First complementary feeding during breastfeeding: scheme from 6 months and from 4-5 months

In modern pediatrics, there are different points of view on the need for complementary feeding during breastfeeding, products allowed for the first complementary feeding, and the frequency of their use. There are different opinions about the need to introduce additional products during full lactation, especially if breast milk contains all the necessary substances and its quality satisfies all the needs of the child’s body. Despite the newfangled trends, in which a child should be fed exclusively on mother’s milk until almost 5 years of age, and the opposite ones, which preach the possibility of “pedagogical” complementary feeding at an early age with the help of a pinch of unprocessed adult food, traditional pediatrics still believes that a baby should be fed in a certain way and from a certain age.

The imperfection of the newborn’s digestive system makes it possible at an early age to feed exclusively on mother’s milk, or liquids that are as close as possible to it in composition. Over time, the digestive system, which finally develops after birth, experiences the need to receive nutrients no longer in a processed form, but in a more natural form. And this is not only the need for more formed digestive organs, but also a general need for a growing organism. The time for complementary feeding is determined by the characteristic signs that appear upon reaching a certain age.

What are the dangers of early complementary feeding?

• If the introduction of adult food into the baby’s diet has not been prescribed by a doctor, then you can wait a little. Most experts believe that the digestive system of a four-month-old baby is still not able to absorb anything other than mother's milk (and an adapted formula if the baby is mixed-fed).
• At this age, your child’s saliva does not yet contain the necessary enzymes. The first of them appear at the age of 6 months (along with the eruption of the first teeth).
• Often, too early the first complementary feeding during breastfeeding causes the baby to develop allergies.

The need for complementary feeding

Immediately after birth, the baby's intestines are longer than the length of the body. In the first months of life, the intestinal muscles are relatively weak and their functions are normalized only by 4 months. This is clearly demonstrated by a change in stool consistency and cessation of regurgitation. The motor activity of the stomach increases, the muscles of the stomach and intestines are strengthened during development, and intestinal microflora appears in the digestive system, mainly acquired from the mother. At an early age, for the same reason, the newborn’s liver secretes little bile and cannot help digest certain foods. Its main function at this age is to neutralize toxins.

Every day the volume of the newborn’s stomach begins to increase, and ideally, the flow of mother’s milk also increases, in which the carbohydrate content gradually increases.

Normally, the mother’s body regulates the composition and quantity of milk according to the needs of the child’s body. This happens when the mother and baby are constantly together, if she puts him to the breast at the moment when the newborn needs it. Therefore, it is believed that up to 5 months, a child should be fed exclusively on mother’s milk.

But, unfortunately, the modern realities of breastfeeding are far from ideal, and those mothers who would like to breastfeed suffer from hypogalactia and cannot provide the baby with enough food, and those mothers who can refuse breastfeeding so as not to spoil their figure or not interrupt your career.

But with normal development at 4-5 months, the needs of the child’s body and the state of his digestive system are such that he requires additional nutrients.

Decades ago, when many parents did not know what pediatrics was, the knowledge was passed down from generation to generation that a baby closer to six months of age needed complementary feeding. This is necessary not only in order to additionally feed him and stimulate his development and growth, but also in order to begin a gradual transition to adult food.

Is the baby ready?

Before asking yourself “how to properly introduce complementary foods,” check whether your baby is ready for this. There are certain “signals”:

• The beginning of complementary feeding for a baby at 4 months should coincide with the period when the child drinks water from a spoon and does not push it out with his tongue. What to do if the doctor said that complementary foods need to be introduced, but the child refuses a spoon? There is a little trick: before feeding, express a little milk and give it from a spoon. The child will quickly understand that this strange object is associated with his favorite treat and will not push it out.
• Shows interest in adult food and tries to look into your mouth every time you eat.
• The baby's weight doubled after birth. The rule for premature babies is that their weight should increase by 2.5 times.
• Complementary feeding at the age of four months is allowed to be introduced only to completely healthy children. If your child has any neurological or other abnormalities, consult a doctor.

Before starting complementary feeding, take care of your baby's safety. Since at this age children cannot yet sit on their own, you need to lean the child’s back against a pillow and raise the torso as much as possible.

We begin the introduction of complementary foods

Which product to choose

If breast milk is not enough, and formula causes allergies, it is time to think about additional feeding for the baby at 4 months.

• Pediatricians believe that at this age the digestive system is not yet fully formed, so the baby should be given only safe foods. These include dairy-free cereals (for this age it is recommended to choose only gluten-free cereals), such as corn grits and rice.
• It is better to wait with the introduction of buckwheat. Despite all its benefits, it can be an allergen and contribute to the accumulation of mucus and gases in the stool, so it is not allowed to be used as a first complementary food.
• Oatmeal, beloved by many children, should be introduced to your baby as late as possible. Unfortunately, oats remove calcium from the body and also contain gluten.

How to start

How to properly introduce complementary foods to a breastfeeding baby at 4 months?

• Regardless of what cereal you choose, the porridge must be cooked in water, after grinding the cereal in a coffee grinder. To make it easier for your baby to get used to new food, keep the following proportion: for 5 g of cereal - 100 g of purified water.
• After 1-2 weeks, you can prepare porridge for your baby from 10 g of cereal, which, by the way, should remain the same. For example, if you cooked rice for your child the previous week, then this time you should use the same grain.
• For children who have irregular bowel movements, doctors recommend introducing vegetable purees into their diet first. At the same time, remember that not only rice has a binding property, but also potatoes. The first complementary feeding during mixed feeding or breastfeeding should start with lighter vegetables - zucchini and pumpkin. At first, food for the child should be monocomponent. The same applies to cereals - no multigrains!

When feeding a child at 4 months, you should remember that it is recommended to introduce new foods into the diet only after the recommendation of a doctor. You need to be careful with carrots and pumpkins. Even if your child is not prone to allergies, it is advisable for him not to eat orange and red foods at first.

Pediatrician's opinion: video

First foods after breast milk

Common options for first courses after formula milk are fruit and vegetable purees, juice, fermented milk products, and porridge.

If a child receives only breast milk from birth, and its quantity is sufficient for normal development, there is no need to rush into complementary feeding until 6 months. But you need to choose a day for such an occasion carefully:

1. the child is six months old,
2. the baby is not sick and did not receive vaccinations the day before;
3. he sits independently and confidently turns his head,
4. doubled my birth weight
5. the baby asks for the breast very often,
6. is not capricious on this day.

Complementary feeding with porridge from 4 months is possible if the child eats and sleeps well and is not prone to obesity or allergies.

Rice, buckwheat, oatmeal and corn do not give babies stomach ache, since these crops do not contain gluten.

Also, at the beginning it is worth preparing one-ingredient porridges .

The advantage of store-bought cereals is their correct, balanced composition, rich in calcium, iron and other useful substances.

Children enjoy trying juices. But there are many negatives from introducing them into the diet:

• juice is an allergenic product,
• they are poorly absorbed
• irritate the gastrointestinal tract,
• contain sugar.

It is recommended to start complementary feeding for children who are gaining weight quickly, from fermented milk products or vegetables.

Non-acidic kefir, pumpkin, broccoli, zucchini, cauliflower, carrots are optimal foods for the digestive system of a youngster.

What puree should you start complementary feeding with during breastfeeding?

• Gerber products consist of 2 components - water and vegetables, so you can safely feed your little one with it. According to mothers, purees from these brands are ideal for introducing complementary foods.
• Hipp has a wide variety of flavors - from cabbage to parsnip, which is why these purees are very popular. The first complementary food when mixed (as well as when breastfed) should consist of zucchini or cauliflower.
• You can start complementary feeding with purees from the Belarusian company Bellakt. Despite the low-cost product, the jars contain neither flour nor preservatives.

Carefully study the composition of jarred purees. In addition to vegetables and water, miniature jars may contain rice flour and corn oil (such as products from the German brand Bebivita or corn flour (as in Heinz puree). These products are completely unnecessary when feeding a 4-month-old baby.

Time of introduction of complementary foods

Children who are gaining weight slowly, have been breastfed since birth, have signs of rickets, or as recommended by a pediatrician should receive additional food at 4 months of age.

Physiology of the body of a 4-month-old baby:

• hydrochloric acid is already produced, and with it enzymes break down food in the stomach;
• the intestinal walls gradually thicken;
• mechanisms have been formed that are responsible for swallowing and digesting more solid food;
• physiological preparation for correct chewing movements begins.

With a late start of complementary feeding, a deficiency of vitamins and microelements occurs in the child’s body, and various pathologies can develop.

Continued feeding of children at 4 months

If, on the recommendation of a doctor, you started giving your baby adult food at 3 months, then now is the time to slightly change his diet, and also talk about what foods the baby can eat, and which ones should wait until introduced.

• A few decades ago, at the 4th month of a baby’s life, caring mothers were recommended to feed him cottage cheese and kefir. As everyone knows, dairy products contain a large amount of calcium, which is necessary for the full development of the baby. However, today doctors advise not to introduce baby to milk protein until 6-8 months. This component of the diet can become the culprit of a number of problems, for example, allergies (including breathing problems), the development of diseases of immature kidneys, etc.
• If you started complementary feeding with porridge, it’s time to add a little butter to the plate. Also, from the 4th month of a baby’s life, pediatricians advise seasoning vegetable puree with vegetable oil. Perhaps a teaspoon will be enough, but first you need to add it one drop at a time, not forgetting to monitor the reaction of the child’s body. It’s much easier to do this if you keep a diary of your baby’s food.
• If you are interested in “what else can you feed your baby,” then your introduction to a new dish at 3 months was successful. Now you can gradually introduce fruit purees into his diet. But remember that a new product should be introduced into a child’s diet no more than once every three weeks.

Doctors recommend choosing a banana or an apple. However, there is information that children tolerate the tropical fruit well (since it is hypoallergenic), but the apple is not suitable for all children’s stomachs. This fruit, beloved by many, can cause severe abdominal pain, dysbiosis and restless behavior of the baby.

How to cook

There is a debate about what form is best to give fruit puree to children over 4 months of age. As a rule, supporters of raw food say that the product in its natural form has great benefits and contains all the necessary vitamins. But boiled applesauce has less benefit, since it partially lacks trace elements. Nevertheless, it is preferable to give fruit complementary foods from 4 months of breastfeeding only in ready-made form. The fact is that it is quite difficult for a fragile body to digest raw fruits.

We will tell you step by step how to prepare applesauce for a child. For this you will need 1 green apple and a pinch of sugar. Do not forget that the child’s body does not need sugar now, so add it in a minimal amount (only if the apple is sour).

Processed fruits must be peeled and cut into small pieces. Then place them in a fireproof pan and fill with purified water. Let the apples boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 7-10 minutes. After this, you can grind the contents of the saucepan to a puree using a blender. Another possible option is to rub through a strainer.

Artificial feeding: where to start complementary feeding?

It is recommended to start complementary feeding for “artificial” children from 4 months with vegetable puree or juice. It is better to prepare puree from boiled zucchini, potatoes, cauliflower, squash yourself without adding salt, sugar and butter.

It is ideal to boil vegetables in a water bath or boil large pieces in a small amount of water. If your child doesn’t like food, you shouldn’t force him to eat. Tomorrow you can dilute the puree with a teaspoon of your usual milk formula and repeat feeding.

Another option is carrot, pumpkin or non-acidic fruit juice.

It is better not to buy canned food for children, but to prepare it yourself. But the rule for both purees and porridges is “composition: one product.”

If you decide to start complementary feeding with cereals, you should:

• give preference to dairy-free cereals,
• cook thin porridge,
• choose cereal – buckwheat or rice.

Complementary feeding chart for children from 4 months

The scheme for feeding children from 4 months is simple - medicine offers a table of daily doses of foods for a baby, which can be a guideline for young mothers:

In order for the new food to benefit the baby, you need to follow the complementary feeding regimen from 4 months:

• complementary foods - from one product,
• give food - from a spoon,
• monitor the condition of the child and his stool,
• start getting acquainted with the product with 3-5 ml (half a teaspoon),
• offer complementary foods before milk or formula.

Kids do not immediately get used to new dishes. If they spit out the product, there is no need to be upset: they simply do not know how to eat it. Offer a little more, and repeat the next day .

The adaptation period may take 2 weeks or more. You can completely replace one feeding with complementary foods after 6-7 months. Then the children receive a portion of vegetable puree, soup or porridge for breakfast or lunch.

How to give a new dish to a child

Doctors recommend taking your time and continuing to give your baby treats in small portions (as you did during the first feeding at 3 months). No more than half a teaspoon at a time and no more than 1-2 times a day. A little time will pass, the baby will get used to the taste of the new food and will eat with appetite.

Many mothers wonder how to properly introduce complementary foods. After studying the information, they understand that a new treat should be offered to the baby at the very beginning of the meal, and then breastfed. But modern literature says that it is necessary to gradually increase the portion of complementary foods in order to completely replace one of the feedings with it in a few weeks. However, the baby is much calmer psychologically if his favorite sedative is not taken away from him.

In addition to the question of how to properly introduce complementary foods into the diet of a four-month-old toddler, mothers have the question of how to attract his attention to dull porridge or under-salted puree. Many authors of articles and books say that a nursing parent can give the baby a rattle to distract his attention from the unusual taste of the dish. Experts do not recommend doing this, since the combination of food and gaming moments can lead to the formation of unhealthy eating habits.

How to properly prepare complementary foods for your baby

The vegetables that you are going to use for preparing complementary foods must be thoroughly washed and placed in a container of boiling water. You need to cook them until the water has completely evaporated. This will take approximately 20 minutes. After cooking, prepare a homogeneous mixture of vegetables using a blender. You need to add a few drops of the diluted milk mixture to the resulting puree. There is no need to add sugar or salt. They are found in sufficient quantities in vegetables.

1. You should only use a plastic hand grater when preparing juice for your baby. This will help preserve vitamin C in it. If you use a metal grater, it will disappear.
2. When you start introducing porridge into your baby’s diet, choose only those that do not contain gluten: rice and buckwheat . This will help you avoid spasms and colic in the baby's ventricle. Afterwards, you can gradually introduce corn, wheat and oatmeal porridge.
3. Before you start cooking the porridge, you need to grind it to flour, and only then send it to low heat for 30 minutes. To prevent your porridge from burning, you must constantly stir it with a wooden spoon.
4. If you purchase ready-made baby food in stores, be sure to look at the manufacturer, expiration date and age at which this food can be consumed.
5. After 20 days of taking new food, you can completely replace one formula feeding with complementary foods.

Complementary feeding scheme from 4 months. Table

You can get more detailed information on how to properly feed your baby from the prepared table. It will help parents figure out how much food a growing body needs and how to properly start complementary feeding by the hour, alternating with milk or formula.

Whether to give your baby complementary foods at 4 months is up to you to decide. In any case, try not to force the baby if he persistently refuses the offered treat. And don’t forget that the process of introducing new foods should be under the supervision of a pediatrician whom you trust. Not grandparents, or neighbors on the landing, but a doctor.

First complementary feeding during breastfeeding from 6 months.

Complementary feeding according to Komarovsky is recommended to start with dairy products, in particular, with children's low-fat kefir, which is given for 4 days, gradually increasing the portion, and on the fifth day mixed with pureed low-fat cottage cheese.

However, most experts are firmly of the opinion that it is necessary to use light hypoallergenic fruits and vegetables in pureed and processed form as the first complementary food, starting with a minimum dose, and gradually leading to a complete replacement of one or two feedings with approved types of complementary foods.

At this age, complementary feeding should begin without any doubt, using three main types: pureed fruits and vegetables, one-ingredient cereals and juices, but if the baby was fed from an earlier age, then he is already given egg yolk, cottage cheese and dishes from two products.

We should not forget that all recommendations are of an average nature and are adjusted by the doctor taking into account the individual development and condition of the child.