First complementary foods for breastfeeding and artificial feeding. Porridge for the first feeding

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

The ideal food for a newly born baby is mother's milk. It is intended for this, therefore, this wonderful drink contains all the necessary proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. In the digestive tract of a newborn, the same juices and enzymes are secreted as in adults, but their quantity and activity are very small, and the ratio differs from that of an adult organism. That is why the best food for a baby is liquid - milk or, in its absence, baby food.

But time goes by, and there comes a time when the milk is not enough for the baby. The newborn is not too mobile - he constantly lies and most of the time is immersed in sleep. He spends few calories, so milk is perfectly enough to give the most intensive weight gain for the infant period. This continues for up to six months. By 6 months, the activity of the baby increases markedly. He sits down, showsinterest in the environment. The fact that the child is constantly hungry is indicated not only by a sharp decrease in weight gain, but also by more and more frequent feedings on demand. The baby is increasingly asking for a breast! All this suggests that it is time to expand his diet and introduce the first complementary foods.

When to introduce complementary foods

Currently, most pediatricians agree that the best time to start breastfeeding is 6 months. By this time, the child's body is ready to absorb the nutrients in the new food. But with artificial feeding, the first complementary foods can be introduced earlier, for example, at 4 months. The same is true with a mother's lack of milk.

But before 3 months, you should never introduce complementary foods. The adaptation of the organism to the environment continues, the intestinal microflora is formed, a new food can easily provoke a failure. This will cause diathesis or digestive disorders - diarrhea, constipation, gas formation. The activity of enzymes of gastric juice and pancreas increases by 3 months, and by 4 months it practically corresponds to an adult. Why, when breastfeeding, do not rush to start feeding the baby? New food will force breast milk out of the baby's diet. When he eats, he will suck much less. And milk is good for the formation of immunity and is easily digested.

There are signs of weaning readiness. First of all, this concerns the nuances indicated below in the article. Young parents need to treat them with special attention. Consider the featuresfirst complementary foods while breastfeeding.

When is it time?

1. Fade out of the extrusion reflex. Until this time, the baby usually pushes the new food out of his mouth with his tongue, so it will be problematic to feed him from a spoon.
2. Seated posture for feeding. If the child already knows how to sit, then firstly, the likelihood of choking on new food will decrease. Lying down to eat mashed potatoes or porridge from a spoon is not so convenient. Secondly, the baby can take an active part in eating and show his reaction. If he likes food, he leans towards the spoon. If he has already eaten or the food is not to his taste, he can slightly move his head back.
3. The need for calories. The baby has become more active, besides, he is already noticeably larger than a newborn. He needs more food. As you know, solid food is much more nutritious liquid. After all, milk is essentially a solution of nutrients. Eating porridge is much easier than eating milk.
4. Interest in food. Children love to imitate adults, and when they see what they are eating, they want to try it too. True, the baby may not only have a food interest in food. The child may perceive food as a toy, for example, turn the fruit in his hands, crush it.

If the baby is 6 months old and these signs are not observed, wait 2-3 weeks. If the same happens later, it is better to discuss the introduction of the first complementary foods with your doctor. This may indicate any serious deviations. With artificial feeding, the first complementary foods have to be introduced earlier than this period, because no mixture provides suchcomplete nutrition, like breast milk, and the baby's body begins to require expansion of the diet earlier.

Discussion about fruits

It has long been customary to start complementary foods with fruit purees. Children eat them with pleasure and quickly get used to it. However, modern science and practice are against it. Fruits put more strain on the pancreas than vegetables due to their sweetness. And besides, their main plus turns out to be the main minus. It is difficult for a baby accustomed to tasty and sweet fruit purees to switch to vegetables.

Therefore, the most suitable foods for the first feeding are vegetables or cereals.

Vegetables or cereals

So what's the best place to start? Usually the first complementary foods are vegetables. Vegetables have many benefits. They are in many ways similar in composition to fruits, but have a number of advantages. Like fruits, they normalize digestion. However, they contain many times less fructose and do not exert such a burden on the child's pancreas. They are easier to digest than fruits and less allergenic. If the child is he althy and has a normal weight, it is recommended to start complementary foods with vegetables. They are also useful if the baby is prone to constipation or is overweight, because vegetables are lower in calories than cereals and better stimulate intestinal motility.

Porridge is recommended for those children who are slowly gaining weight. They are very nutritious. For the first feeding, cereals are prepared from gluten-free cereals. These are rice, buckwheat and corn. Rice or buckwheat is recommended as the first porridge - they are easydigestible and non-allergenic. Buckwheat is very he althy and contains essential amino acids, rich in iron.

Vegetables

Complementary foods start with the least allergenic and most easily digestible vegetables. These are zucchini, cauliflower, broccoli, and a little later - pumpkin and carrots. Carrots are already considered relatively allergenic, as are all fruits and vegetables with a bright orange or red color. It is no coincidence that they have such a color. It comes from carotenoids. This is one of the types of vitamins, and later they will be of great benefit to the growing body, but so far you should not rush. Vegetables are introduced into the child's diet in the form of mashed potatoes. Baby is just getting teeth and can't chew yet.

Zucchini puree recipe

Usually, mashed potatoes for the first feeding are prepared from zucchini. This vegetable does not have a bright taste, but the baby is not yet familiar with anything else. But zucchini does not cause allergies and is easily absorbed by the child's body. Making vegetable puree is easy. You need to peel a zucchini or any other vegetable. The seeds must be removed. Cut the pulp into small cubes or rings. Vegetables are boiled in a double boiler or in a saucepan. You can make an impromptu double boiler from a pot of water and a sieve with pieces of zucchini located on it. So the vegetable loses less vitamins, which, when cooked in water, can go into water and go. The zucchini is cooked for a short time - from 7 to 10 minutes. But it can be a little more difficult to make a smooth puree out of it due to its fibrous structure. You can turn the boiled zucchini with a blender, and then rub it through a sieve. It is better to cool the puree inrefrigerator - due to the low temperature, bacteria multiply less there. It is best to eat puree right away. But it is also allowed to store it for up to 4 days in the refrigerator, warm up before each use. Before eating, you can add a little breast milk there so that the baby feels the usual taste. But s alt and oil do not need to be put.

Mashed other vegetables

Pure from any other vegetables is prepared in the same way. The only difference is the time or method of cooking. Pumpkin can be baked in the oven, lightly filled with water. But it is introduced later than other vegetables - it can cause allergies. Potatoes can also be introduced into the child's diet, but they are difficult for the baby's digestion, so they are used in mixed mashed potatoes. For example, you can combine 1 potato and several broccoli florets, and take a little more broccoli. They do the same with carrots - it is risky to give carrot puree in its pure form because of a possible allergy, but it does not hurt to add it as a component to a mixed puree. Carrot puree is prepared differently: fresh peeled carrots are grated, then steamed or in a saucepan. After that, it is rubbed through a sieve without any problems.

Kashi

Usually, cereals for the first complementary foods are dairy-free. Cow's milk will enter the child's diet only a year, and even then carefully and gradually. True, adding a little breast milk or an adapted mixture is not forbidden. Despite the fact that usually cooked at home means he althy, doctors advocate the use of ready-made cereals for complementary foods. They are adapted for children of this particular age, theirthe structure is more delicate and homogeneous, the composition is balanced, they are hypoallergenic, moreover, they are quickly and easily brewed. But homemade cereals are also popular. If you have time and opportunity, you can tinker a little.

How to cook porridge for feeding

In order to get dairy-free porridge for the first feeding, you must first make flour from cereals. Rinse the cereal several times until the water runs clear. Then it is dried naturally on a napkin, or faster - in the oven. Dried cereals must be ground into flour in a coffee grinder or a suitable blender. Flour usually makes quite a lot, so that most can be stored in a dark, dry place. You only need a tablespoon. Heat 100 ml of water in a small saucepan. Then a spoonful of flour is placed in water and boiled for 15 minutes. The first porridge should be liquid - it can be diluted to the consistency of breast milk. As in the case of mashed potatoes, the first cereals should include only one cereal. When the child is already used to each porridge, you can sometimes mix them, but it is better to stick to single-ingredient dishes.

Choose ready-made porridge

If you nevertheless trusted the advice of doctors or decided to save time and choose to buy instant porridge, this choice should be approached carefully. What is important to consider? Porridge for the first feeding should be dairy-free, gluten-free and contain only one ingredient. Of course, in the food of babies there should be no sugar or sweeteners, and even more so flavors andother artificial additives. The package usually indicates the age of the child from which such porridge can be consumed. In addition, as with any food product, it is important to pay attention to the expiration date and the integrity of the packaging.

Meat

Meat is not used for the first feeding. After all, it is more difficult to digest, and its time comes at 8 months. Meat is important for babies because it is the best source of iron. This element is found in other products, but in smaller quantities. In addition, only meat contains heme iron - the same as in our blood, in the composition of hemoglobin. It absorbs much better. Meat is also rich in B vitamins and zinc. All this helps the baby to be active and have good immunity.

Which meat is he althier?

The safest and most easily digestible meats are rabbit and turkey. Many doctors advise starting the introduction of meat products with mashed or minced rabbit. There are other types of meat that are suitable for babies. Beef is very nutritious, and chicken is easy to digest, but you need to be careful - these foods can cause allergies. Beef allergy is especially strong in children who are allergic to cow's milk protein. Pork can also be offered as a substitute, but this is a fatty and heavy type of meat, and you should not get carried away with it.

Meat Puree

Meat puree can also be bought at the store, where for the youngest age it will be ground almost to a homogeneous state, or you can cook it yourself. If you decideto do it yourself, it is important to carefully choose the meat and be sure that it meets sanitary standards. It is necessary to remove all the tendons, put the meat in cold water, bring to a boil, cook for 5 minutes, then drain the water, pour cold water and cook a second time until tender. During the first cooking, all harmful substances will come out of the meat. Boiled meat can be turned 2 times in a meat grinder or blender, trying to achieve the most homogeneous consistency.