At about 4-6 months of age, the baby ceases to have enough liquid milk food - his body is gradually preparing to switch to "adult" food, which means it's time to introduce complementary foods. The rules for the introduction of complementary foods explain by what signs you can determine that the child is already ready to try new dishes, as well as what exactly to give him, how and when.

If the child begins to show interest in the dishes that adults eat, then he is already ready for the introduction of complementary foods.

I'm ready!

The purpose of the introduction of complementary foods is to diversify the children's diet with food that contains a lot of nutrients and calories in a small amount, as well as gradually accustom the baby to eat from a spoon. The products that are given at the same time activate the production of enzymes that can digest components new to the child's body, and develop chewing skills.

There is no single age for the start of complementary foods - some children are given it from 4 months, others - from 6 or later - it all depends on the pace of development and the state of health of the baby. What signs will help determine that it is time for a baby to feed?

• The volume of breast milk or milk formula that the child consumes per day is 1 liter or more, and at the same time you notice that the baby does not eat enough.
• The baby's body weight has not less than doubled since birth.
• The child shows interest in food and tends to try "on the tooth" toys and other items that are in his hands.
• The child can sit and can drink water from a spoon.

Your baby should eat with a spoon - it is better to get used to cutlery from an early age

Basic feeding rules

• The start of the introduction of complementary foods is contraindicated when the baby is unwell, especially if his illness is chronic (for example, diathesis or dysbacteriosis). But even if everything is in order, be sure to consult a pediatrician.
• Once the doctor's permission is obtained, start supplementing your baby's diet with only one food at first so that he gets used to it. Fruit juice is usually given first, starting with a drop and gradually increasing the volume to a teaspoon or more. Two weeks are enough to get used to, after which you can try to enter into the menu New Product.
• Fruit or vegetable purees at the first time of feeding should be thoroughly rubbed so that they do not leave lumps. Do not add any ingredients other than water to your meals—no milk, no salt, no sugar.
• You can start giving coarser food only after the baby learns to chew well.
• Feed your baby only with a spoon. You should not give bottled foods, because then one of his tasks - to teach the child to eat correctly - will remain unfulfilled.
• Keep a food diary. Enter the daily menu into it and describe the reaction of your baby's body to each product - was there any stool disorder, skin rashes, anxiety, etc. Do not forget to take this diary with you to the appointment with the pediatrician - you may need to adjust the diet.
• If you notice signs of intolerance to any food, exclude it from the child's diet.

Complementary foods should be prepared only from fresh vegetables and fruits and given to the child from sterile dishes

The order of cooking for children of the first year of life

If you are preparing your own baby food, use only fresh ingredients that you know are of good quality. Vegetables and fruits should have a smooth, intact skin - the presence of cracks, wormholes and traces of rot on them is unacceptable. For the first feeding, choose the fruits of green or yellow flowers, since red and orange are more likely to cause allergies. Leave carrots, red apples, berries, etc. for later, when the child gets used to plant foods and gets a little older.

Before cooking, thoroughly wash vegetables and fruits under running water, even with a special baby detergent, then be sure to scald with boiling water. A knife, grater and other utensils that are used to prepare food for a child of the first year of life must also be washed and sterilized well.

It is better to cook dishes for babies in pressure cookers or steamed - this way more useful things are stored in the products. If this is not possible, put finely chopped pieces of vegetables, meat or fish in boiling water to keep the cooking time to a minimum.

Cooked baby food can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours, always in a sealed container. These rules apply not only homemade food, but also jars bought in the store.

You need to start complementary foods with hypoallergenic vegetables or fruits, in no case forcing the child to eat what he does not like

How to start breastfeeding

The rules for the introduction of complementary foods say: the first thing a baby should try after breast milk or formula is fruit juice, it can be given little by little from 4 months of age. It is best to start with apple, because it causes allergies less often than others. If there is no reaction to apple juice, after 2-3 weeks you can give another - peach, apricot or pear.

After getting used to the juice, it's time to switch to puree - first from the same fruits that the child has already tried, then from the rest. Along with fruit, it is important to introduce vegetable dishes into the diet, but they start with them only when the child does not tolerate fruit well. According to the usual scheme, vegetables are given a little later. Pumpkin is considered the most useful for babies and hypoallergenic of them. To slightly improve its taste, you can add a few drops of vegetable oil to the puree, but not immediately, in order to make sure that the main product is well tolerated.

So that the baby does not refuse new food, give him complementary foods as the first meal when he is hungry, and after that feed him to his full breast or milk formula.

More complex meals can be started much later, as a six-month-old baby is not yet able to chew hard pieces of food.

The timing of the introduction of complementary foods by month

The rules below are not mandatory - they are advisory in nature, and since all children tolerate complementary foods in different ways, they should not be rigidly followed. Be guided by your own observations and the recommendations of your pediatrician.
4 months
The first 2 weeks we give fruit juice, from 0.1 to 30 ml, the next 2 weeks - fruit puree, from 0.5 teaspoon to 2 tablespoons.
5 months
We gradually increase the volume of fruit juices and puree by the end of the month to 50 g. From the beginning of the month, we introduce vegetable puree into the menu - from 1 teaspoon to 100 g. After a week, we try to add vegetable oil to it - from 1 drop to 3 ml.
6 months
At this age, as a rule, the assortment of complementary foods expands significantly - cottage cheese, cereals and butter appear on the menu. As before, we continue to give fruit juices and purees, increasing their volume to 60 ml, and vegetable puree with the addition of vegetable oil - up to 150 g.
From the first week we begin to give liquid semolina- from 50 to 100 g by the end of the month, adding 1-3 g of butter to it. From the second week we try cottage cheese - from 1 grain to 30 g.
Seven months
We continue to give juices, fruit and vegetable puree in the same quantity. We increase the volume of cottage cheese to 40 g, porridge - to 150. From the first day we begin to give egg yolk - from 1 grain to 1 quarter by the end of the month. From the second week we try wheat bread, cookies or crackers - 3-5 g each.
8 months
The volume of juices, fruit and vegetable purees, cottage cheese and cereals is increased by 10-20 g, and egg yolk - from a quarter to a half. We begin to give meat puree - from 1 teaspoon to 30 g by the end of the month.
9 months
By 10-20 g, we increase the volume of all the main dishes that we started using earlier, except for the egg yolk - it should continue to be given in half for up to 12 months. We introduce whole milk and kefir into the diet - from a teaspoon to 100 g.
9-12 months
By the year, the volume of all dishes of one meal should reach 200 g. From 9 months we begin to give the child fish - from 5 g to 50-60 g by the end of the year.

Mother's milk- ideal food for the baby. But it is impossible to feed a child for a long time only with breast milk: after 4-6 months of lactation, the baby's appetite grows, and his need for basic nutrients is unsatisfied. Sometimes mothers themselves note that a 4-6-month-old baby, even after sucking out a sufficient amount of milk earlier, begins to act up, show anxiety, wake up at night shortly after feeding. It often happens that it is at this time that the baby begins to be actively interested in the "adult" table. All this indicates that the child's body needs additional sources of nutrition. By this time, teeth are usually already starting to cut, and the baby’s gastrointestinal tract is sufficiently prepared to perceive new types of food.

Therefore, breastfeeding in the first year of life most often includes two main periods:

• exclusive breastfeeding;
• transition food.

The period of transitional nutrition, which consists in the introduction of complementary foods, is the time of a gradual transition from mother's milk to the type of complex nutrition that will support the body of a child, and then an adult, for all subsequent years. This is a very important stage in the life of a child, because in order to develop mature feeding skills, the baby must move from sucking the breast to more and more complex work: he learns to roll food with his tongue, swallow thick food, chew, bite off a large piece. If the child is not taught this in time, then he may have problems in the assimilation of "adult" food, against which even functional disorders in the gastrointestinal tract are possible! We can say that the period of introduction of complementary foods is the first step towards growing up a baby.

Fundamental rules

1. The timing and sequence of introduction of complementary foods depends on the characteristics of the child's development, so it is better to discuss them with a nutritionist or pediatrician.
2. Any new product should be introduced little by little (starting with 5-10 g). With good swallowing and assimilation of complementary foods, the absence of an allergic reaction to the product, it can be given regularly, gradually increasing the volume to the recommended dose in 1-2 weeks.
3. Complementary foods should be given before breastfeeding (with the exception of fruit juices - see below).
4. Better to use baby food industrial production, since it is prepared from clean, environmentally friendly safe products and enriched with vitamin and mineral complexes.
5. You should not immediately introduce mashed potatoes or cereals from several components. To begin with, it is better to adhere to the principle of monocomponent, so that, if necessary, it is easier to identify the cause of an allergic reaction. Gradually, the child's diet can be expanded by adding each new component within 4-5 days.

Timing and sequence of introduction of complementary foods

Issues related to the introduction of complementary foods to infants are actively discussed by domestic and foreign pediatricians. In some cases, both the timing of the start of complementary foods and the sequence of introduction of certain foods remain controversial. Recently, doctors in most developed countries are abandoning the practice of early introduction of complementary foods. From these positions, the timing of the introduction of complementary foods in Russia has also been revised ( see tab. one). It should be noted that the scheme proposed in Table 1 is only suitable for healthy breastfed children.

If the child does not have food allergies and intestinal problems, then the first nutritional supplement may be fruit juice . First, as a rule, apple juice is introduced, starting with a few drops. If you prefer homemade juices, use only green apples. Natural juice should be diluted with boiled water in a ratio of 1:1. Any juice is best given during or after feeding. When choosing juices, their specific properties should be taken into account. So, cherry, pomegranate, blackcurrant, blueberry juices contain tannins and have a fixing effect. They can be given to children with unstable stools. Carrot, beetroot, apricot, plum juices are useful for children with a tendency to constipation. It is better not to give grape juice to children at all, since it contains a lot of sugar, which enhances the fermentation processes in the intestines. With strawberry and citrus juices, you should also be careful, as they often cause an allergic reaction.

Table 1

Based on the same principles, it is necessary to introduce and fruit puree - two weeks after the introduction of fruit juice.

vegetable puree For starters, it is better to cook from zucchini or cauliflower. Cut the vegetables into pieces - not too small so that the nutrients are not digested. Pour in a minimal amount of water and cook (or rather simmer) with the lid closed over low heat. When all or almost all the water has boiled away, and the pieces of vegetables become soft, wipe them through a sieve. When the child gets used to these products, the assortment of vegetables should be expanded, gradually introducing carrots, potatoes, pumpkins, turnips, and beets. In vegetable puree, depending on age, it is good to add yolk, vegetable oil, milk, meat puree. For a week, the amount of vegetable puree can be increased to 100-150 g per day, replacing one of the breastfeeding. By the age of introducing vegetable puree (4.5-5.5 months), the child usually already switches to a five-time feeding regimen.

Another breastfeeding is gradually replaced with the beginning of the introduction of porridge. Porridges from many cereals contain a large amount of a substance called gluten (gluten). The intestinal microflora in an infant is not yet fully formed, it may lack an enzyme that breaks down gluten. Products of incomplete breakdown of gluten have a toxic effect on the intestinal walls, so preference should be given to cereals that do not contain gluten - rice, buckwheat, corn. Later, you can introduce both wheat (semolina) and oatmeal. In ready-made cereals you need to add butter. If you are allergic to cow's milk, cereals should be cooked in vegetable broth or diluted with a special mixture (soy or based on milk protein hydrolyzate).

Introduction meat puree it is also better to start with one kind of meat. It is advisable to buy industrial-made meat puree without vegetable additives in order to know exactly the amount of meat eaten by the child. If the meat puree is prepared at home, the meat should be subjected to double digestion: boil for 20 minutes, then drain the broth, pour the meat again hot water and cook until done. meat broth not recommended for children under two years of age.

Approximately one month after the introduction of meat puree into the child's diet, you can start giving him fish (mashed potatoes). However, keep in mind that fish can cause allergies, so it should be introduced with caution.

Whole milk up to 9 months is used only for cooking various dishes (vegetable puree, cereals).

Features of the introduction of complementary foods depending on the condition of the child

Earlier introduction of complementary foods indicated for rickets, iron deficiency anemia, persistent regurgitation, retardation in physical development, as well as artificial feeding.

Later than the specified time Complementary foods can be introduced in case of digestive disorders, in case of any acute illness. In all these cases, it is possible to decide on the timing of the introduction of a particular product only together with the attending physician.

A special category is premature babies. Some differences in the timing of the introduction of complementary foods ( tab. 2) are based on taking into account many features of their body - the frequent development of anemia, intestinal dysbacteriosis, rickets, allergic reactions, lag in physical development.

table 2

Introduction of complementary foods and breastfeeding

It should be said that with any scheme for the introduction of complementary foods, the expansion of its assortment and quantity occurs due to the displacement of breast milk, therefore this period often simultaneously becomes the beginning of weaning.

However, the expediency of the longest possible use of the mother's breast still exists. Therefore, it is desirable to maintain at least two breastfeeds per day, as well as breastfeeding (at the request of the child) after giving any complementary foods.

The total amount of nutrition of the child

To determine how much food a child needs, you can use the following scheme: for a 4-6-month-old child, the total volume of all food consumed per day should be approximately 1/7 of body weight, and in the second half of life - 1/7 - 1/8. You should not force the child to eat up all the prescribed amount of food, his needs and appetite should be taken into account.

It is very important to observe the feeding regimen and avoid “snacking” between meals. Sometimes you can see how a mother on the street offers a child a dryer or a bagel (and how many there can be in one walk!), Considering it to be absolutely harmless. It is obvious that the appetite of such a child can easily be “knocked down”: it will either decrease by the time of the main feeding, or vice versa, having become accustomed to constantly chewing something, the child can eat a large amount of food. In both cases, the activity of the digestive glands is disturbed, and the baby may have serious problems.

If a child systematically eats less than the prescribed amount, his diet can be made more nutritious by preparing thicker porridge and mashed soup, and additionally introduce cottage cheese, yolk, and meat into the diet, as prescribed by the doctor. If the child is not saturated with the amount of food due to his age, you can increase the amount of vegetables, fruits, and unsweetened juices in his diet.

In conclusion, I want to repeat a well-known truth: the health of our children is in our hands. And a huge role in how a child grows up is played by properly organized - and from the very early age- nutrition. After all, nutrition largely determines physical development child and thus for the rest of his life.