17.06.2019
As parents of small, fast-growing and developing children, their diet is certainly important to you. In the first six months of life, it is very clear what to give the baby - breast milk separately or milk replacer. But after six months, a new phase of transition to additional products begins with many questions, such as when to start, what products to start, how much food to give per day and whether to give porridge. Here is a quick guide that will answer all
Some important rules before starting
First of all, it is important to remember that there is no need to hurry: the beginning of the transition to lures should begin only from the age of six months and only when the child shows signs of readiness. The Ministry of Health stresses the importance of a gradual transition with continued breastfeeding or breast-feeding and in accordance with signs of a child's readiness for development.
Signs of readiness can be easily identified:
- If the child holds his head tightly and sits (even if he is still on the knees of an adult and not quite alone)
- if he is interested in the food you eat
- If he already has the ability to coordinate between the eyes and the hands and the mouth so that he can hold and insert products into it intentionally
- If he has the ability to swallow solids - a sign that he is ready.
Remember that this is a learned procedure, and each child has his own pace and preferences.
And what if the child refuses to taste?
If your child has abandoned what you offered him, it does not necessarily mean that he is not ready or he does not like the food: this is only the first time that he has come across any new food, texture or taste from breast milk or a substitute which he knew so far. Many parents are faced with a situation where the child does not receive new food, as they expect, and sometimes even refuses it.
Important! Studies show that there are children who need to re-feed (sometimes up to 17 times), until they adapt to a new taste. Therefore, it is important that you approach the process with patience and understanding that this is a process that the child dictates the tempo, and you should listen to his signals of fullness, love or aversion to food and not in any way force him to eat.
Where to begin?
Among the products recommended for a child at this stage are products such as vegetables, fruits, meat, fish, legumes, and porridge for children fortified with iron. The World Health Organization and the Ministry of Health note in their recommendations the importance of preventing premature exposure to gluten under the age of 4 months (gluten is found in cereals such as wheat, barley, oatmeal and rye), as well as avoiding late exposure after 7 months. A recent study has shown that the age of exposure to gluten does not affect the risk of developing celiac disease, but it can certainly affect the age of onset of the disease, so there is no need to hurry.
Little spoon, great diet
Many people do not know how important porridge is in the daily diet of a child from six months.
In the first year of life, the child grows and develops at a fast and unique pace. The combination of rapid growth, high nutritional needs and a small amount of stomach emphasizes the importance of nutrition for normal growth and development. When you understand the gap between a small container, on the one hand, and increased needs, on the other hand, you understand how important every teaspoon that a child puts in his mouth. Here porridge has a place of honor: it is a very good way to give the first grains to a child, because he goes on a familiar basis from a mixture or milk. When absorbed (which makes it easier to take the baby), tissues and nutrient composition have been specially adapted for children and, above all, enriched with an important iron for children.
For example, “Materna” porridge, cooked with a spoon, provides about 40% of the recommended daily allowance for children aged 6 to 12 months! It is recommended to use porridge as a spoon in food quality, as well as in other products, because feeding with a spoon is important for developmental needs, such as acquiring solid nutritional skills and developing the language. Porridge is added to the milk mixture or to breast milk.
Some important tips:
It is recommended to start showing only one new food at a time so that the child can recognize each new taste separately.
It is better to offer new food on the basis of familiar and favorite food: for example, add cereal flakes to milk or milk mixture, which the baby eats, or give fruit puree with cereal to a child who already eats fruit.
Do not rush and label the child "do not like" the food of one kind or another, but go back and offer him food at his watch when he is on the lookout, calm and not very hungry. Repeated repetition in a relaxed and loving atmosphere increases the chances that the child will eventually receive food.
Your parental role is to give your child a variety of healthy foods and make him eat at the dinner table,
and not to distract attention, but the child himself decides what and how much is there!
Food habits acquired in infancy become life habits, and it is therefore useful to use this period to instill proper eating habits.
Be sure to take one family meal a day so that you can enjoy the family experience and remember that you are your child's model, so the best way to cultivate good habits that will accompany him to the end of his life is your personal behavior.
Author: Clinical Dietitian - Supervisor Materna
