Weaning in children: What is reasonable?

This article is expertly consulted by Master, Doctor Ngo Thi Oanh - Pediatrician - Pediatrics - Neonatology - Vinmec Ha Long International General Hospital.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that mothers should only start giving their babies solid foods from the age of 6 months, because at this time, the baby's digestive system is relatively fully developed to be able to absorb it. foods that are denser and more complex than breast milk.

During the weaning period, babies need additional food because their energy needs increase. From the time the baby is 6 months old, the energy from breast milk is only enough to provide about 450kcal/day, while at this stage the baby needs about 700kcal/day. Therefore, proper weaning is necessary to compensate for this energy gap, and the amount of food in weaning meals also needs to increase as the child grows (increasing in quantity and increasing in density). If you don't ensure enough solid food, your child will be stunted and grow slowly. Moreover, during this period, the amount of iron stored is no longer available, so the baby will be iron deficient if only provided with breast milk, so weaning will be a source of enough iron needed to make up for that deficiency. . If the body does not have enough iron, the child will develop anemia. The range of iron deficiency is greatest at 6-12 months and the greatest risk of anemia is also in this age group.
Before 4 months of age, the baby's body does not have enough amylase enzyme to digest starch. Therefore, if the baby is given solid foods before 4 months, it is easy for the baby to get bored with breast milk, so he sucks less, leading to a shortage of essential and important nutrients from breast milk. This reduces the child's resistance, increases the risk of malnutrition and seriously affects the development process. On the other hand, babies are prone to food allergies because their digestive system at 4 months old is still immature, especially those with sensitive terrain. Therefore, the baby is at high risk of diarrhea and digestive disorders because the immature digestive system does not have enough enzymes to process starch and other complex foods.
On the contrary, if the baby is introduced to solid foods late after 6 months of age, it is likely that the child will gain weight and grow slowly. Because at this time breast milk does not provide enough nutrients needed for the baby to grow.

According to experience drawn from the health care of children of the American Academy of Pediatrics (American Academy of Pediatrics), proper weaning should ensure the following principles: similar to breast milk or close to formula to help your baby get used to "new foods". The principle of "sweet - salty" should be adhered to at the beginning of the weaning period, usually MSG will be the first choice when learning to introduce solid foods to babies because the taste is "similar" to breast milk. Weaning food with MSG first will be gradually replaced with salty flour with more nutritious ingredients. The principle of "less is more" to train the digestive system of children to gradually adapt to an increasingly richer food quantity and composition. Feed children in small amounts and then gradually increase to 10 grams of flour, green vegetables gradually increase to 10 grams, meat 10 grams after being drunk, cooking oil or animal fat reaching 5 ml per meal ... will ensure digestion and provide adequate energy - nutrients necessary for the growth and development needs of children. The principle of "dilute - solid" should be remembered so that the baby's weaning process is always "smooth", this is the principle to help children not "react" when exposed to strange foods and their digestive system can can digest more complex foods. The principle of "coloring the bowl of flour" means that the baby's solid food powder also ensures all 4 important food groups to help children develop well. The principle of "don't force the child to eat" when the child no longer wants to eat or is opposed to solid foods, parents should let the child stop eating solid foods for a period of 5-7 days and then continue to practice so that the child can continue to eat. no stress in weaning. When starting solids, after the first try, if your baby is eager to open his mouth and happily accepts the food, you can rest assured that he is ready. On the other hand, if your baby grimaces, turns his face away or spits out food, he's not ready and you shouldn't force him. If it doesn't work the first time, be patient and try again. In general, it usually takes 6-10 times before a baby accepts a new food and this ability increases significantly after 12-15 tries.

In order to develop well, children starting to eat solid foods still need to continue to breastfeed at least 3-4 times daily and eat from 2 meals of porridge/day, then gradually increase to 3-4 meals of powder/day when 1 year old. Note that right from the age of 6 months, babies need to eat solids and must be properly weaned, which is flour/porridge cooked with a balance of 4 food groups as follows:
3.1. Carbohydrate group Food group provides daily energy for babies to eat weaning. Mothers can mash porridge, potatoes to familiarize the baby with this food group, or cook oatmeal to enrich the baby's meals. Mothers should use plain rice, new rice should not be mixed, sticky rice should not be mixed (causes thick and difficult to eat) not combined with will, lotus seeds, green beans easily cause a feeling of boredom, difficulty eating and slow digestion for children, with children above 1-year-old should have a variety of weaning menus to avoid making children anorexic by eating porridge for too long: prepare potato soup with ground beef, vermicelli, noodle soup, rice paper,... so that children can be excited about the weaning meal.
3.2. Protein group Lean protein (pork, chicken), egg yolk: are easy-to-digest protein-rich foods that are recommended for children when they first start weaning, then give them beef, fish and shrimp to eat. , crabs (when turning 7 months old), over 1 year old should give children whole eggs (both yolks and whites). Protein plays an important role in the development of the baby, in the body, protein will provide the necessary amino acids to promote the growth and repair of cells. The mother should pay attention not to give the baby too much protein, because it will harm the baby's immature digestive system, so give the baby both animal protein (including meat, fish...) and vegetable protein (all kinds of protein). beans, etc.), the harmonious combination of animal and vegetable protein will help the baby grow healthy.
3.3. Group of vegetables and fruits Provide vitamins and some minerals, fiber will support the baby's digestive system. You can also practice feeding your baby fresh fruits such as grated bananas and peppers, drinking orange juice, mango puree, papaya... these foods will help to add a lot of vitamins, antioxidants and minerals to help you stay healthy. for the baby's immune system to develop, prevent intestinal diseases. However, mothers need to pay attention to properly processing vegetables, such as washing vegetables under the tap, not storing vegetables for too long... so as not to lose nutrients and affect the health of the baby.
3.4. Fat group Fats, in addition to providing energy, are also a component of cell membranes and brain tissue. The fat group plays an important role as a solvent to help vitamins A, D, E, K... dissolve and absorb into the body. Children need to eat both vegetable oil and animal fat (chicken fat, lard ...), with the best ratio of 1:1, so alternate meals of oil and fat. Vegetable oils should be eaten in a variety (soybean, sesame, salmon oil...) separately Gac oil should not be eaten daily but only 1-2 times a week to avoid jaundice due to excess vitamin A.

Should add a little cooking oil when cooking baby food: Fat/oil is extremely important for babies to eat solid foods. Easy-to-digest cooking oil is rich in energy and also has the ability to dissolve other substances, making it easier for the digestive system to absorb. This is also an important factor to help the baby's body absorb calcium and vitamin D well.
When the baby is not yet 1 year old, do not add spices/fish sauce to the weaning dishes:
Many mothers think that a little more is needed. fish sauce to make the food more flavorful and stimulate the baby's taste. This is completely wrong because eating salt at this time will not be good for the baby's kidneys. Adding salted fish sauce to baby food will cause the baby's kidneys to work too hard, causing damage to the kidneys.
Raw materials need to be clean and safe: Raw materials for making baby food need to be clean and safe, without any disease-causing organisms, without using harmful chemicals or toxins. Mothers need to wash their hands before preparing food and when feeding children. If your baby's weaning menu includes fish or shrimp, be sure to remove all bones (fish must be removed, shrimp must be bearded, ground and minced) or hard pieces that can injure your baby.
Food hygiene when processing: All fresh, clean, nutritious foods that adults can eat every day can be eaten by children. Baby's kitchen utensils and food containers need to be washed and kept clean; After cooking, the baby needs to eat it within two hours.
The period of baby eating solid foods is an extremely important period to help children develop comprehensively. Children who do not eat properly are at risk of micro-mineral deficiencies, causing anorexia, growth retardation, malabsorption, etc. If they notice the above signs, parents should supplement their children with supportive products. The supplement contains lysine, essential micro-minerals and vitamins such as zinc, chromium, selenium, and B vitamins to help fully meet the nutritional needs of children. At the same time, these essential vitamins also support digestion, enhance nutrient absorption, help improve anorexia, and help children eat well.
Parents can learn more:
Signs of zinc deficiency in children
Micronutrient deficiency and failure to gain weight in children
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