When should i feed my baby table 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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Feeding Your 8- to 12-Month-Old (for Parents)

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.

Is it possible to teach children to eat right with the help of school canteens?

Rospotrebnadzor has developed new SanPiNs for children's nutrition in educational institutions. One of the paragraphs of the new rules (Section 6.15) was misinterpreted, and this caused the public to believe that children would be prohibited from bringing homemade food to school with them. The authors of the bill believe that food from home may be unhealthy for a growing body, while "canteen food" will be regulated by SanPiN. In your opinion, is it possible to teach teenagers to eat right with the help of school canteens?

Valentina Zhideleva, Deputy Chairman of the State Council of the Komi Republic:

– Of course, the proper nutrition of our children is a state task. Parliamentarians keep the work of school canteens constantly under control. I am a member of the interdepartmental commission, the purpose of which is to control the purchase of food products for social institutions, including schools. Unfortunately, the facts of dishonest work of suppliers never cease to amaze us. On this occasion, a regular meeting was held at the Ministry of Agriculture the other day. But it is impossible to forbid parents to give their children breakfast with them. In this regard, it is necessary to provide for the simplest conditions for the convenient reception of food brought with you. By the way, when my son was a student in grades 5-6, I cooked breakfast for him for school.

Dmitry Pastukhov, inspector for production issues of the non-governmental healthcare institution "Mikun Station Junction Hospital":

- Of course, you can use this lever for "PR healthy lifestyle" in terms of nutrition. However, a systematic approach is important here, which can be provided by the creation of a certain regional operator. It should be modern and attractive. Like McDonald's, just the opposite in terms of the content or filling of these beautiful trays with inscriptions about healthy lifestyles in general. In schools, you can only warm up, but not cook - otherwise nothing will work.

Natalya Logina, Syktyvkar council member:

– The culture of food is formed from childhood in the family, and there is no getting away from it, but balanced nutrition in schools and kindergartens gives at least some hope that children eat right. This is where you can and should be in control. And no one will forbid you to take an apple or a sandwich with you to school. And work with parents is necessary: a nutritionist should talk about what chips and chewing gum do with a young growing body.

Dmitry Latynin, deputy of Usinsk Council:

– Only the work of the federal and regional government to improve the welfare of the population, but not SanPiN for school canteens, can teach schoolchildren, like the population as a whole, to eat right. For many families, school meals, given their low quality, are an unaffordable luxury. In addition, any student will eat in the canteen when the food in it becomes tasty. Then parents will be interested in paying primarily for delicious food, and not for those dishes that school catering can provide for the most part.

Therefore, against the backdrop of a general rise in prices, and not in quality, the population perceived the next novel as the imposition of school meals, the problem of which is mostly in its low quality.

Elena Ivanova, head of the executive committee of the ONF in the Komi Republic:

- If the child is satisfied with the quality of food, then he will continue to eat in the school canteen. And if something does not suit you (fresh food or an individual diet), then parents should take care of it. Only a parent today has the right to feed his child as he sees fit.

Manefa Lushkova, chairman of the Sysol District Council of Veterans:

– A ban on bringing food from home will not lead to anything good. In my opinion, it is necessary to approve the list of products that can be brought and which cannot. In addition, it is necessary to conduct an "educational program" with parents on the organization of proper nutrition. Secondly, cooking is not always of high quality in school canteens. This also needs to be taken into account.

Evgeny Sirotkin, Leading Engineer of the Department of the Chief Power Engineer of MTS PJSC in the Republic of Kazakhstan:

- Yes, I'm sure you can teach kids how to eat right in the school cafeteria. Moreover, this is the only currently available way for the vast majority of children to eat right. However, for this it is necessary to create special conditions. One SanPiN is not enough. We need to instill a culture of eating in children. Products and dishes must be of the highest quality. I'm not talking about the surplus of the restaurant, but about the quality. No "second freshness", cooks and kitchen workers of exceptional professionalism, who know the technology and know how to follow it. The main thing is that they want to follow all the rules and technology, not only for money. And this is the task of the leadership and legislators.

Andrey Pitlev, doctor of the Sosnogorsk Central District Hospital:

- The topic is very relevant, since healthy and high-quality nutrition plays a major role in the prevention of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. I consider the main problem of school meals to be the purchase of low-quality products, from which it is difficult to prepare healthy and tasty food.

A negative role in this is played by purchases based on the principle: whoever gives a lower price for a lot supplies food to the school. This is a widespread problem, and without quality control of procurement, the situation cannot be changed.

There are significant differences in the quality of food in the country, despite the uniform norms and technologies for preparing meals in schools. I see this as the main problem, and until this issue is resolved, it makes no sense to talk about improving the health of schoolchildren and teaching them to eat healthy.

It is noteworthy that during inspections, the quality of food increases many times over. This was noted by the children, and the parents' committee present during such checks was actively discussed by the parents in social networks. This is another reason for reflection and conclusions for officials responsible for this section in school life. It is also necessary to provide for the possibility of heating the food that the children brought with them. Today, there is no such possibility at all. And for children who, for medical reasons, require special nutrition, there is no way to eat normally at school. They were simply forgotten about, despite the fact that it is easy to organize.

Vyacheslav Kamashev, teacher of additional education, Sosnogorsk:

- In my opinion, the main task of the school canteen is not to teach schoolchildren to eat right, but to serve a certain number of students in a very short period of time, and schools cope with this task.

For learning to eat right, it is necessary to explain for a certain period: why such dishes today; why such a ratio of nutrients; what calorie content each individual needs, given their own weight, height, age, and even a list of current items. In addition, it is necessary to monitor the weight and growth dynamics of schoolchildren, and it is even necessary to take into account what they eat for breakfast, how much time until the next meal, etc. This all involves an individual approach, and, in my opinion, it is impossible to organize this unless a scientific team does it.

From the elements of proper nutrition in the school canteen: a regular meal schedule, a varied menu during the week, and yet, according to SanPiN, as far as possible, they try to comply with the ratio of nutrients and the average calorie content. But the school "canteen" is dependent on suppliers, and how tasty and varied lunches will be depends on the organization of food, even the size of the settlement.

Antonina Zinovieva, pensioner, Ust-Vymsky district:

– Children should not be allowed to bring food from home, not all children like canteen food. There are many reasons: tasteless, already cold, waiting in line for a long time. You can teach schoolchildren to eat in the canteen by improving the quality of food, increasing the speed of service.

Gennady Ogorodnik, pensioner, Ukhta:

- Unhealthy food is, unfortunately, the norm of sold products. Food products for both canteens and personal consumption are usually supplied by the same suppliers. The quality of the products is very low, the food is stuffed with all sorts of filth. There is no guarantee or quality control for this product.

If the proposed SanPiNs are really aimed at preserving the health of the nation and there will be control over the products provided, then perhaps we should try to introduce these same SanPiNs. But you can’t deprive children of homemade food either. Given the constant high cost, the child may lose food altogether.

diet and PP food

All parents dream of their children growing up healthy, beautiful and smart. And many people know that one of the important factors contributing to the achievement of this goal is a balanced diet ¹ .

It is especially important to properly make a diet for a teenager. It must necessarily contain foods rich in calcium. The sources of this element are milk, cottage cheese, kefir, curdled milk, hard cheese. These foods must be consumed daily by teenagers ² . Offer your child different dairy products and prepare various dishes from them - then he will eat them willingly ³ .

Complete nutrition of a teenager is impossible without whole grain products - special types of bread (wheat and rye), cereals from buckwheat, rice (preferably brown), corn, oats, barley ³ .

It is extremely important that a teenager's diet includes adequate amounts of nutrients, vitamins and minerals ³ .

Principles of healthy eating

A teenager's meals should be regular, so it's important to have a plan that your son or daughter will follow every day. The menu should be as varied as possible so that the child receives in the right amount both the main, irreplaceable nutrients, and the secondary ² .

At least 50-60% of the protein in the daily diet of a teenager should be animal products. He also benefits from fats that are present in vegetable oil, sour cream, nuts, cheese and other foods. It is desirable that about 70% of all fats consumed per day be vegetable. This is the basis of proper nutrition ² .

The child needs to be given more carbohydrates than other nutrients. The optimal ratio of carbohydrates to protein is 4:1. Sources of fast carbohydrates (sweet foods) should not exceed 20% of all carbohydrates consumed by a teenager ⁴ . Complex carbohydrates for a child are cereals, potato dishes and bread. When preparing flour dishes, it is recommended to give preference to wholemeal flour ⁴ .

Fish should be on the teenager's menu at least 1-2 times a week. The same recommendations are given for red meat ² .

It is important for students to eat at least 5 servings of various fruits and vegetables per day. One serving is a medium-sized fruit (such as an apple or orange), two small fruits (such as an apricot), 50 g vegetable salad, a glass of fresh juice, three tablespoons of vegetables after cooking ⁵ .

Dairy products must also be included in the diet of a teenager, the amount is three servings every day ⁵ .

The best types of heat treatment of dishes are boiling and stewing, as well as baking ⁵ .

Proper nutrition for teenagers involves avoiding or minimizing the use of foods with nutritional supplements, margarine, store-bought sauces, out-of-season vegetables, smoked sausages, very spicy or deep-fried foods, lollipops, fast food, chewing gum. It is also worth limiting the consumption of white bread and sugar ¹ . The child can eat fatty and sugary foods in small amounts, but these foods should not be used as a substitute for healthy foods as they lack the beneficial elements ⁴ .

Instilled in childhood understanding of the rules of healthy eating will help to avoid many problems throughout life.

Teenager's nutritional needs

A balanced diet for a teenager is one in which the child receives enough calories throughout the day to meet his energy needs. On average, this is 65 kcal per kilogram of weight, that is, about 2500-3000 kcal per day. If your teenager is physically active, you should increase the number of calories per day in accordance with the energy expenditure for training.

Adolescents should consume 100-110 g of protein, 90-100 g of fat and an average of 400 g of carbohydrates per day ⁵ .

How to teach a child to eat healthy?

Rational, balanced, proper nutrition is important at any age, and especially in adolescence. Parents can still influence the student's menu, but in general, the child's food preferences have already been formed. Also, the desire to be independent and do things your own way affects the eating habits of a teenager. It is important to find a balance between absolute control and the complete freedom of the child in choosing food, which can turn into an unbalanced diet ⁵ .

When introducing a teenager to a healthy lifestyle, the example of parents is important - it is desirable that the principles of a balanced nutrition are observed by the whole family ⁵ .

Talk to your teen about how certain foods in their diet affect growth and health. Tell him why breakfast is important, what can be the negative consequences of quick snacks for the body, what are the risks of skipping the main meals and diet ² .

Be sure to pay attention to how your child eats at school. Encourage him to take healthy food from home - an alternative to hot dogs and pizza. For example, you can bring yogurt, fruit, casseroles, and homemade cakes to class ² .

Diet

Proper nutrition for adolescents should consist of at least four meals - breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner ⁶ :

Breakfast. For the morning meal, your child should receive about 25% of all daily calories ⁶ .
Lunch. This is the most high-calorie meal, no less important for health than breakfast, which accounts for 35-40% of all daily calories ⁶ .
Afternoon snack. This is a small snack, which accounts for about 15% of all calories for the day ⁶ .
Dinner. At dinner, the child is recommended to consume 20-25% of daily calories. At the same time, it is important that the teenager eat no later than 2 hours before bedtime ⁶ .

In case of violation of the diet, a malfunction of the gastrointestinal tract may occur, for example, constipation may appear. Unfortunately, they are quite common. Constipation is caused not only by an unbalanced diet, but also by stressful situations, which are not uncommon in adolescence ⁷ .

To eliminate the unpleasant symptoms of constipation, the use of laxatives is suitable. The drug of choice for the treatment of constipation in children of any age is Dufalac® ⁸ – laxative with physiological action based on lactulose. Dufalac® has a double action: it gently cleanses the intestines and normalizes the balance of its microflora ⁹ . It has a high safety profile ⁹ , is non-addictive* and can be taken for an unlimited duration ^9.10 .

In addition, the advantages of Duphalac® are:

restoration of proper bowel function ⁹ ;
no auxiliary components (only lactulose and purified water) ⁹ ;
single dose during the day;
variety of forms

What liquids to give teenagers?

The total amount of liquid drunk by a teenager per day depends on the characteristics of his diet, activity level and weather. Drink more water on hot days or during physical activity. Middle-aged and older children need about 50 ml of fluid per day for every kilogram of weight ¹¹ .

The best drink is boiled or purified water. A balanced diet of adolescents allows the inclusion in the diet of school-age children such drinks as milk, compotes, kissels, rosehip infusion, decoctions of dried fruits, tea and cocoa ¹¹ .

Juice is considered a less preferred drink due to its high content of simple sugars and high acidity. If a child drinks freshly squeezed juice, it must be diluted with water, especially if a diet is prescribed for him by a doctor ¹¹ .

Teenagers should avoid carbonated drinks and drinks high in caffeine. Caffeine interferes with iron absorption and can cause sleep problems. Carbonated, foamy drinks do not quench thirst well, irritate the digestive tract and - in most cases - contain various chemical additives ¹¹ .

How to make a menu?

Proper nutrition for teenagers begins with menu planning. In this case, the child’s daily routine should be taken into account, in particular, the time of attending school, sports sections, tutors and other activities, as well as whether there is a need to adhere to a certain diet ^2.3 .

It is better to make a menu for the whole week at once, so it will turn out to be more varied and satisfying.

For breakfast, the child should receive an average of 300 g of the main course, as well as a drink with a volume of about 200 ml. Milk porridge, cottage cheese dishes, scrambled eggs are considered good breakfast options. You can add vegetables, nuts, berries, fruits, meat, sauces ^2.3 .

When a teenager eats at school according to the lunch regimen, they eat soup, a main course (usually a side dish with meat or fish) and drinks. The homemade lunch menu is built on the same principle. The child is given about 250 ml of the first course and about 100 g of vegetable salad. The main course is offered in a volume of up to 300 grams, and a drink in a volume of 200 ml ^2.3 .

For an afternoon snack, proper nutrition for a teenager includes dairy products, fruits, cold snacks and cookies. Approximate plate sizes: 100 g for pastries, 100 g for fruits and 150-200 ml for drinks ³ .

For dinner, with proper nutrition, a teenager should receive a main course (about 300 g) and a drink (200 ml). It can be cottage cheese casserole, eggs or fish dishes. Porridge and vegetable dishes are also the best dinner option with proper nutrition for a teenager ³ .

Bread can be added to any meal, offering the child pastries from different types of flour.

Menu example

An approximate daily menu for a teenager with the right diet might look like this:

Oat milk porridge with dried apricots, bread with cheese, cocoa.
Salad of eggs, tomatoes and cucumbers, noodle broth, stewed cabbage, meatballs, grape juice, bread.
Curd cookies, apple, milk.
Potato casserole with meat, rosehip infusion, bread ³ .

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