Most children start to add complementary food from 6 months. Once the complementary food is added from their children, many mothers are happy to prepare complementary food, but the problem arises: I don't know how to arrange milk and complementary food, how much complementary food should be eaten, and how much milk should I drink every day?

Supplementary food is very important for the baby: it can provide the baby with various nutritional needs, meet the growth needs, exercise the baby's chewing ability and swallowing ability, promote the baby's jaw development, and stimulate the eruption of deciduous teeth.

However, complementary food is complementary food, and it always has a ratio with the staple food, so it can't usurp the host's role, otherwise it will be prone to malnutrition and so on.

So for children who eat complementary food, how much should complementary food be eaten every day and how much milk should it be?

According to "Guidelines on Nutrition and Diet for China Residents" 20 16, it was pointed out that the baby began to add complementary food after 6 months (after birth 180 days).

In Cui Yutao Parenting Encyclopedia, Cui Yutao, a pediatrician, pointed out that complementary food refers to all solid and liquid foods added to babies of 6~ 18 months except breast milk and formula milk.

The addition of complementary food should follow a big principle: the process of making complementary food from single to diverse ingredients, from thin to thick finished products, from less to more, and from coarse to fine.

So today, this article will talk about the arrangement of baby's complementary food and milk quantity between 6- 18 months.

6 months old

Milk quantity: 600-800ml of breast milk or formula milk per day.

Complementary food: once a day, preferably in the morning, and between two milk meals. The quantity is gradually increased from the first spoonful to two spoonfuls (diluted rice noodles).

Key points: at the beginning of adding complementary food, the purpose is to see the baby's acceptance of complementary food and whether the baby is allergic to a certain ingredient. Eat each ingredient for three days in a row, and continue to eat the next ingredient if there is no adverse reaction.

This stage is mainly to make the baby interested in eating, not how much the baby eats. Babies can grab any food with their hands and taste it. Parents should not stop their children from trying food with their hands and mouth.

7 months old

Milk quantity: 600ml or more of breast milk or formula milk per day.

Complementary food: at the end of the month, the complementary food will be changed to 1-2 times, once in the morning and once in the afternoon, and between two milk meals. Start mixed feeding of various ingredients. The quantity of rice flour can refer to the proportion of rice flour packaging and the baby's needs.

Key points: each child has different starting time of complementary food and different acceptance of complementary food. After adding complementary food for 2 months, rice flour can gradually retreat to the second line, and various ingredients can be mixed and fed in a diversified way. The state of complementary food also started from fine to rough, and began to exercise chewing ability.

8 ~ 9 months old

Milk quantity: breast milk 4 6 times a day or formula milk 600ml or more.

Complementary food: after 9 months of age, complementary food gradually increased from 2 times to 3 times.

Focus: At this stage, the complementary food gradually changes from fine condition to granular and strip shape. Begin to gradually exercise children's chewing ability and promote teething and oral development.

At this stage, children begin to develop their eating habits. They should sit in highchairs by themselves, and the meal time should not be too long. Moreover, the amount of milk and the meal time of complementary food gradually depend on three meals a day.

10 12 months old

Milk quantity: breast milk 3 4 times a day or formula milk 600ml,

Complementary food: complementary food is eaten three times a day, and the amount of food eaten per meal is determined by the baby himself. Gradually synchronize with the three meals a day for adults.

Key points: At this stage, children should cultivate the habit of eating independently, sit on the highchairs and eat by themselves, and consciously develop good dining etiquette. At the same time, the content of complementary food should be gradually enriched to avoid picky eaters.

12- 18 months old

Milk quantity: not less than 500ml, and the meal time can be fixed in the morning and evening.

Complementary food: the amount of food eaten depends on the baby's wishes, and the diversity of ingredients and food form gradually transition to be similar to that of adults.

Key point: develop the habit of children eating independently. The ingredients should also be varied, and salt can be added appropriately after one year old.

After adding complementary food, always remember that in the process of complementary food: complementary food is fed on demand, eating more is not limited, eating less is not mandatory, and the daily intake is handed over to the baby, so that the baby can master it himself.

In addition to following the general principles, the addition of complementary food is mainly based on safety. Need to pay attention to the following points:

1. You should not be too hasty when starting to add.

When you start to add complementary food, you can't be sure whether your baby is allergic to certain foods or not, so you should add the same variety of ingredients first, and observe your baby's reaction, and then gradually increase it after adaptation.

Generally speaking, at the beginning of adding complementary food, only one new ingredient is added at a time, and it is added for three consecutive days to observe whether the baby has any adverse reactions, and then continue to add the next one.

Parents should never make a mess from the beginning.

2. Not all food can be eaten.

For the sake of baby's health and reducing allergies, allergic foods should be added as late as possible. Especially if adults at home are allergic, children should not worry when adding complementary food.

No need to add salt, sugar or honey before one year old;

Too much salt will burden the baby's immature kidney, which will affect the baby's absorption of calcium. Don't add salt in a hurry. Seasoning can be adjusted by the natural taste of fruits and vegetables, which is very important for your baby's health in the future.

Don't add sugar to your baby's food. Eating too much sugar will increase your baby's risk of tooth decay.

Honey contains a kind of bacteria, which can cause baby infection and even poisoning, so never give your baby honey before one year old.

Eggs are added from the yolk after 8 months: eggs are allergic foods, and they are generally added from the yolk after 8 months. The eggs you eat must be completely cooked.

3. Develop good dining habits

When eating complementary food from the beginning, let the baby sit on the highchairs and start eating. The meal time should be controlled within half an hour as far as possible. Don't chase and feed, don't force it, and don't chew it up.

Once the baby develops good eating habits, the possibility of "rice dregs" will be reduced, and it is just around the corner to be a lazy mother.

4. Always judge whether the child has created enough.

It is said that the baby's fat will disappear after adding complementary food, so novice parents are always worried about whether their children are full or not. Sometimes I can't wait for my children to eat more, thinking that they can get more nutrition.

Judging the child's growth level depends not on the naked eye, but on the growth curve. Parents should keep a record of their children's height and weight after they are born, so as to observe whether their children are growing well.

Extended reading:

Add complementary food instead of eating rice paste all the time, change complementary food in time to help your baby have stronger chewing ability.

When and how does the baby start eating meat? It is more acceptable for children to add meat supplements like this.

Is complementary food to make the baby full? Novice parents should understand: Why add complementary food to their baby?

Thanks for reading!

Please understand if there are any typos with your child's code words.