For the first six months, feed your baby only with breast milk. During this period, breast milk will meet all your baby's nutritional needs. Starting complementary foods earlier than 6 months will reduce the baby's need for breastfeeding and will prevent him from benefiting sufficiently from breast milk. Since this will cause breast milk to decrease over time and be stopped at an early age, supplementary feeding should not be started for babies before 6 months. In babies with insufficient weight gain, it may be recommended to start complementary foods from the 4th month onwards, with the recommendation of your doctor.
Do not forget that the supplementary foods you give to your baby are complementary to breast milk. Initially, complementary foods are started to complement breast milk, and over time, complementary foods replace breast milk. Breastfeeding should be continued for at least 2 years with appropriate and timely supplementary food support. In the Holy Quran, it is recommended that babies be breastfed until the age of 2. The World Health Organization recommends that breastfeeding continue until the age of two in developing countries.
The nutritional status of babies is best evaluated by their weight gain. For this, take your baby for regular health checks.
Conditions for giving supplementary food after 6 months:
The baby completes head and neck control, develops hand and eye coordination, Starting to sit up and developing chewing and swallowing functions are essential steps for starting complementary foods. Babies complete this development only in the 6th month. After 6 months, breast milk is predominantly given. A child who is fed an average of 6-8 meals a day should have 2-3 meals of supplementary food. Then, the weight of complementary foods in the diet is increased; after the 9th month, half of the nutrition comes from complementary foods and the other half comes from breast milk.
What should be considered when starting complementary foods?
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Breastfeeding should be continued along with complementary foods.
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Cleaning rules should be followed during the preparation of complementary foods. Hands should be washed with plenty of water and soap. Raw vegetables and fruits should be prepared by washing them thoroughly.
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Prepare your baby's complementary foods with boiled, cooled water until the age of one.
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All supplements Give foods with a spoon or cup, not in a bottle
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All supplementary foods should be prepared at home and given fresh daily. Do not give unnatural, store-bought complementary foods to your baby before the age of one (prepare yoghurt, fruit juice, soup, etc. yourself at home daily).
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Supplementary foods should be given in small amounts, the amount should be gradually increased over a few days according to the baby's intake and given in one meal to satisfy the baby's stomach (for example, when yoghurt is given, 1 teaspoon 2 teaspoons on the first day). 2-3 teaspoons are given on the first day, 4-5 teaspoons are given on the 3rd day, then it can be given at one meal to fill the stomach).
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Supplementary foods to be given for the first time: 4-5 It should be started one day apart. In this way, time is given for the baby to get used to the new food, and if an allergic reaction or digestive problem (such as diarrhea, vomiting or excessive gas pain) develops, it can be understood which food caused it. Whichever food caused the problem, that food should be stopped to try again after 3 weeks.
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When starting with supplementary foods, they should first be given in liquid consistency, and over time, the consistency of well-ingested supplementary foods should be increased and given in puree consistency. After the fruit juices start to be absorbed well, the pulp is added little by little to give it a puree consistency, and the consistency is increased by chopping bread into the soups. Blender and rondo should never be used when preparing foods.
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The baby should not be forced to consume foods that he/she has not taken, and the same food should be tried again after a while.
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During the transition to complementary foods, especially when solid foods are introduced, babies may push food with their tongues. This involuntary movement of babies usually improves over time, do not worry if your baby does not like complementary foods.
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The mother should be relaxed during feeding hours, should not rush, should feed by talking to her baby and caressing him from time to time. Feeding hours should be happy moments for both mother and baby.
What supplementary foods can we give?
Supplementary foods should be of high nutritional value, soft consistency, easy to digest and low allergenic. will be given during this period K foods are yoghurt, fruit juice or puree, vegetable puree, soups, pudding, homemade jam and molasses, respectively. Especially cow's milk and honey should not be used in babies up to one year old, as they cause digestive problems, anemia and allergic reactions.
Yoghurt:
The most reliable supplement that babies can easily digest. It is one of the foods and is usually started with 1-2 teaspoons as the first supplementary food, and the amount given is slowly increased every day and given as a meal. Yogurt should be made at home, prepared and given daily.
Fruit juice and puree:
Fruits should always be given in season. The first fruit to give to the baby is apple or peach, depending on the season. Juices of fruits such as apricots, grapes, bananas, tangerines, oranges, watermelons, melons and carrots are started with 1-2 teaspoons, then the amount given is increased and given as a meal every 3-4 days. After reaching the liquid consistency, the consistency is gradually thickened and given in the form of puree.
Fruits are washed thoroughly, peeled, grated on a glass grater to extract the juice.
Juice the fruit once or twice a day, between meals. or puree can be given. Molasses or jam can be added to fruit juices to sweeten them, and the consistency can be thickened with baby biscuits. Fruit purees can also be given as a meal by mixing them with yoghurt.
Grain soups:
Lentil, yayla and tarhana soups can be given after yoghurt and fruit/vegetable purees. Minced meat and butter can be added to soups. Soups are served first on their own, then with chopped bread. In this way, solid foods are slowly introduced.
Vegetables:
After yoghurt, fruit juice and soups, vegetables can be started depending on the season. Vegetables such as spinach, potatoes, zucchini and cauliflower are given by turning them into purees. Minced meat or butter can be added. Soup and vegetable dishes should be the same as the foods we prepare for ourselves at home, only with little salt and no spices.
Cudding:
It can be started from the age of six months. A water pudding is made by mixing a glass of water, 3 teaspoons of rice flour or starch, and 2 teaspoons of sugar. It is removed from the skin, after it has cooled slightly, 6 scoops of ready-made formula are added in powder form, and if necessary, it is passed through a wire strainer and given to the baby. Its content can be enriched by adding a teaspoon of butter, molasses or fruit puree.
Breakfast:
After the baby gets used to fruit and vegetable puree, breakfast can be started. A matchbox-sized amount of white cheese, jam or molasses, 2-3 baby biscuits and a teaspoon of butter are placed in a plate, crushed and mixed with water or linden, brought to a consistency that the baby can take and given to the baby. Sometimes, calorie and protein content can be enriched by adding 2-3 scoops of food. A breakfast rich in protein and calories should be given to the baby every morning.
Egg:
Hard-boiled egg yolk is added to the breakfast as a teaspoon after the child gets used to breakfast, The amount is gradually increased. By the end of the first week, the baby can eat a whole egg yolk. Starting from the ninth month, whole eggs, including the white, can be given every day. There is no harm in consuming eggs in all seasons.
Rice, pasta and stuffed vegetables:
After the eighth month, they can be mixed with yoghurt and given in one meal.
Meat products (red meat, chicken or fish):
6. Starting from the first month, minced meat pieces can be added to soups or vegetable dishes, and chicken or fish meat can be mashed and served alone or in meals. Soups or vegetable dishes can be prepared with meat or chicken broth. After the 9th month, meatballs prepared from double-ground minced meat without spices can be given to the baby. Meat products must be included in the baby's diet to prevent anemia.
Dried legumes:
7. After 1 month, it can be given to babies by crushing it and starting with a small amount in puree consistency. Its content can be enriched by adding minced meat.
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