Baby Nutrition BY MONTHS and Common Allergens
Many moms find themselves in real trouble when deciding how, when, and which puree to introduce into the baby’s diet. You can start introducing purees to your baby's menu as early as between 4 and 6 months of age.
However, breast milk, as well as formula, satisfies all of the baby's nutritional needs until the sixth month, so if your baby is developing well, there is no need to introduce new food earlier. In any case, before starting with purees, always consult your doctor first.
According to pediatrician Ruža Bajić, breast milk helps the development of the digestive tract, so it is very important for the child to try all foods while breastfeeding, assuming the mother breastfeeds until the child turns one year old - writes the portal Biti roditelj.
- Breastfeeding reduces the risk of food allergies and increases the baby's immunity. It is also very important to gradually introduce solid foods and in small amounts – two to three spoons a day. Only one food is introduced at a time, and it should be tested for at least three days to monitor possible allergic reactions. You can start with cereals, preferably rice porridge first, because this cereal has a neutral taste which will help the baby get used to the new diet, or with fruit juice and fruit purees, and finally introduce vegetable and lean meat purees – advises the pediatrician.
It’s your choice whether to offer your baby a ready-made store-bought puree or make it yourself. It is important to first introduce cereals that do not contain gluten, such as rice, corn, millet, quinoa, and only then wheat, rye, and barley which do contain gluten. As for fruit, it is recommended to start with apple and pear, first as juice, then as puree.
Many people choose boiled potato as the premiere vegetable in the baby's diet because it has a sweet and pleasant taste. Potatoes should be given to the baby boiled without any additives. Do not salt them under any circumstances. Boiled carrot from unsalted chicken soup can also be great food for beginners. Mash it, add a few drops of milk, breast or formula, and offer it to the baby.
Food allergies and intolerances are increasing every year, even among newborns. The symptoms are different, while the solution is always the same - avoiding that ingredient in the child's diet. The comforting fact is that in as many as 80 percent of cases, allergies disappear after the second or third year, and by gradually introducing solid foods you reduce the risk of your child developing allergies.
Symptoms to watch out for, depending on the allergenic food, include vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, rash, swelling of the lips and tongue, eczema, and there may also be growth delays.
- Besides cow's milk protein, the most common nutritional allergens from the introduction of solid food until the age of three are eggs, gluten, and peanuts, but also other nuts, berries, seafood - not fish but crustaceans, shellfish and the like, as well as honey and some seeds such as poppy and sesame – warns Dr. Bajić.
In eggs, the egg white is most often the culprit and therefore it is not recommended to give it to the baby before the first year of life. Egg yolk can be introduced after the sixth month, but gradually.
How to introduce food to babies
BETWEEN SEVEN AND EIGHT MONTHS different foods are still slowly introduced, but also combined purees from foods already accepted. Now the baby can try veal, egg yolk, and liver. The yolk should be well cooked (5–7 minutes) and introduced gradually (1/8, 1/4, 1/2, then the whole yolk). Once the baby accepts the whole yolk, it can be given twice a week combined with other foods.
IN THE TENTH MONTH breakfast is introduced to the baby. This can be cornmeal porridge, bread soaked in milk, yogurt, cheese, sour milk, cream with whole grain bread, semolina... From the tenth month, the baby can eat cooked fish (trout, hake), as well as bean, pea, or green bean soups.
FROM ELEVEN TO TWELVE MONTHS the baby can be offered finely chopped food which they can pick up and eat on their own. Start with chopped fruit (peach, banana, apple). The baby will happily eat pieces of bread spread with cream or cheese with their fingers. Also useful are peas, sweet corn, and small pieces of meat.
AFTER THE FIRST BIRTHDAY the baby switches to the family menu, except that the baby's meal should not be salted or seasoned. Now the baby can eat the whole egg – boiled, baked, or scrambled. Only after the first year can children eat honey, lemon, oranges, and kiwi.
And don’t forget that your baby needs breast milk or formula until they turn one year old. Milk gives them the necessary vitamins, iron, and proteins in an easily digestible form. Solid food cannot replace all the nutrients provided by breast milk in the baby's first year of life.
