Supplementary food additions have two roles: one is to add nutrients to make up for the lack of simple dairy products to promote healthy growth of children; the second is to train children’s gastrointestinal tract function, chewing and other physiological functions. Among them, the first one is very important. Therefore, the earliest complementary foods added should be related to the child’s growth to 4-6 months nutrient needs.
Today, we will give parents a general idea of the time to add complementary foods for babies before the age of one and the corresponding types.
First: time to add complementary foods
Some mothers are not sure when they should add complementary foods to their babies.
In the “Infant and Young Child Feeding Strategy” issued by the Chinese Ministry of Health in 2007, it is clearly pointed out that breast milk is the most reasonable “nutritional meal” for infants aged 0 to 6 months, and it can provide all the nutrients needed by infants within 6 months. But at the same time, experts also pointed out that in the specific implementation of complementary foods added, often depending on the baby’s situation to grasp between 4 to 6 months.
At the end of the day, as parents, really give your baby in life at what time to add complementary foods, depending on the situation of their baby.
A gentle reminder: until one year of age, milk should still be the main food.
Second: How to add
Complementary food, that is to say, is the baby’s supplementary food, between 6 months and one year, the baby still has to take in a lot of nutrition from breast milk or formula, the baby also has to ensure that the daily amount of 500 ml to 800 ml of milk. Do not rush when adding complementary foods, but add them one by one, so that you can observe your baby’s reaction to the added complementary foods. For the first time, you can use your baby’s favorite milk to make rice flour, and feed your baby at a fixed time in the morning. It is best to feed your baby a little milk first, and try to add complementary foods when your baby is not too hungry. Feed your baby when your baby must sit upright, never lie down to feed, so as not to choke your baby.
The safest early addition foods.
Rice flour, apple, pear, banana, papaya, E pear, carrot, white potato, potato and pumpkin. Among them, bananas, papayas and pears can be broken up and given to babies directly without cooking.
Third: Foods to avoid when adding complementary foods initially
For the sake of your baby’s health and to reduce allergies, the following foods should not be given to your baby casually at the beginning and it is better to be cautious
Foods with gluten.
Babies under six months of age should not eat any food containing gluten, such as: flour, oats, etc. Any food that is prone to allergies should be added as late as possible.
Salt: No salt should be added to all foods until the baby is a week old. Too much salt will be a burden on the baby’s immature kidneys and will affect the baby’s eating habits, causing high blood pressure later. In addition, too much salt can also affect the baby’s absorption of calcium. Babies do not need salt when they are small and do not know that they need to eat salty, so do not rush to add salt, seasoning can be adjusted with the natural taste of fruits and vegetables, which is important for the future health of the baby.
Sugar: Don’t add sugar to your baby’s food before the age of one. Eating too much sugar can increase your baby’s risk of getting tooth decay, and the rapid changes in blood sugar may cause your baby to be emotional and especially weepy and fussy. Sugar has never been added to Doudou’s diet, mainly because the natural sweetness in fruits and vegetables makes the baby’s complementary food delicious.
Honey: Because honey contains a bacterium that can cause infection and even poisoning in babies, babies should never be given honey before they are one year old. Some parents say their babies need to drink honey water for constipation, but honey should never be added before the age of one. For baby constipation it is recommended to use orange juice or plum juice, not honey.
Eggs: Eggs are an allergy-prone food and should be added as late as possible, and the eggs must be fully cooked before giving them to the baby. 8 months old or so, the yolk is added, and the egg white part is added even later because it is more likely to cause allergies.
Nuts: In the UK, the requirement is to add after the age of 5, one is easy to allergic, two is easy to jam the baby, there is a danger.
Milk: Babies should be breastfed or use formula until after one year of age before adding milk, because milk lacks important iron and vitamin C. For the first six months after adding complementary foods, babies should also drink 500 ml to 800 ml of breast milk and formula.
Strawberries and kiwi: Strawberries are the most allergenic of fruits, especially if your baby has asthma or eczema. Kiwifruit can only be given to babies over 9 months of age, do not eat kiwifruit if you are less than 9 months old.
Seafood: Do not give your baby seafood within one year of age, because it is easy to allergic, do not cook can also cause food poisoning.
High-fiber foods: high-fiber foods are healthy for adults, but can affect the absorption of important trace elements in babies, do not give babies before the age of two.
Juice: Breastfed babies generally do not need to drink water, and formula-fed babies can drink some plain water. Dr. Cui Yutao does not recommend giving babies juice, and recommends sticking to plain water. The baby who is used to fruit juice does not accept plain water well, which is not good for cleaning the mouth, and oral cleaning is the first step to prevent tooth decay. If you want to add fruit to your baby, you can feed fruit puree.
Juice should be drunk after the baby can use the cup, about 9 months old, white grape juice is the most friendly juice for baby’s intestines and the most easily absorbed. White grape, apple and pear juices are the most popular drinks for babies at the beginning. Orange juice is too acidic and too irritating for the baby’s intestines and should be added later. All fruit juices should be diluted at least twice for babies to drink afterwards, and the daily amount should not be too much, not more than 100 ml before one year old, and not more than 200 ml between one and four years old.
1, 4 to 6 months old baby supplemental food addition schedule
When adding complementary foods to your baby, one of the first things he needs to learn is to swallow pureed foods or semi-solid foods. Mixing unseasoned baby rice flour with your baby’s usual milk is the most common initial product so that your baby doesn’t have to adapt to new tastes as he or she exercises swallowing.
One of the first things your baby needs to learn when adding complementary foods is to swallow pureed or semi-solid foods. Mixing unseasoned baby rice with your baby’s normal milk is the most common initial product so that your baby doesn’t have to adjust to new tastes as he works on swallowing.
Core Tip.
The earliest you can start with rice flour, not too thick at first, and then gradually add pureed fruits and vegetables such as apples, pears and bananas. The earliest fruit puree used is apple and pear, peeled and cored, put in a pot and cooked soft, using a juicer to make puree. Vegetables can be used cauliflower and some root vegetables, boiled in water and pureed for the baby to eat.
2, 7 months old baby supplemental food addition schedule
When your baby is happy to accept eating with a spoon, you can increase the variety of food.
Now is the time to add the following to your baby’s diet.
Lean meat purees: such as pork, beef, lamb and chicken.
Mashed beans: such as mashed peas.
Vegetable purees mixed with mashed potatoes or rice paste.
Green vegetables: such as pureed vegetables with beans, cabbage, spinach or broccoli.
Try to limit sweet or cereal-based rice paste to 1 serving per day, but make sure you have 1 serving of vegetable puree per day. Gradually increase the consistency of the food.
3. Schedule for adding complementary foods for 8 to 12 months old babies
From now on, the baby’s ability to eat with the family is greatly improved. You should provide him with a wider variety of food to meet his nutritional needs, but also to train him to adapt to a variety of different tastes. There are also far fewer things that your baby cannot eat.
Now is the time to add the following to your baby’s diet.
Crumbled foods: mashed or chopped foods, not pureed anymore, and with some small crumbs in them.
More starchy foods: In addition to cornmeal, potatoes, rice and millet, there is also bread, pasta, noodles, baby bread sticks, breakfast cereals, oats and more. Feed your baby 2 to 3 servings of starchy foods each day. One serving is equivalent to ¼ adult serving or 1 to 2 tablespoons.
Citrus fruits: such as oranges and small, pitiless mandarins. If you do give your baby juice, always remember to dilute 1 serving of juice with 9 servings of cool boiled water and then give it to your baby in a large sippy cup with a soft spout. Let your baby drink it with meals, as this will help your baby absorb iron and help reduce the damage to your baby’s erupting milk teeth.
Protein foods: Aim to eat 1 serving of protein-rich foods every day. Other protein-rich foods such as lean meat (pork, beef, lamb), poultry meat and soy products (such as tofu and tofu) can be included in your baby’s diet.
Jams: Nut butter or peanut butter are good foods for babies who do not have a family history of allergic diseases. You can give him the more delicate ones without salt, or you can make your own.
When your baby is old enough to grasp things, food that he can eat with his hands is simply wonderful for him, and it gives him a degree of autonomy. You can give him cooked green beans or carrots, sliced bananas or soft pears.
4. Timetable for adding complementary foods for babies over 12 months
From now on your baby eats foods closer to adults. He should eat chopped food, 2 to 3 meals a day, interspersed with 1 or 2 snacks, plus 500 to 600 ml of milk a day. At this stage, you should add the following complementary foods to your baby.
3 to 4 servings of starchy foods per day: such as bread, pasta, potatoes or rice.
1 serving of meat, fish, eggs, or 2 servings of beans (bowl beans, kidney beans) or nut butter.
Warm Tips.
At this time your baby will be able to eat basically all the rice in the house, but be careful to add less salt, or even no salt. We do try to cook together, but take out the part the baby eats first and add some salt and seasoning to the part we eat.
Babies are also starting to make up their own minds, saying “no” to food more often, and some are becoming picky eaters and can’t sit still.
Some babies will have different degrees of discomfort during the teething period, and sometimes they will not like to eat, but they will generally pass quickly.