home › Children › What vegetable purees can be given. How to make vegetable puree for your child

What vegetable purees can be given. How to make vegetable puree for your child

Vegetables play an important role in the human body. They provide each cell with carbohydrates, normalizes the functioning of the intestines, pectins remove unnecessary compounds from the body, and besides, vegetables are the main source of minerals and water-soluble vitamins.

For artificial children, the appropriate age for the first complementary foods is 4-4.5 months. Breastfed children up to 6 months do not need anything other than breast milk, after 6 months milk can no longer fully provide the baby's body with all the necessary substances, and the child must receive them with vegetable puree /.

Vegetables are introduced 14-15 days after cereals, while cereals should already completely replace one feeding with formula / breast milk. Vegetable puree can be introduced as the first complementary food in overweight children, in children.

For the first feeding, it is customary to introduce mashed potatoes from one vegetable. Initially, vegetable puree is an independent dish, which is served for breakfast at about 10 am or for lunch at about 2 pm, only after the introduction of fish and vegetables into the diet do they become a side dish.

The first for complementary foods, you can use puree from:

cauliflower;

As a first food, a child can be offered mashed zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, potatoes or carrots.

And white cabbage can be added to the child after 14 days (at 5 months). When the baby receives all the listed vegetables, you can give polycomponent puree.

Puree for the first feeding should not contain salt, sugar, preservatives, starch, dyes.

Cauliflower is more palatable than broccoli and children are more likely to eat it.
Broccoli is rich in vitamin C, which will be more beneficial in the autumn-winter period.
Potato contains complex carbohydrates, starch, calories.
Zucchini should be given to children with a tendency or the presence of allergic diseases. This vegetable removes excess water from the body.
Pumpkin is rich in pectin and vitamins, low-calorie.
Carrots are a source of good for vision, children like them because of their sweetness, but they often have allergic reactions, this must be taken into account.
Pumpkin, zucchini and cabbage purees are low-calorie and are more suitable for feeding overweight children.

First vegetable food

As the first vegetable food, it is better to use industrial-made puree. Advantages: they are homogenized, i.e. sufficiently crushed, which is so necessary for children at 4-6 months, additionally enriched with vitamins and minerals. And which manufacturer to choose, we will discuss below.

You can also cook vegetables yourself. Homemade puree is tastier and contains more vitamins. It is better to cook it by steaming or in a small amount of water until cooked (do not digest vegetables, high temperature is detrimental to vitamins). Then the resulting should be crushed in a blender and cooled to a temperature of 37 C. Vegetable oil should be added to home-made vegetable puree (commercially prepared puree usually contains oil). In winter and autumn, you can use frozen vegetables, in summer and autumn it is better to take fresh vegetables grown on time without chemicals. , especially imported ones, can be harmful to the baby. Up to 10 months, the child does not need to add vegetable puree.

Do not be afraid and do not be upset: for the first time, the child may refuse mashed potatoes, and this is completely normal. If, after the refusal of the baby, you decide not to give him some kind of puree, this will be a mistake. Each new product can be tried 8-10 times, in some cases children start eating only from the 15th attempt.

Popular manufacturers of vegetable puree for children:

"Agusha". It has a meager assortment of vegetables for the first feeding, so we recommend giving preference to this manufacturer at an older age.
"Grandma's basket". Only eco-friendly, clean raw materials are used, grown from time-tested partner farms, the products are developed with the Research Institute of Nutrition of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences. The range is sufficient.
"Bebivita". The assortment includes all purees for the first feeding, except for potatoes.
"Bellakt". Zucchini, pumpkin, carrots, broccoli and cauliflower. Ecologically clean, but, for example, "Gerber" tastes better, however, and the price varies significantly.
"Gerber". Just the perfect product for the first feeding, only the jar is small. Puree is made with high quality, tasty, children eat willingly. No mashed potatoes.
"Diaper". Puree of zucchini, broccoli and cauliflower.
"Samper". Puree has excellent quality, taste and is absolutely safe. There is everything for the first feeding, except potatoes. Reliable quality control system.
"Frutonyanya". Good puree, decent quality at an affordable price, children eat willingly, reliable packaging.
"Heinz". Recommended by pediatricians of the country, good puree, has a full range for the first complementary foods.
"Hipp". For the first feeding, there are all kinds of vegetable purees. Big jar.

According to the data obtained in the course of a survey of young parents, the following brands are most often preferred: "Babushkino basket", "Gerber", "Samper" and "Frutonyanya".

Please note: the seller usually indicates the appropriate age for the introduction of each puree, but this period may differ slightly from that suggested by pediatricians, so follow the recommendations on our website, because we use information from reliable sources - specialized medical literature on baby nutrition, recommendations from the World Health Organization.

What to look for when choosing a vegetable puree manufacturer?

Puree "Gerber", "Samper" and "Hipp" contains a lot of vitamin C - almost the entire daily allowance.

"Bebivita-zucchini" contains very little, has an unpleasant consistency in the form of a paste, practically does not contain vitamin C.

Puree "Spade-zucchini" contains a decent amount of all the necessary trace elements, although it is one of the cheapest.

Of all the manufacturers of cauliflower puree, the highest quality is Gerber puree. But the cauliflower "Samper" and "Heinz" has an overly sour taste.

We have provided you with the basic data, and which puree you choose depends on your own taste and financial capabilities. I would like to note: cheap does not mean bad.

And remember: the more diverse the bouquet of vegetables your baby receives, the better, because each vegetable has a unique and unique composition.

The body of a growing crumb needs the intake of essential substances, vitamins and trace elements. For a baby at the age of six months, additional food acquires considerable importance. For an artificial child, the need for complementary foods arises as early as 4 months. Vegetables are the most acceptable option in most cases. To decide which vegetables to start feeding with, and how to introduce vegetable puree, you need to pay attention to the baby's tendency to allergies and digestion.

The purpose of feeding is not so much the desire to saturate the baby, but the acquaintance with new food and the transition from a liquid to a thicker consistency.

When deciding in what sequence to introduce vegetable complementary foods to babies, you need to pay attention to the most hypoallergenic ones. Among them are broccoli, cauliflower, pumpkin and potatoes. It is best to introduce vegetables from zucchini. The tender pulp is saturated with essential substances and deservedly tops the first choice rating. A new vegetable can be introduced in about a week.

The first vegetable complementary foods are selected according to the season and are given in a certain order. It is undesirable to take stale and imported fruits. If the age of the child allows, it is better to offer purees with the beginning of autumn, when the markets are full of the freshest fruits.

What vegetable puree for the first complementary foods to choose? Undoubtedly, the highest level in the ranking is zucchini. The structure of the finished product compares favorably with many others. It will be easier for the baby’s weak intestines to digest this delicate vegetable.

Introduction rules

How to cook the first baby food for a baby? Vegetable puree should be introduced to the child slowly, carefully monitoring the reaction of the baby. It is not uncommon to encounter an allergy to even the simplest foods. The introduction scheme includes the basic rules:

Any baby purees should be introduced no earlier than six months of age of a breastfed baby.
You can not give a new type of food 3 days before and after preventive vaccination.
When the child must be absolutely healthy.
You can start trying a new puree with half a teaspoon, gradually increasing the daily portion to the age norm during the week.

What should be guided by the introduction of the first complementary foods:

manifestation of food interest;
the ability to keep the body in an upright position;
the presence of at least one tooth;
doubling birth weight.

Many babies have difficulty gaining weight. In this case, you do not need to rush with vegetables. The best choice would be complementary foods with gluten-free cereals. In other cases, the variant of the first feeding with vegetable puree is preferable. Such a dish gently affects intestinal motility and allows you to smoothly get rid of the problem of constipation in infants.

Often, young mothers cannot figure out how to introduce a second vegetable into a child's complementary foods. In this case, part of the already familiar puree is gradually replaced by part of the new one until the daily dosage is reached. In what sequence to add new dishes, parents will have to decide.

Where to begin

Young mothers usually consult with a pediatrician about where to start and how to introduce complementary foods - vegetables come first. What is the best vegetable puree?

Children's goods stores present ready-made baby food in incredible quantities. Any mother can create her own rating of children's products and choose the best option for the baby. However, homemade puree is the preferred method. To make vegetable puree, you do not need anything special, except for a blender. According to many parents, Braun tops the ranking of the best devices. These blenders have high power and versatility.

To decide which vegetable puree is the best choice, you need to take into account the baby's tendency to allergic reactions. If negative manifestations were observed during breastfeeding, you should not start with more allergenic foods. When deciding where to start, baby zucchini puree is an ideal choice. Even in winter, you can buy this vegetable for feeding. It belongs to unpretentious plants and does not require the use of increased amounts of fertilizers.

Useful properties of vegetables

These valuable products have a lot of advantages and bring invaluable benefits to the body of a little man. Table of especially useful properties:

Zucchini. Has the softest texture. The finished puree has a creamy texture and is rarely rejected by small gourmets. The high content of water and vegetable fiber normalizes the digestion of the child. The vitamins and microelements included in the composition enrich the diet of the baby.
Broccoli. An irreplaceable source of nutrients. It contains a lot of vegetable fiber and helps to cope with the problem of constipation, especially in formula-fed babies.
Cauliflower. It is a storehouse of vitamins and minerals. It has a high fiber content. However, babies with a tendency to diarrhea should not rush to introduce it into the diet.
Pumpkin. One of the healthiest vegetables. Its inclusion in the diet is recommended not only for infants, but for all adults. Contains a lot of useful substances. Natural carotene ensures the proper development of the eye apparatus of the crumbs.
Potato. A valuable source of potassium, necessary for the stable functioning of the cardiovascular system. The high content of starch provides the baby's body with the necessary energy. Usually entered last.

Puree preparation

Many recipes do not contain anything complicated, so absolutely any young mother can cook vegetable puree. The main need in the preparation of vegetable purees is to achieve the most homogeneous state. It will also be useful to consult with a pediatrician on how to properly introduce complementary foods. It is better to start introducing mashed vegetables into complementary foods with self-cooked. How to make baby puree?

vegetable marrow

Deciding which puree is better to start introducing the child to the first course and which vegetables to choose, the choice falls on the zucchini. This vegetable is particularly hypoallergenic and has a delicate texture after cooking.

How to do, let's start:

First you need to thoroughly wash and clean the zucchini. To prepare vegetable puree, it is enough to take 1-2 zucchini. It is advisable to choose the smallest fruits without any damage.
Then you need to place the chopped vegetable in a saucepan and pour a small amount of water. Steam cooking can be the most effective and convenient for many mothers.
Cooking should be no more than 10 minutes. Grind the cooked vegetable with a blender until smooth.

Cauliflower

Cooking is a little different from cooking zucchini. It will take a little more water and time. When preparing a new dish, boiled vegetables also need to be mashed into a puree until smooth. It is permissible to dilute the puree with milk or milk mixture. This vegetable is most often introduced after zucchini. It has good compatibility with mashed potatoes from other types of cabbage.

Broccoli

With the introduction of vegetable complementary foods, broccoli is also in the first lines of the rating of vegetables. With self-cooking, it is not always possible to achieve an absolutely homogeneous state. Therefore, the child does not need to introduce complementary foods before the above vegetables. By this age, the baby will already get used to unfamiliar food, and it will be easier for him to switch to food with tiny grains.

The recipe also does not contain anything unusual: boil and grind.

Pumpkin

At what age should pumpkin be introduced? The first vegetables are offered to the baby at 4-6 months. Sometimes you can come across the statement that pumpkin puree strengthens the baby's stool. This is a rare phenomenon, usually eating pumpkin dishes, on the contrary, softens the baby's stool.

Vegetable recipes for months suggest the early introduction of pumpkin into the diet.

The best option would be to bake a vegetable in foil. However, not every young mother is ready to heat up an electrical appliance for the sake of a tiny piece. Therefore, it is quite acceptable to boil the pumpkin in a small saucepan or steam it. A ripe vegetable is cooked for a sufficiently long time due to the content of a large amount of vegetable fibers, but the cooking time should not exceed 30 minutes.

The finished piece should also be chopped with a blender. The result is a gentle puree that is in no way inferior to the analogues on sale.

Potato

Puree is prepared in the traditional way. Do not rush into this dish. Its addition to the baby's menu should be postponed until the very last dates for the introduction of complementary foods. When preparing puree, it must be mixed with others by at least half. When cooking, most of the vitamin C is lost. However, the rest is able to fill the needs of the child.

Additional additives

Polyunsaturated fatty acids are very important for the development of the baby's brain. However, vegetable and animal fats are not able to provide the necessary amount of crumbs to the body.

For this, a nursing mother needs to eat a considerable amount of useful omega-3 acids. Their content in fish is significant, but not enough for a mother who is breastfeeding a child. Many vegetables and fruits contain small amounts of omega-3 fatty acids. But most of it falls on the bones and seeds of fruits.

It is advisable for a nursing mother to take dietary supplements to make up for this deficiency. Supplements based on fish oil derived from fish pulp are preferred. Fish liver supplements may contain too high amounts of heavy metals. It is necessary to carefully select foods in the mother's diet.

The correct approach to the introduction of complementary foods will allow timely preparation of the baby's intestines for the transition to a common table. Excessive perseverance and haste are inappropriate in this matter. If the baby is not ready to eat new food, do not be zealous and force him to eat a new dish.

Vegetable puree for babies as complementary foods is recommended in the first place. Not juices or cereals, as some parents think, but vegetables. They are rich in vitamins and minerals, they have enough dietary fiber, which will provide the child with soft and delicate digestion and will be a good prevention of constipation.

In this article, we will talk about how to introduce vegetable complementary foods, how to prepare tasty and healthy puree for babies, what vegetables to give and in what quantity.

With what vegetables does the first feeding begin?

Breast milk and milk adapted formulas meet the requirements of the child for about the first six months of life. Then the baby's diet should expand. Vegetable puree pediatricians recommend introducing into the diet in the first place. But not all vegetables are acceptable for the beginning of the baby's acquaintance with new food.

If the child is breastfed, he is recommended to introduce vegetable complementary foods from 5-6 months. For a baby who, by coincidence, is deprived of breast milk and eats mixtures, it is better to introduce vegetables into the diet at 4 months of age.

It is recommended to introduce vegetables in a certain sequence. For the very first acquaintance with a new food recommended vegetables that do not usually cause allergies, the so-called low-allergenic. These are zucchini, broccoli and cauliflower. At the same time, the first baby vegetable puree must be one-component, that is, contain only one type of vegetable crop - only squash or only cauliflower puree.

pumpkin;
carrot;
potato;
squash.

A month later, at the age of 7-8 months, they add cabbage, beets and cucumbers, a year - tomatoes, and at 1.5 years - beans, peas and other legumes. Eggplants are recommended to be introduced after one and a half years, closer to 2 years.

Manufacturer rating

Ready-made baby puree in a jar is convenient and safe. Manufacturers make sure that the composition of the product is hypoallergenic, balanced. To start complementary foods, mashed potatoes in a jar are the best option., because preparing homemade puree for the sake of half a teaspoon, which the baby will eat, is impractical. In addition, mashed potatoes in a jar are convenient to take with you for a walk, on a trip.

The choice of a certain brand of baby food is a matter of income and family preferences. A pediatrician can only recommend certain manufacturers, but the parents themselves will still choose, taking into account, among other things, the preferences of their own baby, because it happens that a child refuses to eat mashed potatoes of one brand, but he is delighted with the same mashed potatoes, but from a different manufacturer.

safety and risk of allergy to the product;
taste qualities;
feedback from parents and pediatricians.

According to these three criteria, the current brands can be arranged in the following order:

humana;
Gerber;
"Grandma's basket";
Nutricia;
"FrutoNyanya";
"Topic";
"Diaper";
"Agusha";
hipp.

When choosing a ready-made puree, be sure to pay attention to the age marking, the expiration date. If the jar does not make cotton when opened, it is impossible to feed the baby with such puree. If you wish, you can cook vegetable puree yourself, but a number of important conditions must be observed.

Selection and preparation of ingredients

To prepare homemade vegetable puree that can be given to an infant, you need to choose only fresh vegetables, the appearance of which is not satisfactory. If a zucchini or pumpkin has darkening, bumps, rotten areas, cracks, “spoiled” sides, they are not suitable for baby food.

Vegetables can be bought in the market, in the store, but the best option are fruits and root crops collected on their site. If there is no dacha and garden, choose only those purchased that are grown in your lane. Imported and imported vegetables and fruits are usually stuffed with a large amount of chemicals to preserve their presentation. You need to be especially careful when choosing vegetables if they are not in season in your lane. Instead of a purchased zucchini in the dead of winter, it is better to buy ready-made mashed potatoes in a jar from a trusted manufacturer of baby food.

You should not select vegetables for baby puree, the sides of which are glossy - it is possible to use wax, with which vegetables are rubbed to retain moisture when transported from afar.

Recipes for cooking at home

Making puree is easy. The task will be facilitated by the presence in the kitchen of a blender, double boiler. A good puree is obtained in a slow cooker. In order to make a one-component puree for the first feeding, take a zucchini, wash it well and peel it. Cut the vegetable into large pieces, after removing the seeds and core.

If you cook vegetables in small pieces, almost no useful substances will be preserved in them during heat treatment.

Put the pieces of zucchini in a multicooker bowl, double boiler or a small saucepan with a little water. Bring under the lid to readiness. Use a blender to turn the boiled zucchini into a puree. If it turns out thick, add a little vegetable broth that remained after heat treatment, or boiled water. It is not recommended for infants to salt and pepper vegetable puree., but you can add a couple of drops of extra virgin olive oil. Ready puree is not stored. Before the next feeding, which provides for supplementary feeding with vegetables, it is prepared again.

After 8 months, the child will be able to eat multi-component purees. In this case, you can immediately cook several types of vegetables in the same way, and then make a single puree out of them. Zucchini and carrots, zucchini and broccoli, cauliflower and carrots, beets and carrots go well together. Almost all types of vegetables go great with mashed potatoes., which is prepared in the same way, but with the addition of milk or water (with the permission of the pediatrician), without butter. As the baby grows, you can create puree soups based on ordinary vegetable purees, as well as vegetable mousses, for example, from boiled pumpkin and cottage cheese, from zucchini and boiled carrots.

Calculate your feeding schedule

Norms and rules of use

Complementary foods always start with a minimum amount of a new product. For a baby, acquaintance with vegetables should begin with half a teaspoon.. During the day, the mother should carefully monitor the baby. If allergies, intestinal disorders do not appear, the next day you can increase the volume of vegetable puree to a teaspoon.

The infant feeding scheme does not involve adding more than one new food in two days. This is important in order to keep track of possible negative reactions of the child's body to food. It will be useful for the baby and his parents if the amount of complementary foods meets the standards.

A table will help determine them, indicating the minimum and maximum value of the amount of vegetable puree that is allowed at a particular age.

The table shows the daily value. Parents can split this amount into two or three meals if the child likes vegetables. Thus, a child at 5 months can be given vegetables twice a day, 15 grams per feeding, and at 6 months, two times 25 grams can be given.

Before the age of one, it is important to teach the child to eat vegetables., otherwise later, at an older age, the baby may refuse to eat these foods and dishes that are useful and necessary for his growth and development. But only in theory, children should eat this or that amount of food. In practice, everything may turn out wrong - the child will require vegetables more often and more, or refuse them altogether. With the latter problem, most often parents turn to pediatricians.

What to do if the child does not want to eat mashed potatoes?

A child who does not want to eat mashed vegetables at his tender age has a lot of reasons for this behavior.

Here are just some of the reasons why children refuse this dish.

Complementary foods introduced too early, the child is psychologically and physiologically not ready for it - you need to postpone the idea and return to it in a week.
The child does not like the taste of vegetables- Try another vegetable. If you don’t eat zucchini, give broccoli, if you refuse store-bought mashed potatoes in a jar, cook it at home.
The type of vegetables is incomprehensible or unpleasant- put the child more often in a high chair at an adult table during dinner or breakfast, he should see how adults eat their food. This will form an idea of why the mother bothers him with a spoon and a strange substance in a plate or jar. Serve mashed potatoes in a beautiful children's plate, use an interesting spoon with animal figures, interest the baby in the process of eating.
The child is not up to vegetables- He is teething or his stomach hurts, he gets sick. In this situation, it is impossible to offer new products so as not to increase the load on the baby's body.
Baby is not hungry- in this situation, wait until the child is hungry and offer vegetable puree at the very beginning of the meal.
Already have a negative experience- if the baby was forced to eat vegetables, they pushed a spoon into him by force, the taste of mashed potatoes will be unpleasant for understandable psychological reasons. In this situation, give the child the opportunity to choose for himself whether to eat or not. And the vegetables that are so needed can be mixed into other types of food, for example, into vegetable puree soup, into porridge.

In order to prevent situations in which the child will hate vegetable dishes, it is important to do everything in a timely manner. Do not follow the advice of relatives and pediatricians too blindly about the timing of complementary foods. If a child once in his six months refused a vegetable marrow, no need to insist. Try offering him food a little later.. All children develop at different rates and according to their own schedule. This applies not only to height and weight, but also to metabolic processes, the processes of producing the necessary enzymes in the body, because without them the assimilation of new food is impossible.

The same recommendation applies to the amount of vegetables eaten. The child does not owe anything to anyone. He may well have his own tastes and needs in the amount of complementary foods. And not always his real needs exactly correspond to pediatric norms and tables.

For information on how to cook vegetable puree at home for a child of 7-8 months, see the following video.

The introduction of complementary foods is always felt as a transition to a new level of development and maturation of the child. More recently, the little one did not know anything but his mother's breast, and now, as an adult, he sits in his high chair and tries new food from a spoon. No matter how grandmothers try to insist that it is necessary to feed from 3 months, modern WHO recommendations inform that complementary foods should be introduced no earlier than six months. The best option for the first feeding would not be the ones that were fed to babies 20 years ago, but vegetable purees.

A couple of words about food

Porridge can also be considered as the first complementary food, it depends on the characteristics of the child's development. Usually cereals are administered when the baby is, because they are more nutritious and high-calorie. If your little one does not have problems with weight gain, it is better to start with vegetables.

When a baby suckles on demand, he is guaranteed to get all the nutrients. The purpose of complementary foods in this case is not to make up for the lack of vitamins, as was thought some time ago, but to begin to acquaint the baby with different tastes and prepare him for solid food. This means that mothers do not have to try to feed their baby mashed potatoes at any cost. Complementary foods should not replace breast milk, complementary foods should not replace feeding (unless you are in the process of weaning).

Vegetable complementary foods: basic rules

You need to start introducing vegetables into your baby's diet with a single-component puree. First, the baby tries all the vegetables recommended for his age separately, and only then should he give a puree consisting of several vegetables.
The best option is if the first complementary foods will consist of zucchini, cauliflower or broccoli. Then you can gradually introduce pumpkin, carrots, kohlrabi, potatoes.
Usually complementary foods are introduced according to the standard scheme: they start with 1 teaspoon and bring the daily portion to 50 grams, but if the baby refuses, we postpone complementary foods for a week and try again or change the product.
Salting or sweetening vegetable purees for a child is not worth it. To adults whose taste preferences have already been formed, unsalted vegetable purees seem unimaginably disgusting, but the baby, who has nothing to compare with yet, perceives such a taste in a completely different way. It is important for a child to try the “clean” tastes of foods.
If you plan to purchase factory-made puree, carefully read the composition. In addition to vegetables and water, nothing should be in the jar.
Vegetable puree can be easily prepared at home. For these purposes, it is better to take vegetables from your own garden or at least grown in your area. Imported vegetables from store shelves do not inspire confidence, as they may contain nitrates. By the way, if the introduction of complementary foods falls on the “off season”, when there are no fresh vegetables, pre-made frozen preparations will do just fine.

Video: the most common mistakes in the management of baby food:

Handmade vegetable puree

Preparing vegetable puree for a baby is not at all difficult. A few simple recipes will help mothers navigate the cooking technology.

Moms take note!

Hello girls) I didn’t think that the problem of stretch marks would affect me, but I’ll write about it))) But I have nowhere to go, so I’m writing here: How did I get rid of stretch marks after childbirth? I will be very glad if my method helps you too ...

Zucchini puree

Peel the zucchini from the skin and seeds and cut into rings. We put a few rings in the bowl of a double boiler (in the absence of such a device in the kitchen, you can simply cook in water or make a double boiler from a pot of boiling water and a sieve installed on top). Zucchini is cooked very quickly - after 7-10 minutes it is ready. Grinding boiled zucchini until smooth is not easy, since this vegetable is very fibrous. To ensure that the puree is uniform and airy, you can use a blender, and then pass the entire mass through a fine sieve. It is better to cool mashed potatoes in the refrigerator - this reduces the risk of bacterial growth in dishes with mashed potatoes, because it is impossible to maintain sterility in a home kitchen. In the refrigerator, such mashed potatoes are stored for up to 4 days, you need to warm it up in portions. In a warmed portion of complementary foods, you can add expressed breast milk, olive oil.

Cabbage, broccoli and potato puree

Boil 1 potato and a few broccoli florets (you can steam it). In proportion, potatoes should be less than broccoli, since the starchy vegetable is difficult for the body to digest. Grind boiled vegetables with a blender or rub through a sieve, while adding a little vegetable broth. After cooling, the puree can be given to the baby. The rule about expressed milk or vegetable oil also applies in this case.

Pumpkin puree

Peel the pumpkin, remove the seeds and cut into small pieces. Put about 200 grams of chopped vegetable on a baking sheet, pour a little water, cover with foil and set to bake for 20 minutes. When the pumpkin is ready, chop the pieces in a known way, cool, add breast milk or vegetable oil and the puree is ready.

It is better to introduce pumpkin into the child's diet in the last rows. It is believed that this vegetable can cause allergies. In addition, there is an opinion that the pumpkin strengthens, so be sure to monitor the reaction of the child.

Video: vegetable puree recipe

It usually takes a month or a half to get to know different vegetables. After the introduction of complementary foods, the consistency and smell of the stool changes - this is completely normal. According to WHO recommendations, simultaneously with the introduction of the first complementary foods, you can start giving the baby a drink (

Immediately after the first difficulties of breastfeeding are left behind, the mother faces another serious problem - the first complementary foods. The recommendations given in this case by thematic sites, local pediatricians and friends with grandmothers are very different from each other, so inexperienced women are simply lost in a sea of conflicting information. How to introduce the first complementary foods correctly, and what age is optimal for this?

Several decades ago, it was believed that the first complementary foods for babies who feed exclusively on breast milk should be introduced at three months. But today this scheme is recognized not only as incorrect, but also dangerous for the health of the child.

In the body of an infant who has not yet reached the age of six months, there are no enzymes necessary for the digestion of new food, so "adult" foods create a strong load on his digestive tract.

In addition, up to six months, the child has enough useful substances and vitamins that he receives from mother's milk, that is, the earlier introduction of complementary foods simply does not make sense. Such measures are appropriate only for medical reasons - for example, in cases where the child is not gaining enough weight. True, introducing complementary foods too late is also not recommended, since at 7-8 months the baby can already perceive unfamiliar food much worse.

To get acquainted with new food, the child must have a sufficiently formed nervous system for this, as well as some skills and reflexes.

There are a number of signs by which you can determine his readiness for the introduction of the first complementary foods.

The child has the first chewing movements, the force of sucking increases, and the gag reflex moves from the middle of the tongue to its root.
Having completely emptied the mother's breast, the baby continues to show signs of hunger.
Demonstration of interest in adult food and the first attempts to try something from the plates of parents.
When a mother tries to offer a new product to a child, he does not try to push the spoon away.
The baby can sit in one place for a long time and take food with his hands.

If a baby has at least three of the five above signs, then his body is quite ready to get acquainted with new dishes.

In order not to harm the baby when introducing complementary foods, the mother must follow several important rules:

new products are introduced into the child's menu no more than once every 7-10 days;
it is impossible to acquaint a child for the first time immediately before or after vaccinations, with a change in climate, after illness, during teething, etc .;
food should be given to the baby when he is hungry, and in no case should he be forced to eat what is offered;
initially, all complementary foods (for example, vegetable purees) should be prepared from one vegetable: you can mix different vegetables or cereals only when the child has already tried each of them separately;
complementary foods should not be a reason to stop breastfeeding - it is intended not to replace mother's milk, but to supplement it.

Where to begin?

There are two options for the introduction of the first complementary foods, each of which has its own advantages and disadvantages. The first is a more modern and radical variant, which is called infant food, as well as the traditional scheme, that is, the introduction of special baby food (purchased or prepared by oneself) into the diet. The choice of the most optimal scheme, of course, is up to the mother.

Peculiarities of feeding

The main principle of infant feeding is to acquaint the baby with the food familiar to his family, so that he can quickly “get involved” in the diet. Of course, this does not mean that six-month-old babies should immediately begin to feed fried and fatty adult food. You need to start with tiny (no more than a quarter of a teaspoon) portions of boiled or steamed foods, which should be prepared accordingly: chop or grind.

The list of products that may be included in the food supplement includes:

boiled meat and fish;
dairy products;
boiled and steam vegetables;
fruit;
cereals and side dishes (peas, potatoes, beans, etc.).

At first, the baby only gets acquainted with the taste and texture of the new food, after which its quantity begins to gradually increase. This feeding pattern gives children the opportunity to develop communication skills, fine motor skills and coordination, and forms the basis of proper nutrition for the rest of their lives.

Complementary baby food

The first products that are recommended to be introduced into the baby's diet are white vegetables (cauliflower) or green vegetables (zucchini, broccoli), as they rarely cause food allergies. Then pumpkin and carrots are added to them, and the latter is given to the child no more than 2-3 times a week, along with other vegetables, otherwise yellow-orange spots may appear on his feet and palms. An exception to this rule is children with insufficient weight gain - in this case, complementary foods begin with gluten-free cereals.

It is not recommended to start complementary foods with fruit juices or fresh fruits - they have a sweet taste, which is why the child immediately begins to develop cravings for sweets, and in addition, they can irritate the gastrointestinal mucosa, causing digestive disorders.

There is a special scheme for the introduction of new products, compiled by WHO experts, which is recommended for all lactating women.

Type of complementary foods	Optimal age for administration	How to enter correctly	Recommended Serving Size
Vegetables	6 months (if there are relevant indications 5 months)	Green and white vegetables (except potatoes) are introduced first in the form of mashed potatoes	To begin with, it is recommended to give ½ tsp, and then gradually bring it up to the volume of one feeding (100-200 g)
Vegetable oils	6 months	It is recommended to introduce olive oil first, after sunflower and corn, which are added to the puree	From a few drops (up to a teaspoon)
Kashi (dairy-free)	6.5-7 months (with insufficient weight gain from 4-5 months.)	The first to introduce cereals that do not contain gluten (buckwheat, corn, rice), after which you can enter multi-cereal cereals	With ½ tsp (up to 100-200 g)
Butter	7 months	As an additive to cereals	With 1/8 tsp. (up to 10-20 g)
Fruit	7-8 months	In the form of one-component purees, gradually moving to purees from several types of fruits	With ½ tsp (up to 100-200 g)
Dairy porridge	8-9 months	First, gluten-free cereals (buckwheat, corn, rice), and in the absence of allergies and gastrointestinal disorders, oatmeal and multi-cereals can be introduced	With ½ tsp (up to 100-200 g)
Meat	8 months	To begin with, turkey, rabbit, veal are recommended, after which chicken and beef are gradually introduced (pork is not recommended as a complementary food)	With ½ tsp (up to 100-200 g)
Eggs (yolks)	8 months	It is recommended to start with quail eggs, as they cause allergies less often than chicken	From 1/8 tsp chicken (if quail egg, then from ¼), bringing to ½ (whole quail) per day
Baby savory biscuits	9-10 months	Maximum 5 pcs. in a day	From small pieces (approximately 1/8), reaching the whole cookie
Dairy products	9 months	Special baby milk	With ½ tsp (up to 100-200 g)
Cottage cheese	9 months	Special curd without additives	With ½ tsp (up to 50 g). From the age of one year, you can give 100 g
by-products	9-10 months	As part of multi-component purees, at first more than 1-2 times a week	With ½ tsp (up to 50-100 g)
Fish	10 months (in the presence of allergies - from 12)	Steam or boiled, twice a week	With ½ tsp (up to 150-200 g)
fruit juices	10-12 months	To begin with, give clarified juices diluted with water (proportion 1 to 1), preferably apple	With ½ tsp (up to 100 ml per day)
Kashi (semolina, barley, millet, etc.)	12 months	Start with well-cooked multi-component cereals	From 2-3 tsp, (up to 200-250 g)
Berries	12 months	As a puree (preferably with bright berries)	With ½ tsp (up to 100-150 g)

When introducing complementary foods, the crumbs immediately need to start their own dishes: a plate and a spoon. A special spoon can be purchased at the pharmacy - it can be silicone or plastic (some mothers use silver spoons).

It is unacceptable to feed children from a bottle, even if the manufacturer indicates that it is designed specifically for such purposes. Getting to know the pacifier is the first step towards giving up the mother's breast and developing unhealthy eating habits.

When introducing a child to new products, it is very important to monitor the reaction of his body - for this it is recommended to keep a special diary in which the mother will write down each of them (time of introduction, quantity, etc.). If your baby suddenly develops a food allergy, constipation or other digestive problems, it will be very easy to identify the “culprit” with the help of records. The product that caused such a reaction should be excluded from the diet for at least a month.

It is very important to remember that with the introduction of complementary foods, the nature of the stool in a child will change in any case. Vegetables contain fiber, so they can loosen the stool slightly (which is why they are especially recommended for children prone to constipation). Different fruits also affect the digestive system in different ways: more watery fruits (for example, kiwi, apples, apricots) have a laxative effect, and denser ones (bananas, pears), on the contrary, fix them.

The first complementary food activates the liver and the enzymatic system, due to which the stool may acquire a greenish tint or mucus inclusions and undigested pieces of food will appear in it. If the child feels normal, such phenomena should not frighten parents - after the stomach learns to “work” with unfamiliar foods, the stool immediately returns to normal (usually this happens within about a week).

The introduction of new products should not be rushed, otherwise the child may refuse complementary foods altogether - in order for the baby to fully get used to a particular dish, he must try it at least 10 times. With a categorical refusal of a particular product, you can go a little trick - add a little breast milk to the puree or porridge. Feeling the familiar taste, the baby will eat the offered with pleasure.

Purees and cereals for the first feeding can be bought in specialized stores or prepared independently. To do this, you need to take vegetables, rinse them well in boiled water, if necessary, peel and seeds, finely chop, then boil or cook in a double boiler (the second option is preferable, since steaming retains more nutrients). Grind the boiled vegetables with a blender with the addition of a small amount of broth or water.

The consistency of the product should be liquid, reminiscent of kefir. When the baby grows up a little, you can give him a thicker puree, and closer to 10-11 months, vegetables should simply be kneaded with a fork so that the child learns to chew. It is impossible to store ready-made meals for complementary foods - each time you need to prepare a fresh portion.

To prepare porridge for the first feeding, you need to rinse and dry the cereal well, then grind it in a coffee grinder and brew it with boiling water (you can add a little breast milk). In no case should a child be forced to eat everything without a trace - the main goal of complementary foods is not to feed the baby, but to familiarize his body with adult foods, form the correct eating behavior and skills that will be needed in the future.

Popular in category: