Everything related to babies always causes a lot of worries and doubts, especially among young mothers. First of all, this applies to complementary foods. When to start? Where to begin? Buy ready-made food in jars or cook it yourself? And then there is a bunch of advisers in the form of grandmothers, doctors and friends. When planning complementary foods, you must, first of all, take into account the wishes and needs of your child and proceed from the current situation. Ideally, it is better for a breastfed baby to start complementary foods with cereals and no earlier than 6 months.
Instructions
Step 1
First you need to decide what type of cereals you will start complementary foods with. Usually it is rice, buckwheat or corn porridge of industrial production, as they do not contain gluten and are less likely to cause an allergic rash on the baby's skin. When buying, pay special attention to the composition. The first porridge should not contain any additives or milk protein.
Step 2
Once you open the box, be sure to mark the date on it. This will allow you to track the shelf life of the product, which is very important, because after three to four weeks, open porridge can absorb many bad microorganisms from the air.
Step 3
Close the packaging carefully after use and store the porridge in a dark and dry place.
Step 4
Industrial cereals do not require cooking. Prepare the porridge by following the instructions on the package. Usually it is diluted with plain water, you can add a little expressed milk for taste.
Step 5
Another tip - during the preparation of porridge, do not fill it with very hot water, otherwise lumps may form inside and useful trace elements disappear.
Step 6
It is better to start complementary foods with cereals in the morning, so you can track the allergic reaction, which usually manifests itself during the day.
Step 7
Start with half or a whole teaspoon of porridge, doubling the portion every day.
Step 8
It is not necessary to give the baby porridge from a bottle, this leads to indigestion. By tasting food from a spoon, the child learns to eat and chew. At the same time, food is well moistened with saliva and enters the stomach in the "correct" form.
Step 9
If the first porridge has been successfully eaten and digested without causing allergies or indigestion, introduce a new kind of porridge after about a week.
Step 10
If you have problems with digestion or in the form of an allergic reaction, take a short break and try another type of porridge from another manufacturer.
Step 11
You should understand that cereals with additives such as nuts, honey or chocolate, even those marked "from 5 months", are not acceptable food for such a small child. They are very allergic, so later it is better to add real berries and fruits to the porridge than to risk the health of the baby.
