Artificial feeding of a child up to one year. All about artificial feeding (IV)

A nutritious, balanced diet is a prerequisite for the normal development of all organs and systems of the baby. It is important that children receive a certain amount of macronutrients (protein, fat, carbohydrates), minerals and vitamins daily. Thanks to this, they will grow up healthy, cheerful and smart. How to properly organize feeding of children under one year old? Let's look into this issue that interests all conscious parents.

Types of nutrition for children under one year old

There are three types of feeding of children under one year: natural, artificial and mixed. Each of them has its own diet. Let's consider the features of different types of menus for newborns. General diagrams are given for healthy infants. In case of violations of food consumption norms, the doctor determines.

Natural feeding

A breastfed baby from 0 to 6 months receives only breast milk. According to WHO recommendations, after this age, solid foods (complementary foods) are gradually introduced into his diet. The share of breast milk in the daily volume of food decreases, but remains high. Famous children's doctor E.O. Komarovsky insists that introducing complementary foods at an earlier period is inappropriate.

With natural feeding, most experts recommend feeding the baby freely, that is, at his request. This approach allows you to maintain lactation at the required level. After 2-3 months, even in the case of free feeding, a flexible feeding schedule for the newborn is established: meals occur at intervals of 2-2.5 hours.

Artificial feeding

When bottle-fed, the child receives an adapted milk formula. Breast milk may be present in his menu, but in small quantities - up to 20% of the total food.

Artificial feeding requires adherence to a clear feeding schedule with certain intervals between meals. E.O. Komarovsky reminds that they must be aged, since the mixture is digested more slowly than mother's milk.

Mixed feeding

The need for mixed feeding arises when the mother produces breast milk, but it is not enough for the baby. The deficiency is compensated with the help of artificial mixtures.

The share of mother's milk during mixed feeding is more than 20% of the daily diet. The feeding regimen for this type of nutrition depends on the level of lactation in the mother. If the basis of the diet is breast milk, then the schedule approaches free. If the mixture predominates, feeding occurs by the hour.

How to calculate the amount of food needed?

First 7-10 days

Calculation of the daily volume of formula or breast milk for children in the first 7-10 days of life is carried out in one of two ways:

1. Zaitseva's formula. It is necessary to multiply the child’s body weight at birth by the number of days of his life and find 2% of this number. The result will be the required amount of food per day.
2. Finkelstein formula. To determine the daily amount of milk or formula for a child weighing less than 3.2 kg, you should multiply his age in days by 70. If the baby weighs less than 3.2 kg, you need to find the product of the number of his days of life and 80.

Regardless of the formula used, the resulting daily volume must be divided by the number of feedings. This way you can find out the amount of milk or formula sufficient for one meal.

Over 7-10 days

To calculate the volume of nutrition for a newborn older than 7-10 days to 12 months, the Geibener and Cherny method or volumetric method is used. Geibener and Cherny's method allows you to find the required total amount of liquid per day, including formula, milk, water, juice, tea, and so on. This takes into account the child’s weight and age. The main recommendations are presented in the table.

For example, a baby at 3 months weighs 5.2 kg. He needs 5200÷6=867 ml of milk or formula per day. This indicator should be divided by the number of meals. The total volume of liquid should not exceed 1 liter in 24 hours.

In modern conditions, the Geibener and Cherny technique is rarely used, since it is not designed for children with increased body weight, of whom more and more people are being born recently. The volumetric method is considered more rational.

Food consumption standards, depending on the child’s age, are shown in the table.

Introduction of complementary foods

There are special WHO instructions that contain information on the sequence of introducing solid foods into the diet of children in the first year of life. Recommendations broken down by month are presented below.

Porridge must be boiled in water. Starting from 6 months, vegetable oil should be added to purees and porridge. For the first time, it is recommended to limit yourself to 1 drop, gradually increasing the volume to 1 teaspoon. Butter is introduced into the diet at 7 months. The initial dose is 1 g, the average is 10 g. It is advisable to add it to ready-made porridges.

The given complementary feeding scheme is relevant for breastfed children. If a child receives formula, solid foods can be introduced from 5 months, as his body needs vitamins and minerals for normal development. The same table is used, but all rows are shifted by month.

Detailed information on how to feed your baby “adult” foods can be found in the table. All recommendations are general in nature. Before introducing complementary foods, you should consult your pediatrician.

Product	Term	Quantity	Dishes for starting complementary feeding
Vegetables	With normal or overweight from 6 (sometimes from 5-5.5) months.		Puree from 1 white or green vegetable.
Porridge	With normal or overweight body weight from 6-7 months. If the weight is insufficient, then they are introduced at 4-5 months.	Initial - ½ teaspoon. Maximum – 100-200 g.	Gluten-free cereals cooked in water - buckwheat, rice, corn, oatmeal. After introducing each porridge separately, you can cook cereal mixes.
Vegetable oil	6 months	Initial – 3-5 drops. Maximum – 1 teaspoon.	Sunflower, corn, olive oils. They should be added to pureed vegetables or meat.
Butter	7	Initial - 1/3 teaspoon. Maximum – 10-20 g.	High-quality butter without vegetable components should be added to vegetable purees and porridges.
Fruits	8	Initial - ½ teaspoon. Maximum – 100-200 g.	Monopure of soft fruits. Gradually you can make multi-component dishes.
Meat	8	Initial - ½ teaspoon. Maximum – 50-100 g.	Puree from one component - rabbit, turkey, veal, beef.
Yolk	8	Initial - 1/4 teaspoon. Maximum – ½ yolk of a chicken egg.	You need to boil the egg and add the chopped yolk to the puree or porridge.
Dairy products*	9	Initial - ½ teaspoon. Maximum – 150-200 g.	Children's yogurt, kefir or biolact. After 10 months, you can introduce foods with fillers (we recommend reading:).
Cottage cheese*	9	Initial - ½ teaspoon. Maximum – 50 g.	Children's cottage cheese in its purest form. From 10 months it should be supplemented with fruit puree.
Children's cookies	9-10	Initial – 1/3 cookies. Maximum – 5 pieces.
Fish	The average duration of administration is 10 months (we recommend reading:). If the child has a tendency to allergies - 1 year.	Initial - ½ teaspoon. The maximum is 60 g. It is worth feeding your baby fish 1-2 times a week.	Low-fat fish varieties - river perch, hake, cod. It should be boiled or steamed and then pureed.
Juices	10-12	Initial – 2-3 drops. Maximum – 100 ml.	Clarified juices from green and white fruits.

*Note that the approach of Dr. E.O. Komarovsky regarding complementary feeding differs from WHO recommendations. He suggests starting your acquaintance with adult food with the help of sour milk - kefir and cottage cheese.

The new product should be given to the baby in the first half of the day. It is recommended to increase the amount very slowly, gradually bringing it up to the age norm and monitoring the reaction of the child’s body. A child should be introduced to one new dish per week. If an allergy or malfunction of the gastrointestinal tract occurs, the product should be removed from the menu.

Nutrition after a year

The child's menu after 12 months includes all main food groups. He no longer needs breast milk as food, so many mothers decide to stop lactation. However, it contains substances that are valuable for the baby, and there are still reasons to continue breastfeeding.

Lactation can be maintained even if the mother goes to work. The frequency of breastfeeding will decrease, but the baby will receive valuable elements. If there is a need to stop lactation, doctors advise not to do this during the child’s illness, when his body is weakened, as well as in the summer, since at this time there is a high probability of contracting an intestinal infection.

The diet of a baby at 1 year old does not differ from his menu at 11 months, but the portions are slightly larger (we recommend reading:). For breakfast and afternoon snacks, he should be fed porridge or pureed vegetables. Dinner and lunch should be filling. For dessert you can offer marmalade, marshmallows, marshmallows, and as a drink - water, tea, jelly, compote or fruit juice.

Choosing a formula-feeding diet for your baby is not just about deciding on your favorite brand of infant formula. For bottle-fed babies, everything is different, from the frequency of their meals to the color of the contents of their diaper. What do young parents need to know in order to correctly create a formula-fed baby’s regimen?

The regimen of a bottle-fed baby is different from that of an infant.
breastfed. Strictly speaking, the everyday life of an “artificialist” is largely
degrees are subject to an hourly schedule, while the days of true
the baby is formed more by the will of his instincts and natural
his mother's desire to put the baby to her breast...

Babies digest breast milk and formula differently

Differences in the regimens of bottle-fed babies and breastfed babies are primarily due to the way in which newborns and older babies absorb breast milk and formula.

A question that young mothers often ask when planning a bottle-fed regimen for their baby: is it true that babies accustomed to infant formula can be fed less frequently than breastfed babies. The short and to the point answer is yes.

If suspicions of an allergy to formula are confirmed, your doctor may recommend a soy-based formula. Or the solution to the problem may be to switch to an extra-hydrolyzed mixture, in which the casein protein is broken down into a more digestible form.

Another important “problem” is infant colic. They occur in children who are bottle-fed no less often, and perhaps even more often, than in those children who are fed breast milk. Of course, the constant crying of a child does not mean that he has colic - any experienced parent will confirm this to you. But if you see that the baby constantly feels discomfort after feeding, it is likely that the reason lies precisely in colic.

Unfortunately, or fortunately, by changing in any way the formula-fed baby's regimen, you are unlikely to get rid of painful infant colic. You just need to survive this “attack” - in most cases, infant colic disappears on its own at the age of 3-4 months.

Some babies eat more, others eat less.

One day, while visiting your friend, you suddenly notice that her child, who is also on artificial feeding, barely drinks 100 milliliters of formula at a time. And your baby can easily cope with a double portion at the same time. Is there really a glutton in your family?

Not at all. Children's diet is a purely individual matter. Different babies on artificial feeding require different amounts of calories, and if one baby needs 100 milliliters of formula, the other will remain hungry.

There is one absolute advantage in artificial feeding mode -
can fully care for a newborn baby
not only mom, but also dad...

Additionally, formula intake may vary from one meal to the next. Just like you: in the morning you can eat a vegetable salad, but at lunch you want something more serious. In general, don’t be surprised if your baby eats 120 milliliters of formula, and three hours later he eats 200.

General rules for a bottle-fed baby's regime

How much food should there be? In general, “artificial” children who have not yet received their first complementary foods should eat approximately 150-155 milliliters of ready-made formula per kilogram of weight during the day. So if your baby weighs, say, 3.7 kilograms, count on about 550 milliliters of artificial nutrition. If a child weighs 6 kg, he needs to be given up to 900 milliliters of formula per day.

Feeding frequency. The frequency of meals, as well as the quantity, changes as your baby grows. After the first few days, the newborn will eat 60 to 90 milliliters of formula per meal. The frequency of meals can also vary, but on average newborns eat every three to four hours for the first few weeks. It is believed that if during the first month your baby sleeps for more than four to five hours, starting to skip feedings, you should wake him up (but very kindly, gently and delicately!) and offer him a bottle of formula.

By the end of the first month, the child is ready to eat up to 120 milliliters per dose. By this time, the meal schedule usually has already stabilized, the baby eats on average every four hours.

All families are individual, and so are all the children in them. Often, the parent’s daily routine is no less subordinate to the newborn baby’s routine than the child’s routine is subordinate to your lifestyle. Moreover, regardless of what type of nutrition the baby is on.

And even if you feed your baby formula, the baby’s formula-fed regimen is by no means a strict medical regulation - it’s not so important how strictly you adhere to the hourly feeding schedule. It is much more important that both you and your baby feel harmonious together, so that feeding moments bring not only physiological saturation, but also the joy of joint emotional communication.

Breastfeeding is unique in its nature, because only mother’s milk can provide the baby not only with the necessary amount of fats, microelements, vitamins (and in an optimal state for absorption), but also with biologically active substances such as enzymes, hormones, immunoglobulins, and leukocytes. These components are very difficult or even impossible to introduce into artificial mixtures. It is not without reason that scientists are currently proposing to legally prohibit the use of the terms “mother’s milk substitutes” in the literature (or in information about formulas), since such mixtures simply cannot be created. In addition to this purely practical significance, the importance of breastfeeding is undeniable for the psychological comfort of mother and baby, mutual understanding of “mothers and children” from the first days of life.

However, there are circumstances in which breastfeeding is not possible. And then the baby is transferred to artificial feeding, i.e. feeding the baby with formula milk.

When is a baby switched to artificial or mixed feeding?

1. Medical circumstances: cases of difficult pregnancy and childbirth, requiring the restoration of the mother’s strength, taking medications that pass into breast milk, infectious diseases, etc.
2. Insufficient production of breast milk (control weighings show that the baby is not gaining enough weight, and attempts to stimulate lactation are unsuccessful).
3. The impossibility of continuous breastfeeding in situations where the mother is forced to leave the child under the supervision of someone, and expressed or frozen milk is not enough.

How to correctly calculate the required volume of the mixture?

When artificial feeding, it is important to determine the required amount of nutrition for the child. The daily amount of food depending on the age of the baby is given in table 1. For example, if the baby is 1 month old and weighs 3500 g, then the daily amount of food is 1/5 of body weight, i.e. 700 ml.

To determine how much formula you need per feeding, divide the daily amount of food by the number of feedings.

Approximate number of feedings per day:

• first week of life - 7-10;
• 1 week - 2 months - 7-8;
• 2-4 months - 6-7;
• 4-9 months - 5-6;
• 9-12 months - 4-5.

It should be noted that if during breastfeeding before introducing complementary foods it is not necessary to additionally supplement the child with boiled water, then during artificial and mixed feeding this is permissible, and the volume of water is not taken into account in the total volume of food.

How to prepare the mixture

First, carefully read the instructions for use on the package. It must be strictly followed. If there is too much powder, the mixture becomes oversaturated with all nutrients, and this can lead to regurgitation, unstable stools, and excessive weight gain. If too little powder is taken, the mixture will turn out to be low-calorie, and this is also bad: the baby, while remaining hungry, will be capricious, sleep worse, and gain less weight.

To prepare the mixture, water must be boiled. The ideal temperature is 36-37°C. To obtain this temperature, you need to pour boiled water, cooled to 50-60°C, into a bottle. Using a measuring spoon, measure the required amount of the mixture (be sure to remove the excess). Pour the powder into the water and quickly stir until completely dissolved. You can prepare the mixture directly in the bottle.

Tip the bottle down without shaking. The mixture should first flow in a thin stream, then pass through the nipple at a speed of 1 drop per second.

Then you need to place a few drops of the mixture on your wrist - the contents should be close to body temperature, that is, practically not felt. If the temperature of the mixture exceeds the desired temperature, you can cool the bottle in cold water.

Baby feeding technique

In order to make it comfortable not only for the baby, who should be in a semi-upright position, but also for the mother during feeding, you can use additional pillows by placing them under the back. The position of the mother’s legs can be different: you can cross your legs, you can place a low bench under your feet, you can feed the baby in a lying position, while gently holding the baby. To reduce air swallowing, tilt the bottle so that the milk fills the nipple and the air rises to the bottom of the bottle. After feeding, keep your baby upright for a few minutes to reduce the chance of .

If a mother does not have the opportunity to breastfeed, then feelings of guilt should not burden her relationship with the child.

Is it possible to store the prepared mixture?

If your baby falls asleep towards the end of the feeding without having sucked everything out of the bottle, empty the contents. Under no circumstances should the remainder of the formula be left until the next feeding. All items needed for feeding, like baby dishes, should be rinsed immediately after feeding under running warm water, removing any remaining mixture with a bottle brush and nipple brush. After this, the dishes must be sterilized (either by boiling for 10-15 minutes, or using an electric sterilizer).

Next, all feeding accessories are cooled to room temperature and placed on a clean towel. This should be done during the 1st month of the child’s life, then it is enough to rinse the bottle with boiled water.

Free artificial feeding

A child eats different amounts of food at different times of the day, and his need for food is not the same. Free-fed children gain weight better than children on a strictly dosed diet.

However, when artificial feeding, doctors advise using partially free feeding - a method in which there are certain feeding hours, the amount of food is given at the child's request, but within certain limits.

Usually 20-30 ml more is poured into the bottle for each feeding, but food is given at fixed hours (deviation within 30 minutes is acceptable). This allows you to more accurately determine the baby’s optimal need for food. If a child does not fully eat the amount of food offered to him, he should not be force-fed.

Age, months	0-1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	9-12
Dishes and products
Adapted milk formula, ml	700 - 800	800 - 900	800 - 900	800 - 900	700	400	300 - 400	350	200	200
Fruit juice, ml	According to indications*			5 - 30	40 - 50	50 - 60	60	70	80	90 - 100
Fruit puree, g	According to indications*			5 - 30**	40 - 50	50 - 60	60	70	80	90 - 100
Cottage cheese, g	-	-	-	-	-	40	40	40	40	40
Yolk, g	-	-	-	-	-	-	0,25	0,5	0,5	0,5
Vegetable puree, g	-	-	-	-	10 - 150	150	150	170	180	200
Milk porridge, g	-	-	-	-	-	50 - 150	150	150	180	200
Meat puree, g	-	-	-	-	-	-	5-30	50	50	60 - 70
Kefir and other fermented milk products or whole milk, ml	-	-	-	-	-	-	200	200	400	400
Whole wheat bread, g	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	5	5	10
Rusks, cookies, g	-	-	-	-	-	3 - 5	5	5	10	10 - 15
Vegetable oil (sunflower, corn), g	-	-	-	-	3	3	3	5	5	6
Butter, g	-	-	-	-	-	4	4	5	5	6
* The introduction of the product is determined depending on the child’s health condition and the degree of adaptation of the human milk substitute used in his diet. ** Puree is introduced 2 weeks after the introduction of juice.

Situations in which you have to change the mixture:

• individual intolerance to the mixture, often manifested by an allergic reaction;
• reaching the age at which you can move from the first stage to the second (5-6 months); Moreover, if the child tolerated one or another mixture well, then it is desirable that the subsequent mixture be with the same name;
• the need to administer medicinal mixtures (in case of allergies, regurgitation, etc.; medicinal mixtures should be administered only as prescribed by a doctor);
• transition from medicinal mixtures to adapted ones, after eliminating the condition for the purpose of correction of which the medicinal mixture was introduced.

With artificial feeding, complementary foods are introduced at 4.5-5 months, while with breastfeeding this is done later - at 5-6 months. This is due to the fact that children who are bottle-fed receive a significant amount of “foreign” nutrients in the human milk substitute, which leads to a certain adaptation of the child to the “foreign” diet. It should be noted that the timing of the introduction of complementary foods is chosen individually, after discussion with the pediatrician who is monitoring the baby.

1. You need to start with small quantities of the product, gradually increasing it. On the first day, complementary foods are given in the amount of 3-5 teaspoons, and within 10-12 days this is increased to the full volume of one feeding.
2. Complementary foods should be given before formula feeding, from a spoon.
3. You cannot introduce two new products at the same time.
4. Complementary foods should be pureed and should not contain small pieces that may cause difficulty swallowing. As you age, you should move on to thicker and, later, denser foods.
5. After introducing complementary foods, it is necessary to establish a 5-time feeding regimen.
6. The first complementary foods are introduced at one of the daily feedings, preferably at 10 or 14 hours.

Vegetable puree It is considered preferable for the first complementary feeding in healthy bottle-fed children; it is richer in vitamins, minerals, pectins, and fiber, which are necessary for a growing body. The introduction of complementary foods must begin with one type of vegetables: zucchini, pumpkin, cauliflower, broccoli, green peas, potatoes, which should not account for more than 20% of the total volume of vegetables.

Porridge(rice, corn, buckwheat) are introduced as complementary foods a month after the introduction of vegetables (not earlier than 6 months). After 8 months, you can introduce gluten-containing cereals (oatmeal, semolina). Porridge is given to the child starting with 1-2 teaspoons, gradually increasing its amount to 120-150 g per day and adding 3-4 g of melted butter or vegetable oil. After porridge, you can give your baby fruit puree.

Cottage cheese, as a source of complete protein and some essential amino acids, calcium and phosphorus salts, should be prescribed to healthy, normally developing children no earlier than 5-6 months to enrich complementary foods with protein. The amount of cottage cheese per year should not exceed 50 g in order to avoid a high salt and protein load on the child’s kidneys.

Yolk A hard-boiled chicken egg should be given from 6-7 months. Its earlier administration often leads to allergic reactions. The yolk is given to the child in pureed form, mixed with a small amount of the mixture, starting with minimal doses (at the tip of a spoon) and gradually increasing its amount to 1/4-1/2 per day. Later, the yolk is added to porridge or vegetable puree. It is better to give the yolk 2 times a week.

Meat It is recommended to introduce it starting from 7-7.5 months. If a child has intolerance to cow's milk proteins, it is better to avoid introducing beef and veal, and use rabbit meat, white meat turkey, chicken and lean pork. For anemia, meat puree is prescribed from 5-5.5 months. At 8-9 months, meat puree is replaced with meatballs, and by the end of the year - with steamed cutlets. It is not recommended to give meat broth to a child of the first year of life, since its nutritional value is insignificant, in addition, it is rich in extractive substances that have an allergenic effect.

At the age of 7 months, to stimulate chewing skills, you can give your child cracker(with kefir or juice).

White sea fish(hake, cod, sea bass) can be recommended to a child instead of meat 1-2 times a week from 8-9 months. Fish proteins are well balanced in amino acid composition. They are absorbed better than meat proteins; In addition, fish is rich in minerals and B vitamins.

Whole cow's milk It is better to start giving it to your child at the end of the first year of life, but in no case earlier than 6 months. Dairy products It is introduced into the diet of a healthy child no earlier than 7 months. If you are allergic to formula, they are introduced earlier, but their amount should not exceed 2/3 of the volume of the milk formula.

The result of proper, successful feeding should be an adequate increase in the baby’s body weight (see Table 3).

Month	Monthly weight gain, g	Body weight gain over the entire past period	Monthly height increase, cm	Increase in growth over the entire past period
	600	600	3	3
	800	1400	3	6
	800	2200	2,5	8,5
	750	2950	2,5	11
	700	3650	2	13
	650	4300	2	15

If you are transferring your baby to artificial feeding or starting to supplement with formula feeding, you should take into account some of the features of artificial feeding so that the baby is full, but does not overeat, does not regurgitate, does not suffer from colic and stool disorders.

1. How to calculate the portion correctly?

In order for your baby to eat enough without overeating, it is very important to correctly determine the amount of food for your child. If a child has low weight, including due to illness or prematurity, the volume of the formula is calculated by the pediatrician. If your baby's weight corresponds to average age standards, you can calculate the amount of food yourself - for example, using Maslov's calorie method.

Maslov's caloric method

1. We determine the calorie content of the daily food intake.

The calorie content of daily food per 1 kg of a child’s body weight should be:

• 1-3 months - 120 kcal/1 kg/day;
• 3-6 months - 115 kcal/1 kg/day;
• 6-9 months - 110 kcal/1 kg/day;
• 9-12 months - 105 kcal/1 kg/day.

We multiply the figure corresponding to the child’s age by weight (in kilograms).

1. We determine the daily amount of food. To do this, divide the calorie content of the daily food volume by the calorie content of 1 liter of ready-to-use mixture. The calorie content of the mixture is always indicated on its packaging. On average, this figure is 800 kcal/l.

1. Determine the volume of one feeding. To do this, you need to divide the daily amount of food by the total number of feedings.

Example. If a child at the age of one month weighs 4 kg, then his daily caloric intake will be 120*4= 480 kcal/day. Next, we determine the daily volume of nutrition 480/800 = 0.6 l (600 ml) of the mixture per day. If your baby eats 8 times a day, he should receive approximately 75 ml of formula per feeding. Keep in mind that a child in the first year of life should not receive more than 1000-1100 ml of food per day (including complementary foods in the second half of the year).

If you give your baby water between feedings, its volume is not taken into account in the total amount of food.

The calorie method of calculating nutrition is very simple and accurate. However, do not forget that the amount of formula should be recalculated every 3-4 days, because the child’s weight is constantly increasing. If you don't have a home scale, just follow your doctor's recommendations for how much you should eat.

2. How many times a day should I feed my baby?

The diet of a bottle-fed baby is radically different from that of breastfeeding. Babies receiving breast milk should be fed on demand, while babies receiving formula need a specific diet.

Approximate number of feedings per day for a full-term baby:

• first week of life - 7-10;
• 1 week - 2 months - 7-8;
• 2-4 months - 6-7;
• 4-9 months - 5-6;
• 9-12 months - 5.

The most common mistake when artificial and mixed feeding is overfeeding the child. Most women see a healthy baby as a plump baby with cute folds.

The desire to feed your child well is quite natural. However, keep in mind that “free feeding” is only suitable for breastfeeding children. For an artificial diet, an excess of nutrients leads to metabolic disorders and changes in the natural composition of body tissues. The optimal ratio between the various substances from which the tissue is built is disrupted, and a pathological condition arises paratrophy(a chronic eating disorder characterized by impaired metabolic functions of the body against the background of excess or normal body weight).

3. Does a bottle-fed baby need extra fluids?

A bottle-fed child should receive additional liquid (approximately 100-200 ml), this can be boiled or baby bottled water, industrially produced children's teas (there is no need to specially sweeten the water). Lack of extra fluid often leads to constipation.

The baby should be given water on demand, in between feedings. If you offer your baby liquid immediately before feeding, the stomach will fill and the baby will not receive the necessary nutrients from the formula.

4. How to avoid colic and increased gas formation?

• Choose modern ones. For example, Dr.Brown's bottles with a unique ventilation system reduce the risk of colic, gas and regurgitation.
• Keep your baby in a semi-upright position while feeding.
• If your baby breaks away from the bottle, he may have swallowed air, so after feeding, hold your baby upright for a few minutes to reduce the likelihood of regurgitation.
• To avoid bubbles, never shake the mixture directly in the bottle - use it to prepare baby food. If you don’t have a mixer nearby, just roll the bottle between your palms so that as few bubbles as possible form while preparing the mixture.

5. Good nutrition - when mom is nearby!

When trying to provide your child with proper nutrition, do not forget about the emotional side of this process. During the first two months of life, a child develops an attachment and establishes contact with his parents. Tenderness and care are so important to him!

Breastfed children, after being fed with mother's milk, fall asleep with a calm smile, filled with mother's energy and warmth. If your baby is an artificial child, try to create conditions that are close to natural for him.

When a baby drinks milk, he needs to feel that his mother is nearby and hear her heartbeat. It is as if he returns to the state of harmony and security in which he was before birth. Therefore, it is important that during this period it is his mother who feeds him.

If, due to circumstances, you cannot always feed the baby yourself, there is no need to delegate this task to a new family member each time. May it always be the same person. A small child will begin to get nervous if he is fed alternately, and even by different people several times a day.

Another factor is the need to satisfy the sucking reflex. Breastfed babies first “hang” on their mother’s chest for a long time. For them, this is a way not only to eat, but also to calm down. A bottle-fed baby who drinks milk from a bottle often does not satisfy his sucking reflex. He gets worried and sooner or later he ends up with... his own fingers in his mouth.

In this case, buy a pacifier. There is currently debate about whether the child needs it. Of course, the choice is yours, but if the baby has a highly developed or insufficiently satisfied sucking reflex, then let him suck without disturbing the bite rather than develop the habit of thumb sucking.

Artificial feeding can be used if the mother has no milk at all or the child for some reason cannot or does not want to drink mother's milk.

A woman who does not have milk for her child should not feel guilty. Unfortunately, modern women live in such difficult environmental conditions that cases of complete absence of breast milk are increasingly common. Sometimes milk does not appear at all during the first birth (especially if it occurs at a very young age), but it does appear during the second birth.

In such a situation, it would be preferable to feed the child with donor milk for at least 3 months, but why donor milk is in most cases unavailable and unacceptable.

In this case, feeding a child with a high-quality formula is healthier and more reliable. The main condition for artificial feeding: the formulas that you will use must be as close in composition to breast milk as possible (adapted formulas for up to six months).

When breastfeeding suddenly stops, most babies transition to formula milk relatively easily. Sometimes indigestion appears first, in which case consult your pediatrician. The advantage of bottle feeding, without a doubt, is that both parents can feed the baby alternately. This eases the burden on the mother, especially during the postpartum period. Body contact with the baby is also not affected: as with breastfeeding, you can pull the baby towards you and give him a beneficial feeling of your closeness. If you also take care of eye contact with your baby, then your relationship with him will only benefit.

Now it’s up to you or your partner to prepare the infant formula. You may be like many mothers asking yourself if you are feeding your baby according to his needs. Remember that your baby is good at letting you know when he is hungry and when he is full.

Rules for artificial feeding of a child

Remember that the daily amount of food during artificial feeding should be the same as during natural feeding, but the feeding regimen in this case is different. Formula milk is absorbed more slowly than breast milk, so the intervals between feedings need to be increased (about 3.5 hours).

There is no need to give your child more food than he should receive in accordance with his age and body weight. So at 2 months, the volume of the formula drunk should be on average approximately 850 ml (for some children - 650-700 ml, for others - a whole liter), gradually increase the volume of food to 1 liter.

Although most children receive about 1 liter of formula by the time complementary feeding is introduced (4.5-5 months), some of them successfully manage with less food. Here, as with breastfeeding, the main indicator is not the amount eaten per day, but the child’s well-being and weight gain.

A bottle-fed baby is especially vulnerable to diseases such as obesity and metabolic disorders, so overfeeding poses a real threat to his health. If the baby eats too much, try making a smaller hole in the nipple - perhaps the baby empties the bottle too quickly and cannot feel full during this time.

A bottle-fed baby must be supplemented with water or fruit decoctions, since with bottle-feeding the need for additional fluid increases.

The extra liquid helps your baby digest the formula better and relieves some intestinal problems. For example, when bottle-fed, children often suffer from constipation. This happens especially often at first when switching from breast milk to formula. Children who start eating formula from the very beginning absorb formula better.

Artificial babies should switch to complementary feeding (in the form of vegetable puree or cereal) earlier than natural babies, but there is also no need to rush too much. For a baby’s digestive system that is not fully formed, especially when growing on formula, early complementary feeding can cause a lot of harm. If the child eats formula normally and is gaining weight well, has a normal level of hemoglobin in the blood and does not suffer from rickets, there is no need to rush with complementary feeding until four and a half months or even five.

If your baby has a poor appetite, start introducing complementary foods as early as four months. You can give him, for example, buckwheat porridge, cooked according to this recipe: first prepare a decoction of apples (without salt and sugar) and use it to cook a very thin (the consistency of liquid sour cream or even thinner) porridge from ground cereal (which should be ground almost until flour). You can cook this porridge using vegetable broth or a diluted mixture. Cow's milk should not be given to a child until at least 10 months (after that you can give special "baby" milk), but it is better to "stick out" without cow's milk until 1-1.5 years, especially if the child is allergic.

WHEN DISCUSSING ARTIFICIAL FEEDING, we will touch on three main issues.

1. How to understand your baby's wishes in order to best fulfill your feeding responsibilities.
2. What to put in a bottle.
3. Ways to keep equipment clean and in working order.

The way you feed a newborn is no less important than the quality of his food. Tune in to what the baby is telling you, understand what he wants, and then the baby will eat well, develop correctly and have a positive attitude towards himself and the world around him. If your baby is bottle-fed, use a special formula for newborns. Newborns are very sensitive to nutrition, so food must be completely suitable for them. Choose a formula that is easily digestible, meets all the baby's nutritional needs and does not upset the delicate balance in his body.

Breast milk and standard artificial formulas sufficiently satisfy these conditions. Other formulas, such as partially fermented formulas and preterm formulas, are specialized and designed to meet the needs of infants who require additional care.

Although modern artificial feeding is convenient and safe, the technique of preparing formula does not tolerate negligence. The water must be clean and disinfected, the equipment must meet sanitary standards and be convenient for both the child and the person feeding. Needless to say, the mixture should be prepared in strict accordance with the instructions for use.

You can better meet your child's needs if you are attentive to your own needs. You need to visit your doctor frequently and regularly, and have an experienced teacher or assistant nearby to gain situational and moral support. You have a lot to adapt to, both emotionally and physically. You will have a lot to learn, and you will often feel puzzled and confused. Theoretical knowledge and practice are two different things. You will be anxious, but this is normal: in this state we perceive information better. However, if you worry too much, your studies will be difficult. Ask for help, accept help and support when offered, and then parenting will be easy and joyful.

Child's food relationships

Love and respect for the baby are important components of the feeding process. And for it to be successful, you must know your baby and do what he needs. Your baby's relationship with you and the world around him, as well as his development, depend greatly on what happens during feeding. This process gives you the opportunity to get to know your baby better during the first months of his life. By your actions, you tell your baby that he is a significant person, that you respect him and are ready to do anything to please him. Feeding also satisfies you: it is very important for you to know that you can satisfy the baby’s needs and make him happy.

In infancy, establishing positive food relationships with your child depends on sharing responsibilities:

• you are responsible for what you offer your child as food;
• he is responsible for how much he eats.

So, for bottle feeding to be effective, you must first choose the right formula. When making your choice, focus on your child’s needs, after which all you have to do is follow his wishes. He knows how much to eat and how often. Moreover, the child himself determines the speed and duration of feeding. Early on, your job as a parent is to understand what your baby is telling you. Give your baby food as soon as he asks (at this moment the baby is fully awake, but not overexcited), feed him smoothly and continuously, paying attention to his signals about the speed, tempo and duration of feeding. In other words, do everything to make your baby happy.

Artificial nutrition: overeating in children

Unlike children who are breastfed, bottle-feeding children often experience the problem of overeating in the early days. With some babies this happens because they drink their bottle so quickly that their natural sucking instinct is not satisfied and they cry when the bottle is taken away from them. Mothers often assume that this means the baby is still hungry and give them more food. Thus, the habit of overeating quickly develops, and the child gains a lot of weight every week. If this continues, the child quickly comes to the conclusion that milk is not enough to satisfy his appetite. However, he is still too young to give him solid food (less than six months).

It is normal for some babies to require an extra 30ml of milk at some feedings. However, special attention should be paid if the child requires more than 150 ml extra each day and regularly gains more than 240 g per week. When my formula-fed babies start to suck too much, I use cool, boiled water and pacifiers between feedings to satisfy their need to suck.

If you suspect your child may be overeating, discuss the problem with your counselor or therapist.

Don't let

• excessive dilution of the feeding formula;
• poor hygienic handling of the bottle leading to gastroenteritis;
• malnutrition due to recurrent infections;
• deficiency of iron and vitamins.

Choosing milk for artificial feeding

You can use cow's or buffalo's milk. Powdered milk formula is acceptable for feeding a baby, but it is too expensive. Currently, the milk marketed under the control of government agricultural agencies is either cow's milk or modified buffalo milk.

Preparation of liquid mixtures

There is no need to dilute fresh cow's milk to feed your baby. Some pediatricians suggest preparing the following mixture for the first 2 - 3 months of feeding a newborn: dilute 2 parts milk with 1 part water and add 1 tsp per 100 ml of the resulting solution. Sahara. If you use dry formulas available on the market (Lactogen, Milkcare, etc.), then you must choose a well-known brand, and you must strictly follow the manufacturer's instructions for preparing this product.

Milk volume, required by a child per day is about 150 ml/kg of body weight and about 30 ml/kg per feeding. Of course, the number of feedings and the amount of milk consumed may vary for different children.

Processing feeding bottles

Buy at least three bottles. After each feeding, thoroughly wash the bottle and its removable parts with soap and water, using a bottle brush and a nipple brush.

After you have washed the bottles with soap, take a sterilization container that can hold 3 - 4 bottles, fill it with water; Place bottles, plastic rims and nipple covers in this sterilizer, put it on the fire and bring the water to a boil. Keep the sterilizer boiling for 10 minutes, then put the nipples in it and let it boil for another 5 minutes. Now remove it from the heat and cover with a lid. When the water in it has cooled, you can remove the bottle with a clean hand. There is no need to wash treated bottles again before use. When all three bottles have been used, the described sterilization process can be repeated. Never leave a bottle without a nipple cap.

Do not pacify a baby who is sleeping or lying on his back.

If you put milk in a bottle for your baby, you need to use it within 45 minutes.

Never reuse leftover milk - it's a favorite breeding ground for bacteria!

A baby is usually bottle-fed six to eight times a day. If someone in the family suffers from allergies, then it is advisable to use hypoallergenic baby food. This significantly reduces the risk of developing allergies in the baby. In addition, you should opt for infant formula (Formula 1), which is closest in composition to breast milk and does not contain additional carbohydrates in the form of sugar or starch. Initial formulas, like breastfeeding, can be fed to the baby on demand.

It is best to completely abandon subsequent mixtures (formulas 2 and 3). And not only because their improper preparation can cause serious health problems for a child. These milk powders contain so much extra sugar and starch that it can easily lead to overfeeding. Long-term fat deposits are deposited in a child’s body, which can sometimes be very difficult for him to get rid of.

Required accessories

For formula feeding you will need the following supplies:

• 6 bottles;
• 6 nipples with small holes;
• a steam sterilizer or tall saucepan for boiling bottles, caps and nipples;
• bottle brush;
• 6 clean, ironed kitchen towels (ironing reduces bacteria);
• a thermos for boiled water so that you can prepare feeding bottles on the go;
• bottle warmer;
• 8 gauze pads to protect your clothes.

During feeding, the baby receives a portion of your love, attention and bodily warmth along with food.

Preparing milk formula

There is no problem in using baby food according to the directions on the packaging. It is only important to prepare bottles of food immediately before feeding, consume the diluted formula within an hour and do not store leftovers. This way you can prevent the development of microorganisms that are dangerous to your child in your diet. In addition, bottles and nipples must be sterilized before use. To dilute the mixture, always use boiled water. Before giving the bottle to your baby, check the temperature of the formula - it should be approximately body temperature. By placing one drop on the inside of your wrist, you will immediately notice if the milk is too hot. In order not to heat the water every time before feeding, it is recommended to store a supply of boiled water in a clean thermos. This is practical, especially for night feedings.

Upon returning home, you continue to give the baby the same formula that he was fed in the maternity hospital. If after a few days you notice that your baby is having difficulty digesting it, contact your pediatrician, who will recommend a different milk formula.

Dry and liquid mixtures. There are milk formulas in liquid form; they do not require preparation: they just need to be poured into a sterilized bottle. However, this product is more expensive than the powder formula.

Heating the mixture. You can heat the mixture in a water bath, in a special device for heating bottles, or even in a microwave oven - this is not dangerous, but it is not always convenient: there it can overheat. Always check the temperature of the formula by placing a few drops on the back of your hand before giving it to your baby to avoid burning him.

Dilute the mixture before use. Infant formula should not be prepared in advance; it must be diluted immediately before use, otherwise it becomes a favorable environment for the growth of bacteria. When going for a walk or getting ready for the night, pour warm water into a sterile bottle and add the powder to it at the last moment.

Is sterilization necessary? It is not necessary to sterilize bottles. It is important to wash your hands before preparing formula, and after feeding, wash the bottle and nipple and dry them immediately.

Average rate: 6 bottles per day. Never force a child to finish the contents of a bottle if he doesn’t want to: if he refuses, it means he’s full. As a rule, a baby at the age of 1 month feeds about 6 times a day and sometimes once at night. Different types of mixture are not always drunk in the same quantity and are distributed differently throughout the day. If your baby asks for a bottle at night, it means that his body does not yet have a sufficient reserve that would allow him to do without night feeding. As a rule, if he does not finish the contents of the bottle, it means that the portion is too large for him; If he drinks every last drop, then you can give him a little more formula. In principle, it is better to offer more than less. The nightly bottle requirement will gradually shift in time and eventually move to the morning.

Bloating

To better dilute the powder with water, you often have to shake the bottle vigorously. As a result, many air bubbles form in the milk formula, which enter the baby's tummy and cause bloating. If you let the bottle sit for a couple of minutes after shaking, most of the bubbles will come out. After each feeding, the baby should burp. To do this, place your baby in an upright position, place him on your shoulder and lightly pat him on the back. The swallowed air will be released through the mouth and will no longer cause painful bloating or colic.

After every feeding...

After feeding, hold your baby upright to burp. If this doesn't happen, lightly pat him on the back. If he moves restlessly while feeding, he may be feeling the need to burp. Once he does this, he will feel better and will continue to drink. Don't worry if a little of the mixture comes out when he burps; it means he drank too much too quickly.

Attention!

Never give your child the rest of the formula that has not been finished before.

Also remember that until the age of one, the child should not be left alone with a bottle: he may choke.