Food diversification in babies does not take place before 4 months. Between vegetable puree, fruit compote and infant cereals, we give you everything there is to know about the introduction of new foods. Compatibility with milk feed, arrival of proteins … We tell you everything!
When baby's 4 months come, it's time to start food diversification. And no, a toddler should not only be fed infant milk or breast milk until they are 2 years old. Introducing new foods is essential for baby's healthy growth. But beware ! There are rules to respect ! You cannot expect to feed a baby anything when he has spent the first four months of his life drinking milk. You have to go slowly, in stages.
By 4 months of age, baby is determined to be old enough to start eating mashed vegetables and fruit. However, not all infants are ready to change their diet the day after their birthday. Age is just a number, a teenager who has just turned 18 does not magically become an adult. Like eating, you can learn it! Above all, you have to listen to the baby and the advice of the pediatrician. Each child is unique, it is also necessary to take into account his physiological development. If baby is holding his head and carrying small items, that's a good sign!
What not to do is force it baby. If he isn’t ready to introduce a new food, don’t insist! We ask our pediatrician for advice and we take it easy. Food diversification must be started between 4 and 6 months, you have time! A new diet is a real change. It's like when you first tasted a chili, it's surprising.
Don't panic, we know that food diversification is stressful and not always easy. We are here to guide you and give you the best advice to take the step of a milk diet with raw purees. Let's go !
Regressive breastfeeding or decreased milk supply
If you are still breastfeeding your baby, you are average! In France, the average duration of breastfeeding is around 17 weeks. Breastfeeding, it will be remembered, is a personal choice that is not binding on anyone other than you and your child. If you don't want to breastfeed, you have the right! You just have to make sure your baby gets the nutrients he needs.
On average, a 4 month old baby needs 4 bottles per day consisting of 210 ml of water for 7 doses of 1st age milk. The amounts obviously vary depending on the baby's appetite. You should never force him to finish his bottle!
To regulate the milk supply, a breastfeeding mother can reduce the quantities at midday, and replace part of the meal with purees. However, we maintain the morning and evening breastfeeding, a matter of comfort. It is the same for bottle-fed babies. We wait for the midday meal, and we offer the mash before or after the usual milk. Indeed, the baby may be somewhat abrupt at the thought of swallowing a new texture or a different taste. So we do not eliminate breast milk or infant milk at midday, we try to balance. Food diversification is not a punishment and baby shouldn't feel it! Just because he doesn't want mash doesn't mean he's not hungry.
When to start food diversification?
It's better to start food diversification during the midday meal. We are in the middle of the day, baby is not grumpy because he has just woken up, nor too tired from his day. The discovery of the new diet is expected to be a stress-free day, where you and your companion have time. If the introduction of new foods is under stress, agitation and speed, baby may not understand and will not want to take in what you are offering.
It would be a shame to start this new stage of his life in bad conditions! So we sit quietly, place baby in a high chair, put on his protective suit, roll up his sleeves, grab a spoon, and off we go!
How to start food diversification?
Nothing better to start food diversification than with a vegetable puree ! Be careful, we only offer babyone vegetable at a time. If there are too many flavors at once, he may not identify or appreciate them. The goal is to make people discover! We prefer a smooth puree, so that the assimilation takes place very smoothly. Texture is super important. Do not add no salt when you prepare, if the puree seems bland to you, that's normal, it isn't for you! Small list of vegetables that are perfect to start diversification:
- The carrot, a great classic!
- Green beans
- Peas
- Zucchini
- Parsnip
- Pumpkin, babies are particularly fond of it
- Spinach
- Beet
- Sweet potato
Avoid vegetables that are too strong in taste, such as turnips. A little tip to add texture and consistency to your mash: add a little potato! Regarding fruits, it is recommended to start introducing them into baby's diet two weeks after vegetables. Fruits taste more pronounced and sweeter, so if you start with them, kids will just want that! Same as for vegetables, we favor one fruit at a time, with a compote with a very smooth texture, and no added sugar ! Small list of fruits that children love:
- Apple
- The banana
- The Peach
- Apricot
- The pear
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Food diversification: what food to give at what age?
We start with very sweet fruits that will not attack baby's palate. You can also give him a taste of lemon. But this is mostly for fun to see baby wince. For fruits as for vegetables, we start with small quantities. We can start with 30g, in order to reach 100g at the end of the first month of food diversification. As for the preparation, the small organic jars are good, but if you have the possibility to make your purées yourself with quality ingredients, it is even better!
Small recipe ideas for homemade mashed potatoes and compotes that you can then use with other fruits and vegetables: carrot mash and applesauce.
If baby doesn't like a vegetable or fruit that you are offering him for the first time, don't panic. You can persevere 8 to 10 times to make sure your child doesn't like the taste, and that their refusal is not just a surprise reaction. We advise you to change the ingredient, in order to better accept the new foods.
In baby food diversification, it is also possible to integrate cereals and flour. They are even good allies! To start the introduction, we recommend 1st age gluten-free infant flour or cereals. Pour 1 to 2 teaspoons of it into the evening baby or breast milk bottle, and that's perfect. It is advisable to gradually integrate gluten every 7 months of the child.
Make beware of allergies : young children are sensitive. This is also the reason why we prefer to introduce one food at a time, in order to detect allergies. If your baby has some of them, be sure to check the ingredients on the back of the jars or packages! It is always noted.
Dairy diet compatibility and food diversification
It is completely possible to mix milk feed (bottle or breastfeeding) and the introduction of new foods. You just have to swing!
When baby is 4 months old, we keep the milk in the morning and in the evening for more comfort, and we offer mashed potatoes at lunchtime. If a baby of this age has to consume 210ml of water for 7 scoops of milk per day, balance the numbers with the amount of vegetable purees and fruit compotes swallowed. In addition, if the baby is breast-fed, he will already be familiar with some flavors. What mom eats passes into her milk!
For breastfed babies who are not yet weaned, food diversification is not a problem. On the contrary, for mothers who want it, breastfeeding may very well continue until the baby is 6 months old. What is advisable is to negotiate the feeding times. Do not give in so much to baby's requests, without depriving him of it!
Why do we have to introduce new foods only after 4 months?
It is forbidden to start food diversification before the baby is 4 months old. It’s a matter of health. Indeed, although the digestive tract develops quite quickly, the kidneys do not. The excess of mineral salts and proteins can then be very harmful for the baby. The explanation of Doctissimo experts: "between the cells of the intestine are bridges that ensure tightness. They prevent proteins in the gut from passing into the bloodstream. In toddlers, intercellular bridges are not very efficient. Undigested proteins in the intestine can therefore pass between cells and into the blood, and trigger an immune reaction”.
In other words, the allergic risks are enormous. Some studies have shown that starting too early increases the risk of obesity.
The next steps
Meat, fish and eggs ! This is because protein is the next step in feeding babies. You will be able to gradually integrate these foods from his 6 months! You will be able to start offering him a multitude of recipes combining vegetable purees, infant cereals and meat, fish, eggs, with a small fruity dessert at the end.
Obviously, we avoid serving a rib of beef to baby. To start introducing proteins, we mix them with the purees, and in small quantities!
There you have it, you know everything about food diversification. When your child turns 4 months old, you will know what to do, how to react, and what recipes to offer!