A. Principles of complementary food addition
1.From single to variety
Start with 1 new thing, rice paste is appropriate, while observing whether the baby has allergic reactions. Each new food should last for 5 days, if the baby has flatulence, diarrhea, rashes and other allergic symptoms should immediately stop, try to add after the baby’s symptoms disappear as appropriate.
2. From thin to thick
According to the baby’s teething situation and digestive function, start with liquid and gradually increase the consistency of food, so that the baby’s intestines have a process of adaptation to food.
3. From fine to coarse
Start with soft rice paste, vegetable puree, fruit puree and other paste-like food, and gradually adjust to small granular food as the baby’s chewing ability improves, and finally to small solid chunks of food that the baby can hold and eat.
4. From less to more
At the beginning of feeding, the amount of about 1 small spoon (children’s spoon), after the baby adapt to the new food and then gradually increase the amount, in a gentle, step-by-step way to let the baby gradually love to eat complementary food.
Second, the first time to add complementary food time
There is growing evidence that the best time to start adding complementary foods is around 6 months of age (around 180 days).
Signs that your baby is ready to add complementary foods are: not finished with milk, interested in the meal on the table, able to hold and sit still, starting to salivate, disappearing tongue pushing reaction, etc. This usually happens around 6 months of age.
Choose to add complementary foods when your baby is in a happy mood, rather than when your baby is hungry, because hunger tends to make your baby irritable. Usually you can choose to feed the supplement after waking up from a nap during the day.
Third, the first mouthful of complementary food preferred what?
The first complementary food preferred iron-containing rice flour. Formulated rice flour is fortified with many of the vitamins and minerals that babies need, a process known as nutritional fortification. Qualified infant rice flour is balanced and fortified with more than 20 nutrients such as calcium, iron and zinc. Infants have an imperfect digestive system and small stomach capacity, and although they need more nutrients to grow, they cannot take in too much quantity and require the help of a more nutrient-dense supplement. Although egg yolk is rich in iron, it contains mostly trivalent iron, which is not easily absorbed. Moreover, egg yolk can increase the risk of allergies in babies, so it is not recommended to use egg yolk as a complementary food for the first try.
Fourth, how to mix the rice flour for the first try?
You can use formula milk, breast milk or diluted apple juice and plain water. Apple juice contains vitamin C, which can help the iron in rice flour to be absorbed by the baby. Eat one to two spoons a day, and when your baby is completely used to it, gradually increase the consistency, thicken it a bit, and mix it separately with other foods you have tried, such as mashed carrots, egg yolks and other foods.
V. How much rice flour should I eat every day when I first add it?
Start with the first spoonful of rice flour that is not burdensome to your baby’s stomach. On the first day, feed your baby only one or two spoons, after that, observe your baby’s condition, and on the second and third day, you can increase it to two or three spoons and slowly increase it. 4-5 days later, you can add pureed vegetables and fruits to the rice flour, and after you get used to it, you can increase the variety of vegetables and fruits.
Sixth, understand the basic feeding method
In addition to understanding when it’s best to eat your baby’s first complementary food, what to eat and how to eat it, the mother should also understand some basic learning about feeding complementary food. In the first few days of feeding complementary foods to spoon feed milk, first let the baby get used to the spoon feeding. Also, when you first start eating complementary foods, your baby won’t shut up and swallow at first, but it will slowly get better.