Expanding Your Infant’s Diet – When and How to Expand Your Diet?

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Expanding your baby’s diet is a natural and necessary process for introducing foods other than milk into your baby’s diet. Many parents wonder when and how best to do this to encourage their child to eat a variety of foods without causing health problems.

Expanding Your Infant’s Diet – Breastfeeding

Exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months has many benefits for both the infant and the mother. The most important of these is protection against gastrointestinal infections, which is observed not only in developing but also industrialized countries. Early initiation of breastfeeding within 1 hour of birth protects the newborn from infections and reduces infant mortality. The risk of mortality from diarrhea and other infections may increase in partially or not fed babies.

Breast milk is also an important source of energy and nutrients in babies between 6 and 23 months of age. Can meet at least half of the energy needs of a child between 6 and 12 months of age and a third of the energy requirement between 12 and 24 months. Breast milk is also a key source of energy and nutrients during illness and reduces the mortality rate of malnourished babies.

Children and adolescents who were breastfed in childhood are less likely to be overweight or obese. Moreover, they perform better in intelligence tests.

Longer breastfeeding also affects the health and well-being of mothers: it reduces the risk of ovarian and breast cancer. Exclusive breastfeeding of children under 6 months of age has a hormonal effect that often causes amenorrhea. This is a natural (though dangerous) method of contraception known as the lactating amenorrhea method.

Read: Contraception and breastfeeding

Expanding the infant’s diet – WHO guidelines

At around 6 months of age, an infant’s energy and nutrient requirements begin to exceed that of breast milk, and to meet these needs, complementary foods are needed. An infant at this age is also developmentally prepared for other foods.

If complementary foods are not introduced at around 6 months of age or incorrectly administered, the infant’s growth may slow down. The leading principles of proper complementary nutrition according to the World Health Organization (WHO) are:

1. continuing breastfeeding on demand up to 2 years of age or longer,
2. Practicing responsive eating (e.g. feeding babies directly and helping older children. Feed slowly and patiently, encourage them to eat but not force them, talk to your baby and maintain eye contact).
3. practicing good hygiene and proper food handling,
4. starting to expand the diet from the age of 6 months of the child with small amounts of food and gradually increasing with the age of the child,
5. gradual introduction of food diversity,
6. increasing the number of feedings of the child: 2 – 3 meals a day for infants aged 6-8 months and 3 – 4 meals a day for infants aged 9 – 23 months, if necessary, additionally 1 – 2 snacks,
7. if your baby is ill, increase your fluid intake, including breastfeeding, and include soft, favorite foods.

Also check: Papay the sailor teaches kids to eat healthy

When to expand the infant’s diet?

It is recommended that babies of approximately 6 months of age were introduced with foods other than breast milk or infant formula. However, remember that every child is different. So how do you know if your baby is ready for food other than breast milk or formula? Here are some signs that your baby is ready to expand his diet:

1. the child is sitting alone or with little support,
2. the child holds its head steadily,
3. the child opens his mouth and leans forward as he is served food,
4. the child does not stuff food with his tongue,
5. the baby grabs the food in the handle and tries to eat by itself.

See: Why is talking to a baby so important?

Expanding your baby’s diet – which foods to start with?

The American Academy of Pediatrics says that most children do not need to give food in a specific order. Your baby can start eating solids around 6 months of age. By the age of 7 or 8 months, your baby can eat a wide variety of foods from different groups. These products include baby porridges, meat or other proteins, fruits, vegetables, grains, yoghurts and cheeses, and more.

Let your baby try one food first (e.g. only carrots or only potatoes). This helps to see if your child has food allergies. Wait 3 to 5 days between each new meal. If during this time no allergic reaction, flatulence, abdominal pain or diarrhea appear, introduce another food.

After you give your child, for example, a potato for a few days, broccoli for the next few days and nothing disturbing happens, you will be able to mix both products together in the following days and give it to the baby.

The editorial board recommends: Viral diarrhea in children

In what form should the food be served to an infant?

In the beginning, it is easier for your child to eat foods that are mashed, chafed or strained and have a very smooth texture. It may take some time for your baby to get used to the new texture of the food. Your baby may cough, choke, or spit. As your baby’s oral skills develop, it is possible to introduce thicker and lumpy foods.

Certain foods represent a potential choking hazard, so it is important to feed your baby foods of the correct consistency for his development. To prevent choking, prepare foods that dissolve easily in saliva and do not require chewing. Encourage your child to eat slowly. Always watch your baby eat.

Expanding the baby’s diet – how often to feed?

From 6 to 12 months of age, breast milk and / or infant formula are still the main food source for your baby. Solid foods will gradually start to make up the bulk of his diet. When you start feeding your baby it can be difficult to tell how much to feed him. Babies’ bellies are small and cannot hold much food. Here are some things to keep in mind:

1. start with small portions – give the child 1 or 2 tablespoons of food and watch the child if he still wants to eat,
2. Stay balanced – solid foods are introduced over time and gradually become an increasing part of the infant’s diet
3. feeding – you can give your baby something to eat or drink every 2-3 hours. This will give your baby about 3 meals and 2-3 snacks a day.

As your baby gets older, he or she may eat different amounts of food each day. It’s normal.

Read: Which formula should you choose?

Expanding the infant’s diet – what products?

Healthy eating patterns that your child starts now will help promote healthy habits in the future. It is important to provide foods that are appropriate to your child’s nutritional skills. Food may need to be soft and crushed at first, or the size of a bite.

Offer your child a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, meats, yoghurt, or cheese. Make a rainbow of different colorful dishes on your child’s plate. Here are some examples:

1. fruit: bananas, apples, pears, melons, seasonal fruits,
2. vegetables: cooked spinach, carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, beets,
3. whole grains: whole grain bread, pasta,
4. meat: soft, small pieces of beef, lamb, chicken, fish or turkey,
5. dairy products: pasteurized yoghurts or cheeses.

Remember that a healthy diet is a good example for your little one. Continue to offer a variety of healthy options and let your baby choose the foods to eat.

It is also important to give your baby water with each meal. Even though you are breastfeeding or breastfeeding, you need to encourage your baby to drink water. You can do it with a special water bottle, a 360 degree cup, or a regular baby cup.

Expanding the infant’s diet – which products should not be given?

Healthy eating is all about balance. There is no need to add salt or sugar to baby foods. There are foods and drinks that are not safe for your baby and others that are not as healthy as other foods.

Here are some examples of foods and drinks that should not be given to babies.

Honey – can cause a serious type of food poisoning called botulism in a young baby under 12 months of age. Do not give your baby any food containing honey until the age of 12 months.

Unpasteurized drinks or foods (such as juices, milk, yogurt, or cheese) – can put your child at risk of becoming infected with E.coli, a harmful bacterium that can cause severe diarrhea. Don’t give your baby unpasteurized drinks or foods such as juices, milk, yoghurts, or cheese. Unpasteurized milk can also be called raw milk.

Foods with added sugars – Foods such as candies, cakes, cookies, and ice cream are often high in sugar. The American Heart Association recommends that children under 24 months of age should not be given any extra sugars.

Salt-rich foods – processed meats (such as cold cuts, sausages, ham) and frozen foods can contain a lot of salt.

The maximum recommended amount of salt for infants and children is:

1. up to 12 months – less than 1 g of salt per day (less than 0,4 g of sodium),
2. 1 to 3 years old – 2 g of salt per day (0,8 g of sodium),
3. 4 to 6 years old – 3 g of salt per day (1,2 g of sodium),
4. 7 to 10 years old – 5 g of salt per day (2 g of sodium),
5. Age 11 and up – 6 g of salt per day (2,4 g of sodium).

One teaspoon of salt = about 6 grams – this is how much salt a day can eat by an adult.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that infants under 12 months of age do not drink 100% juice. Do not serve drinks such as juice drinks with added sweeteners. Fruits are healthier options for your child than fruit juices.

Cow’s milk – it is not recommended to give it to infants before the age of 12 months, in the form of a drink. They can be added in a small amount to dishes such as porridge, millet or various types of pancakes.

Extending the infant’s diet – BLW method

The term BLW (Baby Likes Choice) was coined around 2003 by Health Visitor Gill Rapley. The approach is to offer your baby solid food for self-feeding without the help of an adult.

Foods in the first stages of learning to eat should be soft pieces held in the hand of a child, not served on a spoon. Basically, easy-to-manage portions of various family dishes are placed on the plate or tray, so that the child can eat what he wants and as much as he wants.

Some studies have shown that this approach is a good way to enable children to regulate their own food intake. This is called “responsive feeding” and can also help improve eating patterns, relying on your baby’s innate ability to respond to signals of hunger and satiety, similar to a demand-driven milk feed. This helps in self-regulation of food intake and healthier weight gain.

In addition, infants are familiar with more varied textures and flavors than pure-fed children. This may increase the likelihood that they will develop more varied and healthy food preferences in the long run. Moreover, many studies have shown that infants who eat a variety of foods may in fact be less prone to food allergies later in life.

They are less likely to be overweight than spoon-fed babies. During spoonfeeding, the parent is in control – which can make babies eat faster and more than they really need, which can lead to a habit of ignoring satiety. Thanks to the BLW method, children develop manual dexterity and eye-hand coordination, and learn to chew food that helps digestion.

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