month ago, my grandmother tried to give the baby chicken yolk - sprinkled. No more experimenting with eggs. And finally I decided to try quail ones, which seem to be non-allergenic. 1. How to cook? To be completely in the water? Pierce with a needle? And how many minutes to cook to make it hard-boiled? 2. The packaging says that you can eat raw - is that true? And from what age? I'm afraid to give raw. 3. How often can they be given? 4. When can protein be given? I am now starting to give quail - 1/4 of the yolk or even less, every day I add a little bit and by Sunday I will make the whole yolk? Or is it too fast? Elena Pavlovskaya : There are many misconceptions about quail eggs - they are more useful, and "non-allergenic", and they contain more vitamins. In fact, there is no fundamental difference. If the child had a reaction to a chicken egg, then most likely it will also be a quail. Answers to your questions:

  • Boil for at least 15 minutes, do not pierce.
  • Raw eggs are NOT allowed for children. Yes, and adults are not welcome. If you do not want to go to the infectious diseases hospital.
  • The yolk can be given daily, starting from 1/4 - 1/8 (counting chicken), leading to a whole yolk by 10-11 months, added to vegetables or porridge.
  • Protein - only after a year. When you give an omelet from a whole egg, then not every day, but 3-4 times a week.
  • Likusik : How often should you give quail yolk, how many times a week? We already eat a little, I put it in porridge, in mashed potatoes. Elena Pavlovskaya : While we are talking only about the yolk, up to the age of one year - every day.

    Milk

    Anna_ : Which milk is better: cow's or goat's? We are now one and a half years old. And there is baked milk in stores - is it possible? For now, I only give fresh milk, not pasteurized, then I boil it and give it. And raw when it will be possible to give? Is baby milk harmful? Elena Pavlovskaya : Ordinary milk is not suitable for children under 3 years old, neither cow's, nor goat's, nor baked - it has too high a protein content. Overfeeding with protein can lead to obesity, gallstone disease, and kidney disease. It is better to use special baby milk or "continuation" adapted formulas for children over one year old. Drinking "fresh milk" instead of sterilized or factory-pasteurized milk is unwise, it may contain infectious agents. This also applies to adults. Xelenka : My children are 8 years old. they drink a lot of milk (regular, cow, pasteurized). how harmful or useful at this age? should it be limited? Elena Pavlovskaya : At this age, it is recommended to give no more than 500 ml of milk daily, including fermented milk products.

    Sweet curds, Danissimo, Rastishka

    Lashatka : Good afternoon, can you please tell us how suitable Danissimo sweet curds and yoghurts (with fruits, chocolate, chocolate balls) are for children? A child (3 years 4 months) eats them for breakfast (that is, no more than one a day), loves them more than children's curds. Bioyoghurts and ordinary cottage cheese or cheesecakes do not respect at all. (He does not like porridge, except for buckwheat, so the choice of what to feed for breakfast is very small). Elena Pavlovskaya : It is better to buy cottage cheese or yogurt without additives (including soft cottage cheese in jars) and add jam, honey, chopped fruits. It will be much more useful. You can make cottage cheese casseroles with fruits or dried fruits, many children love them. You can also add cottage cheese to vegetable salads. Irina Z... : Can children have Rastishka? I met a familiar mother here, she has a child 2 months older than mine, she told how her daughter Rastishka recognizes, buys Rastishka for her. Elena Pavlovskaya : Not necessary until 3 years old. SkaZo4ka : I looked at the composition of Rastishka - there's nothing to worry about. I rarely buy mine. But why then is it stored for so long and why only from 3 years? Elena Pavlovskaya : It is really not necessary to give children under 3 years of age a product that is not suitable for them.

    Vegetarianism

    Lastoka : My friends are vegetarians, everything would be fine, but they teach the child to this too. But children need meat! How to reason with them that children need to eat meat, that a child does not get a lot of valuable vitamins on vegetable cereals. How to explain that while a child is small, he needs to eat varied. He will then spoil his stomach, as he reaches for forbidden food, if he has not already spoiled it from their way of life. But while the stomach does not complain much. Everything is like everyone else. When visiting, ours eats chicken, but they can’t. If I do not allow my meat, I offer only porridge, then shout and op. What to do? Elena Pavlovskaya : Strict vegetarianism for children is indeed unacceptable, but you are unlikely to be able to "reason" your friends. They must be willing to figure it out for themselves, and in reality, this is rarely the case.

    How to avoid "bad" food?

    General table and "harmfulness"

    Tatyana Fedorovna preservatives, the price of which is 180 per kg, given that 1 kg of meat costs 250. And the same plants, health drivers and all sorts of childish nonsense - yes, wherever you look, everywhere is E, then modifiers. So it turns out that everything is harmful, and it is not known where there may be more "harmfulness". So what to feed the child, especially when he switched to a common table? Potatoes and carrots from your own garden? Elena Pavlovskaya : If the products you listed are not the basis of the child's diet, but appear on the children's table no more than once a week, there will be no harm from this. The common sense of parents usually helps to strike a balance between home-cooked food and store-bought "children's" products. By the way, it is useful for both adults and children to watch less television advertising, convincing of the "usefulness" of the next product.

    Sandwiches

    Masyanya : My husband scolds me all the time that sometimes I give my child a sandwich instead of normal food. Well, with tea I make myself a sandwich, but he also wants to - so he eats - not a small child, 6 years old. What is better to sit down and have a normal lunch / dinner, and not have a snack with tea with boutiques. But I don't do it all the time. And he rarely gets that kind of happiness. Or should I hide from him, and sit hamster? But the child knows that I am in the kitchen and nibbling something, he also wants to, but he will refuse porridge and food too - only a piece of the boutique. Well, is it really that from half a boutique once every few days everything will be so bad? Elena Pavlovskaya : If this happens rarely, 1-2 times a week, there is no harm from it. In addition, you can make healthy sandwiches on grain bread, with slices of cucumber, lettuce, lean meat or cheese, without adding oil, let alone mayonnaise - such a snack will be a full-fledged afternoon snack or second breakfast.

    McDonald's

    Lanna : Why is McDonald's food bad? Why is it forbidden for any diseases of the stomach? In diets, they specifically emphasize that food from Poppy is not allowed. But the child loves her very much. If I cut off the skins from the nuggets, can I give him such meat? Or do any harmful substances remain in this chicken? Cola is clear - it can’t be too sweet and, moreover, carbonated, and the rest - if you remove the spicy, fried, then the internal filling is possible? Elena Pavlovskaya : If a child has a disease of the gastrointestinal tract, fast food is really contraindicated for him. If we are talking about a healthy child, he may well sometimes eat with his parents at McDonald's, if several conditions are met. Do not take french fries, large sandwiches, sauces, large portions of milkshake. You can take a salad, nuggets, ice cream, if you give a child a hamburger, then remove the top of the bun and most of the sauce. You do not need to buy carbonated sweet drinks for your child. At McDonald's, you can always choose relatively healthy food.

    How to ban chips?

    Fanny : When we were walking in the summer, I saw such scenes several times: a mother takes a baby on a walk, and he sucks and nibbles chips with pleasure. My child is 4 years old, and seeing this - well, they are appetizingly eating this muck - he also wants to. Here's how to explain why it's possible for a small one, but not for him. It’s good in stores, at least as long as there are no tantrums at the shelves with chips, I try to quickly pass them. But they also show chips and all that on TV and also with appetite, crunch, saliva flows .. How to explain that this is harmful, not useful, but so that later he does not stealthily beg from someone, but he himself knows - it’s impossible, it’s bad, disgusting?! Elena Pavlovskaya : Yes, at least before school you should not try chips. On a walk, try to quickly get past the child who eats it, do not eat chips in front of your son yourself, and watch less TV, especially commercials.

    Ban on chocolate

    Guest : How can a child be forbidden to eat chips and chocolates if he knows that he can't have chocolate, but still eats chocolate when they give treats at school. In kindergarten and in the first grade, he brought chocolate home or gave it to other children, and a toy for himself (if it was a kinder surprise), and now he eats at school. Of course, I find out about this - by candy wrappers, by toys, or children say that they were treated to chocolates. Here's how to deal with this? Neither persuasion, nor serious conversations - does not work. Elena Pavlovskaya : I'm afraid it won't be completely banned. Unless the child has a food allergy, there is no need for an absolute ban. But the child must know that you do not approve of this. Don't buy unwanted foods yourself, and limit your child's TV time.

    Who brings unhealthy food and how to protect the child from it?

    Natasha77 : Mommy, who brings unhealthy food for children into your house? Are you yourself or your husband/grandparents? It’s a shame, but I bring the harmful things into the house myself, put them away on the far shelf, but eating a cracker with tea is the very thing . .. And the child stretches ... You let me, and then he toils with his stomach Elena Pavlovskaya : Try not to bring into the house those foods that you do not want to give to the child, or do not eat in front of him. And if you already eat - do not be afraid to refuse the child. If he reaches for a glass of wine, can you refuse him? Why should he get any food that mom eats? Guest : And how do you feel about the use of alcohol by children? There are even children's beer abroad... It is recommended for preventive purposes. Do our doctors allow or will I immediately send nafig and brand a drunkard? Elena Pavlovskaya : Alcohol is unacceptable in the diet of children, this is not a whim of domestic doctors, but the opinion of pediatricians all over the world.

    Food and health of the child

    Dysbacteriosis

    Katarina : And what should be the nutrition of a three-year-old if he has dysbacteriosis, but they cannot find the reasons. What do you recommend for food? Is it worth it to feed him with pills or is it better to change something in the diet? Elena Pavlovskaya : In the treatment of dysbacteriosis, nutrition plays an important role, but it depends on the clinical manifestations of the disease (constipation, loose stools, flatulence, etc.). with different manifestations, changes in nutrition will be different. Consult with a gastroenterologist.

    Diarrhea, loose stools

    Cat-cat : I suffer all day, what can I give the baby if he has diarrhea? Smektu gave - it's useless. She cooked rice and tried to give the broth - she doesn’t want to eat at all, she can’t see crackers, she screams and swears. Can you use pita bread instead of breadcrumbs if you put a baked apple inside? Or bake with an apple? What vegetables can you do? Carrots or even potatoes? What else can you do instead of rice? buckwheat or vermicelli maybe? And what about fruits? Or is it worth giving nothing at all? but he's hungry Can a banana or an apple still be possible? Elena Pavlovskaya : Be sure to consult your doctor. Smecta cannot be useless, but you should not expect an instant effect from it. In the early days of the child's illness, it is necessary to give a lot of fluids, and the amount of food can be minimal. Crackers, cereals on the water, a little cottage cheese, baby meat puree, maybe a little mashed potatoes. Avoid fruits, vegetables and milk, including dairy products.

    Stone poop

    Reo : My son is 4 years old - he eats, sleeps normally, abdominal pain is rare, his stomach is normal, he is always cheerful, active. Drinks a lot. Very often (most of the time) poop is like a rock. They tried a lot of things from nutrition for a normal stool, but did not completely get rid of it. We would love to hear all opinions and advice. Elena Pavlovskaya : You need to go to a gastroenterologist, have an ultrasound scan, take a stool test. Perhaps, in addition to clinical nutrition, you will need to prescribe medications. Source: mama. ru

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    Philips AVENT - The different stages of weaning

    The different stages of weaning

    Weaning is a learning process because babies will only appreciate and love new flavors and textures when they try it.

    Steps for introducing complementary foods

    Information from Clinical Pediatric Dietetics, third edition, 2007

    Once your child is good at chewing solid foods, the four food groups should be included in their daily diet to provide the baby with all the nutrients it needs. Of course, it is best if it is homemade food that the child will eat with adults:

    Four food groups:

    • Starchy foods - potatoes, rice, oatmeal, pasta and other grain products
    • Meat, fish, eggs, nut butters and legumes such as lentils, dal, hummus
    • Fruits and vegetables
    • Yoghurt and cheese (not fat-free). Whole milk for cooking.

    What foods can be given and when?

    4-6 months

    All of the foods listed are good to start weaning, but most moms prefer grains, roots, or fruits diluted in milk.

    All vegetables

    All fruits

    All grains - rice, wheat and corn flakes

    Lean meat, well-cooked poultry or fish

    Hard-boiled eggs

    Dal, lentils, hummus, chickpeas and other legumes

    Nuts - ground or in the form of a nut paste, such as ground almonds or peanut butter

    Soft cheeses and yoghurts mixed with cheese

    warm food.

    Texture

    First, offer your child a liquid puree. As your baby gets used to spoon-feeding, you can try giving him a thicker puree or well-mashed food.

    6-9 months

    In addition to all of the above, you can also include:

    Liver - no more than one small serving per week due to the high content of vitamin A.

    Texture that you can eat with your hands.

    Meat can still be ground to a puree consistency, soft meat can be pureed.

    Examples of soft foods that can be eaten with your hands

    Pieces of soft fruit such as mangoes, melons, bananas, soft and ripe pears, peaches, papayas and kiwis

    sticks made of boiled vegetables, for example, from carrots, patching beans, zucchini, potatoes and battles

    Pieces of boiled vegetables, such as broccoli inflorescences

    Pieces of boiled pasta

    pieces of bread 9000 9000 9000

    Backs of rods of cheese

    Backs of rods fried vegetables, such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, turnips, peppers, carrots, zucchini.

    Drinks

    Water with meals, milk or milk pudding after meals

    Diluted fruit juices that aid in the absorption of iron from fruits and vegetables.

    9-12 months

    Complementary foods can include all of the above, as well as homemade meals prepared without added salt or sugar.

    Texture

    Pureed and finely chopped foods, foods that can be eaten with your hands (such as fresh fruits and vegetables chopped with sticks), and a variety of homemade foods such as sandwiches or toast.

    After 12 months

    From the age of one, many children can already eat healthy homemade food, the diet can also include foods that were not recommended until the age of one:

    Honey

    Foods that use salt as a preservative, such as bacon and canned foods with salt added

    Unpasteurized soft cheeses

    Foods with added sugar should only be given at meals to prevent cavities.

    Drinks

    When your baby is one year old, whole cow's milk can be included in his menu. Semi-skimmed milk can be offered to children over 2 years of age.

    Please note that the information contained in these articles is only general advice and should not be used as a substitute for consulting a physician. If you, your family member, or your child develop symptoms or illnesses that are severe or persistent, or if you need professional medical attention, see your doctor. Philips Avent accepts no liability for damages resulting from the use of the information provided on this site.


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