First you need to figure out how to understand that the child is ready to enter complementary foods. In this case, it is better to be late than to get ahead of events.
First of all, it is worth consulting with a local pediatrician, but you should not forget about your seventh feeling, because for 9 months you and your baby have been one. If he begins to be actively interested in the food you consume, looks in your mouth and tries to put in something, if the resulting milk mixture is not enough and the child does not maintain the planned intervals between meals, then you are on the way to introducing complementary foods. The congenital buoyant reflex should also be fading, and in case of consumption of the food offered by the mother, the contents of the mouth should remain inside, and not be shown to others. If it was decided to introduce the first complementary foods during artificial feeding, a prerequisite for readiness for it should be the ability of the baby to sit, turn away from an unwanted product or tilt his head. The child must be at least 4 months old.
What is the best way to start the first feeding with artificial feeding?
The answer to this question will tell you your baby. There is an opinion that apple juice is considered an ideal lure in the first months, but, unfortunately, there are limiting factors that adversely affect the still weak intestinal tract of the baby. Choosing the first complementary foods for artificial feeding for your baby, you should give preference to cereals and vegetable mixtures.
Why porridge?
Kashi should be introduced if the child was born small or his weight slowly increases. If the baby is mobile and active, then a porridge is also suitable for an additional source of energy. The first porridge that comes to the mind of many young mothers regarding the first feeding is semolina. But it's not right. Semolina, as well as oatmeal, contains a large amount of gluten, which will negatively affect the digestion of the baby. Buckwheat, rice and corn porridge will be the best food for the first time . Many mothers prefer home-cooked food cooked in a double boiler or on the stove. Along with this, the use of finished products in the form of instant porridges is gaining more and more supporters. Judge for yourself, who wants to spend time in the kitchen in the cooking process just for the sake of the baby eating 1-2 teaspoons? It is with such a dose that it is worth starting the first complementary feeding with artificial feeding, increasing the amount twice daily. The child will show you when he is hungry, and when he is full. If you need to choose complementary foods for mixed feeding, all of the above tips will be useful, except for one. If, in addition to the infant formula, the baby receives breast milk, then it is they who should dilute the first porridge of the baby.
Why vegetable purees, not fruit ones?
Starting the first feeding for children with aromatic and sweet fruit purees, parents are faced with the problem of refusing the baby from more fresh food, which is cereals and vegetables. A negative factor can be fruit acids and a high sugar content, which irritate the mucous membrane of a stomach that has not yet fully matured. This can lead to early gastritis and kidney problems. When choosing vegetable purees as the first complementary feeding during artificial feeding, it is worth observing the same dosages as when introducing cereals (starting with 1 teaspoon, with a daily increase in volume). If the child is overweight, it is vegetables that will help normalize his weight. In winter and spring, pediatricians recommend switching to a canned type of food, since it is such storage that allows you to maximize the vitamins and trace elements necessary for the growth and normal development of the child. You should not eat brightly colored vegetables at the first time of feeding, it is desirable that they are
cauliflower, broccoli, zucchini.