The Transition Between Breastfeeding and Complementary Feeding

The introduction of complementary feeding is the period in which the infant leaves the exclusive breastfeeding nutrition, to introduce new foods into your diet.

The start of complementary feeding, that is, the introduction of various milk in the diet of baby food should begin at six months, and gradually made until 18-24 months, with continued breastfeeding on demand.

Bear in mind that in the transition of food

- Increased vulnerability to malnutrition in the infant, being a decisive stage in their food. For this reason, it should be done at the time and with appropriate frequency, to be always recommended by your pediatrician.

Is important, also the quantity and quality of the feed. These should be introduced gradually, to avoid intolerance. Moreover, in the preparation of food should exercise extreme hygiene and safely prepared, i.e., minimizing the risk of contamination by pathogenic microorganisms

- WHO (World Health Organization) recommends that infants start receiving food from six months, and performed with a frequency of two or three times a day during the first two months. Then, at a frequency of three to four times daily. Thus, the quantity of food increases as the child grows. Moreover, breastfeeding should be done to demand the infant.

- There is a concept called active power, which aims to respond to the needs of the child, that is, encourage the child and respond to the signals of hunger and satisfaction that it manifests. This process must be done slowly, encouraging children to eat, but not forced. Also, if the child refuses food, it is important to try different combinations and textures, and remember that for the child the act of eating is a period of learning and affection.

Recommendations for the introduction of foods in infants

- The introduction in the diet of new foods should be progressive. That is, you should start with the easiest to digest and tolerate food and build up gradually. It is important to respect an interval of between 10 and 15 days after each change in diet or introducing a new food.

- Cereals without gluten and some fruits such as apples or pears will be the first food for infants. That is, the ideal age is the beginning at six months. Importantly, tolerance and pay attention.

- The vegetables and white meat (chicken) will continue with this process.

- Later, around seven months, it will proceed to introduce cereals with gluten and other meats, such as lamb. Subsequently, after the grace period, the beef will be introduced.

- By 10 months, the cooked egg yolk, legumes and fish.

- Finally, we wait a year for the egg.

- Food should be given pureed or crushed, and gradually increase its consistency in terms of tolerance and infant demand. Teats can be counterproductive to continue breastfeeding; always consult your pediatrician.

- This process continues until 18-24 months of age, with a gradual process of adaptation and introduction of new foods, forming a complete and varied food for the future.

Take time to read and learn

Now, you start a stage with your child that will last until independent. In it, you have the opportunity and responsibility to transmit the values of a healthy Mediterranean diet. What you will learn how to incorporate their habits for the rest of his life. To help with this task, we suggest you download and read the Guide for Children's Food, a manual to help adults to teach healthy eating habits to their children. You can relieve the water guide free here.

Do not forget…

Observe your baby. Note that is undergoing many changes and discovering new flavors, textures and sensations. He or she will tell you one way or another how is accepting each new process. Remember it's a way that you will do together, and the connection between them will be the engine that will drive a balanced diet.

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The 10 Best Foods to Start with Solid Food

From 6 to 8 months of age your baby can start eating foods or creamy mashed fine to start their solid diet gradually and for the period between 8 and 10 months can start small pieces added to food to finish the transition to solid food per year of age. Anyway, you're the only one who can decide when to start the transition, because breast feeding can be extended for longer and baby offering unique benefits.

It is where; you know what the top 10 foods are:

 

1. Squash

Also called squash and pumpkin is rich in vitamins A and C and is a favorite for moms to start the transition to solid food meal, can be served with parmesan cheese baked way porridge or thick creams with splash of milk, sweet flavor and creamy texture is welcomed by small family.

2. Lentils

These are rich in protein and iron, can be served cooked and mixed with vegetables or rice and mushy.

3. Tangerines

Source of vitamin C, is an ideal food for your baby because you can peel, separate their wedges and remove the seeds for your baby to take with your hands and eat slowly to cool off on hot days. Another refreshing for hot days and cool gums when teething fruit milk is the pin, cut the seeded cubes for your baby to take them with her hands.

4. Chickpeas

These grains rich in fiber and protein for its mild flavor can be prepared in different ways, porridge or puree with a drizzle of olive oil and sesame butter, or mixed with diced boiled pumpkin to eat with their own little hands.

5. Leafy greens

Some of them are Swiss chard, Brussels sprouts, watercress and spinach, can serve them sauteed with butter, mixed with vegetables or gratin, their contributions to iron the body of your little will be very beneficial.

6. Broccoli

Known for children as "green trees" is one of the most calcium-rich foods and fiber that can give your baby to transition to solid food, serve them boiled and drizzled with a little olive oil to your baby begins to enjoy them.

7. Prunes

Another ally rich in fiber will help your baby to prevent ailments such as constipation and pain at not being able to do their basic needs, can serve them soaked and mixed with other fruits to enjoy their soft textures.

8. Beef

Some mother’s think that is a very heavy for her small stomach food, but actually is rich in iron and zing, and can be eaten from 7 months ground or in stews accompanied by other vegetables.

9. Blueberries

They capture the attention of babies immediately by its blue color, are very beneficial for the eyes wild fruits, urinary tract, brain. 1 cup serving cold after cooking these with 1 cup of water in the microwave.

10. Avocado

Rich in vitamin E and unsaturated fats or similar to those found in breast milk fats are good fats, can give your baby avocado puree, leaving small pieces to feel its texture and served with bread in their lunches.

Some mothers wonder what foods are best suited for this transition in the stomach gets used to his little more than liquid, because the best way to select is on the premise of offering variety of flavors for your baby to get used to them from an early age and get the nutrients needed for proper growth and nutrition.

These mentioned foods can serve as a guide to start, but the idea is to wait three days to introduce new food in your diet and so sure you have no allergic reactions, the options are numerous and you can go testing them one by one.

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Baby Solid Foods by Age 6 to 8 Months

Signs that are ready to eat solid foods

You probably already have begun to notice signs that your baby is ready to start eating solid foods. And it is that these signs are most noticeable around 6 months. It is also quite possible that your baby is already eating solid foods.

Here is a list of signals that you must be careful to start or continue with solid foods. But keep in mind that it is likely that your baby does not do all these things:

• You can hold your head up alone.
• You can sit well in his high chair to eat.
• It is able to make chewing motions.
• Shows interest in food.
• You can close your mouth around a spoon
• You can move the tongue from side to side but is losing the extrusion reflex of the tongue, that is, the reflection of pushing his tongue out of his mouth all that is solid.

In addition to your baby present these signs, it is essential you have the approval of the pediatrician to start feeding your baby solid foods.

Foods you can give

• Breast milk: about 4 to 6 times a day. Either formula: about 4 to 5 bottles 6 to 8 ounces (178-237 ml) of formula per day. In addition to:
• Iron-fortified cereals (rice, barley or oats).
• Porridge or mashed fruits like banana, pear, peach (peach) or applesauce.
• Porridge or mashed vegetables like avocado, cooked carrots, squash or sweet potato (sweet potato).
• Pureed meat (chicken, pork or beef).
• Small amounts of unsweetened yogurt (but do not give cow's milk until age one) or cottage cheese. If you wonder why these dairy products can be given to a child much earlier than cow's milk (which should not be introduced to the baby's diet until 12 months of age), it is because the culture processes used to make the manufacture easier to digest milk protein and reduce the amounts of lactose.

 

Tofu

Pureed vegetables such as peas and lentils. Also different types of beans like, red, black eye and faba.

 

How much to eat per day
-   Between 3 and 9 tablespoons of cereal a day, 2 or 3 meals.
-   Both fruits as vegetables, you can start with small amounts, such as a teaspoon, and gradually increase the amount gradually to give 1/4 to 1/2 cup of fruit and vegetables every day, in 2 or 3 meals.


It is very important not to overfeed your child. Keep in mind that your baby, he alone will determine when it will be satisfied or full. That is, your small stomach determines the amount of food you need. In addition, and for your peace of mind, regular visits to the pediatrician you can confirm whether your baby is growing properly.

It is very important to follow the doctor's recommendations in all that relates to feeding your child.

 

Other tips 

• Enter the new food with three days apart from each other. Thus, if your little one has an allergic reaction you may realize.
• Read more tips here on how to introduce solid foods.

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Baby Solid Foods by Age 4 to 6 Months

Signs that are ready to eat solid foods

 

Around 6 months, you will probably begin to notice signs that your baby is ready to start eating solid foods. Here is a list of signals that you must be careful. However, keep in mind that it is likely that your baby does not do all these things:

• You can hold your head up alone.
• You can sit well in his high chair to eat.
• It is able to make chewing motions
• It shows a significant weight gain (it has doubled the weight he had at birth).
• Shows interest in food.
• You can close your mouth when you introduce a spoon in his mouth.
• You can move the tongue from side to side but is losing the extrusion reflex of the tongue, that is, the reflection of pushing his tongue out of his mouth all that is solid.
• It seems that your baby is still hungry even when you feed daily between 6-8 times with breast milk or about 40 ounces of formula (1118 ml).

They are teething.

Keep in mind that one of the causes of childhood obesity, which is common among Latino children, is stop breastfeeding too soon and introduce solid foods before 6 months. Therefore, before introducing them to the diet of your baby, check with the doctor and make sure your baby shows more of the above signals.

Foods you can give

Breast milk or formula. In addition to:

• Porridge or pureed foods as sweet potatoes (sweet potato), pumpkin, apple, banana, peach (peach) and pear. Or, semi iron-fortified cereal.

How much to eat per day

- To begin, give about a teaspoon of porridge or cereal. Mix 4-5 teaspoons of breast milk or formula with cereal (the consistency is very liquid).

- Increases and starts to give a large spoonful of porridge or cereal mixed with breast milk or formula, twice a day. If you give cereal, you can go gradually thicken consistency (what you can achieve if you add less liquid), but try to be easy to swallow.

 

Other tips 

- If by giving your baby cereal for the first time, does not accept it, wait a few days before offering it again.

- Read more tips here on how to introduce solid foods.

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Problems with Food in Children One Year

Typically, the first few times the child eats just put it all lost and costing accept new foods, such as vegetables feared.

With love, respect and a little patience, we can teach them to eat everything.

At age one; children begin to supplement milk with other foods that are not always to their liking. In many families, with the introduction of solid food when it becomes a daily struggle.

So that the change is not so hard, we can use tricks like solid foods cut into small pieces, and let the vegetables dose take some food with your hands. These are some of the main problems with some parents.

1. Just want to paste

It is healthy and nutritious, but cannot live alone based on pasta, especially if accompanied with any other food.

It can be a healthy and balanced if taken with tomato dish that vegetable sympathetic not really know if fruit or vegetable, so worth the two. It can also be combined with minced meat.

 

2. Only eat ground and jars

If the child gets to mourn inconsolably when you have a meal before unground, e.g. macaroni, or a few peas or chicken cut into small pieces can be ground as smoothly. Just take a few minutes to prepare it and the food you feed alike.
But if you put the entire meal and just not eat (but not complaining), then it is not hungry period. It is advisable to crush them food to force them to eat when they have no appetite.
 

3. Do not accept any type of vegetable

The vegetable is one of the new foods least successful among our children. It is mostly water and very little food. Children have small stomachs, and if you fill in vegetables, then could not eat anything. So yes foods like almost all are the 'fat', those calories in a small volume: pasta, rice, bread, biscuits, milk, custard, chocolate or chips. The poor calorie foods (fruit, soup or vegetables) tend to have very little success.
Some children eat now and then a piece of lettuce, a slice of cucumber or tomato sauce macaroni. These amounts are taking a child this age when it supports vegetables. Peas, as they have more calories, more accepting (i.e., five or six units).

 

4. Refuse to try new foods

Most children at this age do not want to try new foods. It is a completely normal behavior, and so widespread that doctor’s call 'neophobia': I hate the new. Sooner or later, the children are eating what they see their parents eating (and friends). Some do it sooner and some later.

 

5. It takes a thousand years to finish the dish

To find out if the child eats slowly or really is over, we must remove the plate and ask if you are finished. If indeed you are going to play happier than a lark, he is already finished. If, by contrast, it makes us understand that is not yet full, we leave near the plate and continue after half an hour. At the end of the day, if it is he who eats slowly because he wants and likes, what harm?

 

6. When eating alone puts it all lost

Nobody is born and taught the first times that a child eats alone, it is normal to put it all lost. It is worrying, just let him put lost and eat at ease. When finished, and clean up the soil, the child or both.
 

7. It will serve two years and leaves the bottle

Many nutrition experts recommend that, at a year, children stop using a bottle to take less milk. It is not always easy:

• If we put the small glass of milk in front and begins to mourn or refuses to eat, it is preferable to continue to take the bottle to stay hungry. Sooner or later, all children leave the bottle, and each has its own rhythm.
• However, if the child looks odd glass of milk and drink a little, even just a sip, and have achieved our goal. Gradually, the small will get used to drink by the glass and start to supplement milk with other foods.

Any solid food that can come chopped or cut into appropriately sized pieces serve: fried potatoes, peas, chickpeas, potato salad, meat, fruit or macaroni.

8. My 18 month old son eats very little

Every child needs a different amount. And it is very risky to set a figure because eating more than necessary is almost as dangerous as eating less. You have to eat the right amount. Fortunately, children do not know. Therefore, to avoid mistakes, it is best to let them eat what they want.

If the child loses weight, we must take him to the doctor because it could be sick. If your weight is normal, you have eaten normally. Although for many mothers, children always eat 'very little', the fact is that the daily amount required is much lower than we imagine.

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Babies Want to Eat Like Their Parents

When the time comes the introduction of solids, many parents do not know what food to give their children: we started with fruit? Porridge or solid?

After six months, when we want our baby begins with the introduction of solid and go left chest, is very difficult to accept slurry of fruit instead of breast milk, which feeds more.

Why does not fruit?

The fruit has no protein, no fat or calcium, or nearly vitamins (A and C only), and only provides 50 calories. Instead, milk provides protein, fat, calcium, all known vitamins and about 80 calories per 100 grams (over time, breast milk is increasingly calories).

What should eat babies

Babies eat when they see their parents often take pieces of food with their hands, suck and gnaw? But they must take the breast, which is what feeds them. Losing takes to eat a fruit or vegetable is to put your little weight loss regimen.

Even assuming that the fruit would feed, babies hardly going to want a mixture of crushed fruits and cereals and less hot, as some parents. They want to eat like their parents, because they see them and because they are accustomed to family food, since the flavor of what your mother eats goes into the milk.
What dishes you can prepare a baby

Your child wants to eat the same as Mom and Dad with tomato rice, lentils, chicken, hamburger, bananas, chickpeas, noodles (best without broth, so do not fill the stomach liquid), bread or whatever you eat that day. And I'd rather grab a piece with his fingers, put in their mouths by him, explore and enjoy.
When is the right time

The introduction of solids can occur at six months or later: many babies do not want anything more than the chest to ten months or more. Not to worry, they eat according to your needs.

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The Best Food for a Baby up to 1 Year

The best food for a baby up to 1 year

Today the best food for a baby up to 1 year are those that contain all the vitamins and nutrients for proper growth and good development.

When a baby begins to take its first food for them, it is recommended that the breasts have a slight notion that you can give the baby as first foods.

When you go to give food to a baby for the first time, the process should be gradual. Bear in mind that you cannot suddenly give you a plate full of vegetables because they do not know how it will assimilate, however, it can give you some vegetables to go for testing. You should try to give a little of each major group: milk proteins, grains and vegetables.

The ideal is that whenever you go to eat small, will begin offering a little milk and some pieces of vegetables.

If you want the child used to the flavors before you start giving raw vegetables, you can make fruit and vegetable juices handing them to go.

What is the correct way to give your child fruit and vegetables?

So the child can eat properly fruit and vegetables you give, it must be cut into bite. Snacks should be sized small so that it can put them in their mouth once mouth.
Other snacks you can give your baby are grains that have round shapes, one cooked pasta, egg chunks or slices of bread.

Combine and change

Children tend to get bored when they are eating every day if we give the same, even if they have less than a year. To avoid this, you should keep in mind; you should give your child food those appeals to you at all times.

The best foods for babies are those that are more attractive and fun are those that are brightly colored or are very crisp.

Be creative and combine the best food for a baby up to 1 year, you will see how enjoy and be a real pleasure to watch him eat.

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The Homemade Food is Still Better Than the Industrial Baby Food

Infant feeding in the first few years, as we have said once, is very important for the proper development of babies and children and serves to lay the groundwork for future health.

That's why it's always recommended that infants receive the most natural foods possible. This recommendation includes making homemade dishes, fresh ingredients controlling us to maintain most of its properties.

Thus industrial jars are (or should be) relegated to the point when there is no time or opportunity to offer a meal made at home. But when in a recent study it concludes that it cannot ensure adequate nutrition in children who regularly consume industrial jars.

The study was carried out in the CAP Amadeu Torner of L'Hospitalet de Llobregat. To carry out standard elaborated homemade purees (which usually recommend pediatricians) and a nutritional analysis was performed of these purees and other commercial purees three different brands that can easily be found in any grocery trade.

Why is it better home cooking

Energy values each contribute the content and quality of carbohydrates, content and characteristics of lipid and protein content were compared and the following data were extracted:

• They saw that if homemade fruit purees are replaced by fruit jars calorie content significantly increased (35% more calories), which can cause loss of appetite for the next meal.
• Usually eat vegetables with meat or fish industry makes far fewer calories are ingested with homemade porridge (no less than 40% less energy).
• Baby food has less fat than homemade porridge, something like 50% less. However, the percentage of saturated fat, which is more atherogenic load (ability to generate plaques in the arteries), is 50-60% greater.

If a child eats only industrial jars 

Should a child being offered a meal only industrial preparations, most of the energy would be given by dessert. If a regular feeding baby food continues, children receive a contribution of carbohydrates lower than recommended long chain (which provide the "main course") and an excess of simple carbohydrates (which are provided with dessert).

The simple carbohydrates, for which not know them, are the ones who are digested faster, passing into the bloodstream within minutes. This makes the body must secrete more insulin than usual to move the excess glucose from the blood into the cells to produce energy is glucose.

By the time a baby (or a person) takes too many simple carbohydrates the cells are unable to continue transforming glucose into energy and these carbohydrates are converted into fat, which can increase blood triglycerides or cause cardiac complications.

Summarizing

Once again the shortcomings of industrial baby food jars and the need for manufacturers to work on getting more nutritious and balanced food for our children are looming.

We agree that today there is little time for cooking up for oneself and many parents turn to these preparations, but we try to offer our children a meal as healthy as possible as they are at a delicate time of growth and maturation of all its systems. To us to provide a suitable fuel.

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No salt in Baby Food

During the first year of life is still immature renal system to process large amounts of sodium, so the recommendation for when you start to introduce complementary feeding from six months, is not to add any salt in food baby.

Sodium is a necessary mineral for the body, but not in large amounts because too much can seriously affect the health of the arteries in the long term by increasing the risk of diseases like high blood pressure or elevated cholesterol.

The baby's kidneys are still too small to handle large amounts of this mineral, making mashed, porridge or other foods that we prepare them to be in their best natural, no preservatives and no added salt.

120 mg of sodium per day is recommended until 5 months and 200 mg daily between 5 and 12 months. Already the sodium containing foods cover the daily needs, values ​​that can easily be overcome if salt, preservatives, commercial broths or other industrial food baby's diet is added.

It is estimated that up to 75 percent of the salt we eat comes from food, not from the salt shaker, so that's important to read the labels of the foods we buy.

We may think that children are not affected much salt intake as adults, but if you are accustomed from small to salty foods will developing an increasing appetite for salt.

But if your palate becomes accustomed to natural foods, this will provide for better quality of life in adulthood.

The recommendation is no salt in baby food. Lest soda, you can add spices to add flavor and good nutrients.

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Schedules Babies Lunchtime

Feeding a newborn is fairly easy. Or are breastfed or bottle-fed, so all you have to do is give them milk when they are hungry, that is, on demand, without much regard for any schedule or routine.

After reading this first paragraph many mothers are thinking "well, and every 3 hours if you give a bottle", which as we said a while ago, is not entirely correct recommendation, because although many children ask bottle every three hours because it's time they are hungry, many ask every two hours and four others do. It makes no sense to starve first, and it makes sense to eat a baby not hungry (although this would be less problematic).

The doubts come when the baby is six months and the mother comes home with a sheet that has given the pediatrician which explains what can start eating your baby and what times babies are at mealtime.
"Do I get to pick a routine with my baby"

Many mothers begin to give their children supplementary feeding at six months and realize how difficult it is to feed a baby as some schedules. When you give food when you do not want and have not prepared it seems you are hungry, eat a few days at 12 noon and the other does not want anything until you give 15 o'clock.

So in this lawlessness, the mother feels that something is wrong and doubts appear: "Would you be giving a lot", "? We will be giving little", "? What is the best time to eat," “Why today does not want the first bite? ".

Food demand, common sense and patience

When we talk about babies the best remedy for almost all ills it is common sense. The problem is that sometimes the questions are so large and the fear of getting it wrong so powerful that we dare not ignore logic.

It is very common that babies do not have schedules because, quite simply, do not need them. Babies suck on demand for one simple reason: they know best when they need to breastfeed and how much they need to take. They know better than their mothers and better than their pediatricians.

Similarly, children 6 months know when to eat and how much to eat, and they know better than their mothers and better than the slip of the pediatrician instructions given to the mother, which is nothing more than a photocopy of a paper delivery for all children 6 months as if they were all equal.

Well, like the day I ate at a restaurant in Asturias and was told "but how little they eat the Catalans!", Because I left a lot of food and could not, not all babies have to eat the same amount.

Moreover, as adults we tend to eat only what we like (I still do not know anyone who says I'm going to eat this vegetable dish, which gives me a disgusted "that pa what"), babies also tend to eat only what they like. And at first, as know not only flavors, usually very little.

Therefore, common sense, babies have to eat whatever they want and when they please, i.e. demand.
It called complementary feeding because it complements

I know you will be thinking clearly, if they decide they will not eat anything, and if you have those leaves will be because he has to eat. No, the reality is that supplementary feeding is only the food that is given to the baby to gradually start eating, but not because you need it urgently (the last day of the sixth month of life only drank milk and the next day it needs a lot of food).

In other words, supplementary feeding is so named because it is a complement of milk, which remains the main food for babies.

The food will have to go giving babies from six months, but not impose. Little by little, day by day (or every week), babies are eating more quantity and do in the moment most want them to do (that they know it).

Schedules and routines and will be coming. Probably the day I sit down to eat with you at the table start to eat it according to your schedule. Well, that day will come, no rush or perhaps the women who lived in caves came out to watch the sun's position to calculate if your baby had already eat?

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Is organic food better for your baby?

Organic food is produced without conventional pesticides, no chemical fertilizers and no growth hormones. Feeding your child with organic baby food can limit your exposure to these substances. However, according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND for its acronym in English), the organically produced food may not be healthier or safer than other foods. Residues of pesticides and fertilizers in organic and non-organic products do not exceed government safety thresholds.

The "natural" foods are those that are closer to its original state. They not yet added them artificial ingredients or preservatives. Examples include brown rice, almonds, and some sort of apple juice. The "natural" foods may or may not be organic.

The Department of Agriculture (USDA, its acronym in English) gives organic label to products containing different percentages of organic ingredients, but the USDA no represent or warrant that organic foods are safer or more nutritious than foods not organic.

Some parents prefer organic baby food as these defend the environment. Others believe that organic baby food simply tastes better. However, what is more important is a balanced diet. Provide your child with healthy meals from scratch, whether or not organic, establish lifelong healthy eating.

Tips for Buying and food safety:

- Buy vegetables and fruits in season to ensure better quality. For example, buy apples in the fall and berries and tomatoes in the summer. This contributes in saving fuel to transport vegetables and fruits from distant places.

- Read nutrition labels on products. Organic may mean healthy. Some organic foods are high in fat, sugar and salt.

"If you are concerned about pesticides, peel fruits and vegetables. Cut the outer leaves of leafy vegetables like lettuce and cabbage. But remember to peel fruits and vegetables are also reducing the nutritional value of food. Pesticides are sometimes found in the fatty parts of the food, remove the fat from meat and skin from fish and pork.

Parents need to give their babies healthy foods. If organic foods are available and can afford, buy and test. But do not let the organic food stamp the limit in buying healthy foods.

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