Fruit puree for the first feeding: advice from pediatricians, allowed foods

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Issues of child nutrition are always of concern to caring parents. Especially when it comes to the first feeding. Fruit puree? Vegetable puree? Kashi? Which of the following is best for a baby? And at what age can new foods be introduced into the baby's diet? These and other questions concern young mothers who care about the he alth of their child. Of course, only a pediatrician can answer them and dispel all doubts, based on the parameters of the development of the child and his age. However, general recommendations about complementary foods still exist. The article tells readers when to introduce it, the process, and which fruit puree is best for the first feeding.

Let's move on to explore new flavors

The diet of a newborn baby consists of mother's milk or adaptedmix tailored to his needs. All pediatricians in a voice say that for the he alth of the baby it is necessary to establish breastfeeding. After all, mother's milk contains all the complex of vitamins, microelements and other useful substances necessary for a growing organism that help strengthen immunity. Therefore, if you managed to establish this process, then you can not worry about the first complementary foods for up to seven months. Some moms don't introduce new foods until they are ten months old.

But formula-fed babies need to be introduced first much earlier, although even pediatricians themselves change their minds on this issue from time to time. For example, in the Soviet period, doctors strongly recommended introducing the baby to new products at three months. This was due to some of the nutritional features of the mothers themselves. They lacked vitamins, fresh vegetables and fruits, and the diet itself did not differ in variety. Therefore, one should not expect that the baby would have enough only breast milk.

Today, pediatricians are guided by the recommendations of the World He alth Organization. According to her research, formula-fed or mixed-fed babies should be fed at five to six months of age. And breastfed babies should be introduced to fruits and vegetables around seven months of age.

However, in any case, consultation with a pediatrician is necessary before the introduction of the first complementary foods. After all, only he is able to determine whether the digestive system of the crumbs is ripe for reception.adult food.

Factors indicating the possibility of introducing the first complementary foods

Note again that such an important decision should only be made by your pediatrician. But still, there are a number of signs that indicate that it is time to expand the diet of the crumbs.

This is evidenced by the child's ability to sit well. If he feels confident sitting, then it's time to buy beautiful cutlery and children's dishes with bright pictures that make it easier to accustom the baby to a new way of eating.

It is important that your child shows interest in adult food. Many babies begin to try to look into the plate to mom or dad at lunch or dinner by the age of five or six months.

Also pay attention to the chewing reflex. The baby, ready for a change in diet, often watches his parents while eating and tries to repeat all their movements, including chewing.

In addition, the pediatrician must confirm the formation of the digestive system. This can be judged if the baby eats well, gains weight, is not naughty due to colic and pain in the tummy.

Where to start complementary foods?

Doctors recommended fruit purees and juices for the first feeding for our grandmothers. This was due to the same scarcity of the young mother's diet and the lack of vitamins contained in fresh fruits.

Today, pediatricians do not recommend starting complementary foods with fruit puree. They believe that variousfruits cause allergic reactions, and are absorbed by the body much worse than vegetables. In addition, the first feeding of a child with fruit puree practically excludes vegetables from the baby’s diet, since their taste will seem unexpressed to the baby, and he will refuse them, being capricious. As a result, the child will develop clear taste preferences that will last for a long time.

According to the recommendations of the World He alth Organization, it is necessary to start introducing the baby to new food with vegetable purees, consisting of one vegetable. But one-component fruit puree for the first complementary foods is better not to use. It can enter the diet only after vegetables, dairy-free cereals and meat purees.

Rules for dating new dishes: list of allowed foods

When to introduce fruit puree into baby food? Let's take a step-by-step look at the scheme for introducing the crumbs to new foods for him.

If the baby is gaining weight well, then his first puree should be vegetable. Young zucchini, cauliflower or broccoli are suitable for him. However, do not forget that the dish for the crumbs should consist of only one vegetable until they get used to the new menu.

Then you can expand the diet with corn and millet porridge without milk, as well as delicious pumpkin puree. Usually, the listed dishes become familiar to the baby in two to three months.

If all foods are digested well by the child's digestive tract, then by seven to eight months he should be given the first meat puree from a rabbit or turkey. Approximatelyafter a month, you can switch to fruit purees. It is important at the same time to monitor possible allergic reactions and not mix fruits with each other. Only after the baby adapts to the new diet, you can not only give him mashed potatoes from several fruits, but also mix them with vegetables. Some interesting recipes for fruit purees for the first feeding we will give a little later.

By the year your baby should be familiar with the following foods:

• bread;
• dairy and dairy-free cereals;
• fruits (apples, bananas, pears, peach, nectarine, apricot);
• vegetables (zucchini, pumpkin, broccoli, cucumber, beets, potatoes, carrots, cauliflower);
• cottage cheese and dairy products;
• light soups with vegetable and meat broths;
• turkey, chicken, rabbit and beef mashed meats (some parents give their one-year-old kids homemade steamed meatballs, which is not forbidden by the WHO);
• fish (pollock or hake).

In the following months, the baby's diet is constantly expanding, but pediatricians recommend not to get too carried away with the introduction of new foods. They advise mothers to make their diet more varied through cooking options. Let your child get used to the fact that vegetables, fruits and fish regularly appear on the table. Over time, the child will express his preferences and he will have favorite dishes.

How to introduce fruit puree into complementary foods?

Not all mothers understand exactly how to expand their baby's diet correctly. As you already understood, the beginningComplementary foods with fruit puree are not the best option for a baby. But if you have already mastered vegetables and cereals, then you may well move on to new gastronomic discoveries. However, this must be done in such a way as not to harm the baby.

Fruit puree for the first feeding should be one-component. And it takes seven to ten days to get used to it. Until this period passes, new fruits should not appear on the crumbs table.

Fruit puree should be given to the baby once a day, preferably during breakfast. And at first, the portion can not be more than half a teaspoon. You need to supplement your baby with breast milk or formula. Gradually, the amount of puree increases, reaching the maximum amount. It is very easy to define it. Parents just need to multiply the child's age by ten. The resulting number will indicate the maximum amount of puree that the baby can eat per day.

While the child is getting used to the new product, the mother should carefully monitor his condition. If the baby absorbs fruit puree well, then the consistency and color of his stool will not change, the skin will remain pink without rashes, and the tummy will be soft. Only taking into account all of the above factors, it is possible to transfer the child to a new product or add another fruit or vegetable to an already familiar puree. But getting used to it will also take from one week to ten days.

Which fruit puree to choose for the first complementary foods: recommendations from pediatricians

Parents need to remember that all fruits available to customers in stores can bedivided into several groups according to the degree of allergenicity:

• Slightly allergenic. These include pears and green apples, as well as berries such as gooseberries.
• Moderately allergenic. Yellow apples, bananas and peaches fall into this group.
• Especially allergenic. Red fruits, including pomegranates, and wild berries.

Which fruit puree should I start complementary foods with? Naturally, pediatricians recommend using apples or pears for the first feeding. Moreover, both those and others are better to choose green. This reduces the risk of developing an allergic reaction several times.

Usually, red fruits are introduced into complementary foods after a year, when the baby's body is adapted to various foods and dishes prepared from them.

Shopped or homemade puree: making a choice

So, you have decided to introduce fruit puree into complementary foods. Which is better - in jars from the store or cooked with your own hands? Moms on the forums argue about this almost to the point of hoarseness, citing a lot of arguments for and against. Each mother must independently answer the question of which fruit puree is best for the first feeding. The article only voiced the arguments of each side.

Those who support the option of complementary foods through store-bought baby food jars say they are a godsend for busy moms. After all, this frees up time that would have to be spent on cleaning and preparing vegetables and fruits for puree.

The assortment of baby food is very wide and the manufacturer does not havethe concept of seasonal fruit. And this is a huge plus.

It is also worth considering that mashed potatoes are prepared in compliance with all standards and all useful properties are preserved in the finished product. And besides, the risk of microbes and pathogenic microorganisms getting into the baby’s plate is reduced to almost zero.

However, store-bought fruit puree also has its downsides. Moms, buying another colorful jar, cannot be absolutely sure that the fruits are grown in an ecologically clean area, and the manufacturer has not added something like that to them.

Moms who prefer to make fruit puree for the first feeding with their own hands note that they always have complete information about the freshness of fruits, their maturity and quality. In addition, they significantly save the family budget, as store-bought baby food is always quite expensive.

However, homemade puree also has its drawbacks. And they concern raw materials for the preparation of baby food. Usually it is purchased in a store, which means that moms cannot be completely sure that it is grown without the addition of chemicals.

How to choose a jar of baby fruit puree?

If you decide to feed your baby store-bought puree, then do not neglect the advice on choosing food.

Usually mashed potatoes are sold in glass and tin jars. The first option is more environmentally friendly, but without observing the storage rules, useful substances are lost in the product. It is better when the glass jar is wrapped in an opaque package.

Don't be lazy before buyingread information about the composition, age restrictions and expiration date of the product.

It is not uncommon to see components such as starch and vitamin C in fruit puree. The latter acts as a natural preservative, while the latter significantly reduces the digestibility of the puree by the baby's stomach.

Among the wide range of fruit purees, parents highlight several products that babies love and are great for first foods:

• "Williams Pears". This puree, supplied to Russian shelves by Gerber, is perfectly digested by crumbs from four months and does not contain foreign components other than vitamin C.
• Apple puree with cottage cheese. This product from "Spelenok" can be given to babies from six months. It contains fat-free cottage cheese, which adds a special taste to fruit puree.
• Fruit puree with cream. The Tema company offers six-month-old babies a delicious product made from apples, peaches, cream and sugar.
• Pear puree. This product from "Human" can be given to children from four months. Puree contains nothing but pears grown according to all EU standards.

Features of making homemade puree

Do-it-yourself fruit puree for the first feeding is very easy to prepare. Fruits are always peeled and cut into small cubes. Steaming is best, but in extreme cases, you can resort to boiling. There should be no more than two tablespoons of water in the saucepan, and the process itselflasts about ten minutes. In a double boiler, fruits should not be overcooked either - fifteen minutes will be enough.

Ready-made raw materials can be kneaded with a fork or placed in a blender. The child should be offered warm mashed potatoes.

Remember to use separate utensils during cooking and keep pets out of the kitchen.

Ready-made puree does not need to be sweetened. Babies who have already appreciated the taste of fruits can be mashed in the form of a mix with vegetables. In such dishes, it is good to use pumpkin and, for example, zucchini.

Cooking for baby at home

Children are very fond of pear puree. It is prepared identically to the description from the previous section, but there are several secrets here. Not all babies respond well to grains in mashed potatoes, and a pear has just a similar consistency, which is preserved even when grated. Therefore, do not be too lazy to punch the fruit in a blender two or three times. To make the dish easier to digest, add a little milk mixture or pear broth to the puree.

Try making mashed zucchini and apples for your crumbs. This option is ideal even for allergy sufferers and is a storehouse of vitamins. Zucchini contains potassium. This substance helps the heart muscle work. Apples contain substances such as iodine, phosphorus, iron and vitamin C. Together, they protect the baby from colds and viral diseases. Steamed zucchini takes ten minutes, and apples about fifteen. For normal cooking, you need to add five minutes to the indicated time.

Mango is an exotic fruit and is not sold in everystore. But if you have the opportunity to purchase ripe mangoes, then be sure to mash them for your crumbs. This fruit contains twelve amino acids, one of the pleasant side effects of which is the normalization of sleep. Puree is prepared from fresh fruits. They are cut into cubes and mixed in a blender with two tablespoons of boiled water. Then the resulting puree is heated on the stove, but not brought to a boil. The baby needs to be offered warm.