What to do if a child refuses complementary feeding?

After several months of breastfeeding or formula feeding, when mother and baby have gotten used to each other, the period of introducing new foods to the baby begins. This is necessary to replenish his body’s reserves with the necessary nutrients, proper growth and development, training in swallowing and chewing, and at the same time, speech muscles.

At this stage, parents have many difficulties, questions and disputes with relatives about how to properly introduce complementary foods. How often does a pediatrician hear from parents that the baby spits out new food, covers his mouth, and turns away. How to introduce fundamentally new plant and animal foods safely, competently and with maximum benefit? I will try to answer the most pressing questions.

Basic rules for introducing complementary foods

Complementary feeding for a baby means all products except breast milk and infant formula. The table for introducing complementary foods can be found below.

Timing for introducing complementary foods: from 4 to 7.5 months, during the so-called window of tolerance, when the child develops interest, need and opportunity to receive new food. If you do not introduce complementary foods at this time, then it will be extremely difficult to accustom your baby to solid food. It is optimal to start at 4.5-5 months. If you see that your child is not yet ready to swallow semi-thick food and is choking on it, you can postpone the introduction of complementary foods for 2-4 weeks. Your baby may need a little more time to mature this function.

It is advisable to introduce complementary feeding products in the first half of the day in order to monitor changes in the child’s health in the remaining time.

It should always be a monoproduct , because... We need to understand what product the child has developed an intolerance or allergy to. We will introduce a mix of products later, in the second half of life.

Introduce complementary foods gradually. We introduce the child not only to a fundamentally new product, but also to a new consistency of food. I recommend introducing ½ teaspoon at first, before feeding with breast milk or formula, on the second day 1 tsp, on the 3rd day - 2 tsp, then progressively 3 - 4 - 6 - 8 - 10 ... teaspoons spoons and so on. We bring the volume to 130-140 ml of vegetable puree or porridge.

We give complementary foods at the same time . If the baby gets tired before he eats such a volume, divide it into 2-3 doses. Later, when he is ready, you will combine this into one feeding. The second complementary food can be introduced more boldly and quickly.

the feeding schedule of complementary foods closer to nursery: 8.00 - 9.00 - 10.00 = breakfast, 12.00 - 13.00 = lunch, 16.00 - 17.00 = afternoon snack, 19.00 - 20.00 = dinner.

We feed with a spoon , we teach the baby to push food with his tongue, swallow it and not choke. Sometimes it takes a baby 10-15 or even 20 times to try a new product before he gets comfortable with it. Continue offering the product to your baby and be patient. This is a very important point: we persistently suggest that the child first try a new product, and only then eat it.

We introduce complementary foods against the background of complete health. In case of vaccination 3-4 days before, on the day of vaccination and 3-4 days after, we do not give new products in order to avoid food allergies layering on the vaccination process.

With the start of complementary feeding, we begin to give the child water. This is necessary to prevent constipation. Some doctors recommend giving your baby probiotics at the same time for smoother absorption of new foods.

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.

Scheme for introducing complementary foods: what first, what then

Previously, the first course of complementary feeding was fruit puree and juice. Currently, it is practiced to introduce vegetables or porridge first, because... After fruits, vegetables “slip.” There are two main schemes for introducing complementary foods:

1. Vegetables - cereals - fruits - juice.
2. Porridge - vegetables - fruits - juice.

But there are no clear patterns. There is a baby with his own personal characteristics. You can add fruit puree after vegetables. And then use it as a bonus, adding it to a “slipping” product. Individual schemes are also possible, which are selected by the doctor in atypical situations.

Vegetable puree is introduced first if the child is doing well with his weight or has a tendency to constipation. First, introduce white or green vegetables: zucchini, squash, cauliflower or broccoli. We choose what the child likes best.

Let's look at the example of broccoli. On the 5-6th day from the beginning of the introduction of this puree, we introduce vegetable oil (sunflower, olive or corn, it is recommended to change it periodically). Start with a few drops and increase to ½ teaspoon. If the manufacturer adds vegetable oil to a jar of puree, then we do not need to add it.

From the 7-8th day, add zucchini to the broccoli. And then we continue to increase the volume of puree to the desired level. If the baby tolerates broccoli well, and then zucchini, then after another 5-6 days you can mix cauliflower into the puree. As a result, you have three entered products and a variety of dishes. You can give broccoli today, cauliflower tomorrow, and zucchini the day after tomorrow.

At first, you can add a little breast milk or formula to the vegetable puree so that the baby feels a familiar and familiar smell and taste.

If the baby is underweight, we start by introducing cereals . The principle of gradualism remains the same. The first to be introduced are gluten-free porridges - buckwheat, rice, corn. We buy dairy-free porridge. When you are convinced that the cereal is well tolerated, you can feed milk porridge with cow's or goat's milk.

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.

Table for introducing complementary foods to children of the first year of life

Reasons for refusing complementary feeding

1. The baby doesn’t like the new food. If one thing doesn’t work, then you need to try another. If you don’t like zucchini, you can offer pumpkin or broccoli.

2. Food is hard or cold.

3. The child is not psychologically ready to eat. It happens that a baby is only ready to try something new at 8 months. Don't force it.

4. Every adult knows that in the heat you don’t feel like eating, but you dream about water. Likewise, children may lose their appetite if the temperature outside or indoors is very high.

5. Babies become very restless when teething. During this period it is better not to give anything new.

6. Some mothers are so keen on introducing complementary foods that they go too far and struggle to feed the baby. Excessive persistence can frighten a child and completely discourage his interest in food. Particularly inventive parents resort to various kinds of incentives: turning on cartoons or giving the baby toys during feeding. However, the child cannot normally perceive the process of eating. He will equate feeding with playing.

7. Abrupt and complete replacement of milk with complementary foods. The child may be afraid of this, so purees and cereals should be introduced gradually. In addition, if you rush into new foods, you can provoke allergies.

What to do if your baby still doesn’t eat well?

It may happen that you follow all the rules for introducing new foods into your baby’s diet, but your child still doesn’t eat complementary foods well. How, then, can we find the cause of a child’s poor appetite and resolve the issue?

1. Arrange joint lunches with your baby: sit him down at a common table, tell him what you are eating and let your baby try the dish with you (of course, the food should be appropriate for the baby’s age).
2. Wait until your baby is hungry, then invite him to try a new dish. A child who has just eaten mother’s milk or formula may well refuse to try zucchini puree.
3. Study the child’s tastes: if he refuses cottage cheese, offer the baby kefir. If he doesn’t want to eat meat, replace it with fish. There are many options for replacing one product with another without losing a balanced diet.
4. With an older child - talk, negotiate, decide together what kind of porridge or puree you will eat for lunch today.
5. Prepare complementary foods yourself, it will be tastier and healthier than mashed potatoes from jars!

Why is complementary feeding needed?

Mother's milk or its substitutes contain all the substances necessary for the growth and development of the child, but over time their quantity becomes insufficient
.
The baby needs more and more minerals - iron, zinc and calcium, as well as vitamins, protein, carbohydrates and dietary fiber. In addition, the child also needs additional energy
- he not only grows, but also begins to spend calories on improving motor skills. And timely introduced complementary foods help develop chewing skills and create correct taste habits.

YAK POZNAYOMITY MALYUKA WITH NEW HEDGEHOG

Complementary foods are called products for the birth of children, which supplement breast milk or baby's nutrition. 4-6 months is the longest period in which babies can first try new foods, regardless of the type of addiction.

Complementary feeding is a mandatory transitional stage from baby hedgehogs to mature hard hedgehogs. This introduction does not mean that your child no longer needs dairy.

The main purposes of complementary feeding

1. Compensation for the lack of living resources, with which the child can no longer provide only mother’s milk or sumish.
2. Preparing the child for a varied and balanced meal at the table.
3. Formation of the chewing reflex, development of relish, cultivation of grub and culture of behavior at the table.

Let's start with puree

Come to the beginning of preparation from the medical point of view to differ. Some farmers start complementary feeding with purees or porridge, while others do not stop feeding the baby what is in their father’s plate. Otherwise, it is permissible, but only in microdoses - to get acquainted with new textures, tastes - and without big things that little ones simply cannot handle. You can let him lick it, smear it, make it hard on his lips, put his bits in the donk.

With full-grown herbs, varto, so as to protect the baby’s sensitive intestinal tract. Until about 1.5 years of age, the grass system is not ready to completely poison adult hedgehogs, such hedgehogs will not be established and may cause stomach problems. Therefore, in order to avoid feeding in the first feeding, it is of great value to puree rare, uniform urchin - its consistency is closer to milk, it is easy to roll, easier to poison and absorb.

For the skin of a child, he needs his child’s food, so it is not good for him to rush with complex products that are not adapted to the child’s needs and capabilities.

Persha is hard and baby

The readiness of the child for these and other groups of products is determined individually upon consultation with the pediatrician. It is important to introduce one-component greens, vegetables or gluten-free porridges first into the children’s diet, so as not to add salt and zucchini. Fruit complementary foods can also be given to infants, but after the sweet taste, children are more likely to accept more fresh vegetables and grains.

Be especially careful about what is not allowed

• Do not add salt, zukor, or spices to the urchin. Small children must become familiar with pure relishes in order to become familiar with the luscious, savory likenesses.
• Do not overuse your vegetables on fermented milk products. Different groups of products are introduced at different times, which requires careful preparation and adherence to complementary feeding schemes.
• Do not expose your little ones to unselected milk, exotic fruits or other products that can provoke diabetes, atopic dermatitis, tummy problems - diarrhea, bloating, diarrhea, mucus from blood in the stool.
• Don't give it to hedgehogs that might crush you. At the cob stage, the baby is fed a spoonful of complementary foods. The injections are introduced over an hour, if the baby is physically ready for them - do not choke, do not show a gag reflex.

From the cob of the first feed and until the end of the feed, the consistency of complementary foods changes step by step - from thoroughly pureed and rare to crushed and finely chopped, from vegetables and porridge to meat and soups.

Yak give me a spoonful of complementary foods

The spoon, as it is new, in itself is devoted to the child’s respect. But instead, the little ones may be tempted, since the taste and texture are insignificant. You may need more than one test, first the child herself opens her mouth, stops licking her tongue and eating those that she can taste. This is normal, be easy, and you’ll soon get ready for a new type of year. To make the process easier, it’s better to feed the hungry little ones to the breasts or the baby’s dances, show with your butt what you can do at the table, praise the hedgehog.

The atmosphere is also important - immediately get your child used to eating on a tabletop, without cartoons or games. Then there is no way that others will accept or associate with you. Take part in the process yourself and live at the same time with your child - this is good for the association: “mother is strong - I am with mother.” Until the child understands that at the moment there is something important, the poisoning proceeds more comfortably.