When can you feed your baby table 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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Feeding Your 8- to 12-Month-Old (for Parents)

en español: Alimentar a su hijo de 8 a 12 meses de edad

Reviewed by: Mary L. Gavin, MD

By 8 months old, most babies are pros at handling the iron-fortified infant cereals and the puréed foods that are part of their diet, along with breast milk or formula.

Over the next few months, they will start to explore table foods.

Changing Eating Habits

Offer your baby a variety of tastes and textures from all food groups. Start any new food with a trial run (a few days to a week) to look for any allergic reactions. Babies younger than 12 months old should not have:

honey until after a baby's 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 vegetables, grapes, hard cheese, popcorn, and nuts
foods with added sugars and no-calorie sweeteners
high-sodium foods

Babies this age are likely showing more interest in table foods. You can fork-mash, cut up, blend, or grind whatever foods the rest of the family eats. To prevent choking, cook table foods a little longer, until very soft, and cut or shred them into small pieces that your baby can handle safely.

Around 9 months old, infant usually can pick food up between their finger and thumb so they can try feeding themselves.

If you haven't already, have your baby join the rest of the family at meals. They enjoy being at the table.

After the first birthday, babies are ready to switch to cow's milk. If you're breastfeeding, you can continue beyond 1 year, if desired. If you decide to stop breastfeeding before your baby's first birthday, give iron-fortified formula. If your baby is over 12 months, give whole milk.

Let your baby keep working on drinking from a cup, but do not give juice to infants younger than 12 months. After 12 months, you can serve whole milk in a cup, which will help with the move from the bottle.

Feeding Safety

Always supervise when your child is eating. Make sure your child sits up in a high chair or other safe place. Don't serve foods that your baby could choke on.

If you're unsure about whether a finger food is safe, ask yourself:

Does it melt in the mouth? Some dry cereals will melt in the mouth, and so will light and flaky crackers.
Is it cooked enough so that it mashes easily? Well-cooked vegetables and fruits will mash easily. So will canned fruits and vegetables. (Choose canned foods that don't have added sugar or salt.)
Is it naturally soft? Cottage cheese, shredded cheese, and small pieces of tofu are soft.
Can it be gummed? Pieces of ripe banana and well-cooked pasta can be gummed.

Making Meals Work

Keep your baby's personality in mind when feeding your baby. A child who likes a lot of stimulation may enjoy it when you "play airplane" with the spoon to get the food into their mouth. But a more sensitive tot might need the focus kept on eating with few distractions.

If your baby rejects new tastes and textures, serve new foods in small portions and don’t give up. It can take 8-10 tries before a baby accepts a new food.

How Much Should My Baby Eat?

Infant formula and breast milk continue to provide important nutrients for growing infants. But babies will start to drink less as they learn to eat variety of solid foods.

Watch for signs that your child is hungry or full. Respond to these cues and let your child stop when full. A child who is full may suck with less enthusiasm, stop, or turn away from the breast or the bottle. With solid foods, they may turn away, refuse to open their mouth, or spit the food out.

Let your baby finger feed or hold a spoon while you do the actual feeding. This is good preparation for the toddler years, when kids take charge of feeding themselves. And if you haven't already, set regular meal and snack times.

Reviewed by: Mary L. Gavin, MD

Date reviewed: November 2021

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Child nutrition from 0 to 1.

5 years old

Child nutrition is one of the important issues that every mother faces. How long to breastfeed, where to start complementary foods, how to feed a one-year-old baby?

Ashikhmina Olga Vladimirovna, a specialist in the cabinet for raising a healthy child at the Children's Polyclinic No. 1, tells about the nutrition of a child aged 0 to 1.5 years.

Speaking about the nutrition of a child up to 1.5 years old, I would like to divide the topic into several parts: breastfeeding and complementary foods.

When it comes to breastfeeding, healthcare professionals today are doing everything they can to maintain and encourage breastfeeding (BF).

The WHO Declaration "Protect, Promote, Support Breastfeeding" proclaims 10 principles of breastfeeding.

10 principles of breastfeeding:

1. Strictly adhere to the established rules for breastfeeding and regularly communicate these rules to medical personnel and women in labor.

2. Train medical personnel in the necessary skills for the implementation of breastfeeding practices.

3. Inform all pregnant women about the benefits and techniques of breastfeeding.

4. Help mothers initiate breastfeeding within the first half hour after delivery.

5. Show mothers how to breastfeed and how to maintain lactation, even if they are temporarily separated from their children.

6. Give newborns no food or drink other than breast milk, unless medically indicated.

7. Practice having the mother and newborn side by side in the same room around the clock.

8. Encourage breastfeeding on demand, not on schedule.

9. Do not give breastfeeding newborns any sedatives or devices that mimic the mother's breast (nipples, etc.)

10. Encourage the establishment of breastfeeding support groups and refer mothers to these groups after discharge from the hospital or hospital.

From the birth of a baby, medical workers are ready to help mothers with breastfeeding and child care. The patronage service, which visits newborns for examinations, actively advocates for the support of breastfeeding and is always ready to advise the mother on feeding the baby.

Experts advise to feed the baby not according to the schedule, but at the request of the baby. At first, feeding can be up to 10-12 times a day. After a month, the mother can switch to the regime - once every 3 hours, including feeding at night.

If the baby constantly requires the breast and eats for a long time, it is necessary to check whether the baby is properly attached to the breast. On this issue, a woman can always contact a pediatrician or a healthy child's office. The specialist weighs the baby before and after feeding and determines how much milk the baby receives and, if necessary, tells how to properly attach the baby to the breast.

What influences a mother's milk supply? One factor is nutrition. A nursing woman should eat a varied diet at least 6 times a day. Favorably, a nursing woman is influenced by walks in the fresh air, physical activity. And, of course, as far as possible, it is important for a nursing woman to protect herself from stress as much as possible. Stress negatively affects lactation.

How long should I breastfeed my baby? Breastfeeding, according to pediatricians and neonatologists, must be maintained in the first year of a baby's life. At the same time, it is important to understand that in addition to milk, the child needs other food, which will form the taste habits of the baby, develop social skills.

Complementary foods

From 4 to 6 months, it is necessary and necessary to introduce complementary foods into the baby's diet. Why from 4 to 6 months? This is the so-called window of tolerance. Products introduced into the diet during this period are well tolerated by young children.

Complementary foods are given to the child in the first half of the day before breastfeeding, sitting in the mother's arms, starting with 1 teaspoon. For 7 days, bring up to 100-150 g of the product. For a whole week we give the same product, constantly increasing its quantity.

Meals for children of the first year of life are boiled in water or steamed, crushed with a blender and given to the child in liquid form, moreover, salt, sugar and spices are not added.

If a child develops an allergy to a certain product, we cancel it and introduce another product after 2-3 days.

Complementary foods begin with the introduction of vegetables or cereals. Underweight children with unstable stools start with cereals. Porridges are not milk based, gluten free. Complementary foods are introduced from three cereals - buckwheat, rice, corn.

For overweight children with constipation, it is recommended to start complementary foods with vegetable purees. 3 weeks - 3 vegetable purees - from cauliflower, broccoli and zucchini.

Meat puree is introduced into the artsion from 6 months: first turkey and rabbit, then beef, chicken is introduced last.

Fruit puree is introduced from 6-6.5 months. Yolk from 7 months to ¼ boiled yolk, protein is not introduced at 1 year of age.

From 8 months old, cottage cheese is added to the diet, from 8 months and 1 week - kefir, fish puree from 8 months and 2 weeks - lean fish is given instead of meat puree once a week.

Bread can be introduced into the diet from 8 months. Vegetable oil with vegetable puree, butter in porridge, 0.5 tsp each. into porridge.

Fruit juice can be introduced no earlier than 9-10 months.

It is important to introduce one new food per week to monitor the child's response to a particular food.

Do not introduce new products during professional vaccinations or when the baby is unwell.

From 8-9 months thicker food with small pieces can be included.

By the age of 1, breastfeeding continues, but only 2-3 times a day.

Nutrition from 1 to 1.5 years

Photo taken from ru.freepik.com

After 1 year, cheese can and should be introduced. Cottage cheese in such large quantities as before is not needed - 2-3 times a week is enough. Egg white is introduced into the diet 2-3 pieces per week.

At this age, we can start feeding our baby soups cooked in the second broth. We cook boneless meat, after boiling the broth is drained and filled with water. This broth can be given to a one-year-old child - it is less fat than the first.

At this age, the child can be given beets, cook borscht.

Closer to 1.5 years, we introduce salads into the diet - cucumber and tomato, beets and carrots.

By the age of 1. 5, a fairly varied diet and now we can make a daily menu for him - breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner.

I would like to note that complementary foods are a very important social component in a child's life. Complementary feeding is not only the introduction of food, it is teaching the child hygiene skills - we teach the baby to wash his hands before eating, sit on a chair at the table, hold a spoon on his own. For a toddler, these are important social skills that will come in handy later in kindergarten.

Daily ration for a child aged 12-18 months

If we talk about the child's daily menu for the day. At 1-1.5 years, the daily diet may look like this:

Breakfast:

Milk porridge - 150 ml
Fruit - 30 g
Fruit tea - 120 ml

Lunch:

Vegetable salad with herbs and vegetable oil - 40 ml
Vegetable puree soup - 120 g
Meat soufflé - 50 g
Boiled potatoes - 50g
Compote - 100 g

Snack:

Sour milk drink - 120 ml
Curd - 30 g
Fruit - 120 ml

Dinner:

Vegetable stew - 120 g
Chicken cutlet - 70 g
Bread - 30 g
Water/herbal tea - 100 ml

Before bed:

Infant formula - 200 ml

The subject of nutrition and feeding of the baby is inexhaustible. You can also read additional materials on this issue in the Internet account of a healthy child.

You can get face-to-face advice on the nutrition of a child under 1.5 years old at your pediatrician or in the office of a healthy child at Children's Polyclinic No. 1 on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:00 to 16:00 by appointment.

Address: Children's Polyclinic No. 1, Zavodskaya, 32

Phone: +7 (343) 228-59-33

Union of Pediatricians of Russia

in different age periods

Introduction of complementary foods

How to introduce complementary foods correctly is one of the most pressing issues that concern parents.

In the first months of life, the main food for the baby is breast milk or an adapted milk formula, however, as the child grows and develops, this becomes insufficient and it is necessary to think about the introduction of complementary foods.

Your baby is over 4 months old. He has noticeably grown up, become more active, is interested in objects that fall into his field of vision, carefully examines them and reaches for them. The child's emotional reactions have become much richer: he smiles happily at all people, makes various sounds. Perhaps you notice that the child looks into your plate with interest, closely monitors what and how you eat, does this mean that it is time to introduce complementary foods? And where is the best place to start? Let's figure it out!

When should complementary foods be started?

According to the Program for optimizing the feeding of infants in the first year of life in the Russian Federation (2019), the recommended age for the introduction of complementary foods is in the range from 4 to 6 months.

The following points will help determine the readiness of the baby for the introduction of complementary foods:

1. Food interest - you can check its presence as follows: during your meal, give the baby an empty spoon or fork, and if he plays with it, licks it, then there is no food interest yet; but if the child is dissatisfied with the fact that the spoon is empty, food interest has probably appeared. “But how does a child understand that there should be food in a spoon?” Parents often ask. The answer is quite simple: take your baby to the table with you so that he can see how you eat!

2. The child can sit alone or with support. It is unacceptable to feed the child lying down, because he may choke.

3. Extinction of the “pushing out” reflex - when the baby pushes out of the mouth both the offered food and the pacifier, etc.

Why is it not recommended to introduce complementary foods before 4 and after 6 months of life?

Before 4 months of life, the baby is not yet ready to digest food other than breast milk or infant formula. By this age, a number of digestive enzymes mature, a sufficient level of local immunity is formed, which reduces the risk of developing allergic reactions, the child acquires the ability to swallow semi-liquid and thicker food, which is due to the extinction of the “spoon ejection reflex”. The introduction of complementary foods after 6 months can cause a pronounced deficiency of micronutrients (iron, zinc, etc. ) and lead to a delay in the formation of chewing skills for thick foods. Too late the introduction of a variety of products increases the risk of allergic reactions. Remember that the timing of the introduction of complementary foods is set individually, taking into account the readiness of the child to accept new foods.

Complementary feeding guidelines:

1. introduce a new product in the first half of the day to track possible reactions to it;

2. cereals, vegetable / fruit / meat purees should be introduced, starting with monocomponent ones, gradually adding other products of this group;

3. start giving a new product with 1/2 teaspoon, gradually increasing the volume to the age norm within a week;

4. It is not recommended to introduce new products during acute infectious diseases or at some special moments (moving to another apartment, leaving the city, on vacation, illness of parents, etc.).

What is the best way to start complementary foods?

The first complementary food can be anything. Often parents worry that if the child first tries the fruit, then because of its sweet taste, he will refuse other foods. We hasten to reassure you: breast milk is also sweet, so babies may like sweet fruits / berries more, but this does not mean at all that he will refuse vegetables or cereal. Traditionally, they begin to introduce complementary foods in the form of mashed potatoes, but if the child shows interest in “pieces”, then, observing the safety rules, you can give them. Also, along with the introduction of complementary foods, you can offer the child water.

With the start of the introduction of complementary foods, the child is gradually transferred to a 5-time feeding regimen. If the baby shows that he is full and no longer wants to eat (for example, leaning back or turning away from food), then you should not continue to force him to feed, because this can lead to eating disorders in the future. Also, do not force the child to eat as much as possible before bedtime in the hope that he will not wake up for nightly feedings.

Traditionally, in our country, complementary foods begin with vegetables or cereals.

Vegetables: zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, pumpkin, etc. If the child did not like the dish, for example, broccoli, do not give up on your plan and continue to offer this vegetable in small quantities daily, you can even not once, but 2-3 times, and after a while (7-14 days) the baby will get used to the new taste. This diversifies his diet, will help form the right taste habits in the child.

As for cereals, it is worth starting with dairy-free gluten-free ones - buckwheat, corn, rice. You can use commercial baby food porridge, which is enriched primarily with iron. In addition, such porridge is already ready to eat, you just need to dilute it with water, which will save you a lot of time.

It is also recommended to add oil to food, for example, vegetable puree to vegetable puree, and butter to porridge.

Of meat products, lean meats, such as mashed turkey or rabbit, are most preferred to start complementary foods. Meat puree contains iron, which is easily absorbed, and adding meat to vegetables improves the absorption of this micronutrient from them. Subsequently, the daily use of children's enriched porridge and mashed meat allows you to meet the needs of babies for iron, zinc and other micronutrients.

When introducing fruit purees (apple, pear, peach, prunes, etc.) into your baby's diet, you should pay special attention to the composition of the product - it is important that it does not contain added sugar.

Fish is a source of easily digestible protein and contains a large amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids, including the omega-3 class, as well as vitamins B2, B12, and minerals. Preference should be given to oceanic fish, preferably white (cod, hake, pollock, sea bass, etc.), salmon can be recommended from red, and pike perch from river.

Fermented milk products are prepared using a special starter culture that breaks down milk protein, so that the baby can get an indispensable set of amino acids in a well-available form. Some foods have added prebiotics, certain vitamins and minerals. Their regular use favorably affects the functioning of the intestines, increases appetite and the absorption of micronutrients.

Recommendations and timing of the introduction of complementary foods for children at risk of developing food allergies and suffering from food allergies are the same as for healthy children. Delayed introduction of highly allergenic foods has previously been recommended to prevent the development of allergic diseases in children at risk. There is now evidence that this practice may lead to an increase rather than a decrease in the incidence of food allergies. The most common highly allergenic foods include cow's milk, chicken eggs, soybeans, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish and fish. If a child has a high risk of developing allergies or an existing allergic disease, it is recommended to consult a pediatrician, an allergist-immunologist before introducing highly allergenic products.

By the age of 8 months, when all the main food groups have already been introduced and your baby is improving his skills to eat on his own, special attention should be paid to the diversity of the composition of dishes and the change in food consistency - from puree to finely and coarsely ground. Soft foods cut into small pieces (fruits, vegetables, meat, etc.) are perfect for a little gourmet, which diversifies his diet and will contribute to the formation of chewing skills.

By 9-12 months, most babies have the dexterity to drink from a cup (holding with both hands) and to eat foods prepared for other family members. This behavior needs to be encouraged, but combined with regular feeding to meet energy and nutrient requirements.

It is advisable to use industrial products that are designed specifically for young children after a year.

What should not be given to the baby?

It is not recommended to add salt or sugar to food to enhance the taste.

Drinks that should be avoided include fruit juices, whole cow and goat milk (whole milk is not recommended for children under one year old, and even longer, due to a high risk of developing iron deficiency and increased kidney stress), sweet fruit drinks, compotes and carbonated drinks.

Also, some foods should be excluded from the diet of infants: solid round foods (for example, nuts, grapes, raw carrots, raisins, peas, etc.), due to the fact that the child can choke on them.

It is not recommended to eat products with added sugar, for example, confectionery (marshmallow, marshmallow, marmalade, jam, jam, cookies, waffles, etc.), etc.

You should not give your child the meat of large predatory fish (shark, bigeye tuna, king mackerel, swordfish): these types of fish accumulate more harmful substances than others.

It is forbidden to give honey to children under one year old due to the fact that it may contain spores of Clostridium botulinum bacteria, which in the still immature digestive system of babies are able to multiply, produce toxins directly inside the intestines and, thus, cause infant botulism, which can be fatal. outcome.

Do not give babies raw meat, fish, eggs, caviar, salted fish, soft pickled cheeses because of the risk of intestinal infections.

If you follow all these simple rules, your baby will grow up healthy and happy!

Diets for different ages

References:

1. Methodological recommendations. The program for optimizing the feeding of children in the first year of life in the Russian Federation. [Internet]. - M.: Union of Pediatricians of Russia, 2019. [Methodicheskie rekomendaczii. Programma optimizaczii vskarmlivaniya detej pervogo goda zhizni v Rossijskoj Federaczii. [Internet]. – Moscow: Soyuz pediatrov Rossii, 2019.(In Russ.).] Available: http://www.pediatr-russia.ru/information/dokumenty/other-docs/nacprog1year_2019.pdf Link active as of 20.04.2020

2. Duryea T.K. Introducing solid foods and vitamin and mineral supplementation during infancy. In: Post T, ed. UpToDate . Waltham, Mass.: UpToDate; 2020.