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According to experts’ recommendations, the first months of an infant’s life are the period of exclusive breastfeeding. As your child’s nutritional requirements change over time, you should begin to expand your diet. Expanding the little gourmet’s menu may pose many questions and sometimes even concerns for parents. Unnecessarily! Here are some practical tips from Ewa Skwarek, BoboVit’s expert.
Expanding your child’s diet. Gradually introduce different consistencies
Getting to know new products is an emotional chapter in a child’s life. The toddler discovers hitherto unknown tastes, smells and textures. It is worth starting to expand the menu with products with a smooth consistency, which favors the acceptance of new products. For starters, it’s a good idea to serve a puree or a smooth mousse, with time it will be time for lumps and larger pieces to chew on. Vegetables should appear first in the infant’s diet, after about two weeks – fruit, and then – grain products, fish, meat and others. It is worth remembering to introduce new flavors into the diet one at a time and in small amounts – in the event of an adverse reaction of the young organism (e.g. suspected allergic reaction), this will allow the suspicion to be directed to a given food.
While expanding the diet, the toddler closely observes adults, so in addition to balanced foods, it is worth setting an example by eating meals together and the accompanying friendly atmosphere.
Further part below the video.
Expanding your child’s diet. Don’t give up on breastfeeding
According to the recommendations of experts, the introduction of complementary products should be started when the infant demonstrates the developmental skills needed to consume them, usually not earlier than from the 17th week of life (beginning of the 5th month of life) and not later than the 26th week of life (beginning of the 7th month of life). month of life) 1. It is necessary, inter alia, due to the growing demand of the young organism for nutrients. However, it is worth remembering that at the beginning of introducing a novelty, it is not about replacing mother’s milk or appropriate modified milk (if the woman cannot continue breastfeeding for justified reasons) with solid food, but about trying meals other than milk. The introduced foods supplement the diet at this time. Feeding mother’s milk or matched modified milk is still a very important part of the child’s diet.
It is the parent who decides what, when and how to give the baby to eat, and the child decides whether to eat and how much to eat.
Expanding your child’s diet. Do not add salt to baby’s meals
A properly balanced menu is one that will respond to the current needs of the body and support proper eating habits. That is why, at the beginning of expanding the diet, it is worth making sure that the toddler gets to know the natural taste of the meals served to him. Both salt, stock cubes and other spices – especially the spicy ones – are not recommended in the children’s menu. It is worth remembering that adults should also avoid excessive salt intake.
Expanding your child’s diet. Choose products tailored to the needs of the young organism
The organism of an infant or small child is very delicate and is still developing. This is why, apart from salt and other spices, your toddler should not eat food that may contain residues of contaminants, including pesticides or metals. The answer to the nutritional needs of the youngest is the category of products intended specifically for infants and young children, with age indication on the packaging (e.g. after 6 or 8 months of age). This food meets extremely strict quality standards, and its nutritional value complies with the legal requirements and is tailored to the needs of the youngest at various stages of development. Such products include, among others fruit purees and mousses, meals (e.g. vegetable and meat products), as well as porridges composed of various types of cereals. Cereals in such products, including wheat, spelled, millet, rye, oats, rice and buckwheat, pass up to several hundred quality and safety tests (e.g. for the determination of pesticide residues and other plant protection products), and their cultivation are located only in controlled fields. On the Polish market, you can find porridges that are characterized by 0 percent. added sugar *, as well as 0 percent. preservatives **, 0% dyes ** and 0% palm oil. Those in the dairy variants are an appropriate composition of modified milk, cereals and fruit. By reaching for them, parents can be sure that they choose what is good for their baby.
It is recommended to continue breastfeeding while introducing complementary foods. Breastfeeding should continue for as long as desired by mother and baby. Breastfeeding is best for your baby.
* Contains naturally occurring sugars derived from grains, fruits and milk.
** In accordance with the law, all porridges for infants and young children may not contain preservatives and dyes.