For babies in the first year of life, mother's milk will be the most suitable food. But gradually it becomes insufficient. The more a child grows, the more he needs carbohydrates and fats, vitamins and other substances.
By about six months, the digestive system in children is formed well enough to accept more solid foods. Then the introduction of complementary foods begins. When they are performed according to all the rules, one of the methods of milk is gradually replaced by one of the easy-to-digest dishes, for which there are many recipes. The task of complementary foods is a gradual transition from breastfeeding to a more solid food intake, the development of biting and chewing skills.
Tips for introducing complementary foods
In order to accustom children under one year old to food that differs from breast milk, it is necessary to introduce new products little by little. For example, soups for babies from six months are introduced in a teaspoon before the next feeding, once a day. Gradually, this portion should be increased, each time serving twice as much, and so on until the amount allows you to replace one breastfeeding.
When choosing recipes for children under one year old, you need to make sure that the ingredients do not cause problems when swallowing. Food must be liquid, so recipes for soups have gained great popularity - in such a dish you can put anything that can help fill the lack of any substances. Do not force-feed - if the child does not want to eat this or that piece, try to replace it with another product.
First, juices are introduced into the food for the baby, then it is the turn of mashed potatoes. Everything that is used to prepare such food must be thoroughly grinded. You will first need to cook mashed potatoes for babies from vegetables, then gradually move on to meat dishes. Children's soups are very useful. Here are recipes that will help you create nutritious food for your child and prepare him for the transition to an “adult” table.
Homemade baby puree
Pureed vegetables and fruits can be eaten by all children. At first, in order to cook some complementary foods for lunch, you should not take a lot of ingredients. Great for eating mono-puree or those that use two types of ingredients.
Squash puree
For the first feeding, a zucchini dish will be ideal. It can be served for an afternoon snack for babies from 7 months. For cooking, use an oven or microwave. You will need one small zucchini, a teaspoon of vegetable oil, a glass of water, greens if desired.
Wash the zucchini and cut off the peel. Cut into pieces. Place in a blender for chopping. Place in a bowl with oil and add water. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees and hold it there for 15 minutes. Stir again, you may need to re-use the blender. Serve lukewarm.
Pumpkin Applesauce
Such a dish can be prepared for a one-year-old child and those under one year old. Pumpkin adds sweetness to the dish, while apple adds vitamins and gives a pleasant aroma. For cooking, you need 300 g of pumpkin pulp, 3-4 large apples, 300 g of water. If you need to cook at one time, divide the amount by three. There are many trace elements in pumpkin, fiber, vitamins.
Peel apples and pumpkin, cut into small cubes. Put in a saucepan, pour water and put on fire. Close the lid and simmer over low heat for about 20 minutes. Remove from heat, cool.
Transfer the slightly warm contents of the pan to a blender, beat until smooth. It turns out a mass that, even without adding sugar, will be sweet enough for the baby to eat it with pleasure.
Fish puree
When it's time to introduce complementary foods with fish, it's time to cook fish purees for your child for lunch. Here's a very simple recipe.
You will need 200 g of pre-puréed potatoes, 200 g of boiled fish (it is better to choose low-fat marine varieties). It takes longer to cook the fish - wait for it to easily come off the bones. Mash the resulting fish fillet thoroughly with a fork. Then put the fish and potatoes in a blender and stir until smooth.
How to cook soup for a one year old child
Not only for a one-year-old child, but also for those who are a little younger, you can cook a variety of soups. Vegetable soup, fish soup, puree soup - there are many options, so the problem of what to cook for a child's lunch is usually solved by choosing one of these dishes.
The most common recipes for soups for a one-year-old baby are chicken soup with beef, fish, vegetable, rice.
Beef soup for baby
Beef soup for a child can be cooked in broth from a piece of meat or use a cutlet. In addition to broth, you will need zucchini - fresh or frozen, olive oil - a teaspoon, two green onion feathers, 7 sorrel leaves, a couple of slices of bread for making croutons.
Pour the cutlet or meat with water and cook. The broth can be taken from food prepared for an adult, diluted with water in a 1: 1 ratio and boiled. Cook the cutlet for 20 minutes. Grind the zucchini, one glass is enough for the soup. Rinse sorrel, chop like any greens.
Adding zucchini to meat dishes that are intended for a one-year-old baby is very useful. Dietary fiber is of great benefit, it helps the intestines work properly. Soup recipes for babies 1 year and older usually include mashed zucchini.
Put the sorrel and zucchini into the boiled broth. Green onions can be used if the child is over 1 year old - rinsed, cut into pieces and thrown into the soup. Boil everything together for 10 minutes. Then remove the vegetables from the pan with a slotted spoon and place in a blender or meat grinder. Rinse to desired consistency and put back in the saucepan. Simmer over low heat with the lid closed for 5 minutes. The soup is ready.
Chicken soup for children under 1 year old
Chicken soup, where broth predominates, can be served to babies at the very beginning of complementary foods. Such a dish has a beneficial effect on the digestive system, there is no absorption of large amounts of fat.
To prepare the broth, you will need half a liter of water and chicken fillet; it is better to choose a breast that contains almost no fat. Also prepare half a carrot and a small onion. If the dish is being prepared for a child whose menu already has a fairly large selection of products, you can add some pasta.
Put the breast into a saucepan and add water, then bring to a boil. Drain the first water and refill the pot. Now onions and carrots are being laid - they should be cooked together with chicken meat. After softening the vegetables, add the pasta.
After the pasta has cooked, you can take out the thick with a slotted spoon and grind it in a blender. Dilute the resulting mass with hot broth. Cool and serve to the child. Add salt to baby food as desired.
Oatmeal smoothie for baby food
Oatmeal is healthy, but few children eat it willingly. Therefore, it is worth making an oatmeal smoothie - this is a good option for baby food. To do this, you will need to cook oatmeal in advance.
You will need natural yogurt, 180 ml, and about half a glass of oatmeal for cooking. You can add finely chopped dried fruits, sweet preserves or jam to the dish. For porridge, boil oatmeal for 10 minutes in water, cool. Combine porridge, jam and yogurt in a blender. Mix everything until smooth. Suitable for feeding babies up to one year old, but older children often drink smoothies with pleasure.
