Scientific feeding of infants and young children.
The milk of a well-nourished mother is the most ideal food for infants from 0 to 6 months, and can meet the various nutritional needs of infants at this stage. Infancy is the transition period of human life from living inside the mother’s body to living outside the mother’s body, and also the transition period from complete dependence on maternal nutrition to nutrition from other foods outside breast milk. During the breastfeeding period, in order to meet the nutritional needs of the infant’s rapid development, other foods besides breast milk are added gradually, so that the infant gradually transitions from relying solely on breast milk nutrition to being completely nourished by other foods outside of breast milk. This process usually begins at 4-6 months of age and lasts 6-8 months or longer, during which breastfeeding continues as usual until weaning. The scientific addition of complementary foods is as important as breastfeeding.
Common misconceptions in infant feeding.
1. Cream of wheat instead of powdered milk.
The main component of milk powder is protein, which is essential for the growth and development of babies. The protein content of lacto-dairy milk is only 35% of that of milk powder, so the consumption of lacto-dairy milk can only increase calories, but not supply enough nutrition.
2.Egg instead of staple food.
Baby gastrointestinal tract digestive function is not yet mature, a variety of digestive enzymes secretion less, too much to eat eggs, will increase the baby’s gastrointestinal burden, and even cause indigestion diarrhea, can also increase the body nitrogenous substances, disrupt the nitrogen balance, damage the kidneys. Therefore, it is best to feed only the yolk of the baby within 1 year, no more than 1 per day, 1 to 2 years old babies eat 1 egg per day or every other day, more than two years old babies can eat 1 to 2 eggs per day, do not exceed 3.
3. Fruit juice instead of fruit.
This practice is also inappropriate. Because fresh fruit is not only rich in nutrients, and children in eating fruit, but also exercise the function of chewing muscles and teeth, stimulate saliva secretion, to promote the appetite of children. All kinds of fruit juices are made by processing, not only will lose some nutrients, but also add additives such as food flavoring, coloring, etc., the baby too much long-term drinking will bring health hazards. In addition, the sugar added to the juice to make it too sweet, will affect the baby’s normal appetite, serious cases lead to anorexia. Therefore, within half a year old babies should not drink fruit juice, the baby above the age of one year should also be limited, so as not to interfere with the normal development of children.
4. Glucose instead of white sugar.
Can make the baby’s gastrointestinal function lack of exercise, double sugar enzyme and other loss of function, affecting the normal future meals. Because glucose belongs to the monosaccharide, do not have to go through digestion and directly for people to use, so that the gastrointestinal “lazy” up, over time will cause low digestive enzyme secretion function, resulting in reduced digestive function, affecting the baby’s growth and development. So give your baby a certain amount of white sugar, can exercise digestive function, to lay the foundation for future meals.
5, drinks instead of plain water.
Drinks do not contain much nutrients, and because of the addition or itself contains some special substances that can pose a threat to health, so drinks should be drunk sparingly, thirst should be the main focus of drinking plain water.
6. Cereals instead of milk.
Most parents and grandparents think that infants over 6 months of age can eat cereal and that breast milk or dairy products take a back seat from the infant’s staple diet. This is wrong. This is because the nutrition of cereals, especially the quantity and quality of protein, does not meet the needs of infants. Milk is still the main food for infants during infancy.
How to wean.
Weaning is a form of transition, also known as weaning or withdrawal from breast milk. Weaning should not be interpreted incorrectly as not eating breast milk immediately, but rather as the process of gradually and regularly adding complementary foods other than breast milk to meet the developmental needs of the infant over a considerable period of time without stopping breastfeeding, and gradually replacing breast milk with other foods until breastfeeding is completely stopped. Therefore, it is more reasonable to refer to weaning as the weaning transition period.
There are two types of weaning errors that often occur: one is the premature addition of solid foods, i.e. early weaning; the other is delayed weaning. Premature addition of complementary foods can affect the infant’s sucking of milk and reduce milk secretion; it also affects the development of the infant’s gastrointestinal tract defense function and local immune mechanism, making the infant prone to gastrointestinal diseases and allergic reactions. Premature addition of starchy foods with high carbohydrate content can easily make infants obese. If supplementary foods are added too late, it will affect the infant’s chewing and swallowing functions and the eruption of milk teeth, resulting in the infant only eating breast milk for a long time and not getting used to eating other foods, or even not swallowing when feeding other foods and easily developing nausea and vomiting.
Order of adding supplementary foods.
4 to 5 months of age: foods added include rice paste, porridge, fruit puree, vegetable puree, egg yolk, fish puree, tofu.
6 to 9 months of age: add cookies, noodles, fruit puree, vegetable puree, whole eggs, liver puree and minced meat.
10 to 12 months of age: add thick porridge, rotten rice, bread, buns, minced vegetables and minced meat.