Generally speaking, after 6 months, the nutrition of breast milk cannot meet the needs of children, especially for many growing babies, parents should consider adding complementary foods to their babies at this time. The order of adding complementary foods is generally from one to many, from simple to complex, and from thin to coarse. Don’t fall into the misunderstanding of adding complementary foods.

Common Misconceptions about Introducing Complementary Foods to Babies

1. Add complementary food early to form a habit, eat eggs first

The old man at home urged to add complementary food to the 5-month-old baby, saying that this can cultivate the baby's eating habits, and advocated that the egg custard can be made first, which is rich in nutrients and will not choke the baby. Is this statement correct?

In fact, when adding complementary food, the actual situation of the baby should be considered. Complementary food can only be added after the baby is ready. It is best not to add egg white before half a year old to avoid allergic reactions.

2. With a variety of complementary foods, I feel more nutritious

When preparing to add complementary foods to your baby, I feel that eating all kinds of ingredients together is more nutritious. Actually, this is not a good practice. For foods that may cause allergic reactions, such as eggs, be sure to avoid separating them from other foods. It is best to add the same type of complementary food, so that you can find out what your baby is allergic to in time.

3. The child is allergic to eggs, he can no longer eat eggs

If a child is allergic to eggs once, the child will never be able to eat eggs again, which is not right. When an allergic reaction occurs, it is common practice to stop the triggering food and wait until the child is 8 months or 1 year old. During this period, nutritional deficiencies should be supplemented with alternatives to that food. Children with egg allergies can add it in small, multiple doses until the child is about 1 year old, until they get used to it. Repeated exposure to egg whites (i.e. allergens) in small amounts will allow children to gradually become accustomed to eggs and gradually become less allergic to eggs.

4. Do not reduce the amount of milk after adding puree

When you try to add solid foods, you can eat as much milk as you want, generally not too much. After 2-3 weeks, puree should replace a meal of milk, a very important step early in the complementary feeding phase. Gradually reducing the intake of milk, while adding pure food, will provide your baby with a more reasonable amount of nutrition.

5. Forced eating

Weak babies have low ability to digest, absorb, and utilize food. If they don't want to eat, they must let them eat, which will make the stomach contents not excreted for a long time, which will inhibit food intake, cause the satiety center to be excited, and cause anorexia. Forced feeding can cause anorexia, and long-term anorexia will inevitably lead to diseases such as anemia, malnutrition, weight loss, and low immunity.

The two methods of chasing feeding, coaxing feeding or hitting and scolding eating seem to be diametrically opposite, but the result is the same. Children will be disinterested or even disgusted with eating because of indigestion caused by overeating. In addition, a long-term monotonous diet can make children feel dull and tired of eating.

6. Bottled puree food to eat as a "dish"

Bottled fruit puree food can not only match scientifically, but also ensure the content of calories and nutrients. How much you eat every day is strictly calculated. If you use it as a dish to save money, and pair it with your own porridge or noodles, it is likely to reduce the intake of important nutrients such as protein, fat, minerals, and vitamins, resulting in unbalanced nutrition. In addition, the shelf life after opening the bottle is only 48-72 hours, and we cannot consume it for a longer period of time. Therefore, take it as The practice of "vegetable" to eat is inappropriate.

7. Babies with diarrhea and constipation cannot add pureed food

Diarrhea is a change in the amount and nature of your baby's stool. After adding vegetable puree or fruit puree, the child's stool is mixed with some plant fiber or food color, and even the stool is thinner than usual, and the frequency is more frequent. This is a common phenomenon when adding puree food. Let him gradually adapt to it. If your baby is in a good mood and appetite, you don't have to worry. Just make the food you feed your child thinner and softer, and use less oil. If there is pus and blood in the stool or diarrhea, and the child has a fever, it may be due to eating unclean or spoiled food, and should go to the hospital.

Constipation is when the stools are hard and difficult to defecate, and the problem cannot be solved by skipping meals. Adjusting your child's stool through food is a safe and feasible method. Generally speaking, citrus, melon and fat can promote bowel movement, such as watermelon, melon, cucumber puree, radish, green vegetables, sweet potato, kelp, etc. It's important to note that apple puree and apple juice can make stools harder, so don't give apples to constipated children just yet.

8. Irregular feeding

When the baby is 4-6 months old, he can still breastfeed after feeding the mashed food each time. When the baby is 7-9 months old, he should use 2 times of complementary food instead of 2 meals of milk, hoping that he can eat regularly and quantitatively. Failure to do so can lead to an irregular rhythm of fullness and hunger in the gastrointestinal tract, affecting digestion and absorption. After the child grows up to 10-12 months, three meals a day have become an important part of his life. The correct way is to let the child sit and eat at a fixed time.

What if my child wants to eat before mealtime? The best thing to do is to distract him, play with him for a while, or go out for a walk. This is done to allow the child to experience the feeling of satiety and hunger.