Precautions for adding complementary food to babies

As the baby grows up, breast milk or formula milk can no longer fully meet the nutritional needs of the baby. At this time, we need to add some complementary food for the baby to help the baby absorb nutrients better and help the baby adapt to different tastes. However, many novice mothers have many questions when adding complementary foods: when to start adding complementary foods? What complementary foods should be added? What method of addition should be used? How to tell if your baby is full and hungry? Here I will answer these questions for you one by one.

1. When to add complementary food?

Introducing complementary foods is an important step in a baby's development, just as important as breastfeeding. According to the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO), it is best to start introducing complementary foods when the baby is 6 months old. Because when the baby is 6 months old, the digestive system has gradually developed and perfected, the oral motor ability has been enhanced, and the gums have begun to develop. At this time, adding complementary food can not only supplement the nutrients needed by the baby, but also train the baby's chewing and digestion ability.

However, every baby grows and develops differently, so there is no set time for additions. Generally speaking, if the baby starts to show interest in solid food at 5 months, the milk intake has gradually decreased, and the weight gain slows down, then you can consider adding complementary food.

2. Which foods are suitable for addition?

When adding complementary foods, you should choose foods that are easy to digest, have high nutritional value, and are not easy to cause allergies. Here are some good foods to add:

1. Rice flour or flour: Rice flour or flour is one of the main ingredients for supplementary food. It is rich in carbohydrates, protein and vitamins, and is suitable for babies to taste for the first time. At the beginning, it can be diluted with water or breast milk, and gradually enter the state, so that the baby can gradually adapt to the taste.

2. Fruit: Fruit is another ingredient that is suitable for supplementary food. Some easily digestible fruits such as bananas, apples, pears, etc., can be chopped or mashed into a puree and then added to rice noodles or flour.

3. Vegetables: Vegetables are rich in vitamins and minerals, such as carrots, peas, pumpkins, etc. are good choices for babies to add complementary food. Vegetables can be boiled and cut into small pieces before adding to rice noodles.

4. Meat: Meat is rich in protein and iron, which is a necessary source of nutrition for babies. You can choose chicken, lean meat, beef, etc., cook it and cut it into small pieces before adding it to the rice noodles.

5. Eggs: Eggs are rich in protein and lecithin, which can help your baby grow. It can be added to rice noodles, or boiled into custard, cut into small pieces and added to rice noodles.

The method of adding supplementary food

Adding complementary food is mainly to supplement the baby's nutrition and gradually develop the baby's taste, so the type of complementary food should include a variety of different foods. Here are some solid foods for babies:

1. Porridge: In the first week after the baby starts to add complementary food, you can feed the baby some porridge. The method of making porridge is very simple, as long as the rice is boiled with water and stirred into a paste. To increase the nutrition of rice, you can cook meat or vegetables or fruits with rice.

2. Vegetable puree: It is suitable to be added to the baby's diet plan from the second week. Recommended vegetables to add include squash, carrots, cabbage, and cauliflower. You can put these vegetables into a blender and make a puree, then add an appropriate amount of water or breast milk formula to make it into a proper liquid.

3. Fruit puree: It is suitable to be added to the baby's diet plan from the third week. Recommended fruits include bananas, apples, pears, and mangoes. You can put these fruits into a blender to make a puree, and then add an appropriate amount of water or breast milk formula to make it into an appropriate liquid.

4. Meat paste: It is suitable to be added to the baby's diet plan from the fourth week. Recommended meats include pork, chicken, and beef. You can put these meats into a blender and stir them into a puree, then add an appropriate amount of water or breast milk formula to make them into an appropriate liquid.