1. What is the principle of complementary food addition?
When starting to add complementary food to your baby, you can refer to the following principles: from single to diverse, it is best to choose from common ingredients in the family; preparation from thin to thick; production from thin to thick, with the baby's digestion, absorption and chewing The enhancement of ability gradually adjusts and changes the processing method of complementary food: the amount added is from less to more.
2. After supplementary food is added, is breast milk/formula still nutritious for the baby?
General recommendation: For babies born at term, complementary foods should be introduced at 4-6 months of age. Although breast milk/formula feeding alone cannot meet the needs of the baby's growth and development, breast milk/formula milk is still the most important source of nutrition for the baby , so there is no need to wean just because of complementary foods. For babies under 1 year old, milk should be the main thing, supplemented by meals; babies after 1 year old can gradually reduce the amount of milk and increase the amount of meals according to the situation. The eating stage is based on meals and supplemented by milk.
3. After adding complementary food, should the baby’s milk and complementary food be fed separately?
When feeding, it is recommended to combine complementary food and milk that is close to the time of feeding into one meal. Do not increase the total number of feedings after adding complementary food. In the order of feeding, it is generally recommended to let the baby eat the ones that he does not like first, and then eat the ones he likes. For example, if the baby does not like to drink milk, it is recommended to feed a certain amount of milk before feeding the complementary food; if the baby prefers to drink milk, it is recommended to feed the complementary food first, and then breastfeeding. After a period of solid food is added, as the baby's intake of solid food continues to increase, it will gradually replace a milk.
4. What are the principles of preparation of complementary food traits?
In the stage of supplementary food, considering that the baby's swallowing and chewing ability is not mature enough, and it has just been filtered from milk to supplementary food, muddy food should be the main thing at this time. As the baby gradually grows and develops, the number of erupted teeth increases, the swallowing ability increases, and the acceptance of complementary food gradually increases, and then the mashed food is changed to finely divided granular food, and then to larger granular food. Finally, with the development of your baby's chewing ability, when he has better chewing ability, he can transition from solid food to block food that is close to adult consumption.
5. Vegetables for babies should choose "root vegetables" or "green leafy vegetables"
Different types of vegetables contain different nutritional values, so the nutrition provided to the baby is also different, and there is no "choose one" problem. Relatively speaking, green leafy vegetables are richer in cellulose, which has a great effect on promoting intestinal peristalsis, preventing and relieving constipation. After some babies start to add complementary food, due to the change of diet structure, the intestinal tract is prone to the problem of poor defecation during the adaptation process. If this happens, you can eat more green leafy vegetables to supplement cellulose.
6. After adding complementary food to the baby, how much should I eat every day? What should I do if I don't see any weight gain?
First of all, it is suggested that dear parents can regularly record the baby's height and weight, and draw the growth curve, so as to scientifically grasp his growth trend. If the baby eats well after adding complementary food, but does not gain weight, parents can consider whether there is a problem with the baby's diet, such as eating too many vegetables and fruits, and making the staple food too thin, such as often drinking porridge and rotten noodles. In the case of false thickness, the baby seems to eat a lot, but in fact, the intake of staple food is insufficient; in addition, if the baby suffers from certain chronic diseases, such as congenital heart disease, severe eczema, etc., it will also increase the baby's nutritional consumption, resulting in Slow weight gain occurs.
7. How to judge when to add complementary food to the baby?
Different babies have certain physical differences, and the time to add complementary food is early or late. When the baby has the following symptoms, you can consider adding complementary food to the baby:
- Babies are very interested in what adults eat. They will stare at the food, move their mouths, drool, eat their hands, etc.
- The baby's tongue thrusting reaction gradually disappears. When the parent puts the spoon to the baby's mouth, he will take the initiative to open his mouth to suck instead of pushing the spoon out.
- The baby's nervous system has developed to a certain extent and can sit still.
- In the case of the baby's daily milk volume (8-10 times of breastfeeding), the baby's weight has stopped increasing (but note that the growth curve needs to be recorded and observed, not by feeling)
8. After the baby is supplemented with food, what time of day is it appropriate to eat?
It is recommended that parents set the time of complementary feeding close to the meal time of adults at home. A more reasonable approach is to add complementary foods to the baby at mealtimes close to noon and evening. On the one hand, when the baby eats with the adult, you can observe the adult's eating movements while eating. At this time, the baby can imitate and practice the adult's eating movements, and exercise the ability to chew and swallow. On the other hand, from the beginning, the meal time is close to that of adults, so that the baby can form a dining habit that conforms to family rules.
9. When the baby starts to add complementary food, should it be once a day or twice a day?
It is generally recommended that when you start adding solid food to your baby, you can start with two solid food a day. This will not only make it easier for the baby to adapt to the rhythm of complementary feeding, but also make the transition to three meals a day easier in the future. When supplementary food is added at the beginning, the amount of each meal does not need to be too much, and adaptation is the main thing. Then parents will gradually adjust the amount of feeding according to the baby's acceptance and adaptation, and slowly find the supplementary food that is suitable for the baby. time and amount of complementary food added.
10. After the complementary food is added, can the baby accept rice flour, can it be replaced with other food?
It is recommended that parents first clarify the reasons why the baby does not accept it. If the baby does not accept rice noodles because of the taste, properties, or the way of eating rice noodles with a spoon, parents may wish to change the brand of rice noodles or tableware and try again. On the one hand, be careful not to force the spoon into the baby's mouth. You can show the baby the action of eating rice noodles while encouraging the baby to open his mouth to try. Maybe the baby is willing to try rice noodles.
