Complementary Feeding, Step by Step

We offer a power scheme that will guide you in introducing the first solid food in your baby's diet, from six months until the first year of life.

With regard to the introduction of the first different than milk, pediatricians indications are less rigid than a decade ago. For example, it is not strictly necessary to start with cereal or fruit give the first slurry at noon or offer food to the child one at a time, leaving a few days before introducing a new food. Now, the introduction of foods can be started with the meat, the first slurry can be given at night and can be offered at the same time, several new foods. However, some mothers prefer to opt for a more traditional scheme, which in fact corresponds to our Mediterranean culture. We present it below.

When to start ideally; start adding foods at six months

Until now, breast milk is more than enough to ensure proper growth of the small. In fact, the World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding exclusively for at least the first six months of baby's life, and advised to continue breastfeeding along with other foods, up to two years or more. Pediatric Scientific Community recommends not enter any food other than milk before 17 weeks of age, but do not wait more than 26 weeks to do so.

5-6 months: cereal and fruit

According to the traditional scheme, cereals and fruit are the first foods that are introduced into the infant's diet.

The first porridge

They are made with rice and corn because it does not contain gluten. To begin, simply added a few teaspoons milk bottle below (or milk), to then gradually increase the amount and offer them on a plate. Later, when the child's digestive system is able to digest gluten, you can enter other cereals such as wheat, barley, spelled, rye or oats.

Regarding fruit
- You can start with a puree of apple, pear and banana
- Finely ground, replacing the decision in the afternoon, without adding sugar to the liquid. 

Gradually, they will be introducing new fruits such as oranges, peaches or grapes, and gradually increase the consistency of the purees, offer the child until chopped fruit from the year.

6 months: vegetables and white meat

The vegetable is introduced into the child's diet after six months, in the form of purees and soups. We must give preference to those vegetables that have a sweeter flavor, such as carrots, potatoes and green beans, as it is easier for the child to accept them. After about two weeks, vegetable purees can be enriched with meat.

At first sparingly and finely ground. It is recommended to start with the white meats, such as turkey or chicken, because they are more digestible and have a milder taste.

7 months: red meat

Now, you can add the mashed red meat (beef, lamb, foal ...) and new vegetables, like zucchini, squash, celery, spinach, etc. To keep the nutrients from vegetables and meat intact, it is best to steam. It is also important not to add salt to puree, in order not to meet, from very tiny, too much "sympathy" for salty foods.

9 months: fish

The first pieces of fish can be incorporated into mashed vegetables from nine months. 

It is advisable to start with the white fish (sole, hake, monkfish, etc.), because it contains less fat and is easily digested. To give the child oily fish (tuna, sardines, etc.), we have to wait 18 months; crustaceans will have to avoid up to two years.

It is very important to ensure that the fish is fresh; when in doubt, we will resort to frozen fish, from the nutritional point of view, has nothing to envy to cool and provides greater assurance of hygienic safety.

10 months: egg

At 10 months, you can start giving the child a teaspoon of egg yolk, always well cooked. If allergic reactions occur during administration after 48 hours, we can give a teaspoonful every other day, to move to a bud.

The light has a higher allergenic power, so its introduction is recommended as of the year, starting with a very small amount dissolved in the slurry.

10-12 months: legumes

Lentils, chickpeas, peas ... At this age, they usually enter
Early vegetables in the diet of children (although some pediatricians recommend starting and eight months). At first, we will give pulses as creams or purees. Later, we can offer them whole, trying very overcooked and with some kind of cereal serving. In the case of lentils, it is best to choose those without skin, as are more digestible. If we use dried chickpeas, it is important to keep in soaked for at least ten hours in water before baking.

12 months: growth milk

After the first year of life, if the mother not breastfeed, you can move to the growth milk, whose composition is adapted to, the nutritional needs have children aged one to three years:

Growth milk has more iron and vitamins than cow's milk, but less protein. This is also an advantage, as different studies have shown that excess protein can promote the development of obesity in children.

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Baby Food According to Age

Here are some recommendations for choosing baby food, depending on the stage passing through.

FROM 0 TO SIX MONTHS

The child is a being who is in development and growth, the choice of food offered is determined by the body's ability to handle baby food, both at the hearing, and digestive.

In the newborn, the ability to manage oral food manifests search reflexes, sucking and swallowing. So food is offered during this period is basically settled.

Search these reflexes are present in the baby from birth and beginning to change over time with the growth and development of the baby, while skills that later will allow handle differently food is produced. 

Breastfeeding, as has always been said, is the food par excellence of this stage of growth. Breastfeeding can be offered through breast naturally or artificially with a bottle or bottle.
 

In the bottle, it forms a bed with the tongue and the upper gum and mouth itself, generating a suction mechanism that allows the milk off the bottle.

So the bottle and breast are not the same, either for the baby or adult. Because the child must develop a learning experience that allows the identification of those expressing different behaviors and attitudes towards food offered and adults to ignore the above, I interpret it as a rejection response by the baby.

Between 3 and 4 months begin to take the first changes. Their interaction with the environment, allows the attitude demonstrated to the food, begin to have variations, from a child "judicious" when eating to show interest to a lot of their environment, distracting.

At this time, he develops in the lips and tongue better control, allowing you to start playing with saliva and sometimes the food itself.

It is recommended to continue breastfeeding until the fifth month, basically to give the body time to complete a series of processes that will optimally manage the next stage which we call complementary feeding.

This period is determined by the changes the child to develop in oral skills, to help manage the complementary food properly. To realize the process that occurs, he has to learn to differentiate between spontaneous swallowing food, as we did during the intake of fluids (milk) and at that time you are offered, to be prepared in the mouth, swallowed properly.

When eaten, these actions are done spontaneously, almost without being aware of these, but a baby, the must develop those skills, and this takes time. To facilitate this process the first foods that will offer porridge, which are foods that have a semi-liquid preparation.

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Baby Solid Foods Age 10 to 12 Months

So far, the aim has been to your baby used to the idea of solid foods and to share the table with the rest of the family. Breast milk or formula is still an important part of their diet. However, at the end of the first year, solid foods will be an even more important part of the nutrition of your child.
 

Signs that are ready to eat a more varied selection of solid foods 

• 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.
• Take things with thumb and index finger (or pinch object).
• You can transfer things from one hand to the other.
• It takes everything in their mouths.
• It has begun to mimic chewing, moving the jaw from side to side.
• It is easier to swallow food.
• He has more teeth.
• Gone is the extrusion reflex of the tongue, that is, the reflection of pushing his tongue out of his mouth all that is solid.
• Try a spoon.

Foods you can give 

• Breast milk: about 3-4 times a day. Either formula: about 3 to 4 bottles of 5 to 6 ounces (147-177 ml), a day.
• Bits of soft pasteurized cheese, yogurt or cottage cheese. If you wonder why those dairy products may 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.
• Iron fortified cereals (rice, barley, oats, wheat or various mixtures).
• Strips or diced or crushed fruit.
• Chips and soft as cooked peas or carrots vegetables.
• Meals "combo" (macaroni and cheese, stews or casseroles).
• Food you can make with your fingers (dry O-shaped cereal low in sugar, pieces of lightly toasted bread pieces of ripe banana, well-cooked spiral pasta, special teething biscuits).
• Small amounts of protein foods such as eggs, mashed red meat and poultry and fish without spines. You can also offer vegetable purees which have thin skin, such as lentils, peas and or black beans.

How much to eat per day

• 1/3 cup of milk a day (or 1/2 ounce of cheese) products.
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup of iron-fortified cereal.
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup of fruit.
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup of vegetables.
• 1/8 to 1/4 cup protein foods.
• 1/8 to 1/4 cup of food "combo" (macaroni and cheese, stews or casseroles).

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.

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Baby Solid Foods by Age 8 to 10 Months

Baby solid foods by age: 8 to 10 months

This is the time to begin to offer your baby foods that you can take with your fingers, so you can practice how to feed him.

Signs that are ready to eat solid food and you can take with your fingers

• 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.
• Take things with thumb and index finger (or pinch object).
• You can transfer things from one hand to the other.
• It takes everything in their mouths.
• It has begun to mimic chewing, moving the jaw from side to side.

Foods you can give

Breast milk: about 3 to 5 times a day. Either formula: about 4 to 5 bottles of 5 to 6 ounces (147-177 ml) daily. In addition to:

• Bits pasteurized soft cheese or cottage cheese. If you wonder why those dairy products may 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.
• Iron fortified cereals (rice, barley, oats, wheat or various mixtures).
• Fruits and ground as bananas, peaches (peaches), pears, avocado (avocado), cooked carrots, squash (zucchini), potatoes (potatoes) or sweet potatoes (sweet potato) vegetables.
• Food you can make with your fingers (dry O-shaped cereal low in sugar, pieces of lightly toasted bread pieces of ripe banana, well-cooked spiral pasta, special teething biscuits).
• Small amounts of protein foods such as eggs, mashed red meat and poultry and fish without spines. You can also offer vegetable purees which have thin skin, such as lentils, peas and black beans.

How much to eat per day

• 1/4 to 1/3 cup of dairy products a day (or 1/2 ounce of cheese)
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup of iron-fortified cereal
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup of fruit
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup of vegetables 
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup protein foods.

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.

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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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