When do infants eat baby food

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

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

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

Your child:

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

What Foods Should I Introduce to My Child First?

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

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

How Should I Introduce My Child to Foods?

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

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

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

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

Introduce potentially allergenic foods when other foods are introduced.

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

How Should I Prepare Food for My Child to Eat?

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

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

Here are some tips for preparing foods:

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

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

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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

how to choose and what kind of baby food is better?

The ideal "baby food" for an infant is breast milk. However, not all mothers can breastfeed their baby, usually this is due to the health of the mother or child. It happens that the woman herself has a serious condition after childbirth and in the early postoperative period, reduced lactation or diseases in which breastfeeding is contraindicated. In such cases, the baby is given formula milk - this is the only alternative to mother's milk. Subsequently, at four to seven months, complementary foods should be introduced into the child's diet, regardless of whether he is breastfed or artificial. The mother is faced with the task of choosing the right baby food for complementary foods.

In this article, we will talk about what foods for babies are and how to choose the best baby food.

Legislation under "baby food" means food products that meet the physiological needs of the body of a child under 14 years of age. And nutrition for young children is food intended for children from birth to three years[1]. It is necessary to make a diet taking into account the age of the baby and the characteristics of his physical condition.

The Union of Pediatricians of Russia created the National Program for feeding children in the first year of life and the National Program for optimizing the nutrition of children from one to three years old [2]. They describe recommendations regarding what formula to feed the baby from birth, how to introduce complementary foods and expand the baby's diet. These programs provide detailed information on what nutrients and nutrients should be included in the diet of children of different ages.

First you need to figure out what kind of baby food is [3]. Products for toddlers can be divided into two categories:

Infant formula. There are for children from birth to six months (formula 1 mixtures, or initial), from six months to a year (formula 2) and from a year (formula 3). The composition of such baby food is adapted, that is, as close as possible to the composition of breast milk.

In the initial mixtures, the amount of protein is reduced to 1.2-1.5 g / 100 ml - in accordance with the composition of breast milk. They also changed the fat and mineral profile. The initial mixtures are enriched with such an essential amino acid as taurine, and micronutrients, probiotics, vitamins.
After six months, the baby's need for protein increases, mother's milk changes its composition. And babies on artificial feeding begin to be fed with a more nutritious mixture of formula 2. Taurine is no longer always needed: the body of a baby aged from six months to a year is able to synthesize this amino acid itself. Meanwhile, the content of iron, calcium, zinc increases compared to the initial mixtures, because by this age the child's reserves of minerals received from the mother during pregnancy are depleted, and they need to be replenished.
A child's diet changes after one year - he is already able to eat a variety of solid foods. However, it is advisable to continue to feed him with a mixture, though already formula 3. Pediatricians recommend it as a source of vitamins and minerals that the baby can easily absorb.

Complementary foods As we have already noted, it is introduced when the baby is four to seven months old. This interval is called the "critical window" and is considered optimal for the initiation of complementary foods for several reasons:

The baby needs a wider range of minerals, vitamins and other nutrients. In addition, his baby's digestive system is already ready to accept more solid and complex foods than mother's milk or infant formula.
At this age, the child develops an interest in food, and it is necessary to offer him the right foods to develop his taste.
During this period, the risk of developing a food allergy to a new product is lower.
Timely introduction of complementary foods prevents the risk of micronutrient deficiencies and iron deficiency anemia.

Usually the first food is vegetable puree or monocomponent gluten-free cereals, dairy or dairy-free. Over time, cereals containing gluten, supplements from fruits and berries, and also consisting of several cereals are added. A six-month-old child can already be given several types of vegetables and cereals. Also, at about six months, they begin to give meat puree, then fruit, and from eight months - fish. A child from seven months is allowed the yolk.

From the age of 12 months, complementary foods already make up the majority of your baby's diet. At this age, it is especially important to diversify the child's diet: he can be given soups with small pieces of vegetables, meat, fish and cereals.

Information

During the first feeding, the baby's eating habits are laid, and it depends on the parents how correct they will be. Often, mothers introduce fruit juices into complementary foods too early. And because babies have an innate preference for sweet tastes, they can become naughty and stop eating the unsweetened foods they need, especially vegetables. Unhealthy taste habits are formed, which can later provoke obesity.
Domestic doctors are concerned about such irrational nutrition of young children - due to the wrong approach to nutrition, many babies experience a deficiency of vitamins and an excess of fast carbohydrates.

How to choose baby foods

Finding the right foods for your baby is not an easy task. Store shelves are bursting with boxes, jars and bottles, and manufacturers write on every second package that the baby will be healthy, strong and cheerful after feeding. Of course, the baby will receive the necessary substances, no matter what product his parents choose, because all the production of baby food is strictly controlled by the state. By the way, Russia has some of the most stringent requirements for the quality of baby food in the world.

However, products for children differ in their properties. It is necessary to select food so that by the end of the first year of life the baby has actively developed chewing skills and an interest in independence, and the diet of complementary foods is reasonably varied.

For children from one to three years of age, the diet should be even more varied. It is important that the child receives daily something new from the main food groups: dairy, vegetables and fruits, meat and fish, cereals, butter and vegetable oil. Of course, the baby's diet should be expanded taking into account his state of health.

When organizing the nutrition of a child from the moment of introduction of complementary foods and up to three years, a mother needs not only to know what can be fed, but also to consider what foods should not be included in the diet. Among the prohibited products for children under three years of age:

any mushrooms, vegetables and fruits in a marinade;
pickles, preserves in tomato sauce;
commercial juice concentrates, carbonated drinks, coffee and strong tea;
various condiments - mustard, ketchup, hot sauces, horseradish, pepper, vinegar, mayonnaise;
products containing flavors, industrial colors, including chewing gum;
margarine and refractory fats - lamb, pork;
chocolates, sweets and other sweets.

To choose the right baby food, you need to know exactly what you should pay attention to and what you don't need to worry about.

When choosing mixtures, it is important to check:

Absence of palm oil. Formula manufacturers may use palm oil (more specifically palm extract) because, like breast milk, it is rich in palmitic acid. However, in human milk, palmitic acid is in the beta position, while in palm oil it is in the alpha position. Such alpha-palmitic acid can interfere with the absorption of calcium and fats and is generally less well absorbed by the child's body. This can negatively affect the work of the intestines, lead to constipation, regurgitation. Milk fat is better suited for baby food as a source of palmitic acid[4][5].
Protein ratio. Breast milk protein is primarily whey proteins and casein. A child needs both types of protein, while proteins are easily digested, which cannot be said about casein. If baby food contains a lot of casein, it stays longer in the digestive tract, which can cause problems with the baby's stool.
The presence of additional functional elements in the composition - lutein, nucleotides, pre- and probiotics. The task of lutein is to protect vision from ultraviolet rays. Nucleotides are low molecular weight compounds that promote the growth of beneficial bifidobacteria in the intestines. And pre- and probiotics in the composition of infant formulas help to establish comfortable digestion.

When choosing complementary foods, pay attention to:

Age appropriate. It is important that in the diet of a child under three years of age who receives complementary foods, special children's products predominate - in their composition the components are selected taking into account the age-related needs of the baby's body. It is impossible at an early age to transfer children to "adult" foods like pickles, smoked foods, fast food, and so on.
Fortified products. It is important that the composition contains vitamins and minerals. The National Child Nutrition Optimization Program recommends choosing complementary foods that contain elements designed to prevent anemia, rickets, and vitamin deficiencies.
For a varied diet. The menu for a baby up to six months is quite monotonous. But as they grow older, the baby needs more various nutrients - proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals.
For the individual reaction of the baby. If the child is already receiving complementary foods, then it is worth introducing a new product only after the previous one has been fully introduced. If the baby is allergic to the product, then it should be administered carefully, carefully checking the reaction of the body.

Ingredient safety testing is optional. Of course, the content of any "chemistry" in the product for feeding a child, whether it be a mixture or complementary foods, is unacceptable. There is no need to worry about this: baby food is carefully checked. If it is registered on the territory of the Customs Union and hit the shelves, then it complies with SanPiN 2.3.2.1940-05 and there will be no "prohibited" components in its composition. Also, contrary to popular misconception, in Russia it is forbidden to use GMOs in children's products.

Note

Baby food in jars (usually mashed potatoes) has a short shelf life after opening because it does not contain preservatives. However, before the jar is opened, the products can stand for quite a long time on the shelves of stores or in the refrigerator at home. This is possible thanks to a special production technology, sterilization and vacuum packaging. If a soft pop is heard when opening the jar, this is a good sign: the puree is not spoiled. But products in jars with swollen lids or a protruding bottom should not be used: microorganisms already multiply in such food, it is not suitable for food.

Features of the choice of dairy products

It is necessary to choose dairy products for babies, following the doctor's recommendations. The specialist will take into account the health of the baby, especially if he is allergic to cow protein. In Russia, such an allergy occurs in 30–40% of children [6]. Such a reaction may occur due to hereditary predisposition and immaturity of the organism. But most often, allergies go away when the child grows up.

Goat milk baby food may be a suitable option for young children with a predisposition to allergies. Its protein is perceived by the body better than cow's: alpha-s1-casein, contained in large quantities in cow's milk, makes a product based on it difficult to digest - food stagnates in the baby's gastrointestinal tract, motor skills are disturbed, as a result, allergies often occur. In goat milk, as in breast milk, there is practically no alpha-s1-casein [7]. Therefore, goat's milk, and hence the mixture based on it, are better absorbed.

Of course, with the introduction of complementary foods, other dairy products will appear in the baby's diet. Unadapted fermented milk drinks, such as kefir, yogurt, biolact, can be introduced into the diet from eight months and in an amount not exceeding 200 ml. Also during this period, it is recommended to give cottage cheese - no more than 50 g per day, but according to indications, it can also be prescribed from the age of six months. Whole milk cannot be used as the main food, and it is advised to introduce it into the diet of babies no earlier than a year (in the amount of 100-150 ml per day) [8]. As mentioned above, it must be adapted infant milk or formula 3 formula.

To choose the best baby food, it is necessary to take into account the health of the baby, his tastes, as well as individual reactions of the body. Therefore, before going to the store, you should consult a doctor. The specialist will not only tell you which baby food to choose, but also give recommendations on how to make the child's diet balanced and healthy.

All about baby food

Nutrition is one of the most important factors in the formation and preservation of children's health, their harmonious development. Modern parents, grandparents need to be guided in matters of baby food in order to choose high-quality products for the child that can fully provide the growing body with the necessary substances (proteins, fats, carbohydrates, trace elements and vitamins).

Magic product

It's amazing how carefully nature has worked out the composition of breast milk. Each component of it has its own unique meaning, each has its own role and task. Currently, about 300 components of human milk are known. And here I would like to remind you that even the most modern adapted formula (that is, a product used instead of or together with breast milk for feeding a child of the first year of life) in its composition can reproduce only about 80 components of breast milk. When deciding whether to switch to mixed or artificial feeding, look at how many essential substances we are depriving a child of by removing breast milk from his diet.

Mother's milk contains factors that protect the baby from environmental influences. These are immunoglobulins, which provide protection against bacteria and viruses and which cannot be reproduced by artificial means. This is lysozyme, which protects the mucous membranes of the nose, mouth, pharynx, respiratory tract and gastrointestinal tract. This is the protein lactoferrin, which not only protects against bacteria, but also helps to absorb iron from breast milk. In addition, human milk protein itself is easily digestible, without burdening the child and immediately integrating into the processes of metabolism and growth. Mother's milk contains the amino acid taurine, which is not found in cow's milk. Its lack in the child's body slows down the processes of neuropsychic development.

Allergy is another common problem nowadays. When breastfeeding, the child receives a product that "coincides" with him by half, that is, carries a minimal allergic load. In addition, breast milk contains enzymes - chemical scissors that cut nutrients into such small particles that even the immature gastrointestinal tract of the baby can easily be absorbed. Enzymes contained in breast milk reduce the load on the baby's digestive system and ensure a more complete and safe absorption of nutrients.

Vitamins and microelements necessary for a child are best absorbed from breast milk. And one more interesting point. In the human body, after eating, substances called endogenous morphines are produced, which give us a feeling of pleasure, satisfaction and calm, help fight stress. The laying of the mechanism for the production of these hormones in the future occurs precisely during the period of breastfeeding. The process of breastfeeding itself, including the warmth of the mother's body and the beat of the mother's heart, contributes to the feeling of calming. And this is only a small part of what is known about the benefits of breastfeeding and human milk, the amazing properties of which are still not fully understood.

To establish normal lactation in the first 2-3 months, it is necessary to put the baby to the breast at least 10 times a day, including obligatory night feedings. From 3 a.m. to 8 a.m., a woman’s body produces the maximum concentration of the hormone prolactin, which is responsible for milk production. In the process of sucking the breast, the baby first “drinks” and then “eats”. First, from the mammary gland, "front" milk, rich in lactose, enters his mouth, then - "back" milk, saturated with fats and other nutrients. If the baby is transferred from one breast to another, it may happen that he only “drinks” and does not eat.

In the first months of a child's life, nursing mothers are not recommended to eat pears, grapes, red vegetables and fruits, fish, chicken and some other foods. Gradually, the work of the child's gastrointestinal tract normalizes and at first "harmful" foods can be gradually reintroduced into your diet, observing the reaction of the baby's body.

Breastfeeding? it is not only nutrition and health of the baby, not only providing him with the substances necessary for growth and development. It is also a form of communication between mother and child. These are the first caresses of the baby and his first smiles. This is a unique physical and spiritual contact, when a mother and child "speak" in a language only they understand. Give yourself and your baby this happiness - and you will always find a common language with each other in the future.

If there is no breast milk:

Once again, breast milk is the best food for a baby during the first months of life. However, unfortunately, there are situations when, for one reason or another, a child is forced to receive artificial mixtures. In this case, to ensure the full development of the baby, it is important to know the basic principles for choosing a mixture.

The decision to add anything other than mother's milk to a baby's diet during the first year of life should ONLY be made by the attending physician, not by the parents. The fact is that the chance to make a mistake in choosing a mixture or other product in the absence of appropriate medical training is quite high, and the consequences of such a mistake are sad. At a minimum, this is an allergy, as a maximum - persistent digestive disorders.

However, what do parents need to know about formula?
A child in the first 6 months of life should receive only the most adapted mixtures. This means that the amount of protein in the mixture is in the range of 1.2-1.6 g / l (moreover, the ratio of whey proteins and casein is 80:20 or 60:40), fat - 3.5 g / l, carbohydrates - 6 .9-7.2 g/l. The mixture must necessarily contain the amino acid taurine, vitamins and trace elements. It is good if the ratio of unsaturated fatty acids (linoleic and alpha-linolenic) is indicated, which are absolutely necessary for proper growth and neuropsychic development.

Formulas that meet these requirements are produced by Nestle, Hipp, Frizland Nutrition, Nutritek, Nutricia, etc.

then a period of time, these are premature babies, children with anomalies of the face and oral cavity, children with congenital metabolic disorders. The mixtures for premature babies that can be purchased at the retail network are listed below: Frisolak Pre, PreNan, Pre-Nutrilon, Pre-Nutrilak, Humana 0. In such mixtures, the amount of protein, fat and carbohydrates is increased, the amount of vitamins and trace elements has been changed, since their composition developed taking into account the characteristics of colostrum.

Allergies:

Allergic diseases in childhood are becoming more common. Even in the absence of a family predisposition, 5% to 15% of newborns are at risk for developing allergies. The involvement of the immune system is what distinguishes food allergies from other types of food intolerances. Fortunately, in most cases, children "outgrow" the food allergy and get rid of it at the age of two or three years.

Prevention is rightly seen as more successful than cure, so interest in early prevention remains strong.

Cow's milk protein intolerance (CMP) is a serious pediatric problem. About 2-3% of all newborns subsequently, in the first year of life, have NBCM. This happens to both formula-fed and breast-fed babies. BCM is the result of an impaired immunological response to one of the cow's milk proteins.

Prevention is always better than cure. The first product of choice is breast milk, subject to strict correction of the diet of a nursing mother. If breastfeeding is not possible, switch to a protein hydrolysate formula.

If a formula-fed or formula-fed baby develops an allergy, is a radical change in nutrition necessary? use of a hypoallergenic mixture. This group includes mixtures based on hydrolysed cow's milk protein (that is, mixtures in which the protein is cut into small pieces that no longer cause allergies), mixtures based on soy protein and mixtures based on milk protein of other animals (except cow).

Hydrolysates:

1. Prophylactic (used to prevent allergies and with its minimal manifestations): Hipp GA 1 and 2, Humana GA 1 and 2, Nan GA.

2. Therapeutic (used for severe manifestations of allergies): Frisopep, Nutrilon Pepti MSC, Nutrilak Pepti MSC

3. Deep hydrolysates (used for severe manifestations of allergies that do not improve with the use of mixtures of the previous group): Nutramigen, Pregestemil.
It should be noted that all hydrolysates have a more or less pronounced bitter taste, but due to the peculiarities of the taste perception of children in the first year of life, the child eats such mixtures well. Difficulties arise only at the stage of transition from a conventional mixture to a hydrolyzate. It requires the patience and accuracy of parents.

Soy formulas are recommended for use in infants after 6 months of age, given that the absorption of vitamins and protein from these formulas is still different from that of formulas based on cow's milk protein.

The only formula using goat's milk protein is . However, it should be remembered that goats and cows are related to a certain extent, therefore some protein components of goat's milk are the same as cow's milk, which may lead to the persistence of allergic manifestations when using the "Nanny" mixture. In addition, this blend has a much sweeter taste than other blends, which can make it very difficult to switch to a hydrolysate or just a less sweet blend when used initially.

In general, I would like to mention once again: the purpose and selection of the mixture? the task of the attending physician, and not the parents, the seller in the store or the pharmacist in the pharmacy.

It's time to feed:

First, let's discuss the timing of complementary foods. The very first complementary foods can be given no earlier than 4 months of life. Why not before? Only by this age does the child's gastrointestinal tract mature to a state where enzymes are already able to digest something that is qualitatively different from breast milk. Currently, either fruit and berry juice or fruit and berry puree is used as the first course.

Complementary foods are divided into food supplements and complementary foods proper. It is important not to rush into the introduction of these products into the child's diet, because. all of them are very different from breast milk in composition and properties, they require pancreatic enzymes for absorption, that is, they increase the load on the still immature gastrointestinal tract of the child, and can serve as allergens.

At the same time, with timely and careful introduction to the diet, these products have a positive effect on the growth and development of the child, supplying the necessary vitamins, microelements and dietary plant fibers.

Food additives	Complementary foods
Fruit juices	Vegetable puree
Fruit puree	Porridge
Egg yolk	Meat puree
Curd	Dairy products

What is the difference between food supplements and complementary foods?

Nutritional supplements are so named because they serve as a supplement to the main diet - breast milk or an adapted formula (with artificial feeding). They are given only after the main meal or in the interval between feedings and before the introduction of complementary foods are not taken into account in the total amount of food for the child per day.

Complementary foods are designed to gradually replace the main food - breast milk or an adapted formula, so they are given before the main meal. The optimal time for the introduction of complementary foods is the age of 6 months, when the child's gastrointestinal tract is already relatively mature and able to absorb a new type of food. Only one complementary food can be introduced at a time.

Start complementary foods in the same way as a food supplement, with ? teaspoon, gradually, in 2 weeks, bringing up to 150 g, then within 7 days there is a thickening from 5 to 10%, then a week is given to increase the variety of components. That is, a month is allotted for the introduction of one complementary food.

Either vegetable puree or porridge can be used as the first food. The choice of product depends on the condition of the child: with a good pace of physical development or relatively increased body weight, it is better to start with vegetable puree, with low rates or lack of body weight - with porridge.
The question often arises before the mother: what is better - to cook for the baby herself or to buy a ready-made product in the store?

When deciding this issue, several factors should be taken into account: of course, cooking for your child is a process that is both exciting and helps the mother to get to know the preferences of a small family member better. But, unfortunately, we cannot always be sure of the safety of the original products that we buy in stores or on the market. We do not know where this cow grew and what it fed on, what fertilizers were used to grow potatoes or cabbage, how these vegetables and fruits were stored and transported, how many vitamins and minerals were preserved in them. In addition, the mother of a child of the first year of life does not always have time for the daily reusable preparation of new dishes. Therefore, the currently offered wide range of industrial baby food products has every right to exist and can serve as a good alternative to home cooking.

Today there is a lot of baby food on the Russian market from different countries of the world (companies such as HiPP, Friesland Nutrition, Nestle, Nutricia, Semper, etc.).

All baby food products of industrial production in accordance with the requirements of the Research Institute of Nutrition of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences and GOSTs do not contain preservatives, artificial colors, flavors and thickeners. The contents of the jars are sterile, ready to use, homogenized or crushed according to the degree of maturity of the child's chewing apparatus, beautifully presented and, regardless of the season, include the necessary nutrients. 0 cooking for children at home.

Industrial products, of course, differ in taste from those cooked at home, but it is important to know that the taste preferences of the child in the first year of life are not yet formed, and what seems tasteless to us adults may be perceived differently by the baby.