What to do if a child does not eat complementary foods well? 4 important tips from a psychologist

New nutrition in a child's life

The main food for a child up to six months of age is breast milk or formula. Another option is a mixed diet, combining both types of nutrition. The meaning of complementary feeding is that the child is transferred to the traditional menu at the moment when his gastrointestinal tract is ready to digest adult foods.

Introducing your baby to complementary foods occurs extremely carefully, since his digestive tract is already accustomed to milk or formula. If parents want to avoid intestinal colic, diarrhea and other problems, it is necessary to know the optimal age for introducing new foods and follow the principles of transition to adult foods.

According to many sources, the optimal age for introducing complementary foods is six months, and the optimal weight is at least 6.5 kilograms. Before four months, changing an infant's diet to a more adult one is strictly not recommended.

Physiological parameters of readiness

It should be clarified that such periods of 6 months are considered quite arbitrary. Every child “matures” purely individually and at his own pace.

The gastrointestinal tract of some children is mature already at six months of age, while the digestive system of other children cannot cope with new foods even at 7 months. If you offer unfamiliar food at a time when the child’s body is not ready for it, the child will simply refuse complementary feeding. This is why it is so important to know the principles of physiological readiness.

• The baby can sit and hold a spoon in his palm. The importance of these skills is that the baby must directly participate in the process itself. And for this you need to be able to take a semi-vertical position, hold a spoon in your hand and bring it to your mouth;
• the food expulsion reflex fades away. At the age of six months, reflexive actions that encourage the baby to push out solid food lumps with his tongue begin to fade. This means that the child is already able to consume something other than liquid milk and formula. If the porridge or puree is pushed back or vomiting is observed, the child’s body is not ready for complementary feeding;
• normal reactions of the gastrointestinal tract. If, when introducing new dishes, painful sensations in the abdomen, diarrhea, and flatulence are observed, it means that the baby’s digestive system is not mature enough for such experiments. Such signs should be especially noted if the child is only 5 months old.

A 6-month-old child refuses unfamiliar foods? Probably his body is not yet ready for such innovations. Wait 2 - 3 weeks and then offer porridge or vegetable puree again. Just make sure that the moment of re-acquaintance does not coincide with teething, colds and other unfavorable factors.

Psychological parameters of readiness

In addition to physiological readiness, the baby must also be interested in new food. If a child shows a clear interest in the adult table and a desire to try unfamiliar foods, we can talk about psycho-emotional readiness for complementary feeding. In such a situation, children will not refuse food; on the contrary, tasting new products will take place in the most friendly atmosphere. Psychologists call this phenomenon “food interest.”

Psychological readiness for complementary feeding is formed in the same way in both natural infants and formula-fed babies. You can understand that a child is emotionally ready to introduce unfamiliar dishes into the diet by several signs:

• the infant demonstrates a clear interest in adult food. Sitting on his mother’s lap at the dinner table, he reaches out with his hands to the contents of the plates and puts them in his mouth;
• the child is unhappy if he is not given an adult dish. Moreover, we are talking about products here, and not about accompanying cutlery. Some children may simply want to play with the fork or tear the napkin apart;
• The baby strives in every possible way to get adult food. Even if his mother distracts him with a toy, a bright object, or breast milk, he again and again insists on his desire to try the food he likes.

Interest in adult food develops when a child who can sit is brought to the family table. If he sees every day the culture of behavior of household members at the table, dinner rituals, tasting new dishes, problems with the introduction of complementary foods, as a rule, do not arise.

Why does a child eat solid foods poorly?

Based on the factors of the child’s readiness to change his diet, it is possible to establish and explain the main reasons for the child’s reluctance to try and eat new foods:

• excessively early feeding (before four months of age), when the baby does not yet secrete digestive enzymes that help digest adult food;
• if a child of 8 months does not want to eat complementary foods, perhaps he still has an infant expulsion reflex, which does not allow him to accept solid food;
• the baby is not interested in new products, because the parents did not sit him down next to them, did not show him how pleasant the taste of adult dishes is;
• when introducing a new dish, the baby felt unwell, he was teething, his tummy hurt, he had a fever and other symptoms of some kind of malaise;
• if the mother forces (even with good intentions) to eat complementary foods, the child may eventually refuse new foods, or he will develop a negative attitude towards the process of eating;
• Another possible reason is a negative first food experience. For example, the vegetable puree turned out to be bitter or sour, or the porridge turned out to be too thick.

Do not forget that new products are foreign to children. Both a month-old baby and a six-month-old baby receive sweetish mother's milk or tasteless milk formula every day. Therefore, it is not surprising that the child begins to be capricious and show character.

Why does a child refuse vegetables?

Even adults, realizing all the benefits of vegetables, rarely add them to their diet. And this is one of the main reasons for a child’s “dislike” for plant products - parents do not set a positive example. Before starting to think through a “strategy” for teaching a child to eat properly, mom and dad should think about what place vegetables occupy in their own diet. You need to show your child by personal example how important it is to eat vegetables every day.

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Those children whose diet included snacks and sweets very early refuse vegetables more often. It’s not surprising - it will be “tastier” for a baby to snack on chocolate than on sweet carrots. Failure to comply with the diet will inevitably lead to the fact that the child will not have a love for vegetables.

Features of introducing complementary foods for different types of feeding

Naturally, there are some differences in the development of the digestive system of children, depending on whether the baby is artificial or feeds on mother's milk. Is it necessary to introduce complementary foods earlier if the child eats formula? Let's talk about this in more detail.

Breast-feeding

Let's imagine a situation where a breastfed child does not want to eat vegetable puree or buckwheat porridge. What should a mother do in such a situation? In fact, you don't need to put in any special effort.

According to experts from the World Health Organization, breast milk remains the main food and the main source of nutrients for children under 12 months. All other foods - vegetables, meat or cereals - are introduced before the age of one with the aim of introducing the baby to new foods.

A twelve-month-old child receives 75% of all nutritional components only from mother’s milk and only 25% from adult food. According to some studies, a baby under 8 months can get all the necessary substances from breast milk. Thus, breastfeeding covers most of the needs of children up to one year old.

So breastfeeding experts advise those mothers whose babies are not eating solid foods well at eight months to calm down, not be nervous and act according to the circumstances. Does your baby only like zucchini puree? Let him eat it for now. Refuses deli meats? Try to return to them after a while.

Getting used to a new product develops gradually. According to psychologists, in order for a habit to arise, it is necessary to repeat a certain action at least 21 times. So, when developing an interest in a specific food, you need to regularly offer it to your baby for testing. Naturally, there is no need to force him.

Thus, the age of six months is the initial and approximate period for the introduction of new products into the children's diet. An infant will join the full adult table only after one year of age. And this is completely natural, if, of course, the mother continues to breastfeed.

Artificial feeding

Of course, breast milk is more valuable in all main respects than artificial formula. But modern manufacturers have managed to develop such adapted “surrogates” that they come as close as possible in composition to the natural product.

Thus, infant feeding experts are convinced that even in the case of artificial nutrition, a breast milk substitute can serve as the main source of necessary substances for the full development of a child, also up to 12 months of age.

There is an opinion that the early introduction of complementary foods to a bottle-fed baby is not due to anything. On the contrary, infants adapt more easily to new foods due to enzymes obtained from breast milk. In artificial babies, the gastrointestinal tract is formed with some delay.

Experts from the World Health Organization recommend introducing new foods with artificial feeding at approximately 6 months (at 5 or 7 months). Before this, children who receive a high-quality adapted formula do not need other food.

Rules for introducing complementary foods

The question of what to do if the child does not eat complementary foods may not arise if the development of undesirable phenomena is prevented. To do this, you need to know the main rules for introducing complementary foods into a baby’s diet.

Focus on the child

Pay less attention to the advice of friends and relatives. Of course, grandmothers and aunties have experience in caring for their children, but the key word here is “their own.” Each baby develops at an individual pace, so seemingly useful recommendations may not be suitable for a particular case.

If you have any questions, it is better to contact your pediatrician. He will talk about the norms, but at the same time point out the baby’s characteristics. Mom’s intuition and the experience of the treating doctor are the key to the success of introducing the first complementary foods.

Under no circumstances should you imitate your friends who boast that their five-month-old babies are already gobbling up meat or vegetable purees. If you see that the baby is not ready to introduce complementary feeding, postpone this important moment for a while.

Feed only a healthy baby

You cannot taste new products if your baby is unwell. High temperature, febrile state, viral infections, teething, dysbiosis, the period before or after vaccination - all these factors do not combine well with the introduction of complementary foods.

If we neglect this factor, the baby may subconsciously associate the new product with his painful condition. In addition, the child’s body is already under stress, since it is forced to resist the disease. As a result, addiction will be significantly delayed.

Let's take it a little at a time

Any unfamiliar product must be given to the child in very small quantities to avoid negative reactions from the gastrointestinal tract or allergies.

Such caution is extremely important since the little person is trying new food for the first time. It is unknown how his body will react to a seemingly harmless apple or zucchini.

You can start with a minimum dose - half a teaspoon, despite the fact that the child may already be seven or eight months old. Over the course of a week, you should gradually increase the volume of the new product to the norm, which corresponds to age.

Refuse violence

Forcing a child to eat is an extremely harmful and unproductive parenting tactic. You cannot persist in introducing complementary foods, as this can lead to poor eating behavior from an early age.

On the other hand, the baby’s diet should be varied, so it is important to distinguish ordinary moodiness from hostility to a specific product. In the first case, it is worth trying to offer mashed potatoes or porridge again after a while.

Introduce one product each time

Each time you should introduce your baby to only one new product. This is the so-called monocomponent principle. If you give your child vegetable puree, you should not mix zucchini and carrots. First, the zucchini is offered, and only then the carrots.

Consistent familiarization with products helps determine how the child’s body reacts to a particular product. If the baby develops a rash or diarrhea, it will be possible to understand what exactly caused the undesirable consequences.

Start with the “right” products

Most often, the first option for complementary feeding is vegetable puree. But this is if the baby’s weight corresponds to age indicators. In case of underweight, nutrition experts recommend feeding cereals - various types of porridges.

Do not start complementary feeding with crushed sweet fruits. The pleasant taste of these dishes may cause the child to refuse bland vegetable purees in the future.

Start of vegetable feeding

It is vegetables that will be the first complementary foods, which they begin to offer in the form of purees from half a teaspoon. All purees are one-component, and the first vegetables should be white or green in color, for example, zucchini or broccoli. These are hypoallergenic vegetables that practically do not cause allergies. But still, after introducing complementary foods, it is necessary to strictly monitor the child’s reaction.

It is necessary to introduce vegetables as complementary foods not only to cover all vitamin needs, but also to introduce the child to new tastes. Gradually they increase not only the quantity of purees, but also expand the variety. Only if the child reacts well and there are no allergic reactions can you combine some types of purees, for example, zucchini and broccoli.

What to do if the child does not eat complementary foods?

So, the generally accepted principles of introducing complementary foods are clear. But how should parents behave if the child refuses complementary feeding and in every possible way demonstrates disapproval of the mother’s desire to introduce him to new foods?

Many sources talk about how to accustom your baby to unfamiliar dishes. We have chosen the most effective and popular methods:

1. Try to develop your child's interest in new foods. To do this, he needs to be seated at the family table, given a little of what the adult household members eat. Of course, the food offered must be appropriate for the age of the baby.
2. Offer new foods to a hungry baby. A child who has just had a hearty meal of mother's milk or formula will not want to try something else. But after a long walk and active games, the baby will develop an appetite, which you can take advantage of.
3. If your baby doesn’t want to eat ready-made canned purees, try making complementary foods yourself. The first children's meals are prepared very simply - just boil the vegetables for a quarter of an hour (or steam them) and then chop them with a blender.
4. Always look for an alternative to a dish your child doesn’t like. If your child refuses zucchini, offer broccoli. If you don’t like cottage cheese, give kefir. For a baby who does not like meat, offer more protein foods - cottage cheese or fish.

If your baby, having been accustomed to a certain product, suddenly begins to refuse it, take a break. After a week or a little more, interest in the familiar dish will definitely return, and the baby will eat mashed potatoes or porridge with appetite.

Reasons for refusing to eat

Complementary feeding should be gradual, varied and little by little.
Often the baby refuses food not because it is not tasty - he is simply not yet accustomed to this way of eating. If you still somehow manage to feed a baby from a bottle (the association with the breast nipple comes into play here), then a spoon is a new thing for him.

As children approach one year of age, they become curious, and complementary feeding is an opportunity to learn something new. Therefore, they are more interested in the objects themselves (spoon, plate, cup and what’s inside), rather than in the opportunity to eat in a new way. So, having opened his mouth, the child simply tries it on his teeth, and, having studied it, loses interest .

But children are also good imitators. If a child is fed separately from adults, he will not have an example to follow. When a baby sees how his parents eat, he will do the same, regardless of what he is fed.

Solving common problems

Children need a certain amount of time to get used to previously unfamiliar products. This process is often delayed or accompanied by some problems; we will talk about the most common difficulties in more detail.

Baby doesn't want to eat from a spoon

Acquaintance with solid foods occurs with the use of a spoon. Most often, special plastic devices are purchased for complementary feeding, which are lightweight and attractive in appearance.

To avoid problems with cutlery and complementary foods, many mothers give water from a spoon, refusing to use a bottle (in this case we are talking about natural babies). First, a coffee spoon is used, and then a tea spoon.

If your child absolutely refuses to eat from a spoon, allow him to try taking food with his hands. And as soon as he becomes addicted to complementary foods, put a cutlery in his palm. Of course, you can forget about cleanliness for a while, but forming a healthy habit in this case is much more important.

The child does not want to eat porridge or vegetable puree

A child may not like vegetable puree because of its bland taste, but it should not be sweetened too much, otherwise in the future the little person will refuse any savory dishes.
The same applies to porridges, which are usually introduced after vegetable ingredients. The most popular cereals are buckwheat, rice or corn. Porridge for babies is cooked in water, avoiding the addition of cow's milk and granulated sugar.

If your child doesn’t eat porridge or vegetable products, try to cheat a little. Add a small amount of breast milk or formula to the prepared dish. A familiar taste will help your baby quickly get used to the new diet.

Do not forget that complementary feeding is not a replacement for mother’s milk or an adapted formula, but an addition to the previous type of baby food. As already mentioned, up to a year, the children's menu will consist of only 25% of complementary foods. Therefore, do not worry, but be patient.

How to start introducing porridge into your diet

You should not rush into complementary feeding and start additional nutrition by adding one or two small spoons of puree to the diet. If a child refuses to eat vegetable puree, you should interest him using game elements. To make complementary foods taste brighter, you need to add a little butter, egg yolk or breast milk. By adding complementary foods to the diet every day, you need to bring it up to one hundred and fifty grams in a month, which ensures a complete replacement of one breastfeeding.

Psychologist's advice

Let's move on from medical recommendations to psychological ones. Experts advise not to get hung up on the process, but to perceive it as another stage in the child’s growing up. After all, a baby won’t be eating exclusively milk even at three years old!

What else should parents remember?

1. You cannot punish a child for an overturned bowl or a face smeared with porridge. The baby is still motorically awkward, so accuracy is unusual for him. In addition, a mother’s excessive adherence to principles can negatively affect the child’s food interest.
2. Don’t force your child to eat, but at the same time try to diversify the children’s menu by wisely offering a variety of dishes. Excessive selectivity in products is fraught with future whims or raising a little one.
3. Buy bright tableware. Let your favorite cartoon characters be depicted on the plates and mugs. Spoons should also be attractive to the little eater.

Try to stick to a certain regime. It is necessary to offer your baby porridge for breakfast at the same time every day. But for an afternoon snack, let the child try vegetable dishes. This routine creates healthy eating behavior.

Thus, the introduction of complementary foods requires maximum attention and at the same time calmness from parents. There is no need to worry if, say, a child of 8 months does not eat buckwheat porridge or pumpkin puree. Until one year of age, the main dish for a baby is mother’s milk or formula.

The main task of parents during the second half of a baby’s life is to introduce him to new foods and encourage food interest. After some time, the baby will switch to the usual family diet and will happily devour his mother’s culinary masterpieces.