Complementary feeding at 3 months on artificial and mixed feeding

What and how is introduced as complementary foods

What products are suitable

Experts advise starting feeding with vegetables or grains. They should form the basis of human nutrition - they are easily digestible and very healthy.

Vegetables are a storehouse of vitamins

If your baby is constipated and overweight, it is better to introduce vegetables first. Zucchini, cauliflower and broccoli are ideal. A little later, you can try giving pureed potatoes, pumpkin and carrots.

You cannot feed a baby beets, tomatoes, white cabbage, eggplants and cucumbers until one year of age.

If the baby does not weigh enough, suffers from anemia, atopic dermatitis or asthma, then it is better to start with cereals. Gluten-free grains are easily digestible: buckwheat, rice and corn. If everything is in order, then you can try introducing oatmeal.

On the fifth day, vegetable oil is added to the porridge: sunflower or olive. Starting with 3 drops, add them to a teaspoon.

After vegetable puree and porridge have been mastered, you can introduce fruits. Green apples and pears work well.

Rules for introducing complementary foods

Many young parents do not know how to properly introduce complementary foods to a baby at 6 months. There is a whole set of rules on this matter that will help make the task easier:

1. It is necessary to carefully monitor the condition of the skin and stool. If there is redness, itching or rashes, increased gas formation or problems with stool, then the product should be put aside and wait 3 days. If everything goes well, you can introduce another one. When the condition does not return to normal, it is better to wait with complementary foods.
2. You need to start feeding a new product with half a teaspoon (you can use 1/3). The smaller the portion at first, the lower the likelihood of allergic manifestations. In subsequent days you need to double the portion.
3. Mashed potatoes for complementary feeding should resemble kefir. Kitchen appliances allow you to grind any food very well, without lumps; you can start making purees with a fork closer to a year.
4. Select products carefully. If you decide to buy baby food, you need to check the expiration date and see what age the product is intended for. If it is more convenient to cook at home, then you need to choose the ripest fruits and vegetables. It's better if they come from your own garden.
5. Do not give 2 unfamiliar foods at once. It will be difficult for the baby’s body to cope with the double load, and the likelihood of diathesis will increase. In addition, it will not be clear which product is not digestible. Doctors do not recommend introducing a new one earlier than a week after the previous one.
6. Don't stop breastfeeding. Complementary feeding is given on an empty stomach; if the child is not full, it is necessary to supplement him with breastfeeding. Mother's milk is a treasure trove of health. You should not completely replace it with complementary foods even within one feeding, especially before one year.
7. Introduce a new product for breakfast. In the morning hours (from 9-11) the child is full of energy, the body absorbs food better, the mother has time to monitor whether the baby is feeling well.
8. In summer and autumn it is better to eat vegetables and fruits; in winter and spring it will be more beneficial to start feeding them with grains.

Complementary feeding is a joy

Note! There is no need to try to feed a baby if he does not want or refuses to finish the last spoonful of porridge. Scientists say that only what you eat with pleasure is beneficial.

When do mothers switch to mixed feeding?

1. Deficiency of own milk

In some cases, even if the mother puts the baby to the breast on demand, the baby may still remain hungry and gain weight poorly. This is often evidenced by loud crying after eating. In this case, experts talk about hypolactia, when milk production is reduced due to hormonal imbalance.

The “wet diaper” method will help make sure that the baby really does not have enough milk. Do not put diapers on your baby and count the number of times he urinates in one day. From two weeks of age to six months, the result is assessed as follows: if you count 12 or more wet diapers, then you have nothing to worry about, 8–10 wet diapers indicate that lactation has decreased, 6 or less - the baby does not have enough milk, and action must be taken urgently.

Advice! Today there are many ways to increase lactation, but if they do not help, you should consult a pediatrician who will select the right formula for supplementary feeding.

2. Lack of calories

Some mothers think that their milk is not nutritious enough. Most often, they come to such conclusions after expressing clear milk with a bluish tint. But it cannot be non-nutritious or nutritious. Milk can be “hind milk”, rich white in color, thicker and fattier (for a child this is “food”), and “fore milk”, liquid with a bluish tint (“drink”).

Advice! If the number of urinations is normal, but the baby is not gaining weight, then you need to think about whether your baby is receiving hindmilk. To do this, during 1 feeding, offer him only 1 breast.

3. Going to work

Some mothers have to reduce the number of feedings after returning to work. And their first impulse is to switch to mixed feeding. But you should always remember that the best food for a child is mother's milk. If you want to go to work, try to prepare for this in advance. Keep a “strategic stockpile” of breast milk in your freezer so your baby always has something to eat, even when you’re not around.

Advice! If you plan to go to work when your baby has started receiving complementary foods, then try to organize meals so that he is given complementary foods in your absence. This way you will have the opportunity to reduce the amount of formula or defrosted food in his diet.

Up to contents

Features of introducing new products

Without exception, all products must be introduced in fractions. You should start with a few drops or half a spoon. If no undesirable effects are identified, then on the third day you can increase the amount of the new product. By the end of the first month after starting complementary feeding, the amount can reach the size of 1 serving.

Your child's first vegetable should be zucchini. Following this, the child is given potatoes, carrots and cauliflower (it does not cause bloating).

Vegetables must be boiled until tender, and then pureed with a blender or through a nylon strainer. All dishes are prepared using water without adding salt. Vegetable oil is added to food only after all permitted vegetables have been digested in the form of a multi-component stew. Butter is not recommended for children under one year of age, but if the mother's milk is low-fat, then this product can make up for the lack of milk fat.

Weaning porridges must be water-based and gluten-free

The daily intake of thin porridge with or without milk for a child of average height and weight can reach 160 g

In this case, you should pay attention to the order in which the cereals are introduced. Pediatric nutritionists recommend trying buckwheat first, then introducing:

• rice;
• corn grits;
• oatmeal.

The most favorite porridge of all grandmothers is semolina; it is advisable to introduce it to the menu as late as possible. Although, if the child is underweight and does not have problems digesting wheat, then very liquid semolina can be given in fractional portions in the first half of the day, starting from six months.

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Each product should be given with caution and always, alternating with already familiar cereals

It is also important to understand that buckwheat is the least allergenic, rice helps strengthen the stool, and oatmeal, on the contrary, weakens it. Corn grits do not cause problems in children’s intestines, but are introduced to diversify the mineral and vitamin composition of food

Schedule up to a year

The recommendations of the Russian Ministry of Health propose a complementary feeding schedule for children up to one year old, which requires the use of vegetables, cereals, cottage cheese and meat, juices, and fruit purees in their diet by seven months. This schedule does not comply with WHO recommendations, which note that diet correction is carried out at six months of age. And only in individual cases and according to individual indications, which include critical delays in weight gain and development, does it make sense to change the child’s diet earlier.

According to WHO, complementary feeding is food designed to meet the increasing energy needs of a baby who is more active and mobile than before. And allowing him to introduce him to a variety of foods. Based on this, the basic principles for correcting the baby’s diet are determined.

• Food is complementary. This is exactly what complementary foods are. The basis of a child’s nutrition is breast milk, and if breastfeeding is impossible, an adapted formula.
• The food is varied. Mothers of eight-month-old babies usually look with horror at the complementary feeding table by month. And they understand that from the recommended products, including meat, kefir, yolk, and several types of vegetables, they managed to accustom the child to at most a couple of vegetable dishes and cereal porridges. But this diversity is only an attempt to show exactly what flavors and types of foods a child can consume due to his physiological development. This is a recommendation about dishes of what consistency, taste, and aroma a child can begin to get acquainted with. The numbers on the tablet should not be taken as a mandatory guide to action, since it is simply impossible to achieve many of them by safely introducing products.
• Foods with high energy density. Based on the fact that complementary feeding should replenish the energy the baby lacks for activity and growth, it is necessary to choose energy-rich foods. These do not include juices previously recommended for the first complementary foods and fruits. A small amount of porridge or vegetables contains much more calories that are significant for the baby.

Energy-rich food does not mean fatty, WHO experts note. A child should not be given animal fat, including milk containing fat, until two years of age. You cannot add salt and sugar to food. The latter saturates the body with “empty” calories and suppresses appetite.

All products that include a scheme for introducing complementary foods by month until the age of one are called transitional. They are adapted to the child's needs in terms of consistency and density. The goal of the process is for the baby to switch to the traditional food of the family table. Therefore, it is wise to use not specially selected products for feeding, but precisely those grains, vegetables, types of meat and fish that are customary to eat in your family.

Table - Complementary feeding of a child by month (WHO recommended schedule)

The table determines the types of complementary foods by month and dosage. It is for informational purposes only. If you continue breastfeeding, it is not recommended to exceed these standards. With artificial feeding, the main source of nutrition in the diet remains formula. The mixed mode allows you to displace the mixture, replacing it with complementary foods.

The consistency of the dishes should correspond to the child’s developmental level and existing skills. At the age of up to seven months, babies experience a shift in the gag reflex from the middle of the tongue to its root, and the strength of chewing movements increases. They can eat pureed foods made from gluten-free vegetables, fruits and grains.

Between the ages of seven months and one year, chewing skills improve. The baby learns to bite, move food with his tongue to his teeth, and remove it from a spoon with his lips. During this period, it is recommended to change the consistency of the dishes. They are served mashed, chopped, and also in a form convenient for eating with your hands.

Only after a year does the stability of the jaws develop, and chewing movements acquire an adult, rotational character. At this time, the child can be transferred to family food.

General rules

According to the recommendation of the World Health Organization (WHO), children under one year of age should remain breastfed. Over time, the body's energy needs increase, so it is necessary to start complementary feeding. At the age of one year, to strengthen the immune system and develop the nervous system, it is also recommended to support breastfeeding. Nutrients contained in breast milk can significantly speed up the ripening process.

By continuing to breastfeed, you supply your baby's body with special enzymes that help digest food. Breast milk contains antibacterial components that protect the baby's immunity from pathogens. It will also protect the child’s body from the consequences of taking low-quality products.

Let's look at a few recommendations that will help implement the first complementary feeding during mixed feeding.

Focus on breast milk

At first, its energy value will be small, since new food is introduced in small portions. After 2 months, its volume will be equal to 2-3 full feedings. It is at this time that it is recommended to exclude artificial formulas in favor of breast milk. If the volume is insufficient, it can be supplemented with porridges and vegetable purees.

Follow the deadlines set by WHO experts

If a 4-month-old baby is breastfed and formula-fed at the same time, there is no need to give him new foods. WHO experts recommend doing this when you reach 6 months of age.

However, there is one caveat to consider here. Babies who are exclusively breastfed mature their digestive systems faster, allowing them to adapt to different foods more quickly. When a baby is given formula, he receives less natural substances, and the development of the digestive organs occurs more slowly. In this case, it is recommended to wait 1-1.5 months, spending the deferred time on completely eliminating artificial mixtures from the diet.