At 3 months of a child’s life, digestive enzymes mature. At 3-4 months, local intestinal immunity and swallowing mechanisms are formed. From 6 months, mother’s milk or formula cannot fully satisfy the child’s growing body’s needs for energy and nutrients, so introducing complementary foods too late—after 6 months—is undesirable. At this time, breast milk can no longer provide the growing child with the necessary amount of microelements (especially zinc and iron). A monotonous diet can lead to growth retardation and inhibition of the development of such an important skill as chewing, which prepares the gums for teething. The lack of a child’s positive perception of the new taste and texture of food inhibits psycho-emotional development.
It is advisable to begin introducing complementary foods to children between the ages of 4 and 6 months. The sequence of appearance of individual foods and complementary foods in a child’s diet depends on the state of his health and the capabilities of the digestive system. There are rules for introducing complementary foods.
How to introduce complementary foods correctly?
Pediatricians are constantly reviewing the rules for introducing complementary foods, and recommendations on where to start are becoming less and less strict.
When to introduce complementary foods?
The time when a child begins to need more dense nutrition can be determined by certain developmental signs. He:
- can sit with little or no support,
- does not push out solid objects that end up in his mouth (this reflex usually fades by 4-5 months),
- puts various objects in his mouth, including his hands, reaches for food when he sees what others are eating,
- may turn away from the spoon if he does not want to eat.
It is believed that it is best to introduce complementary foods at 6 months.
Why is it not necessary to introduce complementary foods earlier?
A child's needs for energy, vitamins and microelements up to six months are fully satisfied with breast milk or an adapted milk formula. Once upon a time, with artificial feeding, infants started complementary feeding earlier, but this was due to the shortcomings of old milk formulas, which were corrected in modern ones.
Until 6 months, the digestive system is not adapted to a variety of dense foods, and in addition, there is a high risk of choking, since the child does not yet know how to swallow anything except liquids correctly. Therefore, it is not recommended to give cereal cereals from a bottle to a child who eats while lying down.
Where to start complementary feeding?
The answer may be unexpected, but you can start complementary feeding with any foods of suitable consistency that are not prohibited for babies. Babies under 8 months usually cannot chew and may choke on hard bits, so they need to puree all foods, which can be made thicker over time.
There is no evidence that the order in which complementary foods are introduced has any effect on the child's health.
It is also not recommended to give a child large amounts of cow's milk or honey until he is one year old. But the reason is not an allergy, but because cow's milk contains little iron, and honey may contain spores of bacteria that cause botulism.
Of course, you should not give foods that are fatty, salty, or contain artificial colors and preservatives, but most parents are unlikely to decide to do this.
Surprisingly, according to modern recommendations, this is where the prohibitions end. You can choose absolutely any type of vegetables and fruits of any color, any lean meat, cereal or children's fermented milk product and start complementary feeding with it.
For home use, complex tables for introducing complementary foods by month with an accuracy of 2 weeks and 10 grams are not relevant. You don’t have the task of calculating the cost of food for 500 babies for a year. You will be guided by your baby’s appetite and tastes, as well as family food traditions.
What foods should be introduced at 4-6 months1
The first complementary foods at 4 months are porridge or vegetable purees. How to choose:
- if your baby is overweight or has hard stools, try vegetables,
- if your child gains no more than average or has loose stools, try porridge.
From 4 months of age, add oil to complementary foods: vegetable or butter. Baby needs fats.
Porridge.
Dairy-free and gluten-free: rice, buckwheat or corn. Use a commercially produced cereal, such as Nutrilak Premium PROCEREALS. Prepare it with breast milk, formula or water. Offer milk and gluten-containing porridges after rice, buckwheat or corn.
Vegetables.
Start with one type of vegetable: zucchini, cauliflower or broccoli1.
Meat
. After cereals and vegetables - from 6 months: beef, lean pork, turkey, rabbit. Add to vegetables.
From 6 months you can give pear or apple puree. By 7 months, up to 60 g of fruit puree is possible if the baby eats other complementary foods well.
Complementary feeding regimen and allergies
There is no point in delaying the introduction of “allergenic” foods into a child’s diet until after one year of age. It turns out that if a product is given earlier, it reduces the likelihood of an allergy to it. However, if you or someone you know is allergic to a certain product, consult your pediatrician before giving it to your child.
Most often, allergies develop to nuts, wheat, eggs, soy and fish (there are also seafood like oysters, but children are usually not fed them). Starting complementary foods with fish, for example, is an unusual solution, but there is no scientific evidence that this is in any way harmful. The vast majority of children tolerate them normally, and those who are allergic to them exhibit it regardless of the timing of administration.
Complementary feeding table by month for artificial feeding
| Products | 6 months | 7 months | 8 months | 9 months | 10 months | 11 months | 12 months |
| Vegetables | 150 g | 170 g | 180 g | 180 g | 180 g | 200 g | 200 g |
| Porridge | 50–100 g | 150 g | 180 g | 180 g | 180 g | 200 g | 200 g |
| Fruits | 60 g | 70 g | 80 g | 100 g | 100 g | 100 g | |
| Meat | 50 g | 60 g | 60 g | 70 g | 70 g | 70 g | |
| Cottage cheese | 10–30 g | 30 g | 40 g | 50 g | 50 g | ||
| Yolk | 1/4 | 1/4 | 1/2 | 1/2 | 1/2 | ||
| Fish | 30 g | 50 g | 60 g | ||||
| Vegetable oil | 1 ml | 3–5 ml | 5 ml | 5 ml | 5 ml | ||
| Oil sl. | 1 ml | 3–5 ml | 5 ml | 5 ml | 5 ml |
How to replace feedings with complementary foods?
There have been no rigorous studies on this topic, so it cannot be said that one technique is definitely better than another. Many doctors recommend giving complementary foods first, and then breast milk or formula, so that the child does not have time to get enough and is more willing to eat unusual purees.
However, sometimes it is advised to first give breastfeeding or a bottle so that the child is tuned in to eating, and not playing with it, then give complementary foods, then supplement with liquid nutrition. Maybe it will be more convenient for someone to do this at first, and when the child gets used to eating from a spoon, move on to the first option.
Complementary feeding table by month when breastfeeding
| Products | 6 months | 7 months | 8 months | 9 months | 10 months | 11 months | 12 months |
| Dairy-free porridge | 10–150 g | 150–180 g | 150–180 g | 180–200 g | 200 g | 200 g | 200 g |
| Vegetables | 10–120 g | 80–120 g | 150 g | 170 g | 180 g | 200 g | 200 g |
| Milk porridge | — | — | — | — | — | — | 160–200 ml |
| Fruits | 5–60 g | 50–60 g | 60 g | 80–100 g | 100–120 g | 100–120 g | 100–120 g |
| Meat | — | — | 10–30 g | 30–70 g | 60–70 g | 60–70 g | 80 g |
| Cottage cheese | — | — | 5–10 g | 10–30 g | 40 g | 40 g | 50 g |
| Yolk | — | — | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½–1 |
| Fish | — | — | — | — | 10–40 g | 10–40 g | 50–60 g |
| Vegetable oil | — | — | 1 ml | 3–5 ml | 5 ml | 5 ml | 5 ml |
| Butter | — | — | 1–3 g | 3–4 g | 5 g | 5 g | 5 g |
As you can see, the schemes for introducing complementary foods during breastfeeding and artificial feeding do not differ too much. In any case, when you start introducing new foods into your baby’s diet, you will have to give your baby milk or formula for a long time, which is still the basis of his nutrition.
How to quickly introduce new types of products?
There is no need to give your baby several types of new foods at once. He is not fasting in any case, and it is wise to take a few days off (3 days is most often recommended) before the next food.
First, they give a very small amount of food (about half a spoon). If everything is in order, you can gradually increase the portion. Up to how many grams? To a small children's bowl. There is absolutely no need to weigh the portion on a scale. All the same, the child should be given as much as he willingly agrees to eat.
It makes sense to postpone the introduction of a new product for several days if the child is sick or some significant change is expected (for example, a change in formula or place of residence). Then it will be easier to understand the reason for the possible reaction.
When to hold off on complementary feeding
It is better to wait with complementary foods if: • the child is sick; • less than three days have passed since vaccination; • the baby is teething, sleeps poorly and is capricious; • there have been some changes in the family’s lifestyle, for example moving to a new home, mother going to work, traveling to another city or country; • the baby exhibits manifestations of allergies and gastrointestinal tract disorders; • the weather outside is too hot.
Thus, complementary feeding should only be offered to a child when he is completely healthy, calm and in a good mood.
“Pediatric” and “pedagogical” complementary foods
The method of introducing complementary foods is called pedagogical, when the child is given very small pieces of food from the common table, when the whole family eats. It is often contrasted with pediatric, when a child is specially placed in a high chair and they try to somehow make him eat the amount of a certain food written in a special table.
In fact, there is no opposition between these two types of complementary foods, and there are no clear boundaries between them. No modern pediatrician requires a child to eat strictly 150 g of broccoli in one feeding.
When teaching complementary feeding, the parent needs to eat foods that can be given to children (it is not recommended to add sugar and salt to complementary foods, and this may not be very tasty), and also take into account that the child may choke on hard pieces.
| Complementary feeding rules |
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Answers to frequently asked questions from moms
• What foods should not be given to children under one year of age?
It is forbidden to give cow's milk to babies under one year of age, as it can cause allergic reactions and digestive disorders.
It can be perfectly replaced by adapted mixtures from modern manufacturers. In addition to milk, it is not recommended to include nuts, citrus fruits, exotic fruits and vegetables, red fish and honey in the menu of the first year of life. • What to do if a child absolutely does not want to eat complementary foods?
Wait a while and try offering food again, but do not insist on another refusal.
Perhaps the baby did not like the new dish because of the unfamiliar taste. Children are big conservatives and are often wary of change. Be patient and do not rush into introducing complementary foods. Show your child the appetite with which you yourself eat from your plate, and then he may have a desire. • What should you do if your baby has problems with bowel movements during complementary feeding?
If a child experiences stool retention for more than three days during the introduction of complementary foods, then we can talk about constipation.
In this case, you need to visit a pediatrician, and also immediately exclude strengthening foods from the menu and give you more fluids to drink. If bowel movements become too frequent (more than 5 times a day), this may be due to indigestion or an intestinal infection. Be sure to consult your doctor about this. • What to do if you develop an allergy to complementary foods?
It is advisable to take care of this issue even before introducing complementary foods by asking the pediatrician observing the child to prescribe an antihistamine that is optimal for his age.
You should also carefully fill out your food diary at first. With its help, it will be possible to identify a possible allergen and exclude it from the baby’s menu, preventing more severe health consequences. • How to understand that a child tolerates complementary feeding well?
The successful introduction of complementary foods is indicated by normal weight gain and height, regular bowel movements, and the absence of allergic skin rashes. If your baby is cheerful, active, has a good appetite and restful sleep, most likely this means that you are doing everything correctly and the selected diet is suitable for him.
However, in no case should you completely abandon artificial formula when introducing complementary foods, even when the baby eats complementary foods with appetite. His body is not yet ready for a complete change in the type of nutrition and may malfunction. This often manifests itself in the form of allergies, bowel disorders or growth retardation. Remember that your baby should enjoy new food. Only under this condition will he develop correct eating behavior.
How to continue introducing complementary foods?
At 8-10 months, children learn to bite and chew food (even if there are no teeth yet, they can begin to be given pieces of dense foods, such as vegetables, but they can still choke on solid foods, for example, nuts or seeds should not be given.
WHO and all medical organizations in the world recommend continuing breastfeeding until at least 1 year (WHO even longer, but this is important in countries with poor nutrition and hygiene). Further, this has no undoubted health benefits with a nutritious basic diet.
Complementary feeding table for children under one year of age (according to the recommendations of the American Pediatric Association, the database and the European Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition).
| Age | Products |
| up to 4 months | Only breast milk or adapted formula. |
| 4-6 months | You can optionally give a very small amount of complementary foods (the same foods as at 6-8 months, but without the intention of replacing the main diet with them). |
| 6-8 months | Complementary feeding begins with any of the products of the following groups: vegetables, meat, fruits, grain porridges, children's fermented milk products, gradually adding other products of these groups, including potentially allergenic ones (fish, eggs). The consistency is a homogeneous puree. Honey and cow's milk are not allowed until one year of age. You can offer water, especially in hot weather. |
| 8–12 months | They continue to expand the range of food groups suitable for 6–8 months, larger pieces can be given. |
| After 12 months | A child can eat all foods included in a healthy diet for adults (you can follow the WHO recommendations), including cow's milk and honey.2,3 It is dangerous to give seeds, nuts and small candies up to 3 years of age due to the risk of choking. |
It makes sense to discuss juices, which were previously recommended to be administered drop by drop from almost 2 months. Currently, child nutrition experts do not recommend giving a lot of juice (or other sugary drinks) at any age. Juice reduces appetite, provokes tooth decay and does not contain anything additional useful compared to fruit.
| Author Fedor Katasonov | Scientific editor Maria Gantman |
What can a baby receive at six months?
Baby food "FrutoNyanya" offers babies First Choice Hypoallergenic products - to get acquainted with each category of complementary foods:
porridges - rice and buckwheat,
For older babies, the FrutoNyanya range of baby food also includes multi-ingredient
purees, cereals and juices, as well as baby dairy products.
