Complementary feeding according to Komarovsky has become a popular topic among expectant and established young mothers in recent years. Many parents listen to the advice of this doctor, even experienced mothers and fathers with several children. Evgeniy Komarovsky’s charisma and personal view of pediatrics as a pediatric specialist instills confidence in parents in his recommendations.

The appearance of new products in a baby’s diet is an exciting stage in the life of young parents and their baby. But the introduction of complementary foods according to Komarovsky may differ from the recommendations of the pediatrician observing the child. Which specialist to listen to is up to the parents to decide.

Most young mothers do not see a significant difference between the definitions of “complementary feeding” and “supplementary feeding”, but in fact these are two completely different words.

The concept of “supplementary feeding” is applicable when a child does not have enough milk, and its deficiency is compensated either in advance or with the milk of domestic animals (which is extremely undesirable). In this case, they say that the baby is mixed-fed.

Complementary feeding means that the baby receives foods in addition to his usual diet - breast milk or formula. The purpose of complementary feeding is to adapt and accustom the baby’s body to “adult” food.

When to introduce?

The first year of a child's development is considered the most important in pediatrics, and nutrition at this stage is of great importance. According to Komarovsky’s introduction table, it is important to give the first complementary foods no earlier than the child turns 6 months old. In this case, it does not matter at all what basic nutrition the baby receives - mother's milk or an adapted formula.

Dr. Komarovsky believes that if a child’s development is within normal limits up to 6 months, then he does not need any additional foods other than breast milk and formula.

It is not advisable to introduce the first complementary foods later than this period. When introducing new food products into a child's diet, the child receives the nutrients that are necessary for the growth and development of his body. Also, when the first solid food is introduced too late, skills such as chewing and fine motor skills do not begin to develop.

Six-month-old babies use chewing to prepare their gums for the eruption of their first teeth, and while playing with food, the baby develops fine motor skills. In addition, a monotonous diet in babies older than 6 months can lead to growth retardation.

Timely introduction of complementary foods according to the Komarovsky table strengthens the child’s health and allows him to develop correctly in the psycho-emotional and physical direction.

Advantages and disadvantages of early complementary feeding

Young mothers often hear from others that they can start earlier than modern pediatrics recommends. The older the baby, the more often home-grown advice will be heard regarding complementary feeding with yolk, porridge and other products.

Nowadays, if a nursing mother eats properly and variedly, or the child receives a high-quality adapted formula as a breast milk substitute, then there is no need to offer complementary feeding until 6 months of age. There is also no benefit from introducing complementary foods too early; rather, it will harm the child.

For example, organisms may also arise. That is why the issue of introducing complementary foods should be considered in detail by parents. To get comprehensive information, they can study the table of complementary foods according to Komarovsky.

Introduction rules

Dr. Komarovsky advises adhering to the following recommendations when introducing complementary foods:

1. Any product must be offered carefully and gradually. To begin with, one teaspoon or sip of new food is enough, and then the child is fed with his usual food - milk or formula. If the baby's skin and mucous membranes, stool and sleep remain unchanged, the amount of complementary foods can be increased.
2. If in doubt, for example, flaky spots appeared on the child’s cheeks, or he woke up more often at night and slept less well, it is advisable to wait a while with the new product and leave everything as is.
3. If painful manifestations, for example, an allergic reaction of the body, have become obvious, it is not recommended to introduce new food until the signs of trouble disappear.
4. You cannot introduce a new product during the period of illness, 3 days before and within 3 days after it.
5. If a child does not like a product or is reluctant to eat it, you should not insist.

What products should you start with?

Some people believe that the first complementary feeding begins with vegetables, others are sure that it is fruits, and still others insist that the first time feeding a baby should be porridge prepared with breast milk.

According to the rules for introducing complementary foods according to Komarovsky, it is better to start complementary feeding with kefir. The specialist explains this by the fact that from birth the child’s digestive system has had time to get used to dairy products, and kefir is their closest analogue.

In addition, kefir contains a lot of fermented milk bacteria, which strengthen the immune system and reduce the likelihood of developing intestinal infections. Kefir qualitatively reduces the load on the infant’s still immature liver and has a positive effect on digestion processes in the body.

The Komarovsky complementary feeding scheme recommends introducing a new product in the morning, gradually replacing the child’s main feeding with it. For the first time, the baby is offered very little kefir for testing - no more than 2 teaspoons. If there are no negative reactions from the body, in the following days the dose of kefir can be safely increased until the child begins to eat 150 ml per whole feeding without supplementary feeding.

5-7 days after this, a second new product is introduced into the child’s diet - cottage cheese. Of course, it is introduced against the background of the relative health of the baby and the absence of side effects from the new food. It is enough for a six-month-old baby to consume 30 grams of cottage cheese every day; from 9 months this figure increases to 50 grams. If the baby categorically does not like cottage cheese in its natural form, Dr. Komarovsky advises adding a small amount of sugar to it.

After the child gets used to kefir and cottage cheese, that is, fermented milk products will replace one morning feeding (usually this takes 10 days), the doctor advises introducing milk and cereal porridge (rice, oatmeal or buckwheat) into the child’s diet, replacing her evening feeding.

The complementary feeding scheme according to Komarovsky recommends the introduction of vegetables and fruits only by the 8th month of the baby’s life. In this case, you need to start with vegetable decoctions and only after them can you offer the baby vegetable puree or soup. After 2 weeks, you can add egg yolk and meat to the diet, according to Komarovsky’s complementary feeding table by month.

Administration scheme

The complementary feeding table according to Komarovsky is as follows:

New Product	6 months	7 months	8 months	9 months	10 months	11 months	12 months
Kefir, ml	5-30	50-70	90-100	100	100	100	100
Cottage cheese, gr	5-20	20-30	40-50	50	50	50	50
Baked apple, gr		5 - 30	40-50	50	50	70	70
Vegetable puree, gr			5-70	90-100	120-150	150	180-200
Juice, ml			5-10	15-20	20-30	40-50	60-70
Dairy porridge, gr			5-70	90-100	120-150	150	180-200
Yolk, pcs.			0,25	0,5	1	1	1
Meat puree, gr				5-30	40-50	60-70	70
Fish puree, gr					5-20	30	40
Grows. oil, ml		1	3	3	3	3	3

Cook it yourself or buy it?

A young mother must decide for herself whether to prepare complementary foods or purchase ready-made meals in specialized departments. It's impossible to say which is better, for sure. Both commercial and homemade baby food have their advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages of factory products:

• saving time for mom;
• the ability to take it with you on a trip or for a walk;
• comfortable consistency of the product;
• enrichment of food with additional vitamin and mineral complexes;
• multi-component product, which cannot always be achieved at home.

Disadvantages of factory-made baby food:

• large financial costs;
• The shelf life of an open jar of ready-made food does not exceed 24 hours in a refrigerator, which is extremely unprofitable at the very beginning of introducing complementary foods;
• You can store an opened package of porridge for no more than 2 weeks;
• the taste of vegetable purees is seriously inferior to homemade dishes.

The benefits of homemade food:

• financial savings;
• the taste is usually better than store-bought products;
• You can adjust the consistency and taste of the dish at your own discretion.

In recent years, all mothers in our country have acquired an unspoken authority - Doctor Komarovsky. This specialist is one of the most authoritative doctors in our medicine, and his advice is passionately passed on by women by word of mouth. One of the main topics for mothers that Komarovsky raised is complementary feeding. How to organize it correctly, only for the benefit of the baby’s health? When and where to start introducing it into a child’s life? We will talk about this and much more today.

Before you start analyzing what complementary feeding should be like according to Komarovsky, it is worth understanding what complementary feeding in general is. The easiest way to show this is in contrast to supplementary feeding. Supplementary feeding is considered a way to make up for the lack of food in a child’s diet. It is commonplace that if a baby does not have enough maternal breast milk, then he is given an artificial formula or milk from a domestic mammal, or in rare cases, milk from a donor mother. Preparing a child for adult food by adding new foods to his diet is complementary feeding.

When should it be introduced?

The very first year in a baby’s life is the most important, from the point of view of pediatrics, and therefore the child should receive strict and thoughtful feeding. According to Komarovsky’s advice, you should start complementary feeding while breastfeeding no earlier than 6 months from birth. And it is not so important what exactly predominates in a baby’s diet: mother’s milk or infant formula. Komarovsky’s opinion on first complementary feeding is that up to six months, a normally developing child receives everything he needs from his mother and special milk formulas.

However, Komarovsky does not recommend starting the first complementary foods even after six months, because it is new foods that should begin to develop new skills in the baby - chewing, fine motor skills.

Also, the child must receive in time those nutrients that are responsible for his growth, as well as for the development of the body. In addition, chewing processes will help your child’s gums make teething easier, and you will go through this difficult process with your baby. Thinking through when to start the first complementary foods was closely related to the development of psycho-emotional and physical processes in children’s bodies, which is why it is so important to observe this point.

Pros and cons of early complementary feeding

Komarovsky explained how important the first complementary feeding is during breastfeeding by comparing the bad and good sides of this process. As mentioned above, if the child develops normally, receives all the necessary nutrients and does not have a lack of feeding, and his mother ate healthy and varied during pregnancy and still eats, then there is a need to introduce early complementary feeding up to six months. no months. This is more likely to bring negative consequences. These include digestive disorders and allergies, for which the baby’s body is not yet ready.

Of course, the early start of complementary feeding according to Komarovsky also has positive aspects. He recommends it to families who have the problem of hypovitaminosis in feeding their baby. If a baby is lagging behind the norm in weight, height and development, and signs of anemia are observed in his health, then early complementary feeding is simply necessary for him. It can consist of juices, pieces of yolk, vegetable puree and other non-hazardous products that replenish the lack of vitamins and nutrients. However, remember that complementary feeding should not be made with baby food, because often, as Dr. Komarovsky notes, on the packaging of such jars there is not entirely correct information about the permitted age.

To introduce the first complementary foods correctly, Komarovsky recommends following certain tips. The rules of complementary feeding according to Dr. Komarovsky are as follows:

• When introducing any product into your baby’s diet for the first time, do it very carefully. Try adding one spoon or one sip to your usual GK first. With each new meal, you can gradually increase the dose if the child’s body does not react negatively to this;
• minor concerns, such as slight redness of the baby’s cheeks or mild crying at night, should be the first sign that you should hold off on using this product for a while. It is worth continuing administration only after complete relief from symptoms;
• It is strictly prohibited to start introducing new foods during periods of illness of the baby, since during these days he is already weak. The same should be said about the periods for three days and for three days after vaccinations;
• If the baby makes it clear that he doesn’t like the product, you shouldn’t force him, it’s harmful.

This small number of very clear rules will help avoid many problems.

Where should you start complementary feeding?

Different doctors and pediatricians, asking the question “where to start complementary feeding?”, express completely different points of view. Some people think that the first step is to introduce vegetable puree, because it contains a large amount of healthy vitamins and mineral salts. Others argue that it is not worth going further from a fermented milk diet, so the first product must be a fermented milk product. Dr. Komarovsky is for the latter, and he recommends starting complementary feeding with milk’s distant brother - kefir.

It will be easy for the baby to get accustomed to a liquid product that is very similar to mother's milk. The stomach must absorb the composition of baby kefir well, and it, in turn, will saturate the body with fermented milk bacteria. It should be administered the first time only during the morning feeding around 9–11 o’clock; you should give no more than three to four teaspoons. By the way, you should give kefir first, and then finish the process of feeding breastfeeding or formula.

If no abnormal body reactions occur with your baby throughout the day, then you can continue introducing complementary foods.

Continue to get used to kefir, doubling the dose of fermented milk product the next day. If all the child’s reactions remain unchanged every day, then by the end of the seventh month we will receive a dose of 150 ml, at which it is worth stopping its increase. You can stop earlier if you wish.

Continuation of complementary feeding in stages from Komarovsky

If you see that the introduction of complementary foods during breastfeeding or formula feeding has taken root well, then you can continue this process. According to Komarovsky, complementary feeding of a child should proceed as follows:

1. Add another fermented milk product - cottage cheese. It should be introduced only from the fifth day of feeding kefir, after trying one teaspoon. Afterwards, the number of spoons added to complementary foods should be gradually increased to 40 grams, and remain at this dosage for up to 8 months. By the way, both kefir and cottage cheese can be sweetened, but not much. Cottage cheese, unlike kefir, can be homemade.
2. It is very important that one of the feedings for seven days should consist of 150 ml of kefir and 40 grams of cottage cheese, so that the child eats exclusively “adult food” at least once a week; the rest of the time, do not give up breastfeeding or formula milk necessary. This stage should last three to four weeks.
3. At this stage, we begin to accustom the child to a new product. This time porridge is added to the diet, and buckwheat, rice or oatmeal are best suited for this role. You should add porridge to your child’s last meal before falling asleep. It is cooked with cow's milk, although for better results it is worth making it with formula milk for six-month-old infants.
4. By the age of eight months, you can introduce semolina porridge into the diet, since if you do this early, due to gliadin in the baby’s stomach, swelling with colic will begin. As you can see, by this age your baby is already not only on simple breastfeeding, he is already receiving two whole complementary foods of kefir with cottage cheese and porridge. As soon as his first tooth appears, he can move on to the next stage.
5. Many people ask how to teach a child to eat vegetables, but it is precisely early accustoming to vegetables from the age of eight months that perfectly helps him to fall in love with carrots or spinach. As soon as your first tooth appears, you need to brew a test decoction. For it, carrots, potatoes, cabbage and onions are chopped, after which the mixture is boiled with boiling water. The strained and re-boiled broth is given to the baby in a bottle. The child should drink the decoction for two days, the first time receiving 50 grams, and the second 100 grams.
6. The next stage is carried out only if the baby responds well to vegetables. You need to start preparing vegetable soup or vegetable puree, gradually increasing the amount of one or another vegetable, thereby at some point completely replacing one of the feedings. By the way, you should add 1–3 mg of vegetable oil to the puree you prepare, which for some reason they are afraid to give to children before their first birthday.
7. Only two to three weeks after starting complementary feeding with vegetables can you give your child a taste of meat. First it will be chicken broth for vegetables, and only then you can add chopped meat to the puree. Children also accept boiled chicken yolk well, one fifth of which can be given just a couple of days after tasting the meat.
8. Even before introducing complementary foods with vegetables, you can give your baby a taste of fresh fruit juice as a supplement to the main diet. You can start giving fruits along with vegetables, adding puree to the porridge, and then just giving regular fruit puree. Be careful with allergic reactions, and if at some point the child’s body stops behaving well, then most likely it’s the fruit or berries.
9. The last stage will be the gradual addition of bread to the diet, and starting from ten months, fish. By the way, it is with fish that children have stomach problems, so you can wait with it and just organize one acquaintance.

As a result, you may notice that even three months before one year, your baby already has three complementary foods instead of breastfeeding or formula feeding. He eats porridge with fruit, soup or puree of vegetables and meat, and also eats fermented milk kefir and cottage cheese. During breaks, he drinks fresh fruit juice, to which, by the way, there is an excellent addition that is loved by children - soft children's cookies, which can already be given to the child in small quantities. Starting to eat a new diet month by month, by the time the child is one year old he already receives the entire necessary supply of vitamins and microelements, which will help him grow healthy and strong.

Graph-table of stages of introduction of complementary foods

To make it more convenient for you to remember or print out the above rules, we have prepared for you a complementary feeding table according to Komarovsky. These charts describing the number of products and the months when to introduce these same products will help you not get lost and raise a healthy and strong baby:

Type of food	6 month	7 month	8 month	9 month	10 month	11 month	12 month
Kefir	10–40 ml	50–150 ml	150–200 ml	200 ml	200 ml	200 ml	200 ml
Cottage cheese	5–20 grams	20–30 grams	40–50 grams	50 grams	50 grams	50 grams	50 grams
Vegetable puree	-	-	50–100 grams	100–150 grams	150–180 grams	180–200 grams	200 grams
Juice	-	-	5–10 ml	10–20 ml	20–40 ml	40–60 ml	60–80 ml
Milk porridge	-	-	5–90 grams	100–150 grams	150–180 grams	180–200 grams	200–230 grams
Meat puree	-	-	-	5–50 grams	50–60 grams	60–70 grams	70–80 grams
Fish puree	-	-	-	-	5–30 grams	30–40 grams	40–50 grams
Vegetable oil	-	-	1 mg	3 mg	3 mg	3 mg	5 mg
Boiled yolk	-	-	1\5 pieces	1\2 pieces	1 piece	1 piece	2 pieces

Prepared or purchased complementary feeding menu?

The last question that I would like to cover in more detail is whether you need to prepare food for complementary feeding yourself, or are store-bought options also suitable? In this regard, Komarovsky believes that well-known and popular versions of finished baby food products have the right to life, because they have won the trust of parents around the world after so many years. Baby food is very convenient for traveling, it significantly saves preparation time, and the texture of the product is ideal for a baby who cannot eat solids.

The only disadvantages of purchased jars and boxes can be their price, as well as a very short shelf life. That is, we can say with confidence that they are not suitable for starting complementary feeding, because a large amount will simply be thrown into the trash. But self-prepared dishes may take a lot of time, but they are controlled by you. You will be able to spend the amount of food that you need, and you will be confident in the cooking process. You can make the taste that your baby will definitely like by adding sugar and salt, removing and adding different components.

Conclusion

It is worth summing up all of the above. Firstly, if there are no problems, you should start complementary feeding from six months. Where to begin? From the product closest to milk - kefir. Then you should follow the steps described by Dr. Komarovsky, gradually increasing the variety of products and their dosage. Throughout complementary feeding, you need to monitor the baby’s condition, both physical and emotional. The slightest reaction of the body should stop the complementary feeding of the product to which it was caused. It is worth using both store-bought and home-cooked meals in your baby’s diet, gradually eliminating breastfeeding and formula feeding from the diet. By the age of 12 months, the child will calmly switch to a basic healthy diet, and you will enjoy the excellent growth of your baby.

A video with Dr. Komarovsky’s words about complementary feeding for a child will also help to consolidate all of the above.

Introducing the first complementary foods to a child is a controversial topic. Doctors advise one thing, but the experienced mothers and grandmothers around us advise something completely different. And it’s easy for young, inexperienced parents to get confused in all this. Therefore, today we will look at how, when and where to start complementary feeding - in two versions: from the point of view of most pediatricians and - we will separately talk about the recommendations of Dr. Komarovsky.

Baby's first feeding: important points

Before we begin discussing the time of the baby’s first complementary feeding and the features of selecting products, let’s remember two important points.

The first is the gradual and careful introduction of new products and dishes

Perfect option:

1. At one meal, let the baby try literally half a teaspoon of a new product as the first complementary food.

2. We observe during the day whether a reaction appears - changes in stool, redness or rashes on the skin, any changes in behavior, restless sleep.

3. If everything is fine, the next day we increase the portion of complementary foods. If a reaction occurs, wait until the symptoms disappear completely and try another product. You can try to return to the product that caused the allergy again after a few weeks.

Second, don’t insist if your baby spits out new food.

Just postpone your attempts until the next day. Remember, your persistence may result in your child stubbornly refusing this product for months.

At two months - yolk. Where did this come from?

Surely all parents of children under six months of age have often had to fend off advice on what, when and how to feed their child. The meaning of such instructions is to be sure to give your baby a teaspoon of juice or vegetable puree, a quarter of an egg yolk, etc., from two (three, four) months of age. By the way, there can be a lot of variations by age and set of products. And even a polite refusal to follow such advice causes sincere bewilderment among well-wishers.

To understand where these beliefs come from, we will have to make a short excursion into recent history. Just 35-40 years ago in Russia it was not possible to replace it with a formula of such high quality that it could provide the baby with all the necessary vitamins and microelements. There was not much choice: donor milk or milk from a cow/goat. In both cases, the product was subjected to heat treatment and became poor in mineral salts, iron and various vitamins.

The result of feeding a child with such milk was rickets, developmental delays, weight deficiency, and vitamin deficiencies. And precisely at that time, the recommendations that older people are trying to give you were the only correct ones. Early start of complementary feeding, introduction of a large number of foods into the diet - all this was a vital necessity. Today the situation has changed dramatically. We always have a huge variety at our disposal - from simply high-quality ones to special ones for children with digestive problems.

Optimal time for first feeding

According to Komarovsky, it makes no sense to start complementary feeding for infants before six months of age. The baby should remain entirely on breast milk or formula that replaces it. This is due to the fact that the digestive system of babies matures to accept other foods only at this age. It is then that the baby first begins to show interest in food.

Other pediatricians tend to believe that it is best to start a child's first complementary feeding between the 4th and 6th months of life. At the same time, “artificial babies” start earlier (from 4 to 5 months), and breastfed babies start later. Doctors are based on the theory that if a child has lost the pushing reflex (with the tongue) and signs of food interest have appeared, then he is ready to learn a new type of food.

In any case, from birth until the start of the first complementary feeding, all attention should be paid to the mother's diet if breastfeeding is used. If she gets vitamins from food, so will the child, everything is natural here. Is there not enough milk? We feed the baby with a good mixture. Regular or, if necessary, special, tailored to the needs of your child. And we don’t try to introduce any other foods too early, there’s no point.

First feeding: where to start?

I will give Dr. Komarovsky’s point of view on this matter in the next section, and here is the generally accepted complementary feeding scheme. Here is a list of products that are given to a child as first complementary foods, in direct sequence:

• Vegetable purees.
• Cottage cheese and fermented milk products.
• Milk-cereal porridge.
• Meat dishes, egg yolk.

You should start with mono-vegetable purees. It could be zucchini, broccoli, zucchini or cauliflower. Peeled and chopped vegetables are loaded into a double boiler and cooked until completely softened. Then rub through a sieve until completely homogeneous. The consistency of the puree should be like kefir. It turned out thick - dilute it with vegetable broth or boiled water. Add vegetable oil to each portion at the rate of 3-4 ml per 150 ml of puree.

Important: you can only give your child food that has been prepared immediately before serving.

The scheme for introducing vegetable puree is shown in the following table:

First feeding: continued

So, one feeding is completely replaced with vegetable puree, the rest remain the same for now. And we leave the child’s food in this form for a month. Next in line will be fermented milk products and milk and cereal porridges, also with an interval of one month between them. The method of preparing and introducing these products into complementary foods is described in the next section, so we will not repeat it here.

Most pediatricians advise giving meat products for the first time after 9 months. You should start with turkey or rabbit - they are less allergenic than other types of meat. This product is given in the form of porridge - puree. We start with half a teaspoon and, if there is no reaction, within a week we increase the serving size to 60 g. If the child refuses meat puree, it can first be heavily diluted with vegetable puree, but gradually reduce the number of vegetables, accustoming the baby to the new taste.

Separately, it should be said about fruit juices and purees. They are introduced little by little, starting at 6 months, but are considered not pediatric (saturating), but pediatric. That is, it is simply introducing the child to different types of food, creating a kind of “taste bank”. Green apples or pears should be given first. Plums are weak, so they can be given closer to 8 months, provided that the child does not have problems with bowel movements. By the way, there is another point of view regarding the introduction of the first complementary foods to a child. It lies in the fact that the fruit comes first, and then everything else. This is reflected in the following complementary feeding table:

Doctor Komarovsky: what product and how to start complementary feeding

Komarovsky believes that the best option for starting the first complementary feeding is fermented milk products. And, I must say, this point of view is well founded. From milk we move on to milk. And the lactic acid bacteria contained in it provide:

• Reducing the risk of intestinal infections.
• Improved digestion.
• Reducing the load on the liver. This organ finally matures only by the age of 12, and before that it is the child’s weak point.

The principle of introducing first complementary foods

And now about the procedure for feeding a baby for the first time. The best time for this is the morning, from 9 to 12 o'clock. For the first time, we give just a couple of teaspoons of kefir, and then supplement with breast milk or formula - whatever your child usually eats. We spend the rest of the day monitoring the baby’s condition. For tomorrow, if you have not noticed any negative manifestations, double the portion. The day after tomorrow - again at two. That is, on the first day - 10 ml, on the second - 20 ml, on the third - 40 ml, etc. Gradually increase the volume to an amount sufficient for one full feeding. This is about 150 ml.

Around the fifth day, if everything goes well, you can start introducing cottage cheese. He mixes in the entire amount of kefir: 1 day - 1 teaspoon, 2 day - 2 spoons, etc. Until the child turns 30, we stop at 30 g of cottage cheese per day. Then we increase it to 50 g. In total, it should take about a week to completely replace one feeding (30 g of cottage cheese + 150 ml of kefir). The rest of the meals remain the same - breast milk or formula. For the next three to four weeks we feed the child in this mode, without making any changes.

Important: the “horror stories” familiar to many that if you give a baby cottage cheese, his fontanel will overgrow too quickly (due to excess calcium) are not logically justified in any way. In fact, cottage cheese is not that rich in this element. So, 100 g of breast milk contains up to 50 mg of calcium, 100 g of cow milk contains 120 mg, and 100 g of cottage cheese contains about 140 mg.

Introduction of cereals into baby's complementary feeding

As stated above, after the first feeding of the child with fermented milk products, about a month should pass. After this, you can begin to replace another feeding, this time with milk and cereal porridges: oatmeal, buckwheat or rice. We choose them from the assortment of ready-made cereals in baby food departments or cook them ourselves. In the second case, you just need to buy flour from these cereals or make it yourself (grind it in a coffee grinder). As a dairy supplement, instead of cow's milk, it is better to use milk formula with the number “2” on the can, i.e., intended for feeding babies from 6 months.

How to introduce porridge: the procedure will be exactly the same as when introducing kefir. The first day - 2 teaspoons, the second - 4, the third - 8, etc. We fill the remaining volume with breast milk or the usual formula. So we gradually replace one feeding, preferably the last one before going to bed.

You probably noticed that among the listed cereals for the first feeding there is no semolina. This may seem strange - semolina is easy to prepare, has an excellent consistency for a child who has not yet chewed, and tastes very good. There is one “But”: this cereal contains a lot of gluten. Gluten protein (gliadin) can cause intestinal problems if the baby is intolerant to it. Therefore, it is better to postpone the inclusion of semolina porridge in the diet until an older age - about 8 months.

The first food in every child's life should be breast milk or a special formula. It is from these products that the baby can get all the necessary substances and vitamins during the first year of life. However, with age, a new problem arises: what the parents give him is not enough for the child. The baby begins to show great interest in food and a desire to taste everything. This article will tell you about what complementary feeding regimens are available when breastfeeding. You will find out where to start introducing your baby to adult food. It is also worth mentioning what constitutes complementary feeding according to Komarovsky.

Introducing adult food into a child's diet

There are a lot of opinions about when exactly you should start introducing your baby to adult food. Some pediatricians insist that the baby should be given the first foods from the age of three months. Others say that you can completely wait until the child turns one year old. Complementary feeding according to Komarovsky requires introduction to a new diet no earlier than six months of age. The majority of modern pediatricians in Russia adhere to the same opinion. There are several rules that must be taken into account before introducing your baby to a particular food:

1. Before introducing a new product, the baby must be absolutely healthy.
2. The child has no allergic reactions.
3. The baby shows interest in adult food.
4. Only a spoon is used for complementary feeding.
5. A single-component product should be administered at one feeding.
6. You need to start complementary feeding with minimal doses.
7. A new dish is introduced in the first half of the day.

Where to start complementary feeding?

This is the question pediatricians often hear from new mothers. Women are concerned that their babies should try it first. There are several ways to introduce your child to new foods. The complementary feeding regimen is selected taking into account the general condition of the baby and his weight category. It is also necessary to consider the possibility of allergies.

Some doctors are sure that getting acquainted with a new diet should begin with eating cereals. Other pediatricians say that preference should be given to vegetable dishes. Grandmothers and mothers tell young women that they should start with juices and chicken yolk. What should you do? Where to start complementary feeding? Let's consider several schemes for introducing adult food into a baby's diet.

First scheme: complementary feeding with porridge

This method is chosen when the baby is underweight. Also, the introduction of cereals should be started first in children who are bottle-fed. If you choose this complementary food, the porridge should first be without the addition of milk. If you are breastfeeding, you can add food familiar to the baby to the dish.

The first feeding of porridge should include the following: buckwheat, rice, corn. These cereals are the most low-allergenic. All of them need to be cooked in water. Only after this, if desired, add breast milk.

On the first day, you need to give your child half a teaspoon of this new product. At the same time, you should carefully monitor your body’s reaction throughout the day. On the second day, offer your baby a whole teaspoon of porridge. Gradually increase the product to 50-100 grams over two weeks.

When the child gets used to the porridge, you need to start introducing vegetables and only then fruits, juices and dairy products.

Second scheme: complementary feeding with vegetables

This complementary feeding scheme is that the child is first offered one-component vegetable purees. This tactic should be chosen by those mothers whose children are of normal weight. The first vegetables for your baby should be the following: cauliflower, zucchini, broccoli, pumpkin and carrots.

On the first day, you should give your baby a new product on the tip of a teaspoon. This portion was chosen to ensure that he does not have an allergic reaction. If everything went smoothly, then after a day offer the child a dose doubled. Add a little product every day and by the end of the second week, increase the amount eaten to 100 milliliters.

After this, you need to introduce porridge in the manner described above, fruits and dairy products.

Third scheme: complementary feeding with fruits

This type of complementary feeding should be chosen only if your baby has a tendency to be overweight. The first products should be apples, pears and bananas. Only after this can citrus and exotic fruits be introduced.

On the first day, offer your baby a few drops of apple juice. Assess the reaction of the gastrointestinal tract to the product. If everything is fine, then after a day you can offer the baby half a teaspoon of applesauce. If desired, you can dilute the new dish with your usual breast milk or formula. Over the course of a month, increase the daily portion and bring it to 100 grams.

After this, the baby’s complementary feeding can be varied with other products. These can be dairy products, cereals and vegetable purees.

Complementary feeding according to Komarovsky

This famous pediatrician developed his own scheme for introducing complementary foods. It is worth noting: the doctor says that complementary feeding should not begin before six months of age. Also, do not overly delay your child’s introduction to new foods. Otherwise, in the future it will be very difficult for the baby to adapt to a new diet.

Dr. Komarovsky says that the first product in a child’s diet should be kefir. Only after this can cottage cheese and yogurt be introduced. Next, you need to introduce the baby to cereals and only after that prepare vegetable soups and stews for him. Let us consider in detail how complementary foods are introduced according to Komarovsky.

New product introduction scheme

On the first day, offer your child three teaspoons of kefir. In this case, the product must be non-greasy. After a day, give the child six spoons. In this way, increase the dose until you reach 150 milliliters per day.

Next, you should introduce your baby to cottage cheese. It's better to cook this food yourself. However, if you wish, you can buy store-bought products. On the first day, give the baby a teaspoon of the composition. In this case, the weight of the dish will be approximately 5 grams. Every other day, offer your child two spoons of a new dish. Using this method, it is worth increasing the volume to 30 grams (6 teaspoons). When the baby reaches the age of 8 months, the dose may be equal to 10 spoons of the dish.

The next acquaintance will be with porridge. It is preferable to administer the product before bedtime. Give your child a teaspoon of the dish. On the second day, double the dose. Over the course of two weeks, increase the serving to 200 milliliters. At the same time, do not forget to give your baby kefir and cottage cheese.

Vegetables are introduced into complementary foods as follows. On the first day, you should give your child 30 grams of the product. At the same time, monitor the reaction of the intestines and stomach. Next, offer your child 10 teaspoons of the dish. If everything goes smoothly, then you can introduce the next vegetable in the same way. After this, start giving your baby soup.

Meat should be introduced into the baby's diet last. In this case, a gradual approach must be observed. First, give the baby meat puree in the amount of 2-3 grams. The next day, double the dose. Bring your serving up to 50 grams over two or three weeks.

Fruits, according to Dr. Komarovsky, can be introduced after cottage cheese or at the very end. The same goes for fruit juice. It must be remembered that it must be diluted with ordinary drinking water.

Summing up and a short conclusion

So now you know the basic feeding patterns for babies. Remember that the most appropriate age to introduce adult food is six months. At this time, the baby can already sit independently and shows great interest in the diet of his parents.

By the age of one year, you can replace all daily meals with regular food. At the same time, the baby must have teeth for easy chopping of food. Remember that complementary feeding does not replace breastfeeding. The baby should still receive breast milk or a special formula.

Despite the abundance of information, recommendations from pediatricians and WHO, for many parents the question remains open. After all, qualified doctors say that a baby does not need anything until he is six months old, and grandmothers insist that it is necessary to accustom a child to adult food from the age of one month. No less relevant is the question of where to start introducing your baby to regular food. But even doctors and scientists cannot come to a consensus here.

Some say that it is better to start eating vegetables, others insist on fruit purees, and still others insist on porridge. But complementary feeding according to Komarovsky begins with fermented milk products, for example kefir. This doctor, popular throughout the CIS, bases his opinion on the fact that the baby’s gastrointestinal tract is accustomed exclusively to dairy products. In addition, kefir contains special fermented milk bacteria that can resist various microbes and reduce the risk of intestinal infections. This product also improves digestion and reduces the load on the child’s still weak liver.

Komarovsky recommends introducing the first complementary foods at the beginning of the day, gradually replacing the baby’s second feeding with it. Very little is given for testing: for the first time, it is enough to feed the child a couple of teaspoons. In subsequent days, the dose is doubled until the baby begins to eat 100-150 grams of kefir per feeding. Further complementary feeding according to Komarovsky is introduced as follows: somewhere on the 5th day of consuming kefir, cottage cheese is added to it. Of course, this is all done provided that the child does not have any rashes, digestive disorders, and is alert and healthy. By the age of 6-8 months, it is enough to gradually introduce 30 g of cottage cheese; by the 9th month, its amount is increased to 50 g. If the child does not like such food, Komarovsky recommends slightly sweetening it.

If you then completely replace one feeding with fermented milk products (and this should take about 7-10 days), you can introduce another feeding. This doctor recommends replacing the very last meal with milk and cereal porridges: buckwheat, rice or oatmeal. Whether to prepare it yourself or buy an instant version in a box is something the mother herself must decide.

When introducing complementary foods according to Komarovsky, only by the age of 8 months will you add vegetables and fruits to your baby’s diet. To begin with, he recommends giving your child a taste of vegetable broth, and only then moving on to vegetable soup or puree. After 2-3 weeks you need to add meat or a piece of egg yolk. Komarovsky recommends giving fruits only after the child has his first tooth, but not earlier than 6 months.

This is what complementary feeding looks like according to Komarovsky. The food introduction table that most pediatricians recommend using is somewhat different from this scheme. So, many doctors believe that cottage cheese, especially cottage cheese, is too heavy for a child’s stomach. Therefore, most still recommend introducing vegetables or fruits first. But this also has its pitfalls: after trying sweet apples or bananas, the baby may refuse to eat bland cauliflower, zucchini or potatoes.

But at what age and with what products to start introducing their baby to adult food, only the child’s parents should decide, focusing on the recommendations of doctors and common sense.