A newborn baby eats only breast milk or formula, and at first this is enough for him to grow and develop fully. But over time, a moment comes when the child's body is already ready to accept more adult food, so parents need to decide for themselves how and when they will introduce complementary foods for their child.
When to introduce complementary foods for the baby
If the child is completely breastfed, then up to six months he does not need anything else, he can only drink ordinary water. The main thing here is that the mother herself eat properly, eating all the necessary foods: dairy, fruits, vegetables, meat, etc. - after all, the child receives all this along with milk.
Most pediatricians agree that with natural feeding, the first complementary foods should be introduced to the child after 6 months, and with artificial feeding - after four and a half. But what kind of products should be started is a controversial issue: some advise juices and fruit purees, others - only vegetable, tk. they are most adapted for the child's body.
The main condition for the introduction of the first complementary foods is that mashed potatoes should consist of only one component, which belongs to non-allergenic products.
Which is better: ready-made mashed potatoes or homemade food
The stores now offer a huge assortment of ready-made baby food in the form of fruit, vegetable, meat purees, juices, etc. Mothers can only choose the right one and warm it up.
But despite the abundance of cans, many parents choose to feed their child with homemade food. This has many advantages: confidence in the quality of the dish, adherence to hygiene rules, the absence of harmful additives and GMOs. Although it takes a lot of time to prepare food, especially at the beginning of complementary foods, when the child only needs one spoon. And if the products were not grown in their own garden, then it is not known how they were stored and what was added for their growth - many purchased fruits and vegetables in the winter contain more harmful substances than vitamins.
The most non-allergenic foods for the first vegetable feed are: zucchini, cauliflower, broccoli; and from fruits: apples, pears, plums, apricots, etc. At first, you should not give the child a mixture of several components, because it is less digestible, and if a reaction occurs, it will be difficult to determine from what exactly it arose.
When cooking at home, food must be very carefully selected, rinsed, and then cooked until tender. The first food should be given to the child in a form crushed through a sieve or in a blender. The consistency of the puree should be uniform without any lumps, and also liquid enough so that the baby does not have problems with swallowing. It is worth starting with half a teaspoon, gradually increasing the portion to 100 grams. If there is no allergy, then it is worth introducing another component, and then you can already combine them.
Many pediatricians advise to start complementary foods with puree cans, because they are adapted for the child's body and are carefully monitored during cooking. Of course, one cannot be sure that the manufacturer really takes quality products and does not add any substances for better storage. When buying, you need to look at the composition, the addition of sugar and salt is not recommended for children under one year old.
In any case, will you cook for your child yourself or buy ready-made purees, carefully approach the choice of products. Sometimes it happens that allergic reactions are caused by a green apple or zucchini, or maybe some separate substance added to this product. After all, purchased fruits / vegetables are often processed, and this is what can cause allergies, or the manufacturer added something to the puree during its manufacture, which was also not accepted by the child's body.
