What should you pay attention to when adding complementary foods to your baby?

As the baby grows up day by day, in addition to breast milk, it is also necessary to add appropriate complementary foods. What should new parents pay attention to when adding complementary foods to their babies? The following points are for your reference.

1. Age should not be too early or too late

The most appropriate age for babies to add complementary foods is 4-6 months. Adding complementary foods too early may increase the digestive burden and cause indigestion. Adding complementary foods too late may cause malnutrition and affect the baby's growth and development.

2. From one to many

When adding complementary foods for the first time, it is advisable to start with one food and observe whether the baby has any abnormal reactions after eating the complementary food. You can add another food after a week.

3. High in nutrition and easy to digest

Start with nutritious foods such as soft and sticky rice paste, fruit puree, and meat puree. As your chewing and digestion abilities improve, you can eat soft and easily digestible foods such as sweet potatoes and pumpkins.

4. From small amount to large amount

Start feeding with one or two spoonfuls from a children's spoon. Once your baby is used to a variety of food, gradually increase the amount and add complementary foods to your baby's daily diet step by step.

5. Light taste

The baby's sense of taste and smell is not fully developed, so choose foods with light taste to protect the baby's taste buds and lay a good foundation for his future eating habits. In addition, according to the recommendations of the "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents", babies under one year old do not need to add additional salt.

6. Drink juice in moderation

Drinking juice frequently may make babies dependent on it and resist drinking water. Juice is high in sugar, which is not good for tooth development. Switching from fruit to juice reduces dietary fiber, which may affect gastrointestinal motility.

7. Breast milk is the main food, and complementary food is the supplement

Complementary food is the "transitional food" added to the baby from breast milk to complete weaning, so breast milk is still the focus of the baby's diet. The combination of the two provides comprehensive nutrition.

Simply put, when preparing complementary foods for your baby, safety and health come first. The nutrition required by babies at different stages is also different, so new parents must pay attention to this.