Introduction of complementary foods. Why do babies need complementary foods?

Complementary feeding and supplementary feeding are the two most frequently used terms, which not all mothers can fully understand. So, what is complementary feeding, and how does it differ from supplementary feeding? When should you start feeding newborns without harming the baby's health?

What is the difference between complementary feeding and supplementary feeding?

If a woman has an insufficient amount of milk after the birth of a child, then in this case the child is additionally fed with various milk formulas, cow's or goat's milk. This type of feeding of a child is called additional food or, in short, supplementary feeding. So, we supplement our baby if natural mother’s milk is not enough to provide adequate nutrition to the newborn.

All other products (besides milk and infant formula) that a child receives during the first year of life are called. These are products that are inherent specifically in the adult diet - meat, fish, vegetables, fruits, dairy products. In this case, parents purposefully feed the child, thereby preparing for adult life.

So, supplementary feeding is milk, milk formulas that are used to provide additional nutrition to a child when there is a lack of mother’s breast milk; Complementary feeding is adult food in the form of soups, cereals, vegetables, fruits, etc.

Now let's take a closer look at the issues of complementary feeding - how should you properly feed your child?

When can you start your first complementary feeding?

Every parent has probably heard from grandmothers, relatives, and the local pediatrician that complementary feeding supposedly needs to be started as early as 2 months. Advisers recommend giving your child egg yolk, fruit or vegetable juice, mashed potatoes, soup, etc. And the older the child is, the more such advice and edifying recommendations the woman will hear. Moreover, in addition to this, one will hear that parents do not want to feed their child due to laziness, negligent parental attitude, and incompetence in matters of raising and feeding the child. Some parents “give up” and begin to severely abuse their child’s gastrointestinal tract, feeding him borscht, soups, meat, fish and other foods that the baby’s stomach is simply unable to process (as a result, the child experiences colic, constipation, and diarrhea , nausea, vomiting).

Of course, neither grandmothers, nor relatives, nor friends wish harm to your child. The only thing you must understand is that only you, as a parent, are fully responsible for your child. When children start getting sick, all the advisers for some reason remain on the sidelines and do not make any effort to help in any way.

Feeding a child with egg yolk, soup, porridge, and borscht began to be introduced into practice when otherwise it was simply impossible to satisfy the child. The total shortage during the Soviet era affected a woman’s nutrition during pregnancy, then the quality and quantity of breast milk, then the dictatorship that the child must urgently be sent to kindergarten and go to work, etc.

The shortage of breast milk was replaced with cow's or goat's milk. But before giving it to the child, the milk was thoroughly boiled, as a result of which absolutely all the vitamins, minerals and nutrients left it. As a result, the child experienced an acute deficiency of vitamins, minerals, iron, calcium, etc., which affected the health and general well-being of the baby. This was manifested in hypovitaminosis, low hemoglobin, physical and mental retardation.

Considering the above reasons, pediatricians have begun to widely recommend introducing complementary foods to children in the form of adult food, which clearly contains more vitamins and minerals than children's food. After this, complementary foods began to be associated with egg yolk, puree, borscht, etc.

So, if a nursing mother does not have enough breast milk, or her diet does not allow the necessary nutrients to be added to this milk, then in this case, complementary feeding cannot be avoided.

There is no need to feed a baby until the age of 6 months if:

• A nursing mother eats a nutritious and varied diet;
• A woman’s diet contains fresh vegetables, fruits, dairy products, meat, fish, juices;
• If the amount is insufficient, the child can be supplemented with high-quality adapted milk formula.

If the above conditions are not met, then it is necessary to additionally feed the child.

When and what to give to a child?

If we are guided by the opinion of pediatricians, then supposedly from 2 months of age a child can be given natural apple juice, and from 4-5 months - vegetable juices and broths, then meat broths and soups are used. But again! Let's resort to the recommendations of practicing pediatricians and nutritionists. They present the following arguments for parents to consider: absolutely all representatives of the animal world feed their young with breast milk. In nature, you will not find those animals that give their children vitamins, artificial mixtures, vegetables, fruits, etc. until they have teeth. The only thing is that if the mother refuses to feed the child due to health conditions or personal reasons, then adapted milk formulas can be used.

For example, the famous pediatrician Komarovsky E.O. believes that The child’s first complementary foods should be introduced only at the age of 6 months (it is at this age that children’s first teeth begin to appear). Further, the doctor says that modern vegetable, meat, and fruit purees in jars are a huge business, which is built on the ignorance of parents.

Giving cereals, purees and other baby food products in jars only makes sense when the mother and child live in poverty (that is, rice, potatoes, bread for lunch and no additional sources of vitamins).

There is no and cannot be any benefit from feeding a child at an early age (from a month onwards). In addition, the child’s parents will encounter a persistent allergic reaction to most foods, constipation and bowel disorders in the baby. And here we see a closed chain: mothers go to the store, buy industrial purees and juices, introduce them into complementary foods, children suffer from an allergic reaction, diarrhea, pediatricians are at work and the baby food business is developing.

Supplementing a child with formula is not a way to “make life easier” for the mother, but a necessary measure, since it rarely goes without consequences for her and the child. The minimum that can happen is a decrease in lactation and intestinal colic in the baby.

Supplemental feeding of a newborn with formula is introduced only after assessing the following criteria.

1. Weight gain. Weight loss after childbirth should not be more than 10% of birth weight. Children gain at least 500 grams monthly in the first 3-4 months of life.

2. The child’s behavior between feedings. A fed baby is calm, except when his tummy hurts. Doesn't ask for the breast every 1-2 hours.

3. Frequency of urination and stool. A healthy child on breastfeeding urinates at least 10 times a day, more often about 20 times. At the same time, babies usually have very frequent bowel movements, up to 7 times a day. But a normal number of urinations and rare bowel movements do not mean that the child is not eating enough.

4. Real shortage of milk. You can weigh your baby before and after feeding to see how much he is sucking. Information received within at least 24 hours should be considered relevant, that is, the total amount of nutrition the child received per day is important.

Refer to the following standards.
- 1/5 in grams of the actual weight at the age of up to 1 month should be eaten by a child;
- 1/6-1/7 - from 2 to 6 months, before the introduction of complementary foods.
For example, a child weighing 4 kg needs 800 grams of milk per day. When feeding on demand, that is, quite often, about 10 times a day, the child can eat a little. But in the end, he will still eat approximately this amount in a day and night.

If there are no problems with this, but it still seems to you that the baby is hungry in the evening, try supplementing with expressed milk. It is known that a woman produces the greatest amount of milk in the morning. Then you can express a little to give to your baby in the evening, when lactation subsides a little. This is a temporary measure to avoid introducing supplementary feeding with artificial formulas.

But these signs are not a consequence of insufficient lactation:

• baby crying during feeding with legs tucked to the stomach (this is a symptom of intestinal colic; children may also often begin to suck and release the breast, screaming);
• “empty” breast (if the baby is sucking and you hear him swallow milk, after the start of sucking there is a rush of milk - everything is fine), after the so-called establishment of lactation, the woman has almost no milk in the glands between feedings, all of it is concentrated in alveoli;
• an increase of 500-600 grams in the first three months (you should not take as an example children who gain 2 kg per month, usually these are children who suckle almost all the time; those who eat on a schedule or sleep often usually gain less , it's not scary);
• poor night sleep (children sleep poorly not only because of hunger, but also because the climate at home is too hot, low humidity, increased gas production, an uncomfortable crib, painful teething, etc.);
• small amount of expressed milk - even very “milky” women cannot always express a sufficient amount of milk.

We repeat that supplementary feeding of a newborn in the maternity hospital and after discharge from it is a necessary measure. Lactase deficiency in the baby, intestinal infection in the mother, or lactostasis are not indications for this. Once every 3-6 months, mothers experience lactation crises. This is when the baby begins to require more milk, but the breasts cannot immediately begin to produce more. This time must be endured. Feed more often and everything will get better within a week. Supplementary feeding during breastfeeding is not introduced in this case. It is possible that feeding not one, but both mammary glands will help. When a woman gives one breast until it is completely empty, and then the other.

Rules for introducing supplementary feeding

1. First let the baby breastfeed, and only then offer supplementary feeding.

2. Give the child the mixture from a spoon in a small amount. For this purpose, you can use either a regular teaspoon or a special silicone or plastic one. The soft drinking spoon for supplementary feeding (Medela) has good reviews. This device does not lead to breast refusal in the future and is very convenient to use. True, it's not cheap. Another good option is supplementary feeding from a syringe without a needle. The measuring syringe that comes with some medications is ideal for this. For example, with the children's antipyretic syrup "Nurofen". The breastfeeding system is very popular now. This is an ideal option for women who dream of maintaining and increasing lactation, without starving the child. This is such a simple device, with the help of which the baby sucks the formula and at the same time sucks on the mother's breast. And, as we remember, the more the baby suckles, the more milk is produced. Medela's SNS supplementary feeding system, the most famous, is sold in pharmacies. As they say, the wolves are fed and the sheep are safe.

3. Breasts, even with a small amount of milk, must be given at least 3 times a day, otherwise lactation will very quickly come to naught.

4. If possible, give the baby the breast at night, and not formula, since the hormone prolactin is produced at night. He is responsible for breastfeeding.

5. The first supplementary feeding should be carried out with a very small amount of the mixture, no more than 10-30 grams. The child's body must get used to the new diet. If there is no gradualness, the baby will experience constipation and colic. The pediatrician will explain how to introduce formula supplementation to your baby.

What will happen if, instead of formula, the child is given cow's or goat's milk, as they were fed before? Or introduce complementary foods earlier? This, of course, is not worth doing. Whole animal milk is the strongest allergen. It should not be given to children under one year of age! But supplementary feeding with formula at 6 months can be replaced with complementary foods. For example, give porridge or vegetable puree at one of the feedings. Or perhaps even both, if complementary foods were introduced earlier, at 4 or 5 months. Supplementing your baby with cereal is recommended if the child is not gaining weight well. Usually they first give dairy-free cereals, and then, after 2-3 months, they begin to offer dairy ones. Everything is just from a spoon.
You need to understand the difference between complementary feeding and complementary feeding. Cereal porridge (buckwheat, rice, corn) is the second. And children are fed only with liquid artificial nutrition. Formula or breast milk must be present in the child’s diet until one year of age.

Which mixture to choose for supplementary feeding and why you need to preserve breastfeeding

The choice of mixture should be approached responsibly. Among the huge assortment of this product on the market, making the right choice is quite difficult. We will present the main criteria for choosing this product.

1. Composition of the mixture. It should contain the vitamins and microelements necessary for the baby in the correct proportions. This will make the food as close as possible to mother's milk.

2. Availability of a quality certificate, well-known manufacturer and brand.

4. Normal shelf life and guarantee of compliance with storage rules(you shouldn’t buy the mixture secondhand, even if the price is very attractive).

Based on their consistency, all mixtures can be divided into dry and liquid. Dry mixtures occupy more than 90% of the market for these products. Sold in powder form in sealed packaging. Before feeding, the powder is diluted with boiled water at a temperature of 37-38 degrees according to the instructions.

Liquid mixtures are sold ready-made. Immediately before use, they only need to be warmed up. The main disadvantage of liquid nutrition is its short shelf life.

According to the composition of the mixture, there are adapted, partially adapted and non-adapted.
Adapted ones are made on the basis of demineralized whey. They are perfectly digestible by babies, and therefore are considered the best option for feeding newborns. Supplementary feeding per month is carried out with just such mixtures.

In less adapted mixtures, the main component is casein, and demineralized whey is absent. This food is recommended for children over 6 months. The so-called two.

There are special formulas for premature babies and children with weakened immune systems. They are rich in protein and vitamins that the baby needs for proper growth and development. Promotes rapid weight gain.

For children suffering from iron deficiency, formulas with a high content of this particular trace element are sold. Not recommended for children under 4 months.

For intestinal problems, choose mixtures with probiotics. They reduce the risk of colic, constipation and regurgitation in the baby. For babies who suffer from frequent regurgitation, pediatricians recommend foods that contain thickeners in the form of starch.

For children prone to various types of allergies, hypoallergenic or lactose-free soy mixtures are suitable.

Supplemental feeding of a newborn with an incorrectly selected mixture can lead to intestinal upset and cause weight loss.

Considering that artificial nutrition is an expensive pleasure, you should not focus your choice only on advertising and cost.

But even if you managed to choose the formula well, remember that breast milk is the main and best food for a newborn baby. The main role of breastfeeding is an individual and balanced diet at any time. An important advantage of breast milk is that no equivalent analogue has yet been invented. Why is it necessary to leave HS in the maximum amount?

1. Beneficial effect on the intestinal microflora of infants.

2. Breast milk contains a large number of useful elements necessary for life and growth. Despite this, its digestibility reaches 90%.

3. The correct functioning of the tiny organism is facilitated by the presence of biologically active substances (enzymes, immunoglobulin, hormones, etc.) found in breast milk.

4. By observing basic hygiene rules, maximum sterility of feeding is achieved.

5. Mother's milk, available at any time, is at the ideal temperature for breastfeeding.

6. Each mother’s body individually adjusts the composition of milk to suit the baby’s needs, but on average it contains 88.1% water, 7% carbohydrates, 3.8% fat, 0.9% protein and 0.2% other substances.

7. The main component of milk is water, which allows you to avoid feeding the baby additionally.

8. The amount of protein is sufficient for ideal development and growth rate.

9. Lactose contained in the composition helps the absorption of iron and calcium and affects the development of the central nervous system.

Breast milk contains a large number of microelements that contribute to the normal functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, organ development, optimal growth, and protection from infections.

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Introduction of complementary foods

The issue of nutrition must be approached very responsibly. It’s easy for young mothers to get confused about the rules for introducing complementary foods, supplements, and nutritional supplements. No need to be scared. We'll try to figure it all out.

If there is a lack of milk in the mother, supplementary feeding is prescribed. Supplementary feeding is a special infant formula for nutrition. There are a huge number of infant formulas (powdered, milk-based, ready-to-use, etc.). Ask your doctor which formula is best for your child. The main thing here is to follow one rule: supplementary feeding is given after breastfeeding.

Until one year of age, three complementary foods are introduced into the child’s diet. Lure- This is a replacement of feeding with foreign food.

Please note that when introducing complementary foods there are important rules that need to be remembered.

Lure– this is the first step towards developing the baby’s health, getting to know the variety of tastes and becoming able to eat food independently. From 4-6 months, mother's milk or its substitute cannot fully satisfy the growing body's needs for energy and nutrients. By 3 months of life, digestive enzymes mature. At 3-4 months, local intestinal immunity and swallowing mechanisms are formed. Complementary foods introduce your baby to different tastes and textures.

Start complementary feeding with single-component purees, juices and cereals, which do not contain flavor enhancers. Any new product should be introduced when the child is healthy. Introduce a new product in the morning before breastfeeding to monitor your reaction throughout the day. A new product should be introduced gradually, starting from? tsp and gradually increasing its volume by 10-30 g for 7 - 10 days. In case of poor tolerance, it is necessary to stop administering the product and try to introduce it again after a while. If a negative reaction occurs again, you should discard the product and try to replace it with a similar one. (for example, applesauce - pear). Feed your baby each new product for 5-7 days before introducing another, otherwise, in case of food rejection, you will not be able to understand which product provoked the negative reaction. If your baby doesn't like the dish, try offering it after a few days. Be patient when offering a new product up to 10 – 15 times. You should feed with a spoon, warming the product to 37 degrees Celsius.

BE SURE TO CONSULT WITH YOUR PEDIATRIC WHEN AND WHAT FOODS TO START COMPLEMENTARY FEEDINGS : single-ingredient fruit or vegetable purees, juices or single-grain cereals.

1. Complementary foods are introduced gradually. Start with one teaspoon. The dose is increased gradually. Do not rush to increase the amount of food. Give your baby a chance to get used to it.

2. Complementary foods are given before breastfeeding.

3. Complementary foods should be uniform.

4. Porridges must be alternated. Don’t be lazy to prepare different types of porridges.

5. It is better to give complementary foods during the second feeding. You shouldn’t start your baby’s day right away with foreign food.

6. Do not start introducing complementary foods when you are sick.

7. Do not introduce two new foods at once. The child must first get used to one dish, then to another.

8. Introduce all new dishes at your own time. If foreign food is introduced prematurely, the child’s body may not yet be ready to absorb it.

Complementary feeding schedule

Age

Lure

3.5 Months

Monocomponent juices: apple, pear, plum with pulp.

4 months

Monocomponent fruit purees: apple, pear, plum, peach, apricot.

4.5 months

Monocomponent purees from vegetables: zucchini, cauliflower, broccoli, potatoes, carrots.

5 months

Juices and nectars from black and red currants, raspberries, cherries, quinces, cherries, blueberries, lingonberries (up to 20% berry juice)
Mono and multi-component fruit puree: black and red currants, raspberries, cherries, quince, cherries.
Mono- and multi-component vegetable purees: pumpkin, beets, white cabbage
Porridges: gluten-free: rice, buckwheat; corn mixed with buckwheat and rice, and gluten-containing: wheat, semolina, oatmeal, oatmeal, instant cookies.

6 months

Juices and nectars from citrus fruits, tropical fruits (pineapple), strawberries, wild strawberries, tomatoes (!!! Highly allergenic products - administer with caution and monitor the body’s reaction!!!)
Fruit - grain and fruit - milk (yogurt) puree, as well as with citrus products.
Vegetable purees with the addition of tomatoes.
Multi-component porridges (3 types of grain each).
Cottage cheese: This product is introduced into the baby’s diet gradually, starting from 3-5 years. By the age of one year, the amount of cottage cheese should be 50 g.

6.5 months

The yolk of a hard-boiled egg. The yolk is introduced very carefully. With good tolerance, by the age of one year the child can eat half the yolk per day.
Meat puree: beef, pork, lamb, chicken, turkey, rabbit.

7 months

Juices from papaya, kiwi, guava.
Vegetable purees with the addition of green peas.
Dairy products. The baby can try kefir and acidophilus mixtures first. Use only special fermented milk mixtures.

8 months

Vegetable puree with added spinach.
Meat puree with the addition of offal (liver, heart and tongue).
Fish-based products: Puree from cod, hake, pike perch, salmon, haddock. Fish puree replaces 2 meat feedings per week.

Over 9 months

Clarified grape juice.
Porridge like “Muesli” (for children)

First feedingBest given at 5 months of age. For bottle-fed babies, the first complementary foods can be given a little earlier, around 4 months. It is better to give vegetable puree as the first complementary food because... it contains microelements and fiber. To begin with, it is advisable to start preparing vegetable puree from some product. You can, for example, make it from carrots.

Then vegetable puree can be prepared from several products. Try to keep the potatoes to no more than half their volume. Mashed potatoes are too heavy food for a baby. You can use zucchini, pumpkin, turnips, cabbage. Focus on your baby's tastes. Like an adult, he may not like this or that product.

Second feedingadministered at 6 months. With artificial feeding from 5 months.

It is better to start the second feeding with 5% semolina porridge. To prepare it you need to take about 200 ml. cow's milk and add 70 ml to it. water. This mixture must be heated to a boil. When the mixture begins to boil, stirring, pour 10 grams into it. semolina. Cook the porridge for about 10 minutes. At the end of cooking, you can add 1 teaspoon of sugar.

Third feedingstart giving at 7 months. Formula-fed children at 6 months. The third complementary feeding begins with meat broth. Is it better to give pork or beef? Can be given before vegetable puree. In this case, do not give more than 30 ml so that the child does not lose his appetite. At 8 months (with artificial feeding at 7 months) you can give meat. You need to make minced meat out of it by passing it through a meat grinder twice. Cooked minced meat can be added to vegetable puree. At 9-10 months you can give fish. It can be boiled and mashed well. When cooking it, carefully remove it from the bones. Don't feed fatty fish.

Food additives include:

Juices. They begin to be given at about 3 months. Begin to give a few drops of juice, gradually increasing its amount. To find out how much juice you can give to your child. You need to use a simple formula. Your child's age needs to be multiplied by 10. The answer in milliliters will be the required amount.

For example, your child is 7 months old. Multiply 7 by 10 and get 70 ml.

It is advisable to give clear juices (apple, grape). Juices from citrus or red fruits can cause allergies.

From 2-3 months You can give grated apple. With it, the child receives vitamins and microelements.

From 3 months You can try giving the yolk. Do not give a child at this age more than a few crumbs. With the yolk, the child receives iron. This is very important for the prevention of iron deficiency anemia.

From 5-6 months. They give you cottage cheese. Do not give more than 20 grams. By 1 year this amount can be increased to 50 grams. With cottage cheese, the child receives protein and calcium.

Butter can also be given at 5 months.

When starting to give your child foreign food, keep in mind that the child must get used to it. Sometimes children eat a new product with pleasure, and sometimes they refuse. In this case, you should not force the child. Wait another 1 - 2 weeks and try again. Monitor your baby's reaction to foods. You may be allergic to something and get a tummy ache. Do not feed your child exclusively cereals. Avoid giving foods that are too sweet or fatty. Don't overfeed your baby. Do not be upset if your child does not eat the amount of food that he should eat according to calculations. If he gains weight normally, if he is healthy, cheerful, cheerful, active, then he eats the amount he needs.

Currently, there are a lot of disputes and disagreements about the rules and timing of introducing complementary foods. Basically, they begin to move away from the usual schedule of complementary feeding in favor of its later introduction. Of course, breast milk is undoubtedly a very important form of nutrition for a baby, but a healthy child cannot be satisfied with breast milk alone, even if its quantity is sufficient. There is a need to provide the baby with vitamins and other important elements, as well as to ensure sufficient calorie intake.

Supplementary feeding is an additional type of food given to a child of the first year of life who is on natural breastfeeding when the amount of milk produced by the mother’s mammary glands is insufficient. Products of plant origin or specialized milk formulas (most often adapted) act as supplementary feeding.

When should supplementary feeding be introduced?

Supplementary feeding is administered to the child if the mother has insufficient milk supply, but not earlier than 7-8 days from the date of the official diagnosis. Breast milk deficiency (hypogalactia) in relation to the child’s daily needs can be divided into percentages: 1st degree - 25%, 2nd degree - 50%, 3rd degree - 75%, 4th degree - more 75%.

In case of hypogalactia of the 3rd-4th degree, the child is transferred to mixed feeding from the moment it is detected, and in parallel with this, all measures are taken to restore lactation in full. To determine the degree of milk deficiency in the mother, it is necessary to weigh the baby at different hours - at least 3 times during the day - before and after feeding. By the difference in body weight, you can judge how much milk the baby has sucked. By calculating the required amount of milk using formulas (they are given in previous chapters) and knowing the amount of milk the child receives from the mother, you can calculate the amount of supplementary feeding.

The feeding schedule remains free, that is, not fixed in time; feeding should be done at the baby’s first request. It is only necessary to constantly monitor the amount of milk in the mother (using control weighings of the child) and compensate for the missing volume using specialized formulas (best adapted).

How to introduce supplementary feeding while breastfeeding?

Supplementary feeding should be given only after the baby has first been attached to the breast, even if the mother has a minimal amount of milk (not to be confused with the technique of giving complementary foods, which is given before breastfeeding). If the volume of supplementary feeding is small, then it is more advisable to give it from a spoon; if the volume of supplementary feeding is large, from a cup, since the easier flow of milk formula through the nipple contributes to the baby’s refusal to breastfeed. With a very large volume given to the child, to speed up the feeding process and make this work easier, the mother still has to use a bottle, but the nipple must be elastic enough, with a small hole (or holes) at the end, so that the mixture does not flow out on its own, but the baby had to make some effort (the mixture should be released in drops), as when sucking on the mother’s breast (the process is imitated).

If the nipple is soft enough and/or the holes at the end are too large, which allows the child to receive formula without difficulty, then he will refuse the mother’s breast in the future (since the mammary glands are quite elastic). Hypogalactia will progress, it will be quite difficult to restore lactation in the proper volume, and the baby’s chewing apparatus will not develop according to physiological rules, in the future there may be a violation of articulation, etc.

Supplementary feeding in the form of independent feedings can be recommended only in exceptional cases - in the absence of the mother near the child during feeding hours. Long intervals between breastfeeding lead to early suppression of lactation.

Special milk formulas are used as supplementary feeding, when choosing which, preference should be given to adapted ones (they are mentioned in previous chapters).

It is advisable to prescribe fruit juices and purees as a correction of vitamins and minerals from 3-3.5 months, respectively.

From 4.5 months, complementary foods are introduced into the child’s diet - vegetable puree or porridge. It is preferable to use vegetable puree as the first complementary food, but in certain situations (insufficient weight gain, etc.), cereal complementary foods - porridge - can be prescribed first. The second complementary feeding - first 5%, then 10% porridge - is prescribed a month after the first, i.e. from 5.5 months.

From 6 months, the child is prescribed cottage cheese at the rate of 3-5 g/kg body weight.

From 6-6.5 months, chicken egg yolk is introduced into the child’s diet, from 7 months - meat at the rate of 3-5 g/kg, first in a homogeneous (homogeneous, pureed) form, then in a less crushed form. Special children's canned meat and vegetables can be widely used in food.

Fish can be included in a baby’s diet from 8-9 months - instead of meat, 1-2 times a week.

With mixed feeding, the child's need for calories, proteins, fats and carbohydrates is the same as with natural feeding, therefore, when selecting a milk formula used for supplementary feeding, it is necessary to properly calculate all its components per 100 g of product and their percentage. When using adapted formulas, the need remains the same as with natural feeding. If non-adapted formulas are given as supplementary food, then before introducing complementary foods, the caloric content of food should be increased by 5-10% compared to natural feeding. The need for proteins in this case increases to 3 g/kg body weight.

By the end of the first year of a child’s life, with the introduction of all types of complementary foods, the total amount of protein should be 3.5 g/kg body weight, the amount of fat and carbohydrates remains the same as with natural feeding.

Supplemental feeding and complementary feeding of small children is used when the baby does not have enough mother's milk or it does not provide him with everything necessary for normal growth and development.

But supplementary feeding and complementary feeding are somewhat different concepts. Now we will figure out how they differ.

Supplementary feeding of the child

Supplemental feeding is the feeding of newborn babies if the baby does not have enough breast milk.

This happens in different cases. Either the child loves to eat too much, or there are twins or triplets in the family, or the mother simply has little milk.

For supplementary feeding, adapted milk formulas, breast milk from another woman (donor milk) or animal milk, most often cow's milk, are used.

Supplementary feeding is used with a mixed or artificial feeding scheme and the products for supplementary feeding are only dairy products or milk-based ones.

All other products will be considered complementary foods.

Feeding the baby

Complementary feeding is usually called feeding a newborn baby with all products except milk and infant formula.

Complementary feeding is necessary for the baby's gradual transition from breastfeeding to eating adult food.

Currently, if a nursing mother is provided with adequate nutrition or adapted milk formulas are used, there is no need to use complementary foods for children under six months of age. Everything the child needs is what he gets.

Just recently, some thirty years ago or a little more, there were no high-quality mixtures.

Therefore, with insufficient or monotonous nutrition of nursing mothers, newborns had to be fed foods to replenish the necessary elements, vitamins, minerals, and so on.

Therefore, people have formed the opinion that complementary feeding is necessary for the little ones. But now this is not the case. It is enough to provide the mother with adequate nutrition or use formula milk for feeding.

Based on this, early complementary feeding of children under six months of age is not recommended. This can cause digestive problems and diathesis.

How to start complementary feeding

You should start complementary feeding carefully with small doses. First you need to give the child a couple of spoons. Then observe him, how he feels, what kind of stool he has, whether there are any rashes or redness.

If you don’t like something, then discard this product until the negative manifestations disappear. If all is well, then the dose can be increased.

You should not give your child new foods if he is sick, or three days before and three days after vaccinations.

Complementary feeding products

For complementary feeding, a certain set of products is used. In general, they can be grouped as follows.

• Fermented milk products, kefir, yogurt, cottage cheese.
• Milk and cereal porridges, buckwheat, rice, oatmeal...
• Vegetable purees, soups.
• Meat and fish products, egg yolk.

All these products must be introduced into the baby’s diet gradually and in a certain sequence.

Stages of adding complementary foods

Let us remind you once again that we do not use any complementary foods until six months of age.

First feeding

The most logical way to start feeding your baby is with fermented milk products. Their composition is closest to mother's milk, so the likelihood of problems in the child will be noticeably lower. In addition, lactic acid bacteria have a beneficial effect on digestion.

We immediately give two or three spoons of kefir and feed the baby with his usual food. We monitor the child, if everything is fine, then the next day we double the dose. That is, on the first day we give 15 grams, on the second we give 30 grams, on the third we give 60 grams, and on the fourth day we give 120 grams of kefir.

At the same time, we carefully monitor the child’s well-being. If there are problems, then we don’t increase the dose, we can even reduce it. In case of serious problems, complementary feeding should be suspended.

After four days, if there are no negative effects, add cottage cheese to the kefir. The mixture should be mixed well and you can sweeten it a little.

We gradually increase the amount of complementary foods to such a dose that they can replace one feeding.

For the rest of the feeding we continue to give traditional food.

Second feeding

The second feeding should also replace one feeding. It should be given before bedtime. And for this we already use milk and cereal porridges. The most suitable for this are buckwheat, rice or oatmeal.

You can purchase flour from these porridges or grind it yourself using a regular coffee grinder. You can prepare porridge with cow's milk or formula for children over six months old.

Third feeding

Once your baby reaches eight months and has his first tooth, you can start giving him vegetables. If there are no teeth yet, then you can wait until they appear.

For a test, prepare a vegetable decoction and give the child 50 grams. The next day we give 100 grams. If everything is good, then you can give vegetable soup or puree. We increase the quantity in such a way as to replace another feeding.

If the vegetables are digested well, then prepare the soup with meat broth. Next, you can add pureed meat to the soup along with vegetables.

When the first tooth appears, the child can begin to be given fruits in the form of purees or juices. But fruits are given in addition to the main meal; they do not replace feeding.

When the baby is nine months old, three feedings will be provided by complementary foods. Once kefir with cottage cheese, then soup with vegetables and meat, and milk porridge at night.

From ten months you can give soup in fish broth. You need to eat a variety of porridges. Don't settle on just one option. You can crumble some bread into the soup and give the crust of bread to chew in your hand.

If the mother still has milk, then you can continue to feed the baby for up to a year or even more; there will only be benefits. Infant formula can be used for up to two to three years.