Sometimes you really want to pamper your baby with something tasty and healthy at the same time. But what should you choose? Pediatricians advise not to rush into complementary foods and introduce new products gradually.
Most doctors are inclined to believe that complementary foods should be introduced no earlier than six months of the baby. Until that time, breast milk fully provides him with everything he needs.
However, everything is individual, the introduction of complementary foods depends on the growth rate of the baby, his development, the appearance of teeth and other factors. When to start feeding your baby, your local pediatrician will tell you.
How to feed your baby
Complementary foods usually start with porridge or vegetable puree. If you choose cereals, go for buckwheat, rice or corn. The stores sell special finely ground baby cereals, which you just need to dilute with water. But if you wish, you can cook the porridge yourself by crushing it in a blender.
The first vegetable puree should be courgette or cauliflower. These are the most hypoallergenic foods. Mashed potatoes can also be purchased at the store or made at home by boiling and crushing vegetables.
A couple of weeks after introducing the first adult meal, change cereals or vegetables. And after a month, you can offer your child a vegetable soup, adding a little vegetable oil and a quarter of an egg yolk. It is not recommended to give the yolk more than twice a week.
Spoil your little one with delicious fruit. Apple, pear, or apple-pear puree can be given either in pure form or added to cereals.
A couple of months after the first feeding, introduce the baby to meat. It is better to start with turkey, it is considered the most dietary and rarely causes allergies. Stir the meat puree with the vegetable puree.
Children's kefir and cottage cheese can be prepared by yourself using starter cultures, or you can buy ready-made ones. Choose foods that are stored for no longer than two weeks, and only contain beneficial bacteria.
Gradually approaching your first birthday, you can introduce low-fat fish, pumpkin, berries, baby cookies, borsch, yogurt into the child's diet. Expand the variety of cereals, vegetables and fruits.
How to introduce new products
Introduce a new product starting with a teaspoon-sized serving. It is recommended to do this in the morning. After the test, feed the baby with milk or formula and observe his reaction throughout the day.
You should be alerted by rashes, skin redness, abdominal pain or changes in the child's stool. If none of this appears, the next day, increase the serving by another scoop. Gradually bring the amount of product to 50-100 g.
