When introducing new products into the baby's diet is one of the difficult questions that generate a lot of controversy both among specialists and actually young mothers.
Of course, there are generally accepted recommendations, there is a supplementary feeding scheme developed by WHO (the World Health Organization). On the Internet, you can find a supplement table that complies with WHO guidelines. But the experience of thousands and millions of moms shows that it is impossible to follow strict rules in a case such as the introduction of complementary foods, and below I will give a table that gives, perhaps, the greatest freedom of action.
Table of lactation of children up to 1 year
Focusing on this table or any other standards, remember that this is just a recommendation, not a rigid dogma. Your child is individual and unique, like any other, and you will eventually have your own complementary feeding scheme.
When you decide to introduce a particular product into your baby's diet, do not keep in mind the scheme of feeding children by months, do not check daily with the table. Read it, try to remember the basic sequence of input of products, then talk to this topic with other experienced moms, consult a pediatrician. And, of course, first of all, follow the child's reaction to new food: whether he likes her taste, whether there is an allergic reaction, whether he is ready to eat with a spoon, etc.
Allergic reactions
It is not necessary to explain that if your child is allergic to a particular product, you must immediately remove it from the diet.
To accurately diagnose allergic reactions, pediatricians recommend introducing new products one by one, for at least a week without adding other new products. If you enter two products simultaneously, for example, pumpkin and peach, then in case of allergy, you simply can not determine which of them triggered the reaction.
By eliminating the allergen from the baby's diet, you can wait a few months to offer the baby this product again. Some products cause a reaction in children only at a certain age. Often children "outgrow" the allergy, and if at 6 months, for example, carrots caused a rash on the cheeks, then by 10-11 months, it is likely that it will be perfectly absorbed by the grown up organism.
What to look for when deciding on the introduction of complementary foods?
It should be remembered that the timing of the introduction of complementary foods for each particular child depends on many factors. The choice of new products, the way they are processed and the time they are introduced into the diet are influenced, for example, by the timing of teething and the formation of the skill of chewing movements. For example, one child, with early incising first teeth, at 7-8 months can already give a bite to a whole peeled apple (of course, under the supervision of parents, so that the baby does not choke), and another child, in the case of a late eruption, and a year can eat fruit only in the form of mashed potatoes.
The degree of maturity of the digestive tract will dictate to you the timing of the introduction of digestible products. For example, such a product is cottage cheese. According to general recommendations, this is one of the first products introduced. However, not all children tolerate dairy products well from an early age. If, after acquainting the child with cottage cheese or yogurt, you observe profuse regurgitation shortly after eating, postpone them with their introduction, or try to offer the baby a curd casserole. Heat treatment, as is known, improves the absorption of any products by the gastrointestinal tract.
Also, the timing of the introduction of complementary foods directly depends on whether your baby is breastfed or artificially fed. It should be borne in mind that the scheme of complementary feeding for breastfeeding, according to official recommendations, for 2 months differs from the complementary feeding table for artificial persons (the first complementary feeding, respectively, from 6 and from 4 months).
Introduction of complementary foods for children under one year is not an easy process, requiring parents to pay attention, patience and considerable ingenuity. Remember that the difficulties are temporary. After a year, your baby will be more independent, start eating "adult" dishes, learn how to hold a spoon, etc. You have to go through with him a lot of interesting things. Do not be afraid, just be responsible and considerate, and everything will turn out!