1. When should we start adding complementary foods?
Babies who are five months old can already start adding complementary foods. Normally, breast milk or formula feeding should continue until the baby is 6 months old, but during this process, gradually introducing some complementary foods can allow the baby to better adapt to different tastes and foods.
2. How to choose suitable complementary foods?
Before adding complementary foods, you need to understand your baby\’s oral development and whether there is a history of allergies. According to the needs of different stages, you can choose different types of complementary foods such as rice noodles, fruit purees, vegetable purees, etc. In addition, when choosing, you need to pay attention to whether there is added sugar or salt, and whether it contains ingredients that may cause allergies.
3. How to add complementary foods correctly?
You need to pay attention to the following points when adding complementary foods:
1. Gradually introduce: start with a small amount and gradually increase, avoid adding too much at once.
2. Choose the right time: It is best to add complementary food to your baby about half an hour after feeding.
3. Pay attention to the taste: At the beginning, you can choose food with a single taste and a relatively delicate texture, and then slowly increase the taste and texture after the baby adapts.
4. Pay attention to hygiene: The preparation and storage of complementary foods need to pay attention to hygiene to avoid bacterial infection.
4. How to judge whether the baby is adapted to complementary feeding?
After adding complementary foods, you can judge whether the baby has adapted through the following aspects:
1. Does the baby\’s tongue push out the food? If so, it means the baby is not used to it yet.
2. Whether the baby can chew and swallow food. If it can be completed successfully, it means that the baby has adapted.
3. Whether the baby\’s appetite has improved. If he becomes interested in new food flavors and eats more, it means he has adapted.
5. How to avoid problems caused by adding complementary foods?
You need to pay attention to the following points when adding complementary foods:
1. Avoid adding too much: Too much complementary food will affect the intake of breast milk or formula milk, leading to nutritional imbalance.
2. Avoid adding food too early: Adding complementary foods too early may lead to incomplete digestion and cause problems.
3. Avoid choosing inappropriate ingredients: Choose ingredients that are high in sugar or salt and ingredients that may cause allergies.
4. Avoid unhygienic preparation and storage: Pay attention to hygiene when preparing and storing complementary foods to avoid bacterial infections.
In short, when adding complementary foods, you need to pay attention to your baby\’s physical condition and adaptation, choose appropriate ingredients and taste, avoid adding too much or too early, and pay attention to hygiene issues. Only in this way can the baby better adapt to complementary foods and obtain more balanced nutrition.
