Instruction

From birth to six months, only breastfeeding is desirable. Mother's milk is 90% water, which satisfies the baby's need for liquid. You need to feed 10 to 12 times a day. By 3, 6 to 8 feedings are enough for most. A six-month-old baby is breastfed 4-5 times during the day and 1-2 times at night. Sometimes the child does not have enough breast milk, then supplementary feeding is introduced in the form of milk. If the situation is not critical (when the milk disappears abruptly), then the mixture is administered starting with 10 ml, and 10-20 ml are added every day, carefully monitoring the reaction of the body. Complementary foods should be postponed until 6 months.

next six months. Undoubtedly, mother's milk is the ideal food for a baby. But the growing body of the child needs nutrients, which are no longer enough in the mother's milk. Introduce complementary foods into the diet: mashed boiled or baked vegetables and fruits, cereals, meat. The best food for the first time is vegetable puree, then you can try cereals, and by the ninth month, add meat. The stores now have a large selection of baby food. Introduce new foods into the diet of the crumbs gradually and better during the morning feeding. The norm of the sample is no more than 10 g. Carefully observe the reaction of the child, the condition of his skin, stool. If complementary foods are not well tolerated, it is better to replace it or wait a month or two and try again. Salt and sugar until a year is better not to add.

Consider what foods are acceptable in the period from 1 year to 3 years. Leading positions in milk and dairy products: adapted milk formula, kefir, fermented baked milk, cottage cheese, sour cream, cottage cheese, a small amount of cheese. Remember, whole cow's milk is best not to give. The diet includes meat of various varieties, except for pork, approximately 100 g per day. Low-fat varieties of fish, only 20–30 g. Do not give your child sausages. Half a boiled egg or 1 egg in the form of an omelet. In the menu, you can include a small amount of vegetable oil first, and then butter. Buckwheat, pearl barley, barley groats, as well as pasta are very useful (but 1-2 times a week). Babies can be given rye and wheat bread, dryers, crackers. And, of course, the source of vitamins is fruits and vegetables. But the use of sweets and chocolate is better to postpone, at least until the onset of three years.

From 3 to 6 years old. This is an extremely active time in a child's life. He spends a lot of energy and restores it with the help of food. The diet should be dominated by carbohydrates. The daily menu should include: milk, meat, vegetables, fruits, butter, sugar. Once a week eggs, fish, cheese, cottage cheese. It is better to feed the child at a certain time and 3-4 times a day. This is necessary for the complete absorption of food. Features of cooking and culinary processing of dishes come down to the fact that it is necessary to avoid hot spices and fried foods. Do not include convenience foods, chips, soda in your child's diet.

Many parents, one way or another, are concerned about the nutritional problems of their babies: some children are always very difficult to feed, while others, on the contrary, eat too much. We will talk about what should never be done when feeding a child, even with the best of intentions.

Snacks

Quality and Quantity

As soon as a child gets acquainted with complementary foods, many parents, not to mention grandparents, have a desire to pamper their baby with something delicious. Indeed, it is so pleasant to watch how a child tries a new present with interest or smacks something sweet with pleasure. Sometimes adults get carried away and can feed the baby with such an amount of product that exceeds the age norm. And if at the same time the baby tries it for the first time, then a breakdown in the work of the digestive organs is possible - the child may experience vomiting, abdominal pain, stool disorder and allergic reactions.

Adults often forget that there are foods that need to be given with great care to young children, and some of them should not be introduced early into a child's diet at all. However, it is not uncommon to see a small child treated to such food on the street or at a party. These can be chips, smoked meats, meat and fish delicacies, marinades, side dishes with spicy sauce, salads with mayonnaise and various hot spices, exotic fruits, all kinds of "adult" sweets - cakes, pastries, chocolate, nuts, sparkling water, fanta, pepsi -cola... All these products contain substances that are harmful to the health of the baby, many of them are correctly called "pollutants" of food, they overload the digestive system, can cause and toxically affect immature organs.

The formation of the liver, pancreas and other organs of the baby has not yet been completed, they must be spared, therefore, at an early and preschool age, it is necessary to feed the child with products intended for.

A special place among harmful products is occupied by sweets when they are consumed excessively. Of course, a certain amount of sugars is necessary for the development of a child, and it is fully provided with fruits, compotes and a moderate amount of children's sweets (baby cookies, fruit marmalade, jam, marshmallow). However, often adults cannot resist the temptation and feed the baby with sweets, cookies, cakes, buns with sweet drinks, etc. Thus, they themselves form in their child the wrong taste habits and addiction to sweets, and an excess of sugar leads to completely harmless consequences, such as increased stress on the pancreas, allergies, obesity, caries, weakening. An excess of refined foods limits the intake of other nutrients, as a result, the child receives less vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber.

Therefore, we must not forget that there are rules for the introduction of complementary foods, age norms for products, as well as lists of products that can and cannot be consumed at an early age.

Another spoonful

Every mother tries very hard when preparing food for her child, and it's a shame when the baby does not want to finish his portion or refuses to eat at all. Out of the best of intentions, thinking that the child needs to eat all this, the mother begins to persuade him, then force him, and then force-feed him. All this will cause a negative reaction in the baby, vomiting may occur, and, of course, the mood of both will be spoiled. Ultimately, such food will be poorly absorbed.

If a child refuses to eat, you need to try to understand the reasons for his refusal, which can be very diverse. He may not like the proposed dish, he may not like some kind of product, or he may not want this product right now. In these cases, you should not force the child to eat unloved food or what he does not want at the moment - his needs must be respected.

Often, mothers whose children do not eat well offer several dishes to choose from: if you don’t want this, here’s another. Not? Then the third ... And this leads to the fact that the child becomes very capricious and often it is still impossible to please him. Therefore, it is better to offer the baby one or maximum two dishes. Other meals can only be offered at the next meal.

If the baby is very interested in something, then you should not abruptly tear him away from the lesson, you can wait a bit; if the lesson is delayed, then try to gently switch his attention to the need to "refresh". Children can eat poorly during illness, when they are offended, upset, and sometimes there are simply periods when they do not feel like eating. Often the child's body itself regulates the necessary intake of food, and force-feeding will disrupt his condition. In addition, the baby will remember these situations very well, and for the rest of his life he may have a negative attitude towards the food that he was forced to eat in childhood.

The situation is more complicated when the child regularly refuses to eat. But even in such cases, force-feeding will not lead to favorable results.

Then it is necessary to qualitatively revise the child's diet, select the necessary and favorite foods, develop a certain feeding stereotype so that the child has his own place, favorite spoon, cup, plate, he can participate in cooking himself. During feeding, you can tell the baby about what foods he eats, what everything is tasty and healthy, you need to feed mom, dad, favorite toy, etc. But entertaining a child with "TV" or arranging homemade masquerade shows during meals is not very good, as he is distracted by such fun and he develops the wrong attitude to feeding.

Violation of the rules of feeding includes non-compliance with hygiene measures. Toddlers who do not have their own cutlery, who are not taught to wash their hands before eating and eat carefully, do not form the concept of hygiene. Subsequently, this is fraught with the development of infectious diseases.

An adult has a huge variety of microbes in the oral cavity, some of them are harmful to the child, so you do not need to feed the child from the same spoon that you just ate yourself. The baby has its own composition of microflora, and there is no need to introduce unfavorable microorganisms into it.

food culture

It is wrong to allow to play around at the table, to eat carelessly, to allow eating with your hands when the child is already quite capable of using cutlery, throwing food or pouring it on the table. It is necessary to teach the child to the rules of behavior at the table: to learn how to use a spoon, fork, knife, napkin, etc. The child should have a certain place for eating - his own small table or a place at the common table and a special chair on which the baby can sit on his own. Do not try to feed your baby while playing.

It is very important to understand that right eating behavior and habits are formed in a child from a very early age. In order to avoid various problems with the health and behavior of the child, it is desirable that parents feed the baby correctly from birth, and not only the education of the child, but also the right example from adults will play a big role in this.

Marina Narogan,
Pediatrician, State Research Center for Health
children of RAMS, Ph.D. honey. Sciences
Article provided by the magazine "Mom and Baby" N 03 2007

Discussion

That's the way it should be. I somehow intuitively understood this from the very beginning: there were no problems with appetite, regime, behavior at the table and there are none. I look at other mothers, how they suffer with their children, they try to “feed”, and not “give food” - it becomes a pity for them and the children. And then it is very difficult to break bad habits in children. In my opinion, it is with grandmothers that most of all problems arise, they have our child always cold and hungry.

dear ladies, you are all so well-read and advanced here in terms of raising and caring for a child, and I am not at all experienced in this matter, my child gets drunk, what he grabs from the table and eats and it will not necessarily be edible, I wash my hands once a week , we smear porridge on the table, pour tea on the floor, which is why such wonderful cheerful ants have settled in us, because we all have food in fact snacks, today only 1.5 tbsp was eaten. spoons of porridge and 3 tbsp. tea and a pound of cookies, I think such anarchy will bring many here into a state of shock, grandmothers are far away, the husband is even further away, living conditions are like in the era of brontosaurs, there is no time to brush your teeth, let alone read to look through, in short, the article is necessary and for people like me it is briefly clearly understandable and tomorrow where will I start my day so I will wash the hardened hands of my daughter and she is only 1.3 years old
hi everyone zarina

Great article,
so what if we are all well-read here on the site,
the article is read in a journal.
I know quite a few cases of "another spoon" - and then the mother with the spoon runs after the child herself, while the child plays and tries to shove the spoon. :(

All of the above is true. And it may seem trite to one and interesting to another. I have a friend who did just that - she gave several dishes to choose from. And when I told her that you can’t give more than 2 to choose from, I tried it - it helped.
True, I know all this, and I would not refuse an article with simple, useful and tasty menu examples. It is also interesting whether there are any average norms - how much is too much and how much is too little.

I think that this article is more likely for conference 1-3.

Yeah, and it's a pity that they didn't write about feeding babies after 4 hours and a break at 6 hours. Evaluation of the article: trite, uninteresting, with distortions and excesses.

Kids don't know what to clean up after themselves. When they get dirty, they are primarily interested and fun. They are not at the royal reception, but at home at the table.

It is rare in any book that it is written that you can not feed the baby from a spoon, but let him eat the way he likes.

Yes, sometimes it seems that it is faster and neater to feed him yourself, while depriving the baby of the opportunity to explore

new food for him. Imagine that you are blindfolded and given an unfamiliar product. Most people find it uncomfortable and unsettling to eat with their eyes closed, because we "taste" food not only with the taste buds of the tongue, but also with our eyes, hands and nose. No wonder experienced mothers say - and this is confirmed by research - that the baby should "try" the food fifteen times before he gets used to it. “Try” means that the baby will look at the new food, touch it, crush it in his hands, lick it and spit it out, sniff it, crush it with his gums or chew it with his teeth, and eventually swallow it. If the baby just sees an apple or a piece of meat, it does not mean anything to him, because he is not familiar with these products. “Remove the bandage from his eyes”, that is, let him “try” the food on his own, including with his hands. Just as it's easier for you to see what you're eating, it's better for him to feel the food with his hands before putting it in his mouth.

Some argue that the current epidemic of obesity and eating disorders is partly due to the rigid approach to feeding children, when parents dictate when, how and how much a child should eat, they unwittingly create unnecessary conflict out of the blue. Contrary to their parents, children refuse to eat, sometimes to the detriment of their health. Research shows that any kind of parental control that forces them to finish eating, or vice versa, restricts food or prevents the baby from eating on his own, leads to poor weight gain in two-year-old children. Not surprisingly, bottle-feeders control the nutrition of older children more than breastfeeders.

The food is good on its own. When we are hungry, we suck in the stomach, we get irritated. We eat and we become
well, we are filled with a sense of peace and relaxation. When the baby eats not because he is hungry, but because he is forced, all the pleasure of eating disappears. He is prevented from understanding what is pleasant. It is impossible to enjoy something by force, at the behest of someone else.

An interesting study has been done. Children were offered food a little more than they needed. Most three-year-olds usually left some food on their plate, and most five-year-olds ate the excess. Scientists concluded that children have forgotten how to follow their inner feelings for the sake of external pressure - the requirement to finish eating everything that is on the plate.

By putting your baby to the breast in response to his requests for six months, you have already laid a solid foundation for healthy eating habits. Continue to nurture your child's independence by creating an environment to explore the taste, quality, and joy of food. Never mind that it's a bit of a sticky, wet and messy process.

Proper feeding of a newborn in the first days of life is as important an element of growth and development as mother's care and care for the baby. The ideal option is breastfeeding. If for various reasons it is not possible to breastfeed, high-quality milk formulas for newborns will help out.

It is important for a young mother to know how to organize the nutrition of a tiny man. Study the material: you will find answers to many questions related to the organization of nutrition for the smallest children. The most important thing is to ensure maximum comfort for mom and baby.

How to properly feed newborns

At the maternity hospital, staff will talk about the benefits of early breastfeeding, and provide conditions for close contact between mother and baby immediately after birth. Now the babies are in the same room with their mother, which allows them to feed the baby “on demand”.

If there is a shortage of milk, do not despair, try to establish natural feeding. Drink plenty of fluids, try to calm down, breastfeed your baby more often. Even a minimal amount of milk will benefit. Supplement the newborn with mixtures, control behavior, weight, and stool quality. In the absence of milk, switch to artificial mixtures.

Breast-feeding

The benefits of early breastfeeding have been proven by neonatologists and pediatricians, confirmed by satisfied mothers and well-fed, peacefully snoring babies. Close emotional contact is one of the benefits of breastfeeding.

Breast milk benefits:

• crumbs (the child receives fully digestible food, develops well, gets sick less often);
• mother (the uterus contracts more actively under the influence of sucking movements of the crumbs, the body recovers more quickly after childbirth).

First stage

In the first hours after childbirth, the mammary glands produce a valuable product - colostrum. The amount of useful substance is small, but the rich composition, high fat content satisfy the needs of the crumbs for food. An important detail - colostrum saturates the small organism with biologically active substances, strengthens the immune system.

In most maternity hospitals, early attachment to the breast is practiced. An exciting moment for mom and baby, falling into an unfamiliar world. The warmth of the breast, the smell of milk soothe the newborn, allow you to feel the protection. The more colostrum a child can get, the better for his immunity.

Homecoming

Many young mothers get lost, panic, being at home with a newborn. There is a caring dad nearby, a familiar environment, but there is still excitement. If a woman listened to the recommendations of the maternity hospital staff, there would be less difficulties with breastfeeding.

Features of feeding newborns with breast milk:

• the diet in the first week takes into account the interests of the newborn more. Mom will have to adapt to the needs of the baby;
• it is useful to observe when the baby is really hungry, to note the interval between feedings that the child can withstand. The best option is 3 hours, but in the first week, babies often require milk with loud crying after 1.5–2 hours;
• pediatricians advise: feed the baby “on demand”, when he eagerly searches for breasts with his mouth. Gradually, the child will get stronger, will be able to drink more valuable liquid at a time, will stay full longer. Active breastfeeding will increase lactation, the nutritional needs of the infant and the capabilities of the mother will gradually coincide;
• after a couple of weeks, accustom the baby to the diet. If in the first days you fed your baby every one and a half to two hours during the day and after 3-4 hours at night, gradually switch to seven meals a day. The regimen improves the functioning of the tiny intestines, gives mom a rest.

Suitable postures

Choose the position that best suits you. Remember: each feeding in the first weeks of a newborn's life lasts a long time.

Keep in mind that you are unlikely to succeed in sitting for half an hour or more beautifully, bending over the baby (as nursing mothers pose for photos in magazines), especially after a difficult birth. If the mother is uncomfortable or hard to hold the baby, she is unlikely to have pleasant thoughts, tender feelings.

Try several poses, choose the optimal one, taking into account the condition of the chest, weight, age of the crumbs. As the baby grows, an uncomfortable position can become suitable and vice versa.

Basic postures for feeding newborns:

• supine position. The baby leans on mommy with arms, legs, head. Woman's shoulders, head raised with a pillow. The pose is suitable for abundant milk flow;
• lying on your side. This convenient option is chosen by many mothers, especially for evening and night feedings. Be sure to alternately lie on each side so that both breasts are emptied;
• the classic sitting position for feeding. Mom holds the child in her arms. Pillows under the back, on the knees and under the elbow will help reduce hand fatigue, “reduce” the weight of the baby;
• hanging posture. Recommended for poor outflow of milk. The newborn lies on his back, mommy feeds him from above, bending over the baby. Not very comfortable for the back, but effective for emptying the chest;
• posture after caesarean section, when nursing twins. The woman is sitting, the baby lies so that the legs are behind the mother's back, the head peeks out from under the mother's hand. This pose removes the manifestations of lactostasis - stagnation of breast milk, accompanied by soreness, pronounced compaction of the lobules of the mammary gland.

Milk formulas for babies

Artificial feeding is a forced measure, but in the absence of breast milk, you will have to adapt. Properly organize the nutrition of the newborn, listen to the recommendations of pediatricians.

Features of feeding newborns with a mixture:

• unlike breastfeeding, when the baby eats and falls asleep, the nutrient mixture has a certain dosage. It is important to know how much breast milk replacer to give to the "artificial" per day;
• from the first days, feed the baby 7 times, an interval of 3 hours. Later, you can switch to six meals a day with an interval of 3.5 hours;
• choose a quality mixture that provides satiety, maximum nutrients. Unfortunately, it will not work to feed the baby on demand: the mixture cannot be given “whenever you want”, it is important to maintain a certain interval;
• occasionally it is allowed to shift the time of the next intake of a useful mixture, but not by much. Violation of the rules causes problems with the baby's stomach / intestines;
• choose milk formulas for newborns from well-known manufacturers, without palm oil, sugar, maltodextrin. As a last resort, there should be a minimum amount of components that support a feeling of fullness;
• if there is not enough breast milk, you have to constantly supplement the crumbs. First, offer the breast, then - baby food in a spoon. Avoid the bottle: it is easier to get milk from the nipple, after a while the baby will probably refuse the breast;
• be sure to give the newborn - "artificial" boiled water. The volume of liquid depends on age;
• artificial feeding will help you get healthy twins or triplets. Mom does not have enough milk for two / three children, you have to give a nutrient mixture. As babies grow, breast milk is replaced with formula milk.

How much should a child eat

How much should a newborn eat per feeding? When breastfeeding, the child himself feels when the ventricle is full. The baby stops sucking at the breast, calmly falls asleep.

To feed the "artificial" mother must pour a certain amount of the mixture into the bottle so that the newborn does not remain hungry. Pediatricians have developed a formula for calculating the volume of baby food for each day.

The calculations are simple:

• the newborn weighs less than 3200 grams. Multiply the number of days lived by 70. For example, on the third day, the baby should receive 3 x 70 \u003d 210 g of milk mixture;
• The newborn weighs over 3200 grams. The calculation is similar, only multiply the number of days by 80. For example, on the third day a large child should receive a large portion - 3 x 80 = 240 g of baby food.

Note! Calculations are suitable for the smallest. From the 10th day of life, the norms are different. A detailed calculation of the amount of formula for feeding babies - "artificial" you will find in the article, which describes the selection rules, features of the use of popular infant formula from 0 to 6 months.

Meal table by the hour

It is easier for young mothers to navigate if they have a clear idea of ​​​​the diet of the crumbs. For the first month, the newborn will sleep most of the time (up to 18 hours a day), the rest of the day will be awake.

Remember: when the baby does not sleep, half the time he sucks his mother's breast or receives infant formula instead of breast milk. Pay attention to the table of feeding newborns. It lists feeding times for normal weight babies.

• if the newborn spits up after feeding, a simple trick will help: carry the fed baby in a column for 10-15 minutes;
• the neck of the newborn is still very weak, how to act so as not to damage the bones, not to stretch the muscles? Put the head on your shoulder, hold the baby upright, gently press it to you, supporting the back and buttocks. This position will ensure the release of excess air, reduce the frequency and volume of regurgitation;
• after eating, you can not disturb the baby, it is undesirable to put it in the crib. Active games, tickling, braking are prohibited. Change the newborn also after 10-15 minutes, when the air has left the ventricle;
• if the newborn hiccups after feeding, he may have overeaten or is cold. Stroke the tummy, warm the baby, let the excess air out (hold it in a column). If the volume and pressure of breast milk is too large, feed the baby intermittently so that the previous portion has time to get into the tiny stomach.

How to maintain the emotional and physical health of a nursing mother

Helpful Hints:

• upon returning home after the maternity hospital, a woman should also get at least a little sleep, devote time to other family members and herself, otherwise psychological problems, a crisis in relations with her husband cannot be avoided;
• constant fatigue accumulates, mommy gets irritated for any reason, gets nervous. The result is a decrease in milk production, an eternally hungry, crying baby, again nerves and new worries. The circle closes. That is why it is important to take care not only of the baby, but also to maintain the health, psychological balance of a woman who has undergone natural childbirth or a caesarean section;
• The realization that with the birth of a baby a successful business woman has turned into a “milk machine” depresses many young mothers. The closest people should help here. Praise, pride for the person who gave a son (daughter) / grandson (granddaughter) must be expressed in warm words. A woman feels much more confident if she feels supported;
• An important point is helping to care for the baby. It’s good if the husband, grandmothers and a young mother share household chores. A woman needs to rest, often feed a newborn, recuperate. In the first two or three weeks, the lack of real help negatively affects the physical and psychological state of the nursing mother;
• unfortunately, it often happens that a husband stays late at work (not to mention how difficult it is to “knock out” a vacation after the birth of a baby), and grandmothers, due to various circumstances, cannot help with household chores. It is important to preserve breast milk, not to fall off your feet from fatigue;
• what to do? You will have to ask for help from good friends, relatives, neighbors. Surely, someone will agree to help you: go for groceries, buy diapers, or wipe the dust at home. Involve people you trust, don't refuse help. Even half an hour of rest for a young mother will be useful;
• cook simple meals, buy a slow cooker that minimizes labor costs for cooking. The device does not require constant monitoring, which is important in case of fatigue, frequent feedings, in a state when mommy thinks only about the baby and sleep.

Now you know how to start breastfeeding, how to give special formulas. Pay maximum attention to the crumbs, remember about your health and the existence of other family members. The right diet will provide maximum comfort for the baby and adults.

More helpful breastfeeding tips in the following video: