Nutrition for a child up to a year is a very important discussion issue, in search of an answer to which the luminaries of the world and national pediatrics are constantly located. They put forward all possible arguments for and against the early variety of the crumbs menu, applying their knowledge in the field of child physiology. And what should we do, to young mothers, who did not swear to Hippocrates, but who are insanely in love with their children? How not to damage the sensitive rapidly developing organism of the baby and at the same time lay a strong foundation for his health and immunity for many years to come? After studying a lot of suggestions about how the feeding of a child of the first year of life by months, including taking into account the recommendations of WHO, we could look at a certain scheme of its organization.
So, let's imagine that the process of feeding a baby before and after a year is a simple mathematical formula of addition, which includes breastfeeding / artificial / mixed (with supplementary feeding up to ½ of the consumed volume) baby nutrition and complementary feeding. To determine the time period when exactly to introduce the last component of feeding into the ration, the order of the products in it is our primary task.
Breastfeeding is the guarantee of health
To begin with, a few words about the basis of the basics - breastfeeding, whose role for the baby can not be overemphasized: vitamin and balanced nutrition, protection from pathogens, improvement in visual acuity, mental and physiological states, increased mental development by IQ, prevention of orthodontic problems, e.
Feeding the baby in the first month depends on the application in practice of the basic rules of breastfeeding:
- we feed on demand;
- apply correctly and in different positions;
- do not use a bottle and a pacifier;
- stimulate lactation by night feeding;
- do not drink water;
- Do not decant;
- does not work - we ask for help.
The diet of each baby, especially a newborn, is individual. In the first days he can eat up to 14 times a day, in a month - 12 times, a little later the amount of feeding will reach 6. For example, the regime of feeding a child in 2 months may already be established and consist of at least 6 receptions of breast milk, which in this period you need more (up to 140 ml) than when feeding the baby in 1 month. The interval between feeds usually already reaches 3 hours, and if it does not, it's not scary, because we feed on demand.
To understand if there is enough food to eat, you can proceed from:
- normal increase in weight (for the first month - at least 600 grams, in the remaining months of the first half - monthly up to 800 g);
- frequency of urination up to 8 times a day;
- positive attitude and calm behavior of the baby;
- a strong long day and night sleep.
There is not enough breast milk - supplement, no milk - long live adapted mixtures!
Of course, "lactational" situations are different, and in case the baby is not gorging, it remains to translate it into a more preferable option of supporting breastfeeding - mixed nutrition. As a supplementary supplement, it can be a milk formula, the safest food in comparison with donor, highly allergenic cow or goat milk. In this case, supplementation should not take more than half of the baby's total nutrition. Well, if there is no breast milk for some reason at all, then as close to him as possible, prepared from cow's milk by special technology, the infant formula will not leave the baby hungry. In this case, it is important to administer the mixture correctly, in small portions, of one type, monitoring the occurrence of allergic reactions.
The feeding schedule for a child at 3 months on artificial feeding should be clear, due to a longer period of assimilation of the mixture - up to 5 times a day with 4-hour breaks between feedings and 8 hours per night.
When to introduce complementary foods?
So, when does the baby begin to get acquainted with new products? If the opinions of specialists regarding toddlers-"artificial" are almost unambiguous - 4,5-5 months, then for babies this unambiguity is not. Some argue that from 1 to 2 months the juices can be introduced into the diet, according to the WHO, it is necessary to start lactating from 6 months, since the baby's gastrointestinal tract has not yet matured, some are proving that the first lure at 8 months will bring him more benefit than in 4-5 months. Therefore, as an option, we suggest starting from the development of the child, whether it shows interest in adult food and whether it is able to swallow. Ability to firmly sit and teething are certainly important factors, but appear in crumbs, they can and by 8 months, and this age for complementary food we consider too late. Optimal, provided that the above factors of development and manifestation of interest are achieved, the baby is 4 months of age.
With what to begin?
The first "acquaintance" of a child with food other than breast milk or a mixture can occur in a different scenario:
- Vegetable puree from zucchini, cauliflower, carrots perfectly suits children, prone to constipation. To make it easier to get used to a new dish, you need to add a little breast milk to the cooked vegetables, ground or blended with a blender. Accustomed to unsweetened vegetables, the child will eat them normally in the future.
- Sweet fruit purees kids eat much more willingly than vegetables, which for this reason can subsequently be problematic.
- If a child does not gain weight or has a loose stool, the first complementary meal should be porridge - milk or dairy-free, taking into account the age of the crumbs indicated on the box.
The approximate ration and the norm of daily consumption of products when feeding a child by months is presented in the following table:
Patience to you and health to your consumers! Bon Appetit!