Are there any pitfalls in “fine” complementary feeding? Don’t be afraid, pediatric doctors have a “ladder” to help you

Pediatric doctors say: Too fine complementary foods will make babies lack the necessary chewing exercises, and the teeth and jaws will not get enough stimulation and exercise, which is not conducive to the eruption of baby teeth and may cause delayed eruption of baby's deciduous teeth. When the baby's deciduous teeth are replaced, the permanent teeth may have erupted before they fall out. The permanent teeth are squeezed to an abnormal position by the retained deciduous teeth, and even if the deciduous teeth are removed in time, the permanent teeth are likely to be uneven. Soft and fine food residues are more likely to remain in the gaps between teeth and on the surface of pits and fissures. If they are not cleaned in time, they will easily increase the incidence of caries and periodontitis.

The pediatrician said: If the baby's food is too refined, it may cause insufficient intake of dietary fiber, which is not conducive to intestinal peristalsis and increases the possibility of constipation in the baby.

Pediatric doctors say that chewing is an essential skill for infants to switch food. Rhythmic biting, rolling, and grinding coordinated oral movements represent the mature development of infants' digestive functions. Due to missing the critical age for chewing development, infants will refuse solid foods of different textures and cannot chew and swallow maturely. For example, they often choke, spit out, or hold solid foods in their mouths without swallowing. At the same time, chewing function is closely related to oral muscles and tongue movements. It may even affect the clarity of children's pronunciation.

The pediatrician said: Change the texture of complementary food and feeding methods in a timely, appropriate and appropriate manner, and persist. In the early stage of complementary food addition, the food should be mainly in a paste state, but as the baby grows older, we should increase the coarseness of the food in a timely manner: 6-7 months old should be mainly in a paste state, 7-8 months old should gradually transition to a powder state, and then gradually transition to small pieces of food. Some "finger food" can be provided to babies of 8 months old, and it is not recommended for babies under 1 year old to eat fruit juice or vegetable water. If the baby refuses to add complementary food, don't worry, we should increase the number of attempts and seek help from the pediatrician if necessary, such as oral function training.

The pediatrician said: Get the right knowledge about complementary food addition, evaluate the baby's growth and development status and existing problems. If there are any problems during the doctor's advice, seek medical attention in time; if there are no problems, regularly evaluate the implementation of feeding measures to get correct guidance.