Introduction of complementary foods to formula-fed children. Artificial feeding

Children grow up so fast! Their character and needs are changing rapidly. Breast milk is the ideal food, but it can't fill you up one year old baby, and baby formula - even more so. When to introduce the first complementary foods? artificial feeding, are there any features and nuances? We will answer these questions in our article.

At what months should complementary foods be introduced when bottle-fed?

The mixtures are not able to adapt to the needs of the baby, change their fat content and nutritional value. Even the most best mixture cannot replace breast milk. Therefore, the question of when to introduce complementary foods arises for mothers with a bottle-fed baby a little earlier than for mothers who only breastfeed. In the latter case, you don’t have to worry about purees and porridges for up to six months.

The earliest age when you can try giving your baby “adult” food is 3-4 months. Previously, the baby will not be able to digest and assimilate new foods.

The optimal age is 6 months, when the nervous, digestive and excretory system the baby has become quite strong, and energy needs have increased significantly (at this age, most children begin or already sit confidently, perform many difficult actions for them, begin to try to crawl, show their first communication skills, “humming” becomes quite meaningful, turns into an attempt at verbal interaction with adults).

Important
All pediatricians agree: the timing of introduction and the regimen of complementary feeding are determined according to the condition of the baby.

The child himself will make it clear when he needs denser, more satisfying food, what foods are suitable for him and in what volume he needs them. Parents are required to have attention, patience and knowledge of the basic rules for introducing complementary foods, which will be discussed below.

How to understand that the baby needs more satisfying food? The frequent hunger of the baby will serve as a signal. If the baby wants to eat, he is unlikely to remain silent, so he will tell his mother about his desires. Sometimes children show miracles of patience - then the weight and cheeks will tell you that the child is not getting enough to eat. If your baby receives formula according to his age, but does not gain weight, loses weight, becomes lethargic, or has trouble waking up, the first thing you need to think about is expanding your diet.

In addition to weight, you need to carefully monitor that the child has enough vitamins and other nutrients. Lumps on the forehead, a bald spot on the back of the head, flaking under the hair may be signs of rickets and a lack of calcium, vitamins D and A. It is necessary to consult a specialist. Most likely, you will be recommended vitamin drops, cottage cheese and carrot puree.

Advice
A is a fat-soluble vitamin, so if you make carrot puree at home, be sure to add a little butter. Such a dish will be quite heavy, but will not harm the baby - you just need to limit the volume to 30-50 grams, completing the feeding with formula.

Parents will again learn from their cheeks which foods are suitable: the wrong foods will cause diathesis. Of course, you need to start with light dishes. If you buy cereals and purees in a store, be sure to look at the age limit on the label. Manufacturers must indicate how many months a child can eat this or that dish.

Another important indicator- stool and urination. If after a new product there is constipation, diarrhea, signs of undigested product in the feces, urinary retention (this leads to swelling and other negative consequences), then such a dish must be excluded either partially or completely.

As a rule, you don’t have to worry about what portion is sufficient for your baby. Small children rarely eat more than they need, and are unlikely to refuse to continue the banquet if they are not yet full. The only thing you need to remember is that all new products are introduced gradually.

Basic rules for the introduction of complementary foods

So, the baby signals with all his might that he wants to eat more varied and satisfying food. Where to start, and how not to harm the baby? Basic Rules:

1. Complementary feeding begins earlier than 3 months of age.
2. Dishes should be liquid or mushy (semi-liquid purees and porridges), without lumps or pieces.
3. Giving infant It is better to eat “adult” food directly from a spoon - this is how the chewing skill begins to form. Later it will become the main one and supplant the sucking reflex, so training will not hurt.
4. Complementary food, as a mixture, should be warm, but not scalding, approximately 37-40° C.
5. New dishes are introduced one at a time, without mixing. It can be milk porridge from one type of cereal or one-component puree.
6. Under no circumstances should your baby’s diet contain sugar, salt or other spices. Honey is also highly not recommended, because... is a strong allergen.
7. The interval between tasting experiments should be quite long. Pediatricians recommend introducing a new dish no more often than once every 7-12 days.
8. Any New Product Give to the baby in a very small volume, literally, on the tip of a teaspoon, once a day. The maximum trial portion is one coffee spoon or a special infant spoon.
9. When giving a new dish, you need to carefully monitor the child’s reaction. If diathesis, bloating, colic, diarrhea or constipation appear, it is better to postpone the introduction of the product for a month or two. If the test passed without complications, the next day the portion can be slightly increased, gradually increasing to 100-180 g.
10. The diet is not expanded if the baby is sick or weakened. As a rule, on such days it is better to completely switch to the mixture in order to reduce the load on the gastrointestinal tract and nervous system. In any case, the menu should only contain proven products.
11. You should not try new foods on the day of vaccinations. This is an aggressive combination of factors that is difficult for the baby's body.
12. It is advisable to feed the child in the first half of the day, during the second or third meal. First, it's easier to track the reaction small organism. Secondly, the baby will need energy during the day, not at night. Thirdly, if complementary feeding causes gas formation, it may go unnoticed during the day. While the baby is sitting, actively playing, crawling, spinning, the gas will be released naturally and easily. But during sleep they will cause colic, bloating and, as a result, anxiety and crying.
13. Another basic rule- first complementary foods, then mixture. The baby can refuse the innovation if he has already satisfied the first, most active hunger. In addition, complementary foods are more filling than formula; he will need the maximum portion of gastric juice. And she will be just at the beginning of feeding, when the baby is especially hungry. It is equally important that both puree and porridge are unusually thick for infant, so it will come in handy to drink them with a mixture.
14. After switching to complementary foods, you need to give your baby more to drink. This can be water, one-component hypoallergenic compotes and juices, herbal teas - drinks can be prepared at home or purchased in a store.

Complementary feeding on artificial feeding - features

Are there any differences between breastfeeding and artificial feeding? Yes. There are features. During breastfeeding, complementary feeding begins with the mother expanding her diet. The baby tries new foods indirectly, the reaction to them smoothes out, and the baby’s body gradually prepares for the transition to more serious food. But if the baby received only formula for up to three months? Then parents will have to be as attentive and careful as possible. It is necessary to strictly follow the rules of complementary feeding set out in the previous paragraph, and also strictly follow the scheme for introducing foods, which will be discussed a little later.

Important
If the baby receives a specialized (fermented milk, hypoallergenic, or other) formula, you should consult a supervising pediatrician before introducing new products. Complementary feeding should be combined with the child's main food.

The formula is not 100% analogue of breast milk. It always, to a greater or lesser extent, increases the risk of allergic reactions, colic or bloating. Therefore, it is necessary to expand the baby’s menu extremely carefully, starting with the safest and lightest products; it is quite possible that the baby’s tummy will not be able to cope even with one-ingredient vegetable puree. Try it and see the reaction. The baby himself will tell you what is good for him and what is bad. It may be necessary to postpone complementary feeding until 6-7 months, but in the meantime, make up for the lack of nutritional value more frequent feeding mixture.

There is also the opposite feature. Despite the fact that modern milk formulas are saturated with vitamins and minerals, their volume may not be sufficient to quickly developing organism. Complementary feeding can be introduced on the direct recommendation of a pediatrician - there is no need to worry, this preventative measure, she doesn't talk about health problems.

Complementary feeding scheme

Below is a table approved in Russia within the framework of the National Program for Optimizing the Feeding of Children in the First Year of Life in 2009.

Products, dishes	Allowed volume, ml, g
	4-6 months	7 months	8 months	9-12 months
vegetable puree	10-150	170	180	200
Milk porridge	10-150	150	180	200
Fruit puree	5-60	70	80	90-100
Fruit juice	5-60	70	80	90-100
Cottage cheese	not earlier than 6 months, 6-40	40	40	50
Yolk, pcs.	-	0,25	0,5	0,5
Meat puree	not earlier than 6 months, 5-30	30	50	60-70
Fish puree	-	-	5-30	30-60
Kefir and other non-adapted k/mol.drinks.	-	-	200	200
Rusks, cookies	-	3-5	5	10-15
Wheat bread	-	-	5	10
Vegetable oil	1-3	5	5	6
Butter	1-4	4	5	6

Complementary feeding scheme from three months

The basis of the diet is still a mixture. The new product can replace one daily feeding by 4 months.

Porridge has a liquid consistency so that the child does not need to chew or rub it with his tongue. Bottle feeding is allowed - up to 100 ml per day.

Important
For the first feeding, a baby on IV should choose buckwheat and other gluten-free cereals, such as corn. Rice also does not contain gluten, but it requires a lot of water, it swells a lot in the stomach, so it is a rather heavy food, it is better to save it for a later age, from 6 months.

Cereals must be ground into semolina, then cooked. After cooking, the corn should be left to “cook” so that it is absolutely soft. In stores you can buy ready-made porridges that do not require cooking; just dilute them in warm water. When buying a semi-finished product, carefully read the recommended age on the packaging. Give preference to well-known brands in the middle and high price categories.

Fruit puree - apple, pear (with caution) - up to 60 g per day.

Juices - in between feedings, up to 30 ml per day.

Scheme from 4-5 months

Porridge and vegetable or fruit puree are added to the mixture. By 6 months, they can replace two feedings. The following order is recommended:

• mixture;
• porridge;
• mixture;
• vegetable/fruit puree;
• mixture.

Porridge - buckwheat, corn (if there is no tendency towards strong gas formation), rice (with caution) and oatmeal, or oatmeal - up to 150 ml.

Vegetable puree - broccoli, zucchini, cauliflower, pumpkin (from 5 months), carrots - up to 150 g.

Fruit purees - pear, apple-pear, peach, apple-peach, apple-apricot, prunes - up to 60 g.

Fruit juices - up to 50 ml.

Creamy and vegetable oil - up to 4 years

Scheme from 6-9 months

At this age, the baby gradually switches to "adult" nutrition. Up to 8-12 months, the scheme may be as follows:

• mixture;
• complementary feeding - 3 feedings;
• mixture.

Porridges - the whole range of cereals, you can introduce multi-component porridges (millet-rice, corn-rice). It is allowed to mix porridge with vegetable (for example, pumpkin-rice-milk) and meat purees - up to 200 ml.

Dairy products- cottage cheese (5% fat content), yogurt (no more than 3-5% fat content) - up to 100 g.

Yolk - up to 0.5 pcs. Allowed to use chicken eggs, but it is better to give preference to quail: they are less allergenic and cannot be a carrier of salmonella.

Advice
To ensure that the baby likes the yolk and does not get stuck on the tongue, the delicacy can be crushed with a mixture or water until it becomes a paste.

Vegetable purees - you can add zucchini and milk to those previously tested - up to 180 g.

Fruit and berry purees - you can try apple-strawberry, apple-banana, banana, cherry and even cherry, plum, berries. Also, from 6 months, purees with cream are allowed, for example, apples and cream.

Advice
Although by six months the baby looks stronger, infant colic and diathesis of any kind are behind. new smell or taste, sweet (fruit, berry, creamy) purees must be introduced extremely carefully. They can cause both rash and addiction. The baby may begin to be capricious, demanding sweets instead of formula, vegetables or meat.

Meat purees - veal, beef, turkey, rabbit, or with cereals and / or vegetables, even with chopped spaghetti - up to 50 g.

Scheme from 9 months

Starting from 9-10 months, you can try giving your baby adult, unprocessed food. As a rule, by this age the child already has teeth and can chew. These should be soft hypoallergenic products, crushed, but not to a pulp. Pediatricians recommend not delaying the introduction of solid foods. This is due not only to the fact that the child needs to learn to chew, but also to the prevention of bruxism (involuntary and regular grinding of teeth), the formation of a bite and the development of digestion.

Introduce new foods into your child's diet carefully, and your baby will thank you with a satisfied smile and good health.

When it is necessary to introduce the first complementary foods during artificial feeding, parents begin to ask this question almost from the birth of the baby. Children who receive artificial mixtures, generally grow as well as breast-fed infants. As a rule, they are also healthy, vigorous and develop at a normal pace, like infants, because manufacturers of modern formulas for feeding try to give the child as much as possible everything that is contained in human breast milk, maintaining its nutritional value, as well as the balance of proteins and fats and carbohydrates.

Of course, there are some components in breast milk that cannot be reproduced in formulas, despite all the efforts of scientists and the capabilities of modern production levels. First of all, these are immunomodulators (substances that activate the work of immune system and protecting the baby’s body from diseases throughout the entire period breastfeeding), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and other essential polyunsaturated fatty acid necessary for successful intellectual development baby, as well as some other components. But all these substances are specific ingredients that are found only in human breast milk and nowhere else, and no complementary food can replace them.

Why is complementary feeding needed?

Therefore, the introduction of complementary foods during artificial feeding should not set itself the task of compensating for something not received by the artificial baby; it is necessary to obtain new vitamins and microelements that the baby’s body begins to need as he grows up, to increase the number of calories needed by the rapidly growing body, and to gradually introduce the child to “adult” food. The reasons for introducing complementary foods are exactly the same as in the case of infants: the child grows up, moves to new stages of development, his needs change, and parents try to satisfy them in a timely manner.

All children - both those on artificial feeding and those on natural feeding - have absolutely the same structure of the digestive system, and our organisms are of the “old build”, regardless of the successes of the food industry: hundreds of years ago, when formulas did not exist in principle, children were exactly the same the same as now, and in the traditions of almost all peoples of the world, the introduction of the first complementary foods is timed to coincide with the appearance of the first milk teeth and the development of the ability to sit. Along with the beginning of showing interest in your “ adult food"These are the three main markers of readiness to receive new types of food, and on average this age is estimated modern specialists like 5-6 months: for bottle-fed babies a little earlier, for babies on breastfeeding – from six months.

When to start feeding your baby: why not from 3 months?

In the middle of the last century, during the heyday of the era of artificial feeding, pediatricians around the world recommended that mothers introduce the first complementary foods from 3, or even 2 months, and were advised to start from apple juice, designed to compensate for the lack of iron in mixtures. But at present, both the age of starting complementary feeding and its type are recognized by competent pediatricians as premature: at 3 months (and even more so earlier), the baby’s stomach is not ready to process anything other than breast milk or its substitutes, and even more so - acids: they are irritating and lead to gastroenterological problems later. Therefore, if you start early complementary feeding, then definitely not with apple juice, as has been recommended for decades.

Unfortunately, even now pediatricians who do not strive to engage in their own professional growth and get acquainted with the latest research in their field continue to insist on the excessively early introduction of complementary feeding for artificial babies (they recommend complementary feeding at 3 months with artificial feeding). Although since this postulate was invented, artificial feeding has become different, and the mixtures have undergone significant changes, greatly improving their composition, in addition, the consequences of introducing complementary foods for babies in such early age have been studied and described. But until now, doctors in clinics and “specialists” on the Internet advise introducing the first complementary foods during artificial feeding as early as possible - websites are full of similar recommendations, and mothers trustingly follow them (especially since grandmothers also support - after all, they themselves raised their children according to "old" schemes).

Also, many people like to refer to “WHO recommendations,” although if you read them carefully, you can make sure that all of them are not categorical and have rather blurred age boundaries due to sociocultural differences in different countries and ethnic groups.

We will not mislead parents, and we will offer them the most correct option for introducing the first complementary foods for IV - you can use our rules and scheme and evaluate for yourself how well they work.

Introduction of complementary foods during artificial feeding: basic rules

1. The first complementary food during artificial feeding is offered to a baby who is completely healthy, alert and in good spirits. good mood. For a child who has recently been ill or has been vaccinated, it is better to wait a week with complementary feeding.
2. The time for the first spoon is before the start of the next feeding: we give a portion of complementary foods, and then wash it down with a mixture. Complementary foods are always given in the morning to monitor the reaction to it during the day and not to overload the baby’s stomach at night.
3. The dosage of complementary foods begins with micro-doses: for the first 1-2 days, half a teaspoon, then, if there are no allergic manifestations and the child likes the food offered, we increase its amount to 1-2 spoons during the week, and then - according to the situation, depending on the situation. appetite and taste preferences baby.
4. The consistency of the first complementary foods is liquid, then in the form of a puree, and only after 10 months can you begin to offer your baby to chew pieces of food if he already has at least a few teeth. Do not try to grind everything in a blender for too long - the child will get used to this consistency and will object to the slightest “lumps” in the food. At 6-7 months, start with baby cookies or apple slices, which you can give to chew, and then it will be easier for the baby to get used to pieces of vegetables in the puree soup.
5. At the beginning of introduction, complementary foods must undergo heat treatment and are given to the baby in boiled, stewed or baked form. The temperature of the food should be comfortably warm - about 36-37 degrees.
6. Keep a diary to help you determine what and when caused your allergy or digestive upset. Write down in it what, at what time and in what quantity the baby tried, and then it will be easier for you to navigate if problems arise. And to understand what he likes and doesn’t like, mark and emotional reaction on different types complementary foods
7. Complementary foods at the “beginning of the journey” are always mono-products: you can mix pumpkin, apple or carrot puree only when you are convinced that none of the components causes allergies in the child. When all the products have already been checked, you can mix them together, preparing mixed vegetable or fruit purees, as well as adding meat, egg yolk or fish to vegetable mixtures.
8. Do not offer a new dish until you are sure that the previous one is completely safe, leaving an interval of at least 5-7 days.
9. If an allergy occurs, immediately remove this product from the menu and seek help from your pediatrician. You can return to it no earlier than in a couple of months, if everything happens again, exclude it from the diet until the child grows up.
10. Don’t forget to offer your baby something to drink (first boiled water, then compote or juice) when complementary feeding has already started.
11. Never force feed your child! No matter how useful the product may be in your opinion, pushing it into a child against his will is completely wrong. Firstly, the baby is a living person, and not a stuffed pepper, and secondly, you yourself do not like all dishes, so your child has the right to give preference to something and refuse something.

Scheme of the first complementary feeding during artificial feeding

Now let's talk about the sequence of appearance of certain products in the baby's diet. We will talk about this in more detail in the material “Menu of a child with artificial feeding”, but for now we bring to your attention a scheme for introducing complementary feeding for up to a year.

1. We offer products to the artificial baby in the following order: vegetable puree › fruit puree and juice › porridge › kefir › cottage cheese › butter and vegetable oil › yolk › bread and cookies › meat puree› fish puree.
2. Complementary feeding for healthy, normally gaining weight babies begins with vegetable dishes, and not with fruit ones: having tasted a tasty apple or a sweet banana, the child is unlikely to enthusiastically accept zucchini or pumpkin.
3. If your child is underweight, start introducing complementary foods with cereals: they are nutritious and will solve your problem faster than vegetables. Pay attention to the calorie content of dishes and offer them first when your menu is already quite extensive. Also remember to avoid force feeding. otherwise, problems with food will accompany your baby for many more years.
4. If the baby is well-fed, hold off on porridges, or give them not too much, choosing those that maximally saturate the child with useful substances and not calories (that is, buckwheat and rice, and not traditional semolina). When offering cookies and bread, do it to a minimum, do not overdo it, even if the baby “really asks.”
5. If your baby has digestive problems, the best option The first complementary feeding will be baby kefir, and only then the rest of the products. Give all new dishes especially carefully.
6. The introduction of vegetables basically happens like this: first they offer zucchini, pumpkin, cauliflower, broccoli, and only then carrots, beets (in the absence of allergies), green peas and potatoes. And here white cabbage, eggplants, tomatoes and cucumbers are best not given until a year old.
7. The sequence of introduction to fruits can be as follows: apples, pears, peaches, apricots, bananas. Plums mainly cause constipation, but citrus and exotic fruits are not recommended for children under one year of age at all.
8. We introduce porridges in this order: first gluten-free ones - buckwheat, rice, corn grits, and after 8 months you can introduce gluten porridges - oatmeal, millet, barley. Well, semolina porridge is the most useless in terms of its saturation with vitamins and microelements, but it is “overloaded” with calories. In the first months, cereals for porridge can be ground in a coffee grinder.
9. Protein products in a baby’s diet appear in the following sequence: kefir, dietary meat (rabbit, chicken, turkey, veal), cottage cheese, hard cheese, low-fat fish, preferably sea fish (hake, cod, flounder), egg white (it’s better to start from quail, chicken protein It is not recommended to give it up to a year, but the yolk can be tried as part of other dishes from 8 months.)

First complementary foods during artificial feeding: choice of products

What foods should I prefer and in what order should I offer them to my child if he is bottle-fed? Let's figure it out!

• It is advisable to choose products not only according to the season, but also local ones: after all, everything that needs to be transported far away or grown at the wrong time retains its presentation only thanks to special treatment chemicals, not at all intended for baby food. Therefore, even while waiting for the baby, it is better to take care to prepare freezer berries and finely chopped vegetables - preferably grown in safe conditions.
• Fruits can be given not only in the form of purees, but also as part of compotes - they are much healthier than any store-bought juices. You can also use dried fruits for compotes - it’s tasty and healthy. Cooking fruit or vegetable juice, in the first months, make it without pulp and dilute it a little with water.
• Cow's milk is contraindicated for infants under one year of age (do not rush to give goat's or sheep's milk either). It causes severe digestive disorders and allergic reactions, and in our time mixtures are produced that are maximally adapted to natural human milk, and offering your baby milk from animals whose cubs have completely different characteristics and needs is risky and imprudent. If you want to dilute complementary foods, it is better to add milk mixture to the porridge or puree, but in no case cow’s milk, especially the so-called “long-term storage”. Man in general is the only creature in nature who offers his children milk from representatives of another species, and this is by no means his best decision.
• Meat and fish intended for baby food, should not be “store-frozen” (for the same reasons: they contain too many unhealthy ingredients). If your child has a tendency to allergic reactions, giving fish up to a year is not recommended at all.
• Soups for babies up to one year old are prepared in vegetable broths; meat soups are still too heavy for the kidneys.
• When cooking for babies under one year old, no salt, sugar or spices are used! It may seem to you personally that it is not tasty, but this is only because you are used to something else, while the child is quite capable of feeling the natural taste of products.
• If you buy ready-made meals, be sure to ensure that they are appropriate for the baby’s age and are not expired. Try not to overuse store-bought jars: this great option on the road, on vacation or at a party, but for everyday meals it is better to choose dishes prepared with your own hands.

Table for introducing complementary foods during artificial feeding

To make it easier for you to navigate through all this variety of information, we have prepared for you a table in which artificial feeding and complementary feeding are coordinated, and the sequence of introducing certain products into your child’s diet is systematized and clear: complementary feeding by month with artificial feeding is in front of you.

Dishes	5-6 months	6-7 months	7-8 months	9-10 months	11-12 months
Vegetable puree	5-100 g	100-150 g	160-170 g	170-180 g	190-200 g
Fruit puree	5-50 g	50-60 g	60-70 g	80-90 g	90-100 g
Fruit juice or compote	5-50 g	50-60 g	60-70 g	80-90 g	90-100\150 g
Porridge	-	50-100 g	150 g	180 g	200 g
Kefir	-	10-30 g	50-100 g	100-150 g	200-300 g
Cottage cheese	-	10-30 g	40 g	40 g	50 g
Butter	-	1-3 g	4 g	5 g	6 g
Vegetable oil	-	1-3 ml	4 ml	5 ml	6 ml
Yolk	-	-	1\4	1\2	1\2-1
Children's cookies	-	-	3-5 g	10 g	15 g
Wheat bread	-	-	3-5 g	10 g	15 g
Meat puree	-	-	10-30 g	50 g	60-70 g
Fish puree	-	-	-	10-30 g	30-60 g

Dosing products is not at all difficult: 5 g is a little less than a teaspoon, 10 g is 2 teaspoons, and so on.
Well, have a good start! Carefully watch the baby, react sensitively to the signals of his body, feed him with love - and he will be a healthy, cheerful and well-developed baby.

In this article:

The mixture is not able to give the baby all the necessary nutrients in full. Therefore, the menu of artificial children begins to expand at an earlier age. The first complementary feeding during artificial feeding is a responsible action that requires compliance with certain rules. Otherwise, the mother’s inept attempts to diversify the baby’s diet can lead to serious problems with his health.

At what age should complementary foods be introduced during artificial feeding?

When should you start complementary feeding? Several decades ago, medicine recommended very early stages. Complementary foods for formula-fed children were introduced after 3 months. The main motivation was the lack of content in cow's milk vitamins and other substances necessary for the baby full development.

Modern pediatricians have a different opinion about when to introduce complementary foods to a bottle-fed baby. Today, formula milk allows you to delay the introduction of additional food in children's menu for some time. But after 4-5 months nutrients and the vitamins they contain may not be enough for the full development of the baby. Then it is recommended to introduce complementary foods.

Its onset is determined by the pediatrician. He chooses the scheme and composition of additional products, tells how to properly introduce complementary foods. You should focus on the baby’s age - four to five months. This is a recommended, but not required, period. If the doctor considers it necessary to postpone the transition to “adult” food for some time, there is no need to rush. It is known that without harm to health, a baby can eat an adapted formula for up to 8 months.

Basic rules for introducing complementary foods during artificial feeding

Only a qualified doctor should decide when to start complementary feeding for a formula-fed baby, taking into account the characteristics of his development and health status. If the pediatrician does not see the need to expand the diet or believes that digestive system The baby is not ready to assimilate new products, there is no need to get ahead of events. Hasty actions can negatively affect the well-being and development of the child.

The introduction of the first complementary foods during artificial feeding requires the following recommendations::

• At first, only one simple product is offered to determine how the child reacts to it.
• The first “adult” dish should have the consistency of liquid puree. Then the baby's food will become thicker, and after he is born, you can try the food in pieces.
• New dishes are introduced to the menu in very small portions. The first complementary foods for bottle-fed infants start with half a teaspoon. Every day the amount of the new product is increased, and the portion of the milk formula is proportionally reduced. If the baby has no or other negative reaction to new food, after 10 days its quantity is brought to age norm. In this case, by six months it replaces one feeding.
• It is easier to introduce new foods into a child’s diet when he is hungry. Therefore, food is offered before the mixture, and not after it.
• A new product should be offered to the child in the first half of the day. This way the mother will have time to observe the baby’s reaction.
• It is advisable to give complementary foods to a bottle-fed baby directly from a spoon, without using a bottle.
• After the baby’s diet is replenished with new products, it is necessary to establish a certain diet. As a rule, it includes eating five times a day.

The rules for introducing complementary foods during artificial feeding involve supplementing the child with water in between meals.

What and how to feed

The pediatrician observing the baby determines when to start formula-fed complementary foods and which products should be preferred. In most cases, the first to offer vegetable purees, if the child has no problems with . If the baby weighs less than normal, the doctor will recommend introducing porridge.

The first porridges must be one-ingredient and do not contain milk. Among cereals they are preferred, both as gluten-free and less often causing allergies. As the year approaches, you can try oatmeal, multigrain and wheat porridge. Cereals can be prepared for a child after 12 months.

Your baby's diet should include fruit purees. The best fruit to start with is an apple.

Let's look at feeding a baby month by month with artificial feeding.

At 4-5 months

The main food of artificial children of this age is mixture. The first complementary feeding during artificial feeding can begin with one-component vegetable puree or gluten-free and dairy-free porridge. It is recommended to add a little oil to the puree. Introduction to a new product is carried out during the second or third morning or afternoon feeding.

Scheme first complementary feeding during artificial feeding:

• mixture;
• porridge / vegetable or fruit puree + mixture;
• then the mixture.

Complementary feeding at 5 months begins with a very small amount of food (a couple of spoons). Gradually it is brought up to the age norm.

At 5-6 months

If in the previous period it was possible to introduce one product into the children's menu without problems, then move on to the next one. Complementary feeding at 5 months using artificial feeding is based on general rules. The main thing is gradualism. A new dish is first given in very small doses.

An approximate complementary feeding menu at 5 months of artificial feeding may look like this:

• mixture;
• porridge / porridge + fruit puree / porridge + mixture;
• mixture;
• vegetable puree + mixture;
• mixture.

At 6-9 months

At six months, the baby’s diet is enriched with cottage cheese. By the age of one year, the amount of product per feeding is increased to 50 grams. You cannot abuse it or increase portions on your own beyond the recommended ones.

At 7 months, the baby’s diet can be enriched with yolk. Quail is preferable because it is less likely to cause allergies. Start with a few grains, gradually increasing to half a yolk twice a week.

The introduction of complementary foods during artificial feeding according to the table implies familiarity with meat from 7 months. Start with lean pork, chicken, rabbit or turkey. Beef and veal can be given if the baby is not allergic to milk protein. If the baby has low hemoglobin, then complementary feeding of a bottle-fed baby with meat, on the recommendation of a doctor, can begin as early as 5 months of age.

It is better to boil the meat and grind it in a blender. It is added to soups and vegetable purees. When the baby grows a little, around 8 months, you can prepare meatballs, cutlets and steamed meat soufflé. White fish are introduced into complementary foods during artificial feeding at 8 months. Children can safely be offered a cracker, dried fruit, or an apple.

By 9 months, the first, evening and night feedings, if necessary, are carried out with an adapted formula. Throughout the day, the baby eats “adult” food.

From 9 months to a year

At this age, the nutrition of artificial babies and infants no longer has any special differences. Dishes become more complex, the consistency becomes thicker. Single-component cereals are replaced with multi-component and milk ones. It is allowed to include several dishes at lunch. For example, vegetable soup, meatballs and grated apple. The baby can be placed in a special high chair and the table can be set beautifully.

The individual schedule for introducing complementary foods during artificial feeding often differs from the recommended one. Some products may be introduced earlier, while others, on the contrary, are postponed to a later date.

By the age of one year, children's diet includes a lot of “adult” food. Some mothers at this stage of development make the mistake of transferring the baby to the common table. This is not recommended, since salt, sugar, and excess fat can harm the baby. Food for it needs to be steamed, boiled or stewed.

Table of complementary feeding of a child by month with artificial feeding

For convenience, the introduction of complementary feeding to children with artificial feeding can be carried out according to special tables. Below the quantity of products is indicated in grams.

	3-4 months	4-5 months	5-6 months	7 months	8 months	9-12 months
Juice	5	30-50	50-60	70	80	80-100
Puree fruits	5	30-50	50-60	70	80	80-100
Puree vegetables		10-100	150	170	180	180-200
Porridge		50-100	160	170	180	180-200
Cottage cheese			40	40	40	40-50
Meat			5-30	50	50	60-70
Fish					5-30	30-60
Cookie			3-5	5	5	10-15
Bread				5	5	5-10
Vegetable oil, butter			1-3	3	5	6
Kefir				200	200	200-400

The complementary feeding table by month for artificial feeding is advisory in nature. The dates indicated in the schemes are very arbitrary and can be shifted in one direction or another on the recommendation of a doctor. Complementary feeding for artificial feeding begins a few weeks later.

Table of estimated weight gain by month

Criteria correct administration complementary feeding of children on artificial feeding - no adverse reactions for a new product and weight gain per month, which can be compared using the following table:

Age, months	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
Increase, gr	600	800	800	750	700	650	600	550	500	450	400	350

If the child does not eat well

What should you do when, according to the complementary feeding chart for formula-fed children, you need to add new food for a long time, but the child stubbornly eats only formula? First of all, mom does not need to panic. After all, the start of complementary feeding during artificial feeding can be postponed without harm to your beloved child for up to six months. Perhaps the baby’s digestive system has not matured, and he is not ready to accept a new product.

When the baby refuses food other than formula, the mother needs to be patient. It can be recommended to seat the child at a common table, thereby developing food interest. You need to offer food when the baby is hungry, for example, on a walk. For feeding a child, it is advisable to buy a bright soft spoon and a bright plate. If your baby refuses industrial purees or cereals, then you can try preparing them yourself. Adding to porridge small quantity mixture will make its taste more familiar.

Even when your baby’s relationship with unusual food doesn’t work out right away, you shouldn’t worry. Each child is individual. If he does not lag behind in development, then you can safely postpone it for a while. The main thing is to follow the principle of the gradual introduction of the product and not to rush. It is not at all necessary that your schedule should coincide with the baby’s complementary feeding table by month with artificial feeding.

Useful video about the introduction of complementary foods

Your baby has already grown up enough, and this circumstance makes you think about the need for the first complementary foods. Perhaps, main question, disturbing young mothers, concerns precisely the timing of its introduction. When to start complementary foods for a baby? Where to start?

The persistent advice of grandmothers who fed their children semolina porridge almost from the second month of life is not always appropriate in these matters. Naturally, no one can tell a young mother better than an experienced pediatrician about a baby’s first adult meal. The doctor will answer the question of when you should start complementary feeding during artificial feeding in general, and will also advise the timing of its introduction specifically for your child.

When can I introduce complementary foods to a formula-fed baby?

By virtue of individual characteristics For every baby, any hourly restrictions regarding complementary feeding are meaningless and often harmful for the baby. You can start feeding a bottle-fed baby when he is ready for it. Typically, such readiness occurs by 5-6 months (sometimes later), after the baby has matured. nervous system, brain and gastrointestinal tract. It can be seen if:

• the baby shows an active interest in the food on your plate;
• since birth, his weight has doubled;
• he sits alone or with minimal support;
• the child knows how or tries to hold a spoon in his hand, can take food from a spoon;
• may show refusal to eat (turns head away);
• he lost the reflex of pushing out solid food with his tongue;
• the baby still has a desire to eat immediately or appears a short time after the next portion of baby formula;
• the first tooth has grown in the crumbs (optional condition).

Children who are bottle-fed are introduced to complementary foods earlier than babies who eat mother's milk. Some pediatricians consider this action to be a relic of the past, and advise not to tie the start of complementary feeding to the type of feeding.

So, when can you breastfeed a bottle-fed baby? If the baby is healthy and develops correctly, then the introduction adult food You can start as early as the 5th month. Moreover, the essence of complementary feeding at this age is not to feed the child: an adapted milk formula copes well with this task up to six months. The purpose of such early complementary feeding is rather the intention to introduce the baby to a new food that is unusual for him.

When should you introduce vegetable complementary foods to a formula-fed baby?

Complementary feeding should begin with vegetable dishes or milk and cereal porridges (only if the child is not gaining weight well). Most often, doctors recommend starting with monocomponent puree. Don't worry if your baby's first attempts new food will not be successful. At first, babies are reluctant to eat such unusual food. In some cases, it is even necessary to postpone the start of complementary foods for 2-4 weeks.

So, when to enter vegetable complementary foods bottle-fed baby? It is recommended to introduce vegetable dishes into the diet of an artificial baby after he is 5-6 months old.

When to start fruit complementary foods for a formula-fed baby?

Not so long ago, when asked: when to introduce juices during artificial feeding, doctors answered that a few drops of juice should be given to the baby from the 4th month of his life, gradually increasing the amount to the required volumes. Today, doctors say that concentrated juices are contraindicated for use by children under one year of age, due to their negative impact on the children's gastrointestinal tract. Until this time, it is better to give preference. Doctors recommend giving fruit puree to your baby from the 6th month, after introducing vegetable complementary foods.

Hello, dear Evgeny Olegovich! I read your book “Child Health” with great pleasure... In addition to a lot of useful information, I would like to note the ease of “narration” and an excellent sense of humor. To be honest, we are all tired of dry “academic” shoulds and shouldn’ts, shoulds and shouldn’ts. For the 101st time I want to ask a question about complementary foods. Your book states in sufficient detail and convincingly that complementary feeding (mashed potatoes and cereals) should be started as late as possible, in my opinion, when the first teeth appear. With naturalists, everything is clear - there is a chest to the bitter end, i.e. to the teeth, but as for the artificial people, to which we also belong... After all, artificial is artificial, even if it is highly adapted, NAN, like ours. Yes, everything is there essential vitamins and microelements, but if you feed an adult only vitamins in capsules, then even if he lives, it won’t be long, and it’s not for me to tell you that there is, for example, iron and iron - in apples it’s one thing, in beef it’s another. What I mean by all this: without at all doubting your competence and trusting you as a doctor, I still read articles on other sites in which academic fellows advise early complementary feeding specifically for artificial babies, while noting the general trend now to give complementary feeding as late as possible , at 4 months:)))). And our aunt, the doctor, also says that it’s time (we’re 4 months old), they say, the baby doesn’t have enough of what’s in milk, and the stomach needs to be taught to produce enzymes to digest “adult” food. I kindly ask you to take upon yourself the thankless, but noble task of explaining to me (and not only me - our name is legion, that’s for sure) the following: why is it still recommended for artificial babies to start giving complementary foods earlier, what is the difference if a good mixture is as close as possible to mother's milk? What about “live” vitamins, or are all vitamins the same and this is just another fairy tale for adults? I really hope for a detailed answer, because the topic is very pressing, and there are too many opinions, often diametrically opposed. I want to be convinced so that, after analyzing, I can choose something right for myself. It is clear that there are parents who are unconditional supporters of early complementary feeding and, accordingly, there are those who are ready to feed only milk for a year, but the overwhelming majority are like me, who do not have a definite opinion on this matter, and the abundance of opinions simply makes their brains boil . Thanks in advance for your reply, best regards, Ira

Ira, hello! Well, let's dot the i's for the 101st time (although, according to my mail, for the 1001st...). What is the philosophical essence of nutrition - to provide the body with everything necessary for mental and physical activity, and in relation to children - also for growth and development. Micro- and macroelements, vitamins, of course, are very necessary, although the basis of nutrition is, nevertheless, not they, but the notorious proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Scientists, professors and academicians have been trying for many years to determine how much protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals a person should receive per day. certain stages your life, so that this amount meets the needs of the body. Answers to the main questions in this direction have been received. The data is quite reliable; for each element that makes up the diet, standards have been established, defined by the term “physiological need.” That is, it is absolutely clear what amount of carbohydrates, calcium or, for example, folic acid must be received by the human body given age, so that this does not lead to the development of diseases associated with a deficiency of a specific element. For a child of the first year of life, physiological needs change every month, and only mother’s milk can adequately change in accordance with these needs - this is an axiom and the most important argument in favor of natural feeding. But... We don't have milk. We are trying to find a reasonable alternative. We find: adapted mixture. Moreover, it turns out that scientists working in the field of infant nutrition and manufacturers of formulas are aware that without adjusting the composition of formulas during the first year of life, it is impossible to satisfy changing physiological needs - there will definitely be a shortage or excess in relation to any element . Development serious illnesses unlikely, but why take the risk... Taking this into account, mixtures are created that successively replace each other. Foreign manufacturers basically we followed a path that divides nutrition into 2 stages - before and after 6 months. The standard mixture, the same “Nan”, and the subsequent formula “Nan-2” - for those over 6. Obviously, in the second “Nan” a corresponding correction of the composition was made. Domestic manufacturers have taken a slightly different path, which in my opinion is quite rational: “Malyutka” - up to 2 months, “Malysh” - after 2 months. So, we are 4 months old. And the child is very, very sorry because he only eats “thin formula.” It no longer matters that the child grows and develops normally, that he does not have special problems. I just really want him to be like everyone else... What can we offer better than a mixture? Shall we give you kefir, or vegetable soup, or oatmeal with milk? But any of the listed products will not contain everything that is in the adapted mixture - this is absolutely clear. Consequently, we will replace several feedings, and in addition to this, we will begin to feed the child vitamins in order to eliminate the deficiency - which vitamin, how severe the deficiency is - we will not know this, but we will give it. It is not surprising in this regard that in my daily practice, hypervitaminosis is much more common than hypovitaminosis. Why is it that the thought constantly comes to our minds that something must (!) be added to the mixture. Firstly, because, as you write, “yes, it contains all the necessary vitamins and microelements, but if an adult is fed only vitamins in capsules, then even if he lives, he will not live long...”. But we have already noted that the MAIN thing there is still not vitamins, but proteins, fats, carbohydrates. Secondly, the belief that varied diet- it's useful and healthy eating. And, according to this logic, you cannot be healthy by consuming one mixture. This is a huge misconception. A whale, which weighs 100 tons, eats only plankton, the diet of most species is very narrow, and humans are no exception. Thirdly, all these numerous beautiful, beautiful jars, bags, boxes allow us to materially realize our love, because we don’t feel sorry for anything for the child. And finally, fourthly, we constantly hear about the need for juices, purees, and a variety of diets and cannot understand that all the above-mentioned jars and boxes are a multi-billion dollar business. So what is there to comment on? I observed more than a hundred children whose parents could not give anything other than an adapted formula until they were one year old - everything else caused allergies. It was mainly the parents who suffered, since this did not affect the growth and development of the child at all, and could not have affected it, because if parents can afford to purchase high-quality food for their child adapted mixture, then they (the parents) must be aware that this mixture is obviously better, healthier, and safer than any soup, any porridge, any puree. And to answer the question “why is it still recommended for formula-fed infants to start giving complementary foods earlier, what is the difference if a good formula is as close as possible to breast milk?” I cannot, because I completely disagree with this point of view. It would be better if we reasoned this way: the child does not see normal food - mother's milk. He receives some kind of surrogate, supposedly replacing milk, but this is the BEST of what we can offer him. So let's just give him one thing longer good mixture, so as not to aggravate the “abnormality” of nutrition with experiments. And “living vitamins” are not a fairy tale, after all, fairy tales are good. This is still the same business, millions of green pieces of paper with which we put fat ticks on our own conscience, purchasing boxes of “live vitamins” first, then Linex-Baktisubtils, a little later Tavegil-Suprastins, etc. All the best. I really hope that my argument will seem convincing to you. Komarovsky Evgeniy Olegovich.