After six months, the complementary feeding of the baby begins, a milestone that to first-time parents can be a challenge, but through which we have all passed and "survived". Do not be afraid of this new stage, which is a lot of news but is normal and necessary for the child's development.
Here we leave you a Decalogue of tips to start complementary feeding after six months, always taking into account the nutritional recommendations to begin this stage, with the right foods for complete and varied nutrition, introducing them little by little.
And, although the pediatrician's leaves will give us sufficient indications about the type of food that we will have to give, there are other issues related to complementary feeding that are not usually discussed but are also important.
You have to sit with the child and stimulate him to eat talking to him and commenting on how necessary it is to eat well and how good foods are. Meal time can be another learning moment.
Make mealtime a relaxed and happy time, also talk about other topics, you can sing it if we see that it is restless ... Lunchtime is also good to expand our affection, our mutual knowledge ... Do not give importance if rejects new foods at the beginning is normal and many times with patience we see that he ends up accepting them.
Do not eat in a hurry, which are usually bad counselors. Do not rush the child, eat with time even, if necessary, taking some rest or entertaining the child a little before continuing "by force". Do not force him to eat because it will increase his discomfort and rejection.
Whenever possible, eat with your family and without television. However, it is convenient that the child has his own plate to control the amount of food he eats, that he does not stay hungry or exceed.
You can start the complementary feeding with food that the child can take for himself if we decide so and we see that the child likes it. This is the "baby-led weaning".
The fact that the child eats slowly, stains or throws away some of the food must be downplayed., but taking care whenever you drink enough (which is usually until he wants) and varied.
For a varied diet, gradually introduce the new foods as the pediatrician will indicate, discarding allergies or intolerances. When the fan expands, do not forget to mix those foods you like best with others, with enough presence of all food groups.
Make sure the child is not thirsty. Do not interrupt breastfeeding if you do not want it (it is recommended until two years or more) and offer more breast. You can also start drinking water to be well hydrated. Try not to fill the stomach with liquid before eating solids and try to drink during the meal.
As with babies, do not wait until children are hungry to start eating, if they start crying it may be because they are hungry.
The schedules will become more stable little by little, it should not be strict at first, what should be avoided is that the mealtime coincides with the child is tired or sleepy.
We hope these tips to start complementary feeding make these special moments a pleasant step and that forms the basis of healthy eating.
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More information | FAO
In Babies and more | Complementary feeding: how to feed a baby using “Baby-led Weaning”, Characteristics that the new foods must meet in the baby's diet, Complementary feeding: When to start? (I) and (II)
