Breastfeeding at 4 months: features and recommendations

Four months is a special period in the development of an artificial baby. At this age, the child tries his first “adult” food (this rule applies only to bottle-fed children; it is too early to feed infants).

The formula is heavier than mother’s milk and takes longer to digest, so the digestive system of the artificial baby develops faster and “prepares” for the intake of adult food earlier.

The first “adult” food for a baby, according to most doctors, should be vegetable puree

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Vegetables contain a lot of healthy dietary fiber and mineral salts. Mom can make the puree herself or buy it at the store. Many people believe that home-cooked food is better than store-bought food.
This statement will be true only if vegetables from your own garden are used for cooking. In other cases, it is better to choose store-bought purees, since the production of baby food uses high-quality products that are not always found in markets and store shelves. Puree for children's nutrition

offer the most famous brands:

• Gerber
  . The product range is very wide. For the first stage of complementary feeding, manufacturers offer purees from carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, and pumpkin. Natural products without flour, salt, or dyes are used to produce food. This food is ideal for feeding children from 4 months.
• Frutonyanya
  . Among one-component purees, manufacturers offer cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, zucchini, and pumpkin. The puree does not contain sugar or starch, but some parents note that it has a very liquid consistency.
• Hipp
  . This manufacturer has an equally wide range of vegetable purees: zucchini, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, pumpkin. Lack of nutrition - contains rice flour, which can lead to constipation in the baby.

The best vegetables to start complementary feeding are zucchini, cauliflower, broccoli, pumpkin. For the first complementary feeding, the puree should be one-component.

You need to introduce complementary foods correctly:

• the best time to “get to know” new food is the first half of the day;
• for the first time, 1 teaspoon of vegetable puree will be enough;
• the portion should be increased gradually, as a result, one feeding with the mixture should be completely replaced with vegetable puree (150 ml);
• You should not give several vegetables at once, you need to monitor the child’s reaction; artificial ones often have allergic reactions.

A four-month-old baby is just beginning his acquaintance with the food of an adult, but his main food is still an adapted milk formula labeled “1”.

• Nutrilak 1
  . Minerals and vitamins, taurine in the mixture help the baby develop properly. The disadvantage is palm oil, which causes colic.
• Nenny 1
  . The mixture is made from goat's milk and is often recommended for children prone to allergies.

Water must be present in the diet of a 4-month-old bottle-fed baby.

Diet at 4 months

First you need to determine and create a general daily routine. At 6.30 am it is recommended to feed the baby for the first time (early breakfast). The baby should be awake until 8.00. Then the child needs to sleep for 2 hours. Morning sleep is the soundest and most beneficial after night sleep. At 10.30 it is time for the second feeding. Then an hour and a half of wakefulness, which can end with a light massage. Daytime sleep starts at 12.30. At this time, it is recommended to take a walk so that the baby can sleep in the fresh air. This is very beneficial for the child's respiratory system and brain activity.

The third feeding should take place closer to 14.30. Then again a period of wakefulness and sleep. The child can have dinner at 18.00 or 18.30 (at the child’s request). During the evening wakefulness period, it is recommended to bathe the baby and do gymnastic exercises to strengthen the muscular system. The last feeding begins around 10:30 p.m. After this, the baby should be put to sleep at night. It is important at this stage to build just such a diet for a 4-month-old baby. The intervals between feedings should be from 3.5 to 4 hours.

Feeding: on demand or by the hour?

In Soviet times, it was recommended to feed a newborn on any type of feeding strictly according to the clock. There was no talk of any shared wards with the baby.

Times have changed, and today doctors are unanimous on this issue: it is more advisable to feed a baby “on the chest” on demand and apply it at the slightest request. But what are the norms for feeding an artificial child? Is it right to give the baby formula “on demand” or is a feeding regime still needed in this case?

Doctors recommend adhering to a certain regimen when feeding a child with artificial formula. Feeding a newborn “on demand” using artificial feeding is almost impossible, because, firstly, it is not always convenient to quickly prepare the formula at the child’s first request.

And secondly, when feeding on demand, it is difficult to track the amount of nutrition the baby receives. And if it’s impossible to overfeed with breastfeeding, then formula is fine. Modern artificial formulas, although they contain a lot of nutrients, but, whatever one may say, breast milk is absorbed more easily and easily. This is why the regimen is so important when feeding with formula. Doctors insist: feeding a newborn with formula should not be done at the baby’s request, but strictly according to time.

Feeding with formula by the hour is also important because with this type of nutrition the issue of hygiene is acute. Bottles and nipples must be perfectly clean, and the mixture must be freshly prepared.

You also need to remember that a bottle-fed baby should have bowel movements every day. Due to the fact that the formula takes longer to absorb and digest, the frequency of meals should be lower than when breastfeeding. Otherwise, there is a risk of overfeeding the child, and there are problems with the gastrointestinal tract and obesity. There is also a possibility of underfeeding, which is why order in the matter of nutrition is so important.

Diet at 4 months

From 17-18 weeks of life, the baby should gradually move to 5 feedings a day. At the same time, the diet of a 4-month-old child must be expanded, replenishing it with new vitamin products. A baby should eat 1/6 of its body weight per day. One serving is approximately 180 g.

The first product that is allowed to supplement a 4-month-old baby's diet is broccoli. This vegetable is rich in vitamins and microelements necessary to strengthen the immune system. In fact, at the initial stage of expanding the baby’s diet, almost all vegetables are allowed, except potatoes, carrots and beets. Children who are fed breast milk tolerate the introduction of new foods more easily. Therefore, by the end of the 4th month they are allowed to give a spoonful of apple juice. At this age, breast milk (formula) should remain the main source of nutrition. All other products are additional.

How to accustom a child to a routine

Should the baby live by following a routine, or should the mother adapt to the baby’s wishes? This question is constantly discussed by pediatricians and parents. In most cases, by four months of age it has already been resolved.

Help to set your little one up to follow the regime:

1. Feeding, hygiene procedures, going to bed at the same time according to the schedule. If you perform all the actions by the clock, the baby will gradually get used to the routine, will be hungry at feeding time and will fall asleep quickly, as he will be tired and need rest.
2. Compliance with special rituals before a long night's sleep - dim light, quiet conversation, bathing, stroking or light massage. Loud sounds should be excluded, the TV should be muted, creating silence and a feeling of peace.
3. Regular diaper changes, cleanliness and dryness will eliminate anxiety, and the baby will feel good.
4. The right choice of clothing and a warm blanket will create coziness and comfort. The baby should not be allowed to overheat or sweat. If there is a lack of warmth, the baby will freeze.

Proper complementary feeding

The diet of a 4-month-old baby should be rich not only in carbohydrates and proteins, but also in vegetable fats. At this age, children lay the foundation for a healthy body. This is why it is so important to gradually introduce new foods into the diet from 4 months. Any juices at this age are not recommended, since in most cases they lead to an allergic reaction and severe colic. A similar supply of vitamins and microcomponents is found in various vegetables and fruits.

Food for complementary feeding must be in semi-liquid form. Puree is made from boiled (steamed) products in a blender. Bananas can be grated on a fine grater. It is recommended to give complementary foods a few minutes before the main feeding in a small amount (1-2 teaspoons). The transition from one new product to another is done only after 7-10 days, so that the stomach has enough time to get used to it. Meat or fish should not yet be included in the diet of a 4-month-old baby. If your baby develops a skin rash on his face or body, the new product should be immediately removed from the diet. Also, an allergic reaction can manifest itself in the form of constipation, diarrhea, gneiss, and flatulence.

Approximate daily routine at 4 months of life

As the child grows, the needs of the baby change - he already needs communication, games during the waking period. The total rest time is only 16 hours, which is divided into a long night's sleep and three times a day's sleep. The daily routine of a 4-month-old baby is formed according to the following scheme, which adapts to the needs of the child:

The time period free from sleep, food and hygiene procedures is much longer than before. During this period, loved ones should communicate with the baby, making wakefulness interesting and developing.

Baby's diet

A baby needs up to 1 liter of milk or formula per day (1/7 of its own weight), which is divided 5 times. When feeding from a bottle, the baby should suck about 200 milliliters. Breast milk quantity is more difficult to measure. If the baby is gaining weight normally, then he is getting as much as he needs.

On artificial and mixed feeding

If there is a lack or absence of breast milk, 4-month-old babies are fed with adapted formulas. If the mother continues to lactate, you need to feed breast milk in the maximum possible quantity.

Feedings are reduced to 5 times a day. You need to prepare 200 milliliters of the mixture in a feeding bottle - this is how much the baby should receive to be full. As an adult, the baby may not want to eat the entire portion, this is normal, and there is no need to worry about the fact that half of the milk is left.

Breastfed

If the mother has enough breast milk, the baby gets everything he needs. He does not need complementary feeding until he is six months old. The baby will suck the required amount to be full. At this age, he can already sleep up to 7-8 hours at night, and often does without night feeding. During the day, the baby is fed every 3-4 hours.

Lure

At 4 months of age, complementary foods are usually introduced to infants who are not exclusively breastfed. The choice of additional food depends on what the child likes best. Children absolutely do not want to eat some healthy foods.

Complementary feeding options for vegetable puree - zucchini, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots. Start feeding with ½-1 teaspoon, carefully monitoring the child’s condition. Gradually the volume is increased to a full portion - 100-150 grams, using for one of the feedings.

Baby's sleep

At 4 months, sleep is still a major part of your baby's life. When trying to maintain a daily routine, you should not wait for the appointed time, preventing a tired baby from falling asleep. It's better if he rests when he's really tired.

Daytime nap

During the day, the child should sleep 3-4 times, devoting more and more time to wakefulness. The duration of one rest is 1.5-2 hours. It’s good to take your baby for a walk outside at this time, choosing quiet park areas with clean air.

Night sleep

Your night's rest will be calm and long if you perform the evening procedures correctly. It is necessary to prepare the baby with a calm, quiet stop, excluding games, contacts with noisy relatives, noise and bright light. Night sleep is up to 10 hours; if the baby wakes up earlier, you can try to put him to bed again. Children sleep well in the same room with their mother, intuitively feel her presence, hear her breathing.

Their sleep is more restful than in an empty room. The mother can check the child’s condition without getting out of bed.

Walking outside with a child

Going outside gives 4-month-old babies the opportunity to sleep in the fresh air and see the world around them. You need to walk twice a day for 1-2 hours, depending on the weather and the child’s well-being. Walking should only be avoided in bad weather conditions that are hazardous to health.

At temperatures below 0°, you need to stay outside for no more than 30 minutes, protecting your face from wind and frost. In extreme heat, you should leave the house at the coolest times of the day - morning and evening. Under comfortable conditions, you can walk for up to two hours, choosing parks, gardens and courtyards with little traffic.

Educational games

At 4 months, the child not only looks, but also explores the world around him. He is ready and wants to learn new subjects and communicate with people. It is necessary to expand the baby’s world, carry it around different rooms, show objects, name them. Tactile sensations are important at this age. The child should be given small things of different textures into his hands, and attract his attention with new sounds - the rustling of fabric or paper.

Kids love playing with their fingers and legs, they laugh when they are petted or stroked, and clap their hands. They reach for the toys hanging above the crib and happily pick up everything they can hold. You can play fun rhythmic music, clapping to the beat and dancing with your baby in your arms.

The main rule is that all activities should be short - do not overstimulate the baby before bedtime, do not tire him out when he is feeling unwell.

Massage and gymnastics for babies

Massage is a great opportunity to communicate with your mother in close contact. The child loves when his mother touches and strokes him. You need to perform a massage in the late afternoon, before swimming. It will allow the little one to relax, relieve tension, and set him up for a long sleep.

The following actions are recommended:

• stroking;
• rubbing;
• light tingling;
• stretching the legs and arms.

The duration of the massage is 20-30 minutes, the little one will love the poem about “rails-sleepers.” In the morning, you can do gymnastics, preparing the child to sit and roll over onto his tummy. All positions are fixed for a short time so that the baby does not get tired. During gymnastics, they pull the baby by the arms when he is lying on his back, lift him by the chest while lying on his stomach, stretch the arms and legs, rotate the hands and feet.

Hardening and hygiene procedures

They bathe the little one every day. If he is overstimulated, he should not do this before bed. You need to change your diaper not once a day, when it is already full, but regularly. Hardening includes dousing with water at a temperature of 36° or wiping with a dampened towel at the same temperature immediately after bathing. Air baths are useful when the child remains naked and freely moves his arms and legs in a warm room.

Complementary feeding products

To begin with, the diet of a 4-month-old baby can be consistently enriched with broccoli, cauliflower and zucchini. Each vegetable is introduced separately for 1-2 weeks. If there is no allergic reaction from the puree, you can expand your diet to cereals. They should be liquid in consistency so that the baby can eat them through a pacifier.

At this age, buckwheat and oatmeal are best. Some experts also recommend rice, but because of it, babies often have indigestion and constipation. The introduction of porridge is also carried out gradually, starting from 30 g. At 4 months, complementary feeding should not yet replace full feeding. It is allowed to give new foods 1-2 times a day before the main meal in a 50 to 50 ratio. By the end of the month, you can introduce pumpkin and banana puree into the diet. Only the most non-allergenic fruits should be chosen, such as pear and apple. It is important that the puree is made from boiled products, and not from fresh, grated ones.

Artificial feeding: how to feed correctly

There is no single and clear schedule according to which an artificial newborn should be fed. It is necessary to focus on a specific baby and adjust the nutrition plan to him. The optimal intervals between feedings and the volume of mixture eaten must be selected individually. Parents should be patient and gradually accustom their child to a regime that suits him.

It is recommended to take notes while observing the child’s behavior and well-being. This way you can adjust the daily routine, making it most comfortable for the baby. At the same time, small deviations from the regime, half an hour or an hour, are quite acceptable.

Artificial babies in the first month of life are fed approximately six to seven times a day, the interval between feedings is about three and a half hours. At night, it is advisable to go six hours without feeding. Unsystematic or more frequent meals can cause indigestion, as well as increased gas formation, colic and frequent regurgitation in the baby.

With age, the hours of feeding a newborn with formula change: the intervals between meals increase. A six-month-old child is given the mixture about five times a day. From 7 months, the baby is fed with formula approximately every 5 hours, taking into account the fact that at this age the baby actively eats complementary foods.

“Children in the first year of life, especially the first six months, grow and develop very actively, and this requires a regular supply of nutrients. Formula-fed newborns are usually fed once every 2-3 hours.

It is very important to calculate the child’s daily energy needs. For full-term healthy babies up to 6 months, this is 115 kcal per kilogram of weight. But there are also very large children. There is an upper limit to the daily volume of the mixture: for three months it is 850 ml, for 5 months and above - no more than 1000 milliliters of the mixture per day.

Unlike breastfeeding, the daily volume of formula needs to be controlled, because obesity and overfeeding with artificial feeding are more dangerous.

Children with a good appetite, for whom the maximum daily volume is no longer enough, after 4 months can be introduced to complementary foods, but do not increase the formula.

Formula-fed water can be offered to children, but this is not necessary, at the child’s request. Again, the daily volume of water is important - no more than the volume of one feeding.

I will also add that feeding on demand is not recommended when formula-fed, since formulas, even the highest quality ones, do not have such good digestibility as human milk. And the risk of overfeeding is high,” says pediatrician Anna Ganina .

Pay attention to the stool of a bottle-fed newborn. The appearance of mucus in it, severe dilution of the stool, or, conversely, constipation can warn that the formula is not suitable for the baby.

However, it is important to remember that you should not change baby food too often and unreasonably. It is better if the child eats one, high-quality and healthy mixture that suits him.

If you follow all feeding rules, the growth and development of a bottle-fed baby will proceed in accordance with the norms.

Sample daily menu

The first and last feeding must be breastfeeding. At 10.00, vegetable puree with a drop of olive oil is allowed as complementary food. After 10-15 minutes you need to start your main meal. Before lunch or evening feeding with breast milk, the baby can be given 2 teaspoons of semi-liquid baby cottage cheese.

The diet of a 4-month-old artificial baby is allowed to be varied with special kefir, that is, a fermented milk mixture. It is best to start a new day with it (first breakfast). It is worth noting that the main food product remains the mixture. As a morning complementary food, closer to 10.00, you can alternate buckwheat porridge and vegetable puree. In the evening, you are allowed to give your child 2 teaspoons of baby cottage cheese or banana.

Is the daily routine of bottle-fed and breastfed children different?

Adapted formulas are digested more slowly than mother's milk, the baby is full longer, and therefore needs fewer feedings. When feeding using mixtures, complementary foods are introduced at 4 months. Most breastfeeding mothers give their babies food when they need it, including at night, so the daily routine is followed less scrupulously.

It is easier for mothers of formula-fed children to adhere to the diet and norms; their babies quickly get used to not eating at night, since formula prevents the child from getting hungry longer.

Features of breastfeeding at the age of 5 months

By this age, mother's milk is still the predominant, and sometimes the only product in the baby's diet.
As a rule, breastfeeding at 5 months naturally comes to a certain regimen, including 6-8 daytime and 2-3 nighttime “approaches”. In a healthy child, the regime is tied to certain hours - even without effort on the part of the mother: at a certain time, the biological clock tells the baby that it is time to eat, accordingly, the body secretes the hunger hormone ghrelin, produces gastric juice and the baby develops a healthy appetite. If a clear breastfeeding schedule at 5 months has not yet been established or has not been fully established, there is no need to worry and try to impose your understanding of the feeding schedule on your child: continue to breastfeed your baby on demand and wait - everything will work out over time.

The benefits of breastfeeding a baby at 5 months: physiology and psychology

From a physiological point of view, breast milk has many advantages over any other products - both dairy and non-dairy. This:

• optimally balanced protein-fat composition;
• the presence in the nutrient fluid of a number of useful components - vitamins, minerals, immunoglobulins, enzymes, hormones and others;
• temperature suitable for the baby;
• excellent digestibility;
• positive effect on intestinal microflora.

In addition, breastfeeding a child at 5 months allows him to maintain stable psychological contact with his mother, and this is very important for a baby who at this age takes his first conscious steps towards getting to know the world around him. The mother receives no less pleasure from such contact: lactation crises have passed, milk production has stabilized, nothing prevents her from quietly being with her own child in a calm, relaxing atmosphere.

From this we can conclude: stopping breastfeeding at five months of age is an ill-conceived decision. If you have to do this due to circumstances beyond your control, wean your baby off the breast gradually, select the most adapted formula, try to give the child as much attention, warmth and love as possible during this period. And, of course, be prepared for any surprises: switching to artificial nutrition often causes increased excitability, sleep disturbances, diarrhea or constipation, which usually does not occur at 5 months with breastfeeding.

False breast refusal: what is it?

Sometimes especially impatient mothers end breastfeeding at this age with the wording: “The child himself refused the breast.” This is not a completely correct interpretation of what happened. The baby itself refuses mother's milk very rarely, in isolated cases. Much more often we can talk about the so-called false refusal.

Why does this happen? The reason is banal: nutrition during breastfeeding for 5 months ceases to be the main event in the life of a grown-up baby. He begins to be distracted by any extraneous events - shadows, the play of light passing by a household member, an unusual sound, and so on. And, of course, she releases her mother’s nipple from her mouth.

In such situations, there is no need to hide your breasts by stopping feeding. Just wait until your child looks at or listens to what interests him, and then offer to continue the meal.

What should mom eat? Menu for breastfeeding at 5 months

Once the child reaches this age, no special changes occur in the diet of a nursing woman. She continues to eat regularly and in a balanced manner the same foods as before: meat, lean fish, cereals, allowed vegetables and fruits, dairy products, bread, pasta, potatoes, nuts, low-fat homemade cakes. Whole milk, both homemade and store-bought, as well as alcohol, with the exception of a small amount of beer, remains prohibited.

It is important to remember that although the diet at 5 months during breastfeeding is significantly varied, unfamiliar foods should be introduced gradually, carefully, starting with a minimum amount and carefully observing the baby’s reaction. If there are any signs of intolerance (anxiety, sleep disturbances, breast refusal, diarrhea or constipation), the ingredient should be immediately excluded from the menu.