Essential complementary food guide for the healthy growth of one-and-a-half-year-old babies
When a baby is about one and a half years old, breast milk or infant formula can no longer meet the nutrients needed for the baby\’s physical development. At this time, the appropriate introduction of complementary foods is one of the necessary measures to promote the healthy growth of the baby. Below, we will provide parents with a detailed explanation of the complementary food guidelines necessary for the healthy growth of one-and-a-half-year-old babies from the aspects of their children\’s nutritional needs, principles that should be followed, suitable food materials and preparation methods.
1. Baby’s nutritional needs
When babies are about one and a half years old, their deciduous teeth have grown, and their swallowing ability has also improved. Babies at this time need diverse and sufficient amounts of nutrients to support physical development and health maintenance. The main nutrients your baby needs every day include protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins (such as vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin D, etc.) and minerals (such as calcium, iron, zinc, etc.). In order to ensure that babies get these nutrients, parents should develop a reasonable diet plan and choose a variety of foods for their babies.
2. Principles to be followed
There are several principles that parents need to follow when choosing food and cooking for their babies. First, choose fresh, pollution-free ingredients. Vegetables, fruits, meat, fish and other foods should be free of pesticides, heavy metals, hormones, etc. Secondly, choose food that is easy for your baby to digest. For example, rice porridge, vegetable puree, fruit puree, etc. are easier to digest and absorb. At the same time, when adding complementary foods, the type and quality of food should be gradually increased according to the baby\’s specific situation. Finally, parents need to pay close attention to their baby\’s reaction. If the baby has adverse reactions to certain foods, stop eating them in time.
3. Suitable food materials
When considering adding complementary foods to your baby, you can choose the following food materials:
1. Staple food: noodles, rice, steamed buns, bread, etc.
2. Vegetables: broccoli, carrots, spinach, pumpkin and other vegetables, as well as juice, puree, etc.
3. Aquatic products: freshwater fish, marine fish, etc.
4. Lean meat: lean pork, beef, etc.
5. Eggs: Both yolks and whites are edible.
It should be noted that in order to prevent babies from being allergic to potentially dangerous foods, foods that may cause allergies such as peanuts and egg yolks should be avoided as much as possible and should not be eaten before the baby is one and a half years old.
4. Production method
After choosing the ingredients, parents also need to learn how to make and mix them correctly. The following are several common methods of preparing complementary foods:
1. Rice porridge: Boil the washed rice with water until soft and mushy, then mix in the pureed lean meat or vegetable puree.
2. Meat puree: Beat the lean meat evenly with a blender or chopper, add a small amount of water or rice flour to form a slurry, add a little edible oil and vegetable puree, and add a small amount of salt.
3. Egg yolk: Slowly add raw eggs to boiling water and cook for 5-6 minutes. After cooking, remove the egg yolk puree. You can also mix egg yolks with rice flour or fruit puree.
4. Fruit puree: Peel and core fresh, ripe fruits, scoop out the pulp and puree it with a blender.
The above are several simple and easy food supplement preparationsParents can flexibly choose the preparation method and ingredients according to their baby\’s preferences and nutritional needs.
Conclusion
Adding complementary foods to your baby is a necessary process to help your baby grow and develop. This article provides parents with some useful guidance from several aspects such as the nutritional needs of babies, the principles that should be followed, suitable food materials and preparation methods. Parents should strictly follow the principles of health, carefully select ingredients and preparation methods, and create a nutritious, healthy and safe eating environment for their babies.
