Milk is the staple food of babies, but as babies grow up, when breast milk cannot meet all the nutritional needs of babies, it is necessary to add complementary food to babies. When the baby grows to 6 months later, the salivary gland development is more complete than at birth, salivary secretion increases, amylase increases, and the function of the digestive tract is more complete. Adding complementary foods can not only meet the baby's nutritional needs and promote the development of the digestive system, but also is the key to weaning transition.
So, how to add complementary foods to your baby, and what complementary foods are appropriate? Tan Rongshao, director of the nutrition department of Guangzhou Red Cross Society Hospital, said that the knowledge is great!
These two misunderstandings lead to "pit babies"
Tan Rongshao reminded parents that there are several principles for adding complementary foods to infants: the complementary foods added should be thin to thick and thin to thick; Add new food one by one; Feed with a spoon; Some foods are fed for the first time, and the baby may refuse, so try many times; Start adding when the baby is healthy; The cooking is light, and babies aged 6~12 months do not need to add salt and other seasonings in the complementary food.
Myth 1: Premature addition of complementary foods
Influenced by traditional childcare experience, in order to reduce the number of times mothers feed at night and get better rest, someone will add complementary food such as rice paste to the baby when the baby is only one or two months old. Tan Rongshao pointed out that this practice is actually wrong. At this time, the baby's digestive system is not perfect, the stomach capacity is very small, the intestinal tract is also relatively weak, and the digestion and absorption capacity is limited. At this time, the addition of complementary food is easy to cause damage to the baby's digestive tract mucosa. "Now some scholars have put forward some new ideas. They think that if a child wants to eat some complementary food after 4 months, it can be given according to the situation from the psychological point of view. Don't deliberately wait until 7 months to add complementary food."
Misunderstanding 2: Using seasoning
"When making baby complementary food, it is not necessary to add salt and other seasonings to the food. As for oil, it can be added." Tan Rongshao said that for babies aged 6 to 12 months, the daily sodium requirements can be met in milk and complementary food, and excessive intake will increase the excretion burden.
Some mothers think that food without seasoning is tasteless and the baby "doesn't like it". In fact, they think too much. The baby has no idea about the taste of these foods, that is to say, the original taste of all foods is delicious for them. Don't impose your own taste habits on your baby.
Supplementary food should be added like this
6-9 months old:
Start adding complementary food when you are healthy and happy
Generally, only breast milk is enough for the baby 6 months ago. At 7 months, try to add complementary foods when the baby is healthy and in a happy mood. If the baby has a poor appetite and doesn't take much milk after adding complementary foods, it can be added later. There is not much iron in breast milk. In order to avoid iron deficiency anemia, you can first add some iron fortified grains to your baby, such as iron fortified rice flour, for 1 week. If you are well adapted, you can replace the fruit paste or vegetable paste, and then you can add egg yolk paste, fish paste, pig liver paste, etc., starting from a small amount (one tablespoon) each time, only one kind of food should be added, and the food should be made into mud, From thin to thick, it should be used for a period of 1~2 weeks. It can be added 1~2 times a day between two feeding meals.
If the baby is resistant to new food, crying, etc., start from a small amount and try for many days to avoid the baby's habit of being picky about food, on the premise of ensuring that the food is free of problems and allergies.
10-12 months old:
Key period for developing good eating habits
By the time the baby is 10-12 months old, he can already try and adapt to a variety of foods. At this time, he should continue to try new food types for the baby. He can add 2 to 3 kinds of food, which can be slightly thick and can be small pieces of food, such as thick porridge, bread, steamed bread, minced meat, chopped vegetables, etc., so that the baby can chew more, which is conducive to the eruption of baby teeth.
The 10-12 month old baby is the key period to develop a good eating habit. Do not play with toys or do other distractions when the baby is eating. Fix the seat and eat for no more than 20 minutes.
There are two more things to remember
1。 Continue to drink milk after breast milk is cut off
After starting to add complementary foods, breast feeding is still the main way of feeding. If conditions permit, it is best to wean the baby after two years of age. If the breast milk is insufficient, infant formula can be used. But this does not mean that children after the age of two do not need to drink milk. Tan Rongshao reminded that after weaning, people should continue to drink milk or other dairy products.
2。 Pay attention to food hygiene in self-made complementary food
In the process of self-made complementary food at home, parents need to pay attention to food hygiene, choose fresh food, and sterilize and keep clean utensils. When testing the food temperature, do not try with your mouth, but pour one or two drops into your wrist to feel the temperature. Wu Ren, Hu Yingyi
