Here's another article for you!
Around complementary foods today there are many controversial opinions. A few decades ago, complementary foods began to be given as early as three weeks of a baby's life, and now the period for receiving other foods is being pushed further and further. Mothers and especially grandmothers find themselves in difficulty, and some doctors do not have time to refresh their knowledge ... What are the modern ideas about complementary foods?
What is complementary food
Approaches to complementary foods try to explain a lot of terms. Moms who actively communicate on the Internet have probably heard about the so-called pedagogical and pediatric complementary foods, but in fact everything is simpler. The World Health Organization, after several large studies of infant nutrition around the world, has given recommendations for complementary foods that are quite consistent with the views of most experienced mothers.
According to WHO, complementary feeding is the feeding of foods and liquids to infants in addition to breast milk or adapted formula. Babies first receive transitional foods, which are complementary foods specifically designed to meet the specific needs of the infant; and then it is time for food from the family table. Children are physically able to consume foods from the family table by the age of one year, after which these foods no longer need to be modified to meet their needs.
special needs of the infant.
Surprisingly, in the 30s and 40s of the last century, pediatricians called six months the optimal time to start complementary foods. The early initiation of complementary foods in the 1950s and 1960s was directly related to the widespread artificial feeding and the fact that mothers went to work very early, and the formulas of that time did not satisfy the needs of the child for vitamins.
Over time, as the composition of formulas improved and more and more new results of research on children's health came in, the timing of complementary foods was pushed further and further. From three weeks to one and a half months, then to three, to four, and finally to six. The test of time has shown that pre-war pediatricians were right.
What are the dangers of introducing complementary foods too early? It turns out that the earlier complementary foods are introduced, the greater the threat of dyspeptic diseases and food allergies due to the immaturity of the children's intestines. Against this background, the risk of malnutrition increases, because the immature children's body does not yet produce enough enzymes to help absorb "adult" food. WHO ongoing studies (most recently in seven countries around the world in 2002) have confirmed that introducing complementary foods before six months increases the risk of pneumonia and recurrent otitis media. Babies who were exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life crawled and walked earlier than children who received complementary foods shortly after four months of age. For all these reasons, the start of complementary foods at 6 months is the official recommendation of the ministries of health in most countries of the world, including the United States and Russia.
At the same time, the introduction of complementary foods can actually begin a little later, if the maturation of the baby is delayed or the baby is sick. It happens that a mother is worried: the child is already seven months old, but he does not show any interest in complementary foods, and the signs of readiness to receive complementary foods have not all appeared yet - is it really force-feeding? Of course you don't have to! WHO in its recommendations indicates that if the mother is fully nourished, then the child is guaranteed to have enough of all the nutrients and trace elements of breast milk up to about 8 months. The global recommendation to start complementary foods from 6 months is made taking into account the fact that not all mothers actually eat normally today, especially those who live in third world countries!
The purpose of complementary foods is to provide your baby with extra energy. And since his ventricle is still quite small, then with energy value lower than that of breast milk, it turns out that the child, on the contrary, loses energy and nutrients Oh. Therefore, complementary foods should have a high energy and micronutrient density and should be given in small amounts and frequently. Diluted porridge, broth and similar products cannot act as complementary foods - for a baby this is a loss in the quality of food!
After six months, the substances that the child first begins to miss are iron and zinc. Therefore, porridge or vegetables are recommended as the first complementary food for a child, in which iron and zinc are in fairly easily digestible forms. If the child is not gaining weight well or has loose stools, it is better to start with cereals, but if the baby strengthens more often, then it is worth starting with vegetables. The second complementary food, respectively, is vegetables or porridge, the third is meat, and only then everything else.
The second complementary foods are introduced in parallel with the first after a month. It is necessary to focus primarily on vegetables and fruits of the seasonal period and our latitude, avoiding the exotic. As a rule, the first vegetables in the diet are zucchini, cauliflower, carrots. It is more convenient for someone to use factory-prepared mashed potatoes, although one must be prepared for the fact that for a very long time the mother will almost completely eat the jar. Someone simply adds vegetables to the diet of the whole family, in which case
it is good to use a double boiler for cooking vegetables: food is cooked quickly, and vitamins are stored in greater quantities. Ready vegetables can be chopped with a blender.
The cereals with which complementary foods begin should be hypoallergenic: these are rice, buckwheat and corn, which do not contain gluten, a vegetable protein that often causes an allergic reaction. And you should always remember that no single product can provide the body with all the nutrients. For example, potatoes provide vitamin C but no iron, while bread and beans provide iron but not vitamin C. The value of breast milk and even adapted formula remains significantly higher for the first year than any other product, so do not rush to switch. a portion of mother's milk for a carrot or an apple!
As for drinking, the need for it arises only when the baby receives already significant portions of complementary foods. In most cases, this happens after 8-10 months, or even later. In parallel with the introduction of complementary foods, the mother may offer the baby to drink compote or water from a cup, but if the baby refuses, there is no need to insist.
And yet, in practice, the main problem of complementary foods is not to feed the baby with some specific foods, but to feed him in general. Why do so many children refuse complementary foods? This happens if the mother forgets that complementary foods are just a transitional stage on the baby's journey from breast milk or an adapted formula to adult food. And its meaning is that the child has the desire and ability to eat food from the family table!
When giving complementary foods, a mother should always keep in mind that a well-fed child is a momentary goal, and the main goal is for the crumbs to have an appetite and interest in food from the family table. Therefore, the child should not be fed at any cost when he does not want to! If the mother begins to intensively and seriously feed the baby, then he gets the impression that food is a forcibly imposed object, the value of which is not great, and begins to avoid feeding attempts.
To prevent this from happening, you need to arouse interest in food. Usually, babies around the age of 5-6 months begin to show food interest, that is, to demand what their parents eat. At the same time, babies are quite suspicious and conservative; they usually prefer not to put something that is completely unfamiliar to them. Therefore, in order to arouse in the child the desire to eat something other than mother's milk, it is necessary to put him at the table with you (instead of separate feedings). The child should see how his family members handle food, and what they eat with appetite, they like to eat. Most often it happens that the baby just watches for a while (you don’t need to offer him anything without his request), and then - sometimes after a couple of meals, sometimes after a few days - he will definitely begin to ask to give him too. With this in mind, mom simply keeps a clean spoon nearby for the baby and puts some food on her plate that she plans to give as complementary foods (if homemade food, then, of course, set aside at the cooking stage so that it is without spices, milk, etc. .), and when the baby begins to ask - not even the first time, but when he shows a bright initiative - he gives a little food intended for the child, one or two teaspoons. If the child asks for more - at first you should not give, this can be an unnecessary burden on digestion, and helps to form an idea of \u200b\u200bfood as a value. If the child, on the contrary, frowns and spits out, there is no need to insist and even more so scold, this will contribute to the formation of a negative attitude towards food. Just offer another food another time, and after a while you can offer the same thing. There is an interesting pattern that suggests that in order for a child to have an appetite for some kind of food, he needs to try it 8-10 times, and a clear increase in positive perception of food occurs after 12-15 times. Therefore, those products that the child initially refuses are often accepted later.
It is often believed that babies later begin to show interest in food from the family table, with the correct introduction of complementary foods, turns out to be erroneous. As practice has shown, with competent and careful introduction of complementary foods, babies on breastfeeding quickly begin to show interest and actively eat from the family table! The researchers suggested that this is due to the fact that, in contrast to the "artificial" receiving food industrial production with the same taste, babies are already accustomed to different shades of taste and smell transmitted from mother's milk.
If the baby is already about a year old, and he eats complementary foods in a minimal amount, this should not be a reason to cancel breastfeeding or refuse adapted mixtures. Toddlers do not associate the process of saturation with the parent table for a very long time! The incentive to try solid food for him is interest and the desire to behave "like adults", and not at all the desire to get enough. And the cancellation of the usual source of saturation very often leads to the fact that the baby does not start eating solid food in large quantities - if the mother did not help create interest in "adult" food, it will not arise from scratch. The right way is to give up the desire to feed the child immediately with a large amount of food, and go through all the stages of complementary feeding again, although for a grown child, each stage will take not a month or two, but a week or two. So, what stages should a baby go through in developing an interest in food from the family table?
Approximate stages of complementary feeding.
First stage: 6-7 months.
At this stage, the main goal is for the baby to taste the taste of other foods and learn how to eat from a spoon. At this time, the baby is offered very a large number of complementary foods at a time, just one to two teaspoons at a time and just one to two times a day. At the same time, the baby needs time to learn how to remove food from the spoon with his lips and move it inside the mouth, so some of the food may fall out of the mouth - this does not mean that the child does not like the food. The main source of energy is breast milk, and for "artists" - an adapted mixture. Breastfeeding is continued on demand, and the mixture is given in the same quantities and at the same interval as before!
The food that the baby receives at this stage is mashed foods, consisting of one ingredient, soft texture, without added sugar, salt or hot spices. It can be either a single-component mashed potatoes or factory-made porridge, or home-cooked food: mashed rice, soft thick porridge, vegetable puree. For a milder taste and better absorption, you can add expressed breast milk or formula to your baby's food.
Second stage: 7-8 months.
When the baby can not only sit without support, but also transfer objects (for example, a spoon) from one hand to another, you can give thicker food and add new flavors. Breastfeeding continues at the same time on demand, but we must remember that often children at this time begin to ask for breasts less often. To ensure that the amount of milk your baby needs does not decrease, early childhood feeding experts advise offering complementary foods only after breastfeeding.
The food of this stage is well-cooked mashed meats (especially liver), legumes, vegetables, fruits and various grain products. Sugar and salt are still not welcome! Mom offers food two or three times a day, the baby still eats a little, but from a wider range of foods.
Third stage: 8-10 months.
It's time to learn how to deal with small pieces of food. Mom not only feeds from a spoon, but also offers the crumbs food that he can take with his fingers: slices of fruit, unsweetened cookies, pieces of cheese or carrots. Breastfeeding continues on demand, but in parallel with the meal, the mother also offers the baby to drink from a cup: it can be water, compote or fermented milk products. Babies may refuse additional fluids, but you should not worry about this: breast milk still meets the needs of the baby, provided that feeding is on demand, so it is up to the mother to provide a choice. Formula-fed or predominantly formula-fed babies can be fed unmodified cow's milk after 9 months.
Food should be varied and contain fruits and vegetables, legumes and small quantities fish, kefir, meat, liver, eggs or cheese. Infants are offered food three to four times a day, and children who are not breastfeeding should eat at least five times a day.
Fourth stage: 10-12 months.
These are the last months of complementary feeding, when adults are still giving the child adapted food and monitoring its amount so that the baby does not eat too much or too little. Breast milk continues to form an important part of the diet and should preferably be the main fluid during the second year of life and beyond.
Products at this stage should be chopped or mashed, and the meat should be rolled in a meat grinder. Each meal includes foods that you can take with your fingers: small cubes of fruit, vegetables, potatoes, cheese and soft meat to teach the baby to eat independently and determine the consistency of products. In infants at this time, three main meals alternate with two light snacks.
By the age of about one year, children can eat regular food from the family table and do not require specially prepared meals. Adding salt is still not recommended, and limiting salt will benefit the entire family. Children eat slowly, so special care must be taken to allow extra time and attention to be given to them. It is impossible to scold a baby if he has not coped with something or refuses something, food should be a source of positive emotions!
Common mistakes when introducing complementary foods
- feeding is not an end in itself. A mother who gives complementary foods to her baby must firmly understand that complementary foods are not the main, but complementary nutrition. No need to try to give the child a certain amount of complementary foods at all costs! Circumstances must always be taken into account. Complementary foods are introduced later to premature babies and babies with allergies. New types of complementary foods are not introduced during illness and after vaccinations! During illness or teething, the baby’s appetite drops sharply, and this is natural - complementary foods should be postponed, because energy is spent on digesting food that is unusual for the body, it is needed for recovery.
- juice is not a product of the first complementary foods. It is not suitable even for the second or third complementary foods. The baby needs a lot of energy, and physically he is able to consume very little food. Therefore, the foods he receives must have a certain energy density, otherwise there is a risk of malnutrition. In addition, in old Soviet books, juices were recommended as additives, correcting the lack of vitamins in mixtures produced half a century ago. In other words, it was recommended to start complementary foods with juices because it was assumed that the mother was no longer breastfeeding (very early work was considered the norm), and mixtures did not provide the child with the right amount of vitamins. Today, mothers often breastfeed for up to a year or more, and adapted formulas have significantly improved their composition! The early introduction of juices does not make sense precisely because this is a direct displacement of much more useful food for the child, while the fruit acids contained in the juices without the softening effect of the fiber contained in the fruits are quite aggressive. On average, in every third child, the introduction of juices earlier than 9 months causes allergic reactions and indigestion. Moreover, due to the combination of high acidity and sugars, fruit juices with active use often cause early childhood caries. So it’s better to wait with juices - after a while they can become friends with the baby, but let it happen later.
Complementary foods up to a year should not displace breast milk or an adapted formula. The World Health Organization, and after it the latest recommendations of the Ministry of Health and Social Development of Russia, specifically and repeatedly emphasize that complementary foods are not a substitute for nutrition, but rather complementary. Unfortunately, many pediatricians still proceed from outdated nutritional recommendations, which were given in such a way that by the year the breastfeeding was over, and the child was completely transferred to "adult" food. Today's recommendations, on the contrary, say that it is very useful to continue breastfeeding after a year, therefore it is useful to give complementary foods along with breastfeeding, and not instead of breastfeeding. Otherwise, it really turns out in a year or even earlier that mom's milk is over.
If complementary foods begin to replace breast milk feeding, this leads to a decrease in lactation and, accordingly, to the risk of insufficient intake of energy and nutrients by the child. No product in its value can be compared with the value of breast milk, therefore, the amount of milk that the baby receives should not be allowed to decrease due to the increase in complementary foods! On the contrary, as the baby grows, more energy is needed, and complementary foods should make up for this missing energy with the same amount of breast milk or adapted formula as before. And in parallel with the introduction of complementary foods, the mother continues breastfeeding on demand.
The same applies to artificial children. Many mothers are very tempted to completely abandon mixtures by 8-9 months and switch to complementary foods. Moreover, it is more economically profitable, especially if you prepare complementary foods yourself. But cheaper does not mean better for the child! The most suitable food for a child up to a year is, of course, breast milk, followed by an adapted mixture. All other products lag far behind even the adapted mixture in terms of bioavailability and nutritional value. For example, the same iron, the need for which is so much talked about: in breast milk, the level of its availability for the baby is about 50%, and in infant formula - already about 15-20%. It would seem that there is a big difference, but from red meat, iron is absorbed by about 10%, and from vegetables and grain products specially fortified with iron - by only 4-5%! So for artificers, complementary foods for up to a year should remain precisely supplementary nutrition, and the main energy they need should be obtained from an adapted mixture by age.
Appendix 1: foods that should not be given to children for a long time
- coffee, black and green tea interfere with iron absorption and should be avoided
use up to two years. After the onset of this age, it is still recommended not to give children tea with meals, so as not to reduce the absorption of iron.
– herbal teas: WHO warns that due to their small body size and rapid rate of physical development, infants are less protected than adults from the pharmacological effects of certain chemical substances present in herbal teas. There is not yet enough scientific evidence to confirm the safety of various herbs and herbal teas for infants, but it has already been proven that most herbal teas - in particular the popular chamomile tea - have the same negative effect on iron absorption as regular tea and thereby contribute to the development of anemia.
Honey often contains Clostridium, which causes botulism. There are few of them, and the acid contained in the gastrointestinal tract of adults destroys clostridia. In children under three years of age, there is not enough acid for this, so the development of botulism is possible.
- Mushrooms are food that is difficult to digest even for some adults. Children are not recommended to eat mushrooms under three years of age: protein that is difficult to digest often causes digestive disorders.
Annex 2: Signs of readiness for the introduction of complementary foods
From ancient times, two main signs that the baby is ready for new food have come to us: when he has new teeth and he has learned to sit.
Today, experts also suggest taking into account the following signs:
- extinction of the pushing reflex - if the baby gets something into his mouth, he does not immediately try to push it out with his tongue;
- a doubling of birth weight (and for premature babies, it is proposed to talk about tripling);
- the baby can consciously turn away from the spoon if the proposed product is not liked;
- the child increases the frequency of breastfeeding or does not eat up with the usual portion of the mixture;
- finally, the baby shows food interest: he is actively interested in what his parents eat there.
Your baby is already quite an adult and it seems to you that the time has come for him to the first complementary foods? Then you met our article in time. Puree for babies is the best option, which is easily digested by the children's stomach, moreover, almost all children love this particular food consistency. It is also good that pediatricians recommend starting the transition to "adult" food with various purees. To choose the right or prepare the most delicious and healthy puree for the first feeding on your own, just follow our advice.
Purees for babies are adored not only by kids, but also by their parents for their ease of preparation. The process consists of just a few simple steps, which is why it is remarkable for the everyday life of a mother and baby: the daily bustle of the first year of life simply does not allow spending a lot of time preparing super-complex dishes. But in order to get acquainted with a new type of food with a bang, you need to offer it correctly. We will consider another important aspect: which baby puree will be the best - purchased or made at home.
Why puree?
Puree is the ideal food for breastfeeding, and there are several reasons for this:
- Soft foods are best absorbed by children's digestion.
- So that acquaintance with new food is not stressful for the baby, you can add a few drops of the usual breast milk or mixture to the puree: this way the dish will not lose its taste, and it will not be so alien for the child.
- The puree-like consistency allows the baby not to make serious efforts in order to get his portion of food: he practically does not have to chew (yes, perhaps there is nothing else).
- You can simply cook the dish yourself or buy a ready-made product: the quality of modern children's food famous brands is beyond doubt.
- If you decide to cook baby puree at home with your own hands, you can do it for the future. This luxury of saving time and effort is not available with all types of children's meals, because most of them need to be eaten only freshly prepared.
When the time comes
A baby in the first six months or a year of life can safely receive all the necessary substances from breast milk, and the inclusion of other products will be more of an addition than a replacement.
If earlier grandmothers introduced the child to new tastes already at the age of 3 months, today pediatricians strongly recommend starting the first complementary foods no earlier than six months.
Before reaching this age, the baby does not need any other food than their favorite sweet milk. As a rule, his immature digestion is not ready for gastronomic experiments. Another argument against early complementary foods is that the sooner you introduce a new food to your baby, the more likely he is to react to it with an allergy.
For formula-fed babies, the timing for the first complementary foods is usually earlier.
Probably, every mother wonders at what age she can give her baby new food, and almost always doubts whether her child is exactly ripe for such a “revolution” in her diet. Often experiences are in vain: the baby himself will begin to hint to her that he is ready for innovations. You will understand its signs by the following signs:
- the baby will begin to observe with interest what and how you eat;
- will ask for food more often;
- will try to eat on their own;
- if you give him something to try, he won't protest.
But when it is possible to give a child this or that food for complementary foods is an individual question for each new item on the baby's menu. Types of products are suitable for children's digestion in different ways and are characterized by varying degrees of allergenicity.
Fortunately, the basic rules from pediatricians do exist and have been successfully tested on personal experience many mothers.
Reminder for mom
Preparing mashed potatoes for babies is quite simple. This dish usually quickly enters the category of a child's favorite. And if you decide that it is time for your child to eat "adult" food, remember some important rules:
- The ideal option for complementary foods at 6 months of age is a one-ingredient, one-ingredient vegetable puree. A little later, when the baby's menu includes 1 introduced vegetable and more, you can mix the learned ingredients and prepare a monocomponent puree.
- It is recommended to start acquaintance with new products in the form of puree according to the following scheme: the baby is first offered a teaspoon of treats, then gradually, by slowly increasing the portion, the dosage is adjusted to 50 grams.
- The first step on the way to adult food often causes bewilderment in the baby, and more often - whims and protests. In this case, mom needs to be patient and not give up her attempts to introduce the stubborn little one to new food. Offer one type of food at least 10 times, and if the reaction to the product is the same negative, try using a different vegetable to mash for babies.
- No matter how bland and tasteless you may think baby puree for complementary foods tastes, it is forbidden to dilute it with salt, oil and spices. Your child is not yet familiar with other flavors, so the product will seem very edible and incomparable to anything, literally.
- Even if you've tried baby puree and feel like spitting it out, your baby shouldn't suspect it. The opposite approach is needed here: share a new dish with the baby and eat it with great pleasure: this way you will arouse his curiosity for the product.
It is better to offer home-made puree to the crumbs immediately after cooling: benefits and taste fresh food always higher.
Careful selection of ingredients
In such an important issue as the introduction of complementary foods to a baby, it is useful for every mother to know which foods are optimal for a child's body at the age of about 6 months.
The first dish for babies is usually vegetable purees and sometimes cereals. Today we are talking about puree. The main criteria when choosing a product for its preparation are hypoallergenicity, benefits, safety and ease of assimilation by children's digestion.
The universal components for complementary foods include zucchini and broccoli: it is from them that most parents prepare the first puree in the baby's life. When he gets these simple vegetables, it will be the turn of pumpkin, potatoes, green peas, carrots, spinach and kohlrabi.
But the question arises: which puree is better, cooked by yourself or purchased?
From mom with love
Many well-meaning mothers prefer to make baby puree at home in order to provide the baby's body with the most natural food. This solution has both pros and cons.
Advantages
- you cannot be deceived in the naturalness of the process: after all, you do everything yourself;
- mother in this case is the main expert on storage conditions and compliance with expiration dates;
- home-made baby purees are always the freshest and healthiest;
- guaranteed absence of preservatives, dyes and other harmful additives;
- you can cook treats "wholesale" and store in the freezer;
- confidence in the sanitary conditions of preparation;
- financial savings, because it is easier to buy necessary products for the future, rather than spending money on a jar of mashed potatoes every time;
- you yourself determine the portion and, depending on it, select the right amount of ingredients;
Flaws
Making mashed potatoes at home has its drawbacks:
- the complexity of the process is familiar to every mother of a baby who has chosen complementary foods own cooking;
- making puree yourself is a long time, and this time could be spent on more pleasant activities: for example, playing with a baby;
- the quality of purchased vegetables and fruits is often questionable, especially if you purchase them out of season;
- the shelf life of a fresh product is limited to days in the refrigerator, and even this is undesirable;
- puree own production harder to take with you;
- small portions are problematic to prepare: especially in a blender, when the minimum amount has to be literally scraped off the walls.
Jar food
Often, due to lack of time or the presence of any beliefs, parents of a baby decide that making mashed potatoes at home is not practical. Then they come to the aid of purchased products.
Advantages
Store-bought puree - often too a good option, because it has significant advantages:
- its quality is subject to strict state control;
- manufacturers have thought of everything for convenience: both sealed packaging and a long shelf life;
- the main advantage for many women is that they do not have to spend time cooking;
- the food is already completely ready to eat;
- manufacturers take into account the characteristics of the age of the baby and make the product in accordance with them;
- many purees mix several ingredients at once: for example, vegetables and cereals;
- often children's products contain additional vitamins;
- you can read the entire composition on the jar to be sure of the purchase.
Flaws
Unfortunately, purchased mashed potatoes for babies also have some disadvantages:
- The nutritional value of purchased treats is often lower compared to self-prepared ones due to the high water content;
- the taste is sometimes less intense;
- sometimes quality control is not the most strict and you can lose sight of the freshness of the components and the correctness of the cooking technology;
- the high price for one jar is also not encouraging;
- many purchased purees allow unwanted salt and sugar in their composition.
Parental control
To make the purchase of baby food puree only a joy, you should know what you should pay attention to in the store.
How to choose
In fact, everything is very simple and, given these points, any mother will choose the highest quality product:
- Evaluate the tightness of the package: the lid must be tightly closed, and the entire jar is wrapped in a film.
- Don't forget to check the expiration date.
- The composition deserves special attention: there should not be any extra components.
- The color of the puree should be the same as that of the main product in the composition.
Rating of the best manufacturers
Many mothers of babies are interested in what brand of baby food purees is the best. Parents make their rating empirically and then share their observations. Among the most popular and high-quality are:
- "Gerber";
- "Grandma's basket";
- "FrutoNyanya";
- "Topic";
- "Agusha";
- "Hipp";
- "Semper";
- "Humana";
- "Haynes";
- "Nutrition".
Easy cooking
Do you know how to make baby puree at home? Basic Recipes delicious baby food will help you navigate the technology:
- The first puree for babies is often made from zucchini. How to do? Very simple! Boil several rings of peeled vegetables for 10 minutes in a double boiler. Then chop the vegetable in a blender and wipe through a sieve: the dish is ready.
- Making broccoli puree is just as easy. Boil the washed inflorescences in a double boiler for 20 minutes. In a saucepan, frozen broccoli will cook for 15 minutes after boiling, while fresh broccoli will cook for only 5-7 minutes. Keep in mind that the water should only slightly cover the vegetable. After that, puree the broccoli using a blender or sieve.
Cooking complementary foods at home: video
It is enough to learn how to cook one puree for babies, and the rest of the recipes will already seem simple.
We wish your baby tasty and light pureed foods!
We offer simple recipes and helpful tips for cooking.
Correct and healthy diet- the key to the health and good mood of any child, which is why you need to carefully choose products for the baby's diet. This is especially true for baby purees, as this is the first dish that a child tries after breastfeeding or artificial feeding. Puree should be prepared only from high-quality and fresh products, be hypoallergenic and not contain artificial additives. Now on the shelves of stores there is a wide selection of vegetable, fruit and meat purees for every taste and budget. However, puree for the baby can be prepared at home using a blender.
Making your own baby purees has its advantages. Firstly, you will be sure that only the freshest and healthy foods, especially if it is fruits and vegetables grown in their own summer cottage. Secondly, homemade purees can cost you much less than store-bought ones. So how do you make delicious, healthy, and nutritious purees that your little one will love? We offer you some simple and healthy recipes single- and multi-component vegetable, fruit and meat baby purees.
Vegetable purees
It is best to start complementary foods with vegetable purees from zucchini and cauliflower. These vegetables are very easy to digest and rarely cause allergies. A little later, you can introduce pumpkin, potatoes, green pea and turnip. Remember that at the first feeding, butter, sugar, salt and other additives should not be added to the puree: this can be done when the child is 1 year old.
Cooking baby pumpkin vegetable puree
At pumpkin puree pleasant sweetish taste, therefore, as a rule, kids eat it with pleasure. In addition, pumpkin is just a storehouse of vitamins: it contains iron, carotene, pectin, vitamins B, C, E, D, PP and even T - a rare vitamin responsible for metabolism in the body.
For mashing, you need to choose a small pumpkin weighing up to 3-5 kg (small pumpkins tend to be juicier and more palatable and much easier to peel than "adult" pumpkins). First, wash the pumpkin thoroughly and cut it into two parts. Next, cut it into slices - as much as your baby will eat, peel and cut into cubes. Then boil the pumpkin in a double boiler or saucepan: throw it into boiling water and cook for 20 minutes until the vegetable is completely softened. After the pumpkin is cooked, beat it in a blender until smooth. If the puree is too thick, you can add a little breast milk, infant formula, or water. Cool the puree to 30 degrees, then you can feed the baby.
Cooking baby vegetable broccoli puree
Do you want to understand other important issues? Read
Apple is the most popular fruit in our country. The apple tree grows in almost every plot, in every garden. It is unpretentious, easily endures Russian winters with hard frost, and almost every year pleases us with delicious ripe fruits. Plus, apples are incredibly healthy! They contain a lot of important trace elements and vitamins. That is why apple puree for babies is so loved by both parents and children.
Benefits of apples for babies
- They contain antioxidants to strengthen the immune system of the baby.
- These fruits have all the B vitamins, vitamin C, A, PP.
- Apples contain a lot of iron, potassium, magnesium, iodine and other trace elements, as well as pectin, mineral salts, and fructose.
- These juicy fruits stop the processes of decay in the intestines due to the content of beneficial acids in them.
- Tannins have a positive effect on the kidneys and liver.
- The high content of fiber cleanses the body of toxins and removes toxins.
- Apples help cleanse the blood and lymph.
- This juicy fruit normalizes blood sugar levels.
- Apples increase appetite.
Which variety to choose?
For baby food, it is better to use domestic varieties - "Simerenko", "Antonovka", "White pouring". It is better if these are fruits from your own garden or bought in season. But it is better not to buy glossy, ideally shaped fruits of foreign varieties (Golden, Jonathan and others). Not only have these fruits been processed with chemicals, they may be genetically modified foods.
If you use sour varieties of apples (for example, Antonovka) to make puree, add sweeter fruits - pears, bananas.
Give preference to fruits of irregular shape, with heterogeneous color, with wormholes and barrels. mA, it is better to refuse glossy fruits with a smooth, uniform surface.
How many months to introduce applesauce?
You can introduce apples from 6 months for babies and from 4 months for artificial babies, but it is better to postpone apple foods for several months and first treat the baby with vegetables and cereals.
This is due to the fact that after sweet applesauce (if given as the very first complementary food), the baby is unlikely to want to eat tasteless vegetables or cereals.
apple puree recipes
There are many recipes for baby apple puree. Someone prefers to cook monopurée to let the child feel the true taste of the product, someone mixes it with other fruits (bananas, pears) or vegetables (carrots, pumpkin).
Fresh apple puree
This is the easiest applesauce recipe for babies.
Wash the fruit, peel, remove the seeds and partitions. Next, grate the fruit, and then carefully chop in a blender. You can grind the fruit in a meat grinder, but make sure that it is perfectly clean - a piece of spoiled meat that accidentally gets into baby puree can lead to very disastrous consequences.
Classic apple puree
This recipe is suitable for those who are going to make mashed potatoes "once" and not close it for the winter. To prepare this dish, you will need one fresh apple and 5 minutes of free time.
Dip the apple in boiling water and cook for a couple of minutes. During this time, the pulp will have time to soften. Peel the cooled fruit, remove the seeds and core, put the pulp in a blender and grind thoroughly. Applesauce for babies is ready!
Some advise adding ½ tablespoon of sugar to complementary foods, but if you use sweet varieties of apples (Cinnamon, Melba), then this measure is unnecessary.
This puree can be mixed with bananas, pears, zucchini, pumpkin, carrots and other vegetables and fruits.
Applesauce in a slow cooker
How to cook such food? You will need one apple. Peel the fruit from the peel, seeds and partitions, cut into medium pieces and put on the grid in the slow cooker. Turn on the "steam" mode and cook the fruit for 15-20 minutes.
Mash softened fruits with a spoon or beat with a blender. The finished puree should be slightly cooled and served warm.
Applesauce in the oven
This is another useful fast way make a puree of fresh apples with your own hands. For one serving, take two medium apples. Use a knife to cut the core without cutting the fruit in half. Put the prepared fruit in cupcake molds so that the juice does not leak out, and put in the oven for 15-20 minutes.
When the apples are softened, cool them slightly, take out the pulp with a spoon and grind it in a blender. Applesauce is ready!
If your baby already eats almost all the basic foods, the fruit can be stuffed with rice, millet, cottage cheese before baking.
Applesauce for the winter
To prepare 1 kilogram of puree you will need:
- sour apples - 1 kg;
- sugar - 1 spoon;
- water - 0.5 liters.
If you are mashing for the smallest baby, it is better to replace white sugar with high-quality cane sugar.
Peel the apples from the skin, seeds and core, cut and grind in a blender. Put the finished mass in a saucepan, pour in water, add sugar and cook over high heat until boiling. Next, reduce the heat and simmer the puree for another 20 minutes.
At this time, wash and sterilize jars and lids. It is better to take small jars at a time.
Spread the puree in jars, close and put in a dark place. As you can see, it is not difficult to cook it at all.
What can you pair an apple with?
Applesauce can be combined with almost all vegetables and fruits. most popular and delicious combinations are presented below.
- apple + pear
In this case, both fruits are boiled or steamed, and then mixed in a blender. For an older child, you can prepare such a puree with the addition of cranberries or cinnamon. The main thing is that the crumbs do not have allergies.
- apple + banana
Applesauce with the addition of a banana is prepared according to the following scheme: the fruits are washed, cut, chopped with a blender. Additional heat treatment it is not required. You can add a little breast milk to the finished puree.
- Apple + pumpkin
Requires 1 apple and 1 slice of medium pumpkin. Place them in the multicooker bowl and steam them. Mash cooked vegetables, add a piece butter or some milk and serve to the child.
- apple + carrot
Take carrots and an apple in equal proportions (1 each). Boil the fruits until tender in boiling water and mash with a blender. Can be added to applesauce with carrots a little cream or breast milk.
- Apple + zucchini
Steam an apple with zucchini (15 minutes). Mash softened fruits with a spoon or blender.
- Apple + cream
This dish is suitable for older babies who already eat dairy products. Preparing such complementary foods is quite simple: put peeled and chopped apples (2 pieces) in boiling water (1 cup). Boil for 15 minutes, and then pour in the cream (2 tablespoons). Cool the puree and serve to the baby.
Also tasty food it turns out if you make combinations with cottage cheese, peach, apricot, cereals.
How to choose ready-made puree?
It is quite difficult to choose high-quality baby food, as a jar with a low-quality product can always be caught. Nevertheless, compliance with a number of rules will allow you to buy only the best for the baby.
- Always look at the expiration date of the product. If it has expired, leave the jar in the store, or rather inform the seller or manager about the stitching.
- Avoid preservatives! In baby food, only ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is allowed.
- It is better not to buy a product for babies that contains sugar or starch. The first is undesirable for the child's body, the second can cause allergies.
- Check the label. If the manufacturer has indicated a specific age range (for example, from 6 months), then it is better not to give the product to the crumbs before the prescribed age.
- Pay attention to domestic brands - "FrutoNyanya", "Spelenok", "Grandmother's basket" - and to foreign ones - Humama, Hipp, Gerber, Fleur Alpine. In them, apart from apples, water and vitamin C, there are no additional components.
- But the manufacturers of Semper and Agusha add starch to the product to thicken it. Heinz puree contains additional lemon juice, which can cause allergies.
If possible, make your own puree. Such a dish will bring many times more benefit to the baby than purchased complementary foods.
Conclusion
Applesauce is one of the best treats for babies. It is useful, tasty, pleasant yellow color, gentle homogeneous texture. If you choose sweeter apples, additional components such as sugar and other fruits (banana, carrot, pear) will not be needed.
Puree for babies is one of the first dishes that babies try, so its preparation must be approached with all responsibility. All purees for babies can be divided into several types: fruit and vegetable, single-component and multi-component. It is best to start complementary foods with one-component purees, gradually introducing new fruits and vegetables and their combinations into the diet. It is believed that applesauce is best for the smallest babies - they start giving it from four to six months.
Puree for babies is prepared from the most different vegetables, fruits and dried fruits: cauliflower, broccoli, pumpkins, carrots, zucchini, apples, pears, peaches, apricots, prunes, etc. To give the puree the desired consistency, boiled water or milk is added to the vegetable or fruit mixture. More complex purees for babies involve the use of rice and other cereals.
General principle preparation consists in the careful processing of products, their further cooking (steaming or in a slow cooker) and grinding. To make the mixture homogeneous and without lumps, it is best to use a blender.
Puree for babies - preparing food and dishes
Making mashed potatoes for babies requires especially careful preparation of food and utensils. from dishes and kitchen utensils you will need: a saucepan, a grater, a knife, a cutting board, a bowl and a blender. You may also need a double boiler or slow cooker. All utensils and utensils must be thoroughly washed (preferably boiled) and wiped dry.
Vegetables and fruits must be thoroughly washed in hot water, dried, peeled and seeds removed (if any). The green parts must be cut off. The pulp must be cut and steamed, in a slow cooker or boiled in water. After that, you can prepare the puree itself for babies.
Baby puree recipes:
Recipe 1: Puree for babies
Broccoli baby puree is the best food for babies. Broccoli contains many vitamins and other useful substances necessary for a growing organism. Broccoli vegetable puree is perfectly absorbed by the body and improves digestion.
Required Ingredients:
- 100 g of broccoli;
- 5 ml flaxseed or olive oil.
Cooking method:
Separate the broccoli into pieces, rinse thoroughly in hot water. You can boil cabbage in water, but it is better to cook it in a steamer or in a slow cooker. Broccoli is boiled in boiling water for 8 to 15 minutes, depending on the size of the florets. Steamed from 10 to 13-15 minutes. cooked cabbage put in a colander and set aside. Put in a deep bowl and grind with a blender. Add 5 ml of oil (about 1 teaspoon) to the mass and mix well. If the child is overweight, it is better not to add oil. Conversely, if he notes a lack of weight, the oil will only benefit.
Recipe 2: Turkey Baby Puree
Meat puree for babies is important element nutrition, as it provides the body with essential vitamins and minerals. Turkey puree can be given to babies from eight months.
Required Ingredients:
- 100 g turkey fillet;
- 90-100 ml of pure filtered water.
Cooking method:
Turkey meat puree is best cooked using a double boiler or slow cooker. If the meat is cooked in a double boiler, then you need to put it in a bowl and set the cooking mode for 35-40 minutes (depending on the size of the piece). Let the meat cool slightly and cut into pieces. Put the pieces in a bowl or bowl and puree with a blender until a homogeneous consistency, adding a little warm water during the grinding process. Turkey baby puree can be made thicker or thinner depending on the amount of water added.
Recipe 3: Apple and Pumpkin Puree for Babies
The first feeding for babies is usually applesauce. If the baby normally accepted such a meal, you can move on to more varied "dishes". Pumpkin-apple puree for babies is best cooked in a double boiler, but you can boil the ingredients in a regular saucepan. You can use any pumpkin, but apples are better to take the Simirenko variety, which contains the least amount of sugar.
Required Ingredients:
1. 140-150 g pumpkin;
2. 1 small apple;
3. Some raisins (for older children).
Cooking method:
Wash the pumpkin, peel, cut the flesh into pieces, after removing the seeds. We put the pumpkin in a double boiler. We wash the apple, peel and remove the core. Also cut into pieces and spread to the pumpkin in a double boiler. We wash the raisins in hot water, cut off the tails and put them in a double boiler. If the child can already chew, then it is better to prepare mashed potatoes with raisins. After 20 minutes, the apple and pumpkin should reach readiness. Put the prepared ingredients in a bowl and puree with a blender until smooth.
Recipe 4: Mango Baby Puree
After the baby reaches the age of six months, you can diversify the menu with more exotic "dishes". Mango puree for babies is very tasty, so children eat it with great pleasure. In addition, it is very useful and well absorbed by the body.
Required Ingredients:
- 30-35 ml of warm boiled water;
- 1 mango.
Cooking method:
Wash the mango, peel, cut in half and remove the pit. Cut the pulp into pieces and place in a bowl. Add a little warm water and puree with a blender until smooth. Transfer the puree to a small saucepan and simmer over low heat for a few minutes. Cool the finished puree and immediately give it to the baby.
Recipe 5: Cauliflower and Carrot Baby Puree
Cauliflower perfectly absorbed by the children's body, so this vegetable is one of the first to be introduced into children's complementary foods. To make the puree even tastier and healthier, you can add carrots to it.
Required Ingredients:
- 145-150 g of cauliflower;
- 1 small carrot;
- 1.5-2 cups of water;
- 5 ml sunflower or olive oil;
- Salt - 1-2 g (but it is better not to add).
Cooking method:
Pour filtered water into a saucepan and put on fire. We clean the carrots, wash them thoroughly, cut into circles and throw them into boiling water. We disassemble the cabbage into inflorescences, wash and throw to the almost cooked carrots. Cook vegetables for another 10-12 minutes. As soon as the vegetables are cooked, remove the pan from the stove and let cool slightly. The water should just barely cover the vegetables. Grind the contents with a blender to a puree state. Add a little oil to the puree and mix thoroughly.
- You need to prepare mashed potatoes in small portions, immediately before feeding, since it is not recommended to store mashed potatoes for babies;
- Ideally, vegetables should be pre-soaked in water (potatoes for about half to a whole day, other vegetables - from one to several hours);
