When is the right time for babies to add complementary foods? Baby complementary food addition schedule

When we become mothers, we want to put more thoughts and energy into taking good care of our babies from the moment they are born. So when is the right time for babies to add complementary foods? If you are interested in the timetable for adding complementary foods to babies and the principles of adding complementary foods to babies, then open the encyclopedia below!

Contents of this article

1. When is it appropriate to add complementary food to your baby?

2. Baby food supplementation schedule

3. Principles of adding complementary food to babies

When is it appropriate to add complementary food to your baby?

First of all, choosing when to add complementary food to your baby is the primary issue. When the baby's body is not ready, adding complementary food too early is more likely to cause food allergies, and the nutrients cannot be absorbed, but instead increase the burden on the stomach and intestines, which is not worth the loss. The specific day to start complementary food is different for each baby, so mothers should pay attention to the following signals sent by the baby! Generally, around 6 months old, the baby will be able to sit up with support, the tongue thrust reflex disappears, and he will show interest in food and reach out to grab it. This is the baby telling you that he is ready to learn a new way of eating.

Baby food supplement schedule

The latest research shows that babies should start adding complementary foods from six months old. At this time, the baby's stomach can already secrete some amylase to digest food. If it is added too early, the baby will not digest it after eating, which is very likely to cause diarrhea.

Babies should start eating complementary foods from six months old

During this period, baby food is still mainly breast milk or formula milk, with the main purpose of trying to eat food supplement. The amount of addition starts from 1-2 tablespoons, and then gradually increases. Mainly provide liquid and paste food. In order to provide (can be mixed with breast milk, formula milk or apple juice) rice, mashed potatoes, juice or puree (juice starts from water and drink juice), followed by pulp.

From 7 to 9 months old, the baby's pepsin begins to work, so babies at this stage can start to accept meat food, but this does not mean that the baby's digestive function is close to that of an adult. Therefore, when adding food, we still need to adhere to the general principle of gradual addition of complementary food.

Eggs, fish, meat, liver, cereals, fruits, vegetables, etc. are all foods that babies can eat. Eggs gradually change from egg yolk paste to egg custard at the beginning. When the baby is more than 8 months old, they can be boiled or scrambled eggs, and gradually transition from minced to small pieces; fish, lean meat, liver, vegetables, and fruits should also have the same change process.

10 to 12 months: Babies have started to grow teeth. Although they don't have many teeth yet, they can already chew food with their gums. It is especially important to let them practice chewing. At this time, babies have entered the late stage of milk replacement. They have gradually transitioned from being mainly fed with milk at birth to a stage where milk provides half or more of the nutrients they need. Babies should continue to be breastfed and have 3 staple foods and 1 snack a day.

The baby's food should be thick porridge turned into soft rice; from a mushy noodle steamed bun, dumplings, steamed bun, steamed bun, from vegetables to the last, chopped meat is chopped vegetables and meat.

Principles of adding complementary foods to babies

When you first start adding complementary foods, you can only give your baby one type of complementary food that is appropriate for his age. After trying it for 3-4 days or a week, if your baby's digestion is good and his bowel movements are normal, you can let your baby try another type. Don't add several complementary foods at once in a short period of time, as this is likely to cause indigestion in your baby.

When babies start to eat complementary foods, they have not yet grown teeth. Mothers should feed them liquid foods, then gradually add semi-liquid foods, and finally solid foods. You can start with vegetable soup, juice, and rice soup, then transition to rice paste, vegetable puree, fruit puree, and meat puree, and then transition to soft rice, small pieces of vegetables, fruits, and meat.

The particles of baby food should be small and the taste should be tender and smooth. Pureed foods such as vegetable puree, fruit puree, steamed egg custard, chicken puree, and pig liver puree are most suitable for babies in the early stage of complementary food addition. When the baby is about to grow teeth or is growing teeth, the mother can gradually make the particles of food coarser.

Each time you add new complementary food to your baby, it is best to feed him only once a day, and the amount should not be too large. For example, when adding egg yolk, first feed your baby 1/4 of it. After three or four days, if the baby has no adverse reactions, and does not feel hungry between meals, has normal bowel movements, and sleeps well, then increase the amount to half an egg yolk, and then gradually increase it to a whole egg yolk.