Today a friend asked about the baby's complementary food, because her baby is now four months old, her mother-in-law has been urging her to add complementary food to the baby, she herself is a novice mother, do not understand this, so ask people.
Lazy mothers like friends encountered this kind of thing, the boss began to add complementary foods when he was very young, and he didn't understand it at that time, so there was nothing to say. After the birth of the second year, exclusive breastfeeding to six months, almost from the baby two months later, the mother-in-law often urged me to add complementary food to the baby, the neighbor's mother-in-law also said together, making me as if I had committed something big.
In fact, I am not insufficient breast milk, I can fully meet the baby's needs for breast milk, there is no need to add complementary foods so early, and it is also necessary to pay attention to the timing of adding complementary foods to the baby.
Today we will talk about the baby's addition of complementary foods.
First, what is a complementary food?
Complementary food is a food other than breast milk or formula, which is a food in the process of the baby's transition from feeding to adult diet.
In the baby's six months, breast milk or baby milk powder is the baby's most ideal food, but the baby will grow, the need for nutrition is more and more diversified, the variety of food will be more and more, the baby can not be converted at once, then the role of complementary food comes out.
Through the role of complementary food, the baby can smoothly switch from milk to other foods.
Second, why add complementary foods to your baby?
Let's take a look at the benefits of adding complementary foods to your baby:
Adding complementary foods to your baby can meet your baby's nutritional needs.
The baby is impossible to always eat milk, even if there is so nutritious breast milk, it will automatically adjust the nutritional composition with the baby's age, when the baby reaches a certain age, breast milk is not enough to meet the baby's needs for all nutrition, so it is necessary to add complementary food to the baby, in order to supplement the nutrition required for the baby's growth.
Adding complementary foods to your baby can exercise your baby's chewing ability.
When the baby is just born, there are many skills, yes, those primitive reflexes, for example, the baby will walk when it is just born, it will suck when it is just born, and it has the ability to suck.
But at this time, the baby will not chew, will not have to learn.
The addition of complementary foods at the right time can allow the baby to exercise the ability to chew, and it can also allow the baby's stomach to gradually adapt and try foods other than milk.
It has also been mentioned in the book "Yutao Light Natural Parenting - The Knowledge of Complementary Food Addition": the baby's chewing can promote the development of the jaw and teeth, because in the process of the baby's chewing, the jawbone will become longer and wider, and the jawbone will develop well, which can also lay a good foundation for the development of the teeth.
So why don't we add complementary foods to our baby?
Third, when can I add complementary foods to my baby?
★ It is inevitable to add complementary foods to your baby, but when can you add complementary foods to your baby?
The World Health Organization recommends that when the baby is 4 to 6 months old, if breast milk or milk powder can no longer meet the nutritional needs of the baby, the baby should be added to the supplementary food.
That is to say, if the baby can no longer get all the nutrients he needs in breast milk or milk powder, he must obtain the missing nutrients through complementary foods.
★ Why is it this time to add complementary foods to your baby, rather than earlier or later?
If the baby adds complementary foods too early, because the baby's digestive function is not very strong, the complementary food may become a burden on the baby's stomach and intestines, and the baby is too small, the intestinal function is poor, and adding complementary foods too early will increase the risk of food allergies in the baby.
If you add complementary foods to your baby too late, your baby may cause a loss of certain nutrients, and miss the peak period when your baby learns to swallow and chew, affecting the development of your baby's jaws and teeth.
Therefore, add complementary foods to your baby at least 8 months at the latest.
★ Say 4 months, say 6 months, when is it appropriate?
Exclusively breastfed babies generally recommend adding complementary foods after 6 months, because breast milk up to 6 months old can meet your baby's needs for all nutrients.
Of course, this is not absolute, after all, every baby's development is different.
But we can observe the baby, if the baby has the following signals can add complementary food to the baby:
Watch your baby gain weight
The baby's weight needs to reach more than 2 times that of birth, and it is also necessary to meet the needs of the baby to have more than 12 pounds, in fact, many babies have reached 2 times the weight of birth after 3 months of birth.
Babies show great interest in food
Babies are already very interested in foods other than milk, and they want to try out the taste of these foods when they see Mom and Dad or other people eating.
Milk volume increased, and the interval between feedings became shorter
The baby's appetite has increased greatly, drink the same amount of milk, originally four hours hungry, now three hours hungry, when the mother feels that their milk is not enough supply, you can also consider adding complementary food to the baby.
Babies are free to control their upper body
If you want to add complementary food to the baby, one of the conditions is that the baby can control his upper body, the head can be rotated freely, and he has the ability to say yes or no, and when the baby is not willing to eat complementary food, he can turn his head to the side and refuse.
The apical tongue reflex disappears
The parietal tongue reflex is a conditioned reflex, that is, in order to prevent foreign bodies from entering the throat, the baby reflexively uses his tongue to push the solid food in his mouth out of the cavity, which is also a way for the baby to protect himself.
The parietal tongue reflex generally weakens after 4-6 months, and the disappearance of the parietal tongue reflex can generally be seen as an important sign that the baby can be added as a complementary food.
When the baby's apical tongue reflex disappears, it means that we can consider adding complementary foods to the baby.
Of course, when we add complementary foods to the baby, we can't mess around, or we have to follow some principles.
Fourth, what principles should be followed to add complementary foods to the baby?
Fat people are not eaten in one bite, and they can't eat hot tofu in a hurry, and in the same way, adding complementary foods to babies also needs to be gradual.
From less to more.
First increase the amount of a meal of complementary food, just add complementary food to the baby, we can first give the baby to try 1 spoonful, about 5ml, and then observe for 2-3 days, if the baby stool is normal, there is no other discomfort, gradually increase the amount of complementary food for the baby, 2 spoons, and then 3 spoons.
After a while, the baby has fully adapted to adding one complementary meal a day, and we can give the baby another meal, that is, two meals a day, and then increase to 3 meals a day.
From thin to thick.
Breast milk or baby milk powder is in a liquid state into the baby's stomach, when we add complementary food to the baby, we should also start from the flow, and then slowly thicken, so that the baby slowly get used to it.
If we give the baby solid food at the beginning, the baby has not yet learned to swallow and chew, when the baby can not handle this operation, it can only be solved by crying, and will also resist the complementary food, then it will be difficult to add complementary food to the baby later.
When the baby is fully accustomed, we can give the baby a slightly harder food.
From small to large particles.
When adding complementary foods to the baby, the baby will not chew, so we add complementary foods to the baby to start from small particles, at the beginning it should be relatively small, and the baby will be smooth, smooth, smooth, and spongy when eating, and it is easier to swallow.
When the baby's ability is getting stronger and stronger, we can give the baby from mud to granular, and then make it into a block, in short, from fine to thick.
From single to complex.
We give the baby rice noodles at the beginning, if the baby is not uncomfortable, after half a month we can add other complementary food types to the baby, when adding a new food, we also have to observe for a few days, if there is nothing, a week or so can continue to add new varieties.
Your baby's first bite of food supplement.
After the baby is 6 months old, the iron brought by the body has been almost consumed, and the breast milk cannot meet the baby's demand for iron, at this time the baby needs to supplement iron in time to avoid iron deficiency anemia.
Therefore, the baby's first bite of complementary food is best fortified iron rice noodles, rather than homemade rice noodles. Because fortified iron rice flour has enough iron and other nutrients for babies.
The addition of complementary foods cannot affect your baby's milk intake.
The reason why complementary food is a complementary food is because it can not be used as the baby's main food and nutrient source, in order to avoid the baby's malnutrition, during the addition of complementary food, within one year of the baby, the addition of complementary food can not affect the baby's milk.
The baby's daily milk amount must be guaranteed at 600 to 800ml, and do not exceed 1000ml, so as not to affect the baby's feeding of complementary foods.
Baby food supplements are enough to taste, no need to add salt and other seasonings.
The older generation of people always say that the baby does not eat salt, there is no strength, so some salt will be added to the complementary food, but in fact, the baby's complementary food already contains sodium chloride ingredients, no need to add additional.
And the baby's taste buds are much more sensitive than our adults, and we can eat the taste that we can't try, which is the original taste of the food and avoids the baby's heavy taste.
Moreover, adding more seasonings to the food will also increase the burden on the baby's kidneys.
At last
When the baby reaches the age of adding complementary foods, there is also a signal to add complementary foods, we have to seize the time to add complementary foods to the baby, but remember that in the process of adding complementary foods, if the baby is unwell such as diarrhea, it should be appropriate to stop adding new complementary foods to the baby, and then continue after the baby is better, especially the food that the baby will be allergic to, be sure to remember and eliminate it.
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