Careful parents will find that babies will show a significant increase in drooling when they are 3-4 months old, and will be very anxious to see adults eating. If parents bring food (such as fruit) to him/her, they will suck hard, not to mention how excited they are. Experienced parents will know that it is time to add supplementary food to their child.
Then, parents may have a series of questions: What is complementary feeding? Why do we need to add complementary foods? When to add it? How to add it? How to observe the baby’s reaction after adding? How to let babies develop good habits from infancy? Here we give you a detailed explanation.
I. What is complementary food?
First of all, let’s understand what is complementary food. Complementary food is everything that babies and toddlers eat except for milk and water. Babies are often fed with breast milk and formula after birth. Because the amount of vitamin D in breast milk is low, you should generally supplement your child with vitamin AD preparations 2 weeks after birth, which is the first complementary food your child eats. As your baby grows up, you can gradually add other complementary foods, generally at 4 months after birth.
Second, the purpose and timing of supplemental food addition.
Some parents see that their breast milk is very good, the child’s growth and development is also very good, even after 7-8 months have not added complementary foods. So, why add complementary foods, when to start adding the right?
Except for vitamin AD preparations, the appropriate time to add complementary foods is 4-6. Because at this time the baby’s nutritional needs increase, growth and development is rapid, and rely solely on breast milk and formula can not meet the nutritional needs of infants; in addition, complementary foods can supplement the quality of breast milk and milk deficiencies, such as breast milk contains less vitamin D, iron, etc., and 4-6 months when the baby from the mother’s body iron and other elements depleted, all need to be ingested by mouth. Also, the baby is physically (e.g., digestive system, teeth, neuromuscular, etc.) and psychologically ready. For example, the amount of saliva increases significantly at 3 months of age, and the amount of amylase in the saliva increases, preparing the baby for digesting starchy foods; by 7-8 months of age, the secretion of protease in the baby’s gastrointestinal tract increases, and it is possible to feed protein-based foods; the first teeth erupt in April-June, and it is possible to try to chew and other foods. If, as mentioned at the beginning, the child sees an adult eating and is very eager to taste it too, it means that psychologically it is also ready.
What are the dangers of adding complementary foods too early or too late if parents do not observe the above reactions of their babies?
Adding complementary foods too early, because the baby’s gastrointestinal function is not perfect, adding complementary foods too early will increase the baby’s gastrointestinal burden, which may lead to the baby’s gastrointestinal dysfunction, appetite and digestive function; consuming too much undigested food and protein fermentation in the intestine, may also produce substances harmful to the brain; for some babies with relatively good physical and adaptive capacity, although they do not show For some babies with relatively good physique and adaptability, although they do not show the above-mentioned reaction of maladaptation, they may become overweight and have a strong appetite, which may become a cause of simple obesity later; overfeeding may also reduce sucking and the density or frequency of breastfeeding, which is not conducive to breastfeeding; because of the immaturity of the child’s intestinal development, adding protein-based foods too early may produce allergies.
Adding complementary foods too late can lead to delayed physical and mental development and nutritional deficiency diseases, such as malnutrition and anemia, because they do not meet the nutritional needs of the child at the appropriate age. The incidence of respiratory diseases and diarrhea may also increase.
Some studies have shown that improper addition of complementary foods may lead to impaired cognitive function in adulthood, reduced work capacity and labor productivity, and increased rates of chronic diseases in adulthood.
In summary, the baby’s growth and development reached the above stage should be added to complementary foods, in addition, a variety of flavors of food stimulation to promote the development of the child’s sense of taste is also very significant.
Third, how to add complementary foods, the principles of complementary foods added
Complementary foods generally include the following five principles.
1, from one to many, that is, when adding should be added the same. If a food is added to the child has diarrhea, rash and other adverse reactions, it can be found and removed in a timely manner.
2, from a small amount to a large amount. In order to let the baby’s gastrointestinal tract gradually adapt to a new food, adding should be done from little to much. Such as adding egg yolk, first 1/8, gradually increase to 1/4, 1/2, until the whole egg yolk.
3.From thin to thick. This should be adapted to the child’s ability to chew and swallow food. For example, starchy food, you need to add rice soup, then add rice flour, gradually transition to rice porridge, thick porridge, rotten rice, etc..
4. From fine to coarse. For example, first add vegetable water, fruit juice, then add vegetable puree, fruit puree, 9-10 months later then add chopped vegetables, etc..
5, individual differences, flexible. Because the baby’s development varies early and late, the child’s temperament characteristics are also different, it will produce a variety of eating characteristics. For example, children’s interest in food early and late, the speed of eating and preferences are also different. Parents should carefully observe and promptly meet their children’s needs and develop good eating habits.
IV. What to add? The basics of nutrition about complementary food addition
The first thing you need to do when making complementary foods is to pay attention to nutritional balance. Therefore, parents should first understand the classification of nutrients.
Nutrients are roughly divided into four categories, namely
1. carbohydrates, which are mainly contained in various staple foods, such as various cereal porridges.
2, proteins, including vegetable or animal proteins, such as soy, milk, meat, poultry, fish, eggs, etc.
3, fat, that is, a variety of fats and oils, to make supplementary food for children as far as possible to use vegetable oils, because vegetable oils contain more unsaturated fatty acids, which are beneficial to the health of children.
4, vitamins and minerals, including a variety of vegetables and fruits.
It is best to include the above four nutrients when making complementary foods for your child, so that the entire meal is most reasonably matched with the application. If this is not possible, it should also contain foods from categories 1 and 2. This diet is called a basic mixed diet, such as porridge + legumes for small infants.
The following should be noted for the meal combination
1. two kinds of food can be used for protein supplementation (e.g. beans and small fish), preferably with animal protein, which can improve the bioavailability of protein.
2, the general ratio of grains to beans, meat and eggs at 2 to 3:1.
3, to consider the stomach capacity of the pediatric population.
4, do not eat irritating foods, coloring, spices and MSG; no before 6 months, after 6 months can be slightly added seasonings.
5, cooking methods are best simple, time-saving and can ensure that the main nutrients.
Another thing to note when making complementary foods for infants and toddlers is the prevention and dietary treatment of iron deficiency anemia. Parents know that it is important to choose the right foods that are rich in iron and have a high absorption rate in the body. Then, parents should first know that iron in food is divided into two categories: heme iron and non-heme iron. The former is mostly found in animal foods and has a high absorption rate in the body; the latter is mostly found in plant foods and has a low absorption rate in the body. Therefore, it is best to use animal-based foods for iron supplementation. Foods rich in iron often include: animal liver, animal blood (content: 10-25mg /100g), fresh livestock and fish (1-3mg /100g). Parents can preferably choose the above foods. The iron content of milk and egg yolk is actually not much, such as milk (0.3mg/100g) and non-heme iron, while egg yolk has a high content of 2-7mg/100g, but the absorption rate is only 3%. Therefore, it is not advisable to simply drink milk or simply eat egg yolk to supplement iron. Vegetables that contain more iron are rape (black green), water chestnut, amaranth, etc. The content is 5.4-5.9mg/100g, while spinach has 2.9mg/100g of iron, so it is not advisable to eat spinach for iron. Other iron-rich foods include kelp, cinnamon, black fungus, etc. Factors that promote iron absorption are vitamin C, meat, fructose, fat, amino acids; factors that reduce iron absorption are tea, coffee, milk, eggs, phytic acid, wheat bran, etc. Parents should also pay attention in the diet mix.
V. How to add? The type and order of complementary foods added.
From the above description you may have a little feeling about doing complementary food, let’s talk about how big children can eat what. The types of complementary foods in infancy and the beginning of the addition of time is roughly: 2 weeks after birth to add vitamin AD preparations; 3-4 months to add vegetable water, fruit juice; 4-6 months to add rice flour, rice soup, vegetable puree, puree; 7-9 months to add rotten porridge, rotten noodles, vegetable puree, puree, egg custard, fish puree, meat puree, tofu, egg custard, egg custard, egg custard. From 7-9 months, you can add congee, noodles, vegetable puree, fruit puree, egg custard, fish puree, meat puree, tofu, soy milk, toasted bread slices, cookies; from 11-12 months, you can add rice, steamed buns, etc. After 12 months, you can add all the food that adults can eat, only slightly softer.
You can refer to some parenting recipes for the specific practice of making complementary foods, but it should be noted that baby food is generally steamed and boiled, and as little as possible fried and baked. The production of complementary food should also pay attention to several points: First, the hygiene of tableware: the production and eating utensils used should be properly cleaned, boiled, disinfected, sunlight and other methods; Second, the bottle is only used for breastfeeding. Do not use the bottle for feeding and medicine.
Sixth, the observation of the reaction after adding, the adverse reaction of food.
Parents should also pay attention to the baby’s reaction after eating complementary foods, especially for the latest addition of complementary foods. Adverse reactions after the addition of long divided into two categories.
1, food intolerance: an abnormal physiological reaction rather than an immune response. It is often seen in the consumption of some fruits such as mangoes, pineapples and foods with added food ingredients.
2, Food allergy: Food allergy is an abnormal IGE-mediated immune response, which is often related to the protein content of food.
Ninety percent of the allergens in food are proteins. These allergens are often resistant to food processing, cooking, and to the digestive action of the intestine. In addition, more than 90% of clinical allergic reactions are caused by eight types of highly allergenic foods: eggs, fish, shellfish, milk, peanuts, soy, nuts, and wheat. Therefore, parents need to pay extra attention when adding these foods.
The common clinical manifestations of adverse food reactions vary with age. 0-6 months of young infants have the highest prevalence. Gastrointestinal symptoms are often the main manifestation, including persistent abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, blood in the stool, etc. Infants older than 6 months of age have more skin lesions, such as eczema and polymorphic rash. Chronic food allergy can also lead to poor growth and development in infants.
A high risk factor for the development of allergies in children is a family history of allergic diseases. Studies have shown that children with a history of allergies in one parent have a 37% chance of having an allergic reaction; children with a history of allergies in both parents have a 62% chance of developing allergies. Therefore, parents who have allergic dermatitis, allergic rhinitis, allergic asthma and other diseases should be more careful when adding complementary foods to their children.
If your baby has an adverse reaction to the addition of complementary foods, you should stop using the added food promptly, and if the symptoms persist, you should go to the hospital promptly. Sometimes the doctor will take a medical history and perform an exclusion diet test if necessary.
In terms of prevention, the following are generally recommended.
For infants with a family history of allergies, exclusive breastfeeding for more than 4 months can reduce the occurrence of food allergies and the addition of solid foods especially history of eggs, fish, peanuts and cereals can be delayed appropriately. If the child is allergic to a variety of foods, resulting in the inability to obtain some nutrients that are important for the child’s growth and development, long-term desensitization therapy is required if necessary.
Seven, the development of eating habits
Moms and dads have some basic knowledge of making complementary foods, but they should pay more attention to the individual differences in children’s eating and pay attention to the development of good eating habits. At 7 or 8 months old, children will be very willing to grab spoons and bowls to eat by themselves. Parents must protect the child’s desire to explore food, as this is the basis for the child’s enjoyment of food. They should help their children make food part of their exploration. Rather than refusing to let children try to eat on their own because they will pinch and grab messes. This is because active eating is an important strategy to prevent your child from becoming anorexic and picky eaters.
In between, I would like to offer a few wishes: I hope that you will be careful and patient in providing your baby with a balanced and nutritious complementary diet step by step, that your baby will successfully complete the transition from feeding on demand to happy and active eating, and that the nutritional atmosphere of your family will be relaxed, happy and full of curiosity.