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According to Children’s Hospital 1

“Children eat well, sleep well” is the basic factor to help children develop both physically and mentally, in which “weaning” is a very important stage for the development of children, if not paying attention Pay attention to scientific recommendations when introducing solid foods to babies. When it comes to young children, parents can “accidentally” make the health and development of the child “behind”, leading to many unpredictable consequences such as children often falling ill because their resistance is too weak due to nutritional needs. Children’s nutrition is not guaranteed, malnourished. This leads to “stunting” because the body lacks the necessary nutrients. And the physical and mental underdevelopment will make it very difficult for children to keep up with the pace of development with their peers.

It’s time to decide to give solid food

According to the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO), babies will be introduced to solid foods (also known as sam) when they are 6 months old, because at this time their digestive system has developed quite completely. so children can absorb solids. and more complex than breast milk, babies need complementary foods for healthy development because breast milk supply after 6 months is not enough to meet the daily nutritional needs of children. still young.

From the above recommendations, nutritionists encourage parents to start the period of introducing solid foods when the child is 6 months old and ends when the child is 24 months old. From 6 months onwards, breast milk only provides about 450 kcal / day while babies need up to 700 kcal / day for basic living needs and body development.

When introducing solid foods too early, it will not be beneficial for the baby because the digestive system of children under 6 months of age is only receiving and suitable for digesting liquid foods such as breast milk. If complementary foods are processed in liquid form such as breast milk, often have a lower nutritional value than breast milk, not enough to ensure the normal development of the baby. On the contrary, if children are given solid foods too late after 6 months of age, children are often malnourished because the content of nutrients in liquid foods is not enough to meet the daily needs of children over 6 months of age, causing the children have difficulty eating. eat. Growth retardation and susceptibility to infections are due to the child’s weak immune system.

Signs that your baby is “ready” for solid foods

6 months is an important milestone when deciding to introduce solid foods to babies, it is a period when children gradually get used to the “new foods” that are essential for later development. this. However, to determine if the child is really ready for solid foods, parents need to rely on the following symptoms of the child to help the child’s weaning take place more smoothly:

The baby’s weight has doubled since birth.

– Baby has learned to keep his head upright and sit on his own so that it is easy for the mother to feed him.

– The child knows to bring the lower lip forward to receive food from the spoon / spoon when feeding.

– Children have learned to turn their heads away when they do not want to eat certain foods, helping caregivers to choose foods that are suitable for each child’s taste.

– The child’s tongue no longer has an automatic reflex to push the object (when the child is young, when he puts anything in his mouth, he also pushes it out, except the nipple).

Children show interest in the food that their family or parents give them.

Basic principles when implementing proper weaning according to science

Adhering to the basic principles when giving solid foods to children will help parents raise children more scientifically and conveniently. These are also factors that help children’s growth and development reach the most complete level. According to experience drawn from the American Academy of Pediatrics’ child health care, weaning should pay attention to the following principles:

– Give your baby solid foods that closely resemble breast milk or formula to help them get used to “new foods”, help them gradually adapt to solid foods and become more comfortable with their eating habits. easier. The principle of “sweet – salty” should be adhered to at the beginning of the weaning period, usually MSG will be the first choice when giving solid foods to babies because the taste is “similar” to breast milk. We eat weaning with MSG first, then gradually replace it with salty flour with more nutritious ingredients.

– The principle of “less – more” to train the child’s digestive system to gradually adapt to an increasingly richer food quantity and composition. Feed children with small amounts and then gradually increase, specifically in the first month, children should eat 1-2 spoons of powder, then gradually increase to 1/3 cup, then half a cup … will ensure digestion. and provide adequate power. nutrients – essential nutrients for children’s growth and development needs.

The principle of “dilute – solid” should be kept in mind so that the baby’s weaning process is always “smooth”, this is the principle to help children not be “counterfeited” when exposed to strange foods and their digestive system. can keep up with more complex food digestion.

– The principle of “coloring the powder cup” means that the baby’s weaning powder also ensures enough 4 important food groups to help children develop well. Flour group includes rice, flour, bread, vermicelli, pho, corn, potato… Protein group includes meat, fish, eggs, milk, shrimp, soybeans, soy products and other beans/beans… Group Fats include oils and fats. , butter, cheese and oilseeds. The group of vitamins and minerals includes fresh fruits and vegetables. For young children, nutritionists recommend that mothers should not add fish sauce and salt to their children’s food, because their kidneys are still weak. When adding fish sauce and salt to food, the child’s kidneys will have to work too hard, affecting the child’s health later.

– The principle of “don’t force children to eat” when children do not want to eat anymore or show objection to solid foods, parents should let children stop eating solid foods for a period of 5-7 days and then continue. to train Children without stress in solid food.

Some milestones to watch out for when weaning babies

– Powder feeding stage: starting from 6 months of age onwards, parents can introduce children to nutritional powders. During this period, it is possible to buy canned nutritional powder from reputable nutritional product manufacturers, because this powder contains all the necessary nutrients for children. If it is a homemade powder for children to eat, it should be hygienic and full of nutrients, but be aware of foods that may cause allergies to children.

– The stage of eating porridge: when the child is 9-10 months old and has eaten quite well, the parents can cook porridge for the baby to eat weaning. Bone broth should not only be stewed for water, because fresh bone broth does not provide enough nutrients that children need to eat meat, fish, and vegetables. Should stew a separate pot of porridge. For each meal of the child, scoop porridge into a bowl and add meat, fish and vegetables to cook each meal, add cooking oil to make it full.

– The stage of eating rice: when the child has enough teeth (total of 20), the child can chew rice thoroughly. Parents should cook soft and crushed rice for children to eat. Teach children to eat vegetables and tubers by cooking jute vegetable soup, spinach soup, squash soup, soup soup (cooked with carrots, potatoes, cauliflower, kohlrabi), so pay attention to cut vegetables short. make it easy for children to chew so they don’t choke on vegetables.

Ths.Bs Đinh Thạc