In order for a child to develop properly, it is necessary to establish a balanced diet from the first days of life. The intake of all necessary substances and microelements into the baby’s body helps to establish the uninterrupted operation of all internal organ systems, which will have a beneficial effect on the general condition of his body.

Couples who have become parents for the first time should be especially careful when choosing food products. This is due to the lack of necessary experience in caring for a baby. Let's look at how to organize feeding a baby according to the months of his age.

Feeding a baby up to three months old

In the first days of life, the best food for a child is mother's milk. Its production by the mammary glands begins to occur from 1 to 3 days after birth. If for some reason it is impossible to carry out natural feeding, then the infant is transferred to artificial feeding.

Breastfeeding baby

Before the immediate flow of milk, the breast secretes colostrum. This liquid has a special nutritional value, and it is this liquid that creates the conditions for the development of the newborn’s digestive system. Babies often don't get enough of it because colostrum is produced in small quantities. To compensate for insufficient nutrition during this period, babies in maternity hospitals are supplemented with infant formula.

After milk begins to flow, the mother must follow a special diet to ensure that it is safe for the baby. In addition to the need to control nutrition, you need to follow special rules for feeding your baby:

• feeding should be done on demand, not on a schedule;
• it is necessary to attach the baby to the breast correctly, in a comfortable position and with maximum contact with the mother’s skin;
• do not give your child a pacifier or a bottle with a nipple;
• It is imperative to put the baby to the breast at night;
• It is not advisable to express milk;
• The newborn should be applied to each breast in turn.

Artificial feeding of an infant

Artificial feeding is a diet in which formula milk predominates over breast milk. It is extremely undesirable to transfer a child under three months of age to such food, but there are cases when the mother is completely unable to breastfeed:

• complete absence of lactation;
• serious diseases of the mother's kidneys and heart;
• infections that can be transmitted through milk to a child;
• taking medications, the active substances of which can get into the nutrient fluid;
• mother's aversion to breastfeeding;
• the child’s inability to accept lactose, inability to digest mother’s milk (phenylketonuria).

In all these cases, it is worthwhile to establish constant feeding of the baby with formula milk, without alternating with natural milk. Partial replacement of breast milk must be done if the baby is not getting enough, i.e. This can be determined by four main characteristics:

1. Monthly weight gain is below normal.
2. The child urinates less than eight times a day.
3. The baby is acting restless.
4. Daytime sleep is superficial and short-term.

It would seem that there is nothing complicated: if the child does not get enough to eat, then you just need to supplement him with the required amount of artificial formula. But with mixed feeding, even those children who have not experienced digestive problems may experience colic and increased gas formation. Therefore, many mothers with a lack of breast milk prefer to completely replace it with milk formulas.

How to choose formula milk

It is not possible to replace mother's breast milk with cow's or goat's milk, since the product of animal origin is not adapted for baby food. The modern food industry offers a huge selection of various artificial milk formulas.

It is best to consult a pediatrician regarding the choice of such a product. For each individual case, the doctor will be able to determine the required composition of the nutrient fluid. For example, if you are lactose intolerant, you should choose lactose-free mixtures.

The price range of baby food is quite wide. More expensive products more accurately imitate breast milk, but they are still not completely identical. The issue of price is not as significant as the reaction to the baby's milk formula. It happens that an inexpensive mixture is absorbed much better than a premium product. It all depends on the individual characteristics of the child’s digestive system.

When you start changing your diet, be sure to monitor your baby’s condition to see if he has any rashes, colic, or restlessness. In case of any deviations, you should abandon the selected product and buy another one.

Feeding your baby in the first three months of life

Regardless of what feeding you choose, there are approximate daily nutritional requirements. It is more convenient to present them in the form of a feeding table for the first days of life and months:

There may be slight discrepancies with actual liquid food intake. This is due to the fact that the milk formula requires a little more, since it is not completely absorbed by the body. Wherein Artificial feeding usually occurs less frequently as the formula takes longer to digest.

When should you introduce the first complementary foods?

As a child grows up, it becomes necessary to introduce solid food into his diet. This is due to the absence in milk and mixtures of those substances and elements that become necessary for a baby from the age of three months. In different cases, the timing of introducing complementary foods may vary, it depends on the baby’s willingness to eat from a spoon.

Even doctors cannot say exactly at what time it is time to start introducing solid food into a child’s daily diet. Only the mother can make such a decision, since she is the one who spends all the time next to the baby and can notice changes in his behavior. But some general behavioral guidelines in this matter still exist:

• the child already knows how to hold his head up;
• the baby opens his mouth when a spoon with food is brought to him;
• closes lips when a spoon of food enters the mouth;
• knows how to swallow food;
• turns away from the spoon when full.

Usually, additional food products begin to be introduced when the baby reaches the age of 4 months. Moreover, with artificial feeding, complementary feeding should begin a little earlier than with natural feeding.

How to properly introduce new ingredients into an infant’s diet

Of course, the baby’s first solid food is one-ingredient purees. They need to be prepared from fresh ingredients and brought with boiled water to the required liquid consistency. Of course, you can buy purees in the store, but it’s better to use home cooking.

It is better to introduce new food into the diet in the morning, then if a gastric upset occurs, the malaise should go away by night's sleep. Initially, unfamiliar food should be given in very small portions, gradually increasing their volume if the child tolerates the product well. New products must be introduced gradually, at intervals of several days. This technique will allow you to timely identify your baby’s allergies to any ingredients and eliminate them from the diet.

Feeding a baby from 4 to 6 months

At this time, breast milk or formula is still the baby’s main food, but it is at this stage that solid foods of plant origin should begin to be introduced. To begin with, you should give your baby puree from one component, for example, potatoes, zucchini, pumpkin, cabbage, peaches, apples, plums. They cannot be salted or sugared; they must contain only vegetables or fruits and water.

In addition to such purees, you can start giving your baby juices, preferably freshly squeezed, prepared at home. Be sure to start with very small portions and gradually increase them. In addition, it is necessary to dilute the juice with water in a 1:1 ratio. For initial complementary feeding, green apple juice is best suited.

Menu for a child at 7-8 months

By seven to eight months, it is worth continuing to eat vegetable and fruit purees, gradually increasing their thickness. This product should already completely replace one feeding of liquid food per day. In addition, part of one feeding with milk or formula should be replaced daily with a small portion of porridge, and another with cottage cheese.

Thus, by the end of the eighth month, with five meals a day, only two meals remain completely dairy. It is also worth introducing porridge and cottage cheese gradually, starting with small portions.

In addition to these products, you need to start giving your baby meat purees from lean poultry breeds, such as chicken or turkey, as well as egg yolk and wheat bread. These components should be included in the diet no more than twice a week.

Diet of an infant at 9-12 months

At this time, the baby switches to five meals a day and the bulk of it should already be solid food. Milk, as the main component of the diet, loses its importance by nine months. At this time, during the day there should no longer be a single full meal consisting of milk or artificial formula.

Women who fed their baby with breast milk rather than formula for up to nine months begin to notice a significant decrease in lactation at this point. For most young mothers, the secretion of the mammary glands ends much earlier. This is due to the baby's reduced need for liquid food.

Features of the diet of a child up to one year old

If everything is more or less clear with the components of the diet, then with the mode of their administration and the required volumes, the situation is somewhat more complicated. A gradual reduction in the amount of milk and an increase in other ingredients is required. It is most convenient to consider the schedule for the introduction of complementary feeding in the form of a table of feeding children under one year old by month:

From this table you can clearly see when and how much to give your baby this or that food. In each individual case, it is worth excluding from it those products that caused allergies or poor health.

A baby up to one year old should be fed only boiled foods without adding salt or spices. It’s better not to give sweets at all. The exception is honey; it can be added to the diet from 4 months, however, only no more than 0.2 teaspoon per day and in the absence of skin rashes from it.

What should be the diet and menu of a baby from the first days of life until your baby is 12 months old....

Baby nutrition from 1 to 3 months

Let us immediately note that from the very first days of life a small child needs only. Although at first, as you probably know, it is not milk that flows from the breast of a young mother, but the so-called colostrum, which is usually released only during the first three to four days immediately after birth. This same colostrum contains an incredibly large amount of proteins, very similar in their chemical composition to the physiologically correct proteins in the blood of the baby himself. Therefore, this same colostrum is easily absorbed by almost any newborn. A little later, the mother’s colostrum turns into the so-called transitional milk, and by the end of the third week of the baby’s life and breastfeeding, the mother’s milk becomes fully mature and complete, after which it acquires its constant chemical composition.

During lactation and breastfeeding, it is extremely important for the mother herself to follow all the necessary rules of personal hygiene. So, immediately before starting feeding, you need to thoroughly wash your breasts, always with soap and, of course, wipe them dry. You should also wash your hands with soap and water. And even in the first time after childbirth, it is strongly recommended to wear a special gauze bandage on the mother’s face, especially if your baby was born in the autumn-winter period, when influenza and other viral diseases are rampant. A similar gauze bandage is needed to cover your mouth and nose and prevent some dangerous microorganisms that may be on the mucous membrane of the mother’s mouth and nose from reaching the baby. Often, out of habit from constant breastfeeding, the youngest mother may develop quite painful cracks right on her nipples. And, based on personal experience, and the advice of our doctors, I can advise you to use a cream such as Bepanten.

Moreover, this cream can be bought literally at any pharmacy nearest to you. In addition, according to doctors, immediately before lactation it is recommended to express at least a few drops of breast milk somewhere to the side, this is necessary so that any microbes that penetrate through such cracks directly into the breast milk do not get into the baby’s mouth. As you have probably already been told at various preparatory courses in the maternity hospital, from the first days of your baby’s life, it is imperative that you feed only upon his request, and even at night. It is in this simple way that the milk will stay much faster.

However, unfortunately, not all young mothers can or even want to breastfeed their baby. Then the baby will need to be transferred to the so-called. And in this case, it will be necessary to adhere to exactly the following diet for the baby: six feedings a day, which will have to occur every three or three and a half hours with one six or six and a half hour break at night for the child’s full sleep. I personally fed my child with the currently fashionable formula “NUN” and at the same time I was very satisfied with it, just as my baby was satisfied.

And the last thing that is important to say during all these months (let’s remember from 1 to 3 months of life) is that your baby’s main nutrition is either mother’s breast milk, or the formula you have chosen for those children who, for some reason, remained bottle-fed .

Nutrition for a child from 4 months

Hurray for you already four months, all the worst is over. Now your baby seems to be quite grown up, and as you understand, breast milk alone, or the same formula, is no longer enough to properly nourish your baby. As a rule, it is from this age that all children need to introduce small complementary foods into their daily diet. This means that now it will be quite possible to give the baby both vegetable and fruit purees and, of course, juices. However, remember that any complementary feeding will need to start with only one teaspoon. And then, every day, gradually increase the administered dose to one hundred or even one hundred and fifty grams in ten or twelve days. Now the main feeding of your baby (breast or formula) will need to be reduced to five times a day. In fact, it is usually necessary to introduce complementary foods according to exactly the same scheme in children who are bottle-fed.

Note that it is recommended to give vegetable puree to babies four months of age only once a day, preferably at lunchtime or the morning. So that the possible formation of gases will allow you to sleep at night. It should also be noted that the most appropriate healthy and easily digestible vegetable puree is considered to be the puree that will be prepared from various products. So, for example, mashed potatoes made from potatoes, cabbage, pumpkin, carrots, zucchini and other safe vegetables are perfect. It is quite possible to give your baby canned purees specially prepared by baby food manufacturers, which today can be bought in any store. However, when purchasing, never forget to look at the special mark on the label made by the manufacturer about the age of children at which it is possible to give this particular product to children.

Many more mothers try to add about five grams of regular vegetable oil, good quality, or cream to the prepared puree, which undoubtedly improves the existing taste of such food. In addition, from the age of four months you can try to give your baby regular cottage cheese, but not too fatty. You can give it starting with half a teaspoon and, like any other product, gradually increase the dose, while over two weeks increasing the total dose of the administered curd to four teaspoons in one day. It is also quite possible to gradually start giving your baby the yolk of a chicken egg, but no more than one-fourth of it per day. The same principle applies here: first they give the baby the yolk to try a little at a time, and then when the baby tries it and there is no reaction to it, then it will be possible to gradually increase the dose.

The yolk is usually taken from a previously hard-boiled egg, naturally ground and simply mixed with breast milk or possibly with a formula so that a very small child does not choke on such food.

Baby nutrition from 5-6 months

It is important to remember that it is during this period of life that it is already quite possible for your baby to introduce second complementary foods, and in the form of a wide variety of baby cereals. At first, it will be possible to offer the baby five or at most eight percent porridge, and a little later it is permissible to give ten percent porridge, meaning that you put five, eight and ten grams of cereal, respectively, per 100 milliliters of water. It is quite natural that from the beginning of the fifth month of your baby’s life, doctors recommend giving only those cereals that will consist of one group and without any other additives. These are so-called one-component cereals, which are recommended to be diluted with breast milk.

It is best to start with cereals such as buckwheat, rice, or corn. However, closer to the beginning of the sixth month, it will be quite possible to introduce so-called mixed porridges, as a rule, prepared from completely different types of flour (say, oatmeal, buckwheat, and rice). It must be said that such porridges are always more nutritious, and children find them much tastier. But in order for your baby to eat porridge better, you can add just a little salt, or sugar syrup and, of course, butter. It’s also worth saying that to begin with, your baby should prepare porridge with breast milk or formula diluted with water one to one, a little later you can gradually replace part of the water with the same breast milk or formula, and even later you can gradually switch to whole milk .

Here is an example of an approximate menu for children of this age. So, by five and a half months, your baby’s menu may well look something like this:

• At 6.00 in the morning - the baby eats mother's breast milk (or for formula-fed children, formula milk) - about two hundred milliliters.
• Exactly at 10.00 in the morning - any milk porridge the baby likes - about one hundred and fifty grams, plus add cottage cheese - about thirty grams, and wash it all down with fruit juice - about thirty milliliters
• Exactly at 14.00 in the afternoon - we offer the baby breast milk (or for formula-fed children) - about one hundred and eighty milliliters, plus add the fruit puree the baby likes - about fifty grams.
• Exactly at 18.00 in the evening - your baby’s favorite vegetable puree - about one hundred and fifty grams, plus half an yolk, and wash it all down again with your favorite fruit juice - about thirty milliliters.
• Exactly at 22.00 pm - only (or for formula-fed children) about two hundred milliliters.

Baby nutrition from 7 months

Now your baby has already grown significantly, and now it will be necessary to introduce not only vegetable, but also meat or mixed broths into the baby’s daily diet. As a rule, such broths are prepared in the form of thoroughly pureed vegetable and meat soups. It is worth noting that, for example, it is strongly recommended to cook meat broth only from beef that is not too fatty, or, for example, from veal. However, it is important to remember that under no circumstances should you cook bone broth for children of this age. After all, such a broth will contain too much fat, and this can have an extremely negative impact on its digestive system.

Just like any complementary foods, just like already introduced fruit or vegetable purees and already-loved porridges, meat broth will need to be introduced into your baby’s daily diet only gradually. We remember: at first, literally one or two teaspoons if the baby really liked it too much, and ending after a week or two with twenty or thirty milliliters a day, and so on for 7 maximum 14 days. Meat broth should be given to a small child immediately before the vegetable puree that the baby already loves. Also, with such meat broth, it will be quite possible to give your baby a cracker or just a small crust of not too fresh bread. Remember that the baby can choke on fresh bread, or rather its crumbs, so for now let him eat crackers.

But by exactly seven months, the child’s lunch menu may well look like this:

1. Meat broth about fifty milliliters.
2. Then about one hundred and fifty grams of vegetable puree.
3. And we wash everything down with about fifty milliliters of fruit juice.

Baby food from 8 months

As a rule, at this age the baby still has five fractional meals a day, but by this time another feeding from the mother’s breast or formula will have to be replaced by a third introduction of complementary foods. And this will be complementary food consisting of fermented milk products. Remember that at this age the baby should be given breast milk only twice a day - this, of course, in the morning at 6-00 and in the evening just before bedtime. It should also be noted that it is extremely important to be able to maintain this twice-daily breastfeeding of your baby until the age of ten months.

Because with a mother’s milk, her baby receives much-needed antibodies that increase and support the baby’s immunity. According to modern experts, various fermented milk products (such as kefir, for example) can truly have a very good effect on your baby’s entire digestive system. In addition, it is extremely important to know that when artificially feeding a baby, the volume of such products will have to be half of the total volume of milk consumed by the baby at this particular age. And besides, it is during this period of life that it will be quite possible for your baby to start giving a little meat puree, say, made from lean beef or veal, as well as from turkey or chicken.

This is what the daily menu of your eight-month-old baby may look like:

• Exactly at 6.00 in the morning - the baby eats breast milk (or for formula-fed children, formula milk) - about 200 milliliters.
• At 10.00 in the morning - any milk porridge the baby likes - about one hundred and seventy grams, plus half the yolk of a chicken egg and wash it all down with fruit juice - about fifty milliliters.
• At 14.00 - any meat broth will do - about twenty milliliters, plus vegetable puree the baby likes - about one hundred and seventy grams, plus meat puree - about fifty grams, all kids wash it down with fruit juice - about twenty milliliters.
• At 18.00 in the evening - the most ordinary kefir - about one hundred and eighty milliliters, cottage cheese, possibly with the addition of fruit - about forty grams, the baby's favorite fruit puree - about sixty grams.
• At 22.00 at night - mother's breast milk (or for formula-fed children) - at least two hundred milliliters.

Baby's diet from 9 months

Finally, your baby is already nine months old. Now, the baby’s daily diet, which is quite rich in the number of foods consumed, may well be replenished with one more dish - this, of course, is fish. However, you must remember that the fish should not be too fatty, for example, such as sea hake, cod, or flounder. You will need to try to replace meat with fish, but not completely, but only once or twice a week. Remember also that it is during this period of life that your baby should be given breast milk only in the amount of one third of the total amount of food consumed. In addition, it is strongly recommended to add very little greenery to your baby’s food (say, dill, parsley, or lettuce). All these greens should be chopped as much as possible and simply sprinkled with the baby’s favorite vegetable puree.

In addition, you should at least slightly diversify the milk porridge your baby receives. Usually young mothers prepare porridge for their babies from buckwheat, rice, oatmeal and, of course, corn. However, mothers should also not forget about such porridges as barley, barley and semolina porridge. It is strongly recommended to cook all these porridges now not only with water and with the addition of milk, but completely with whole milk. However, do not forget to replace the water with milk gradually.

For example, at first replace only half of the entire dose, and after a while we cook porridge entirely with whole milk. It should also be noted that the food prepared for a child of this age should have a fairly coarse grainy consistency, since by this time the baby has already acquired a certain number of teeth, and the baby must now learn how to use them, or rather chew. Now we try to grind the vegetable puree not with a blender, but simply grate it on a fine grater, or pound it with a puree masher. Meat will need to be given in the form of minced meat already prepared in advance.

Nutrition from 10 months

So, you are already quite big and now, from the age of ten months, your baby can be given meatballs already prepared as for adults instead of the usual minced meat, and a little later, steamed cutlets. Remember that at this age it would be quite possible for your child to prepare fresh, raw carrots grated on the finest possible grater. It is important to give this dish to your baby, since raw carrots contain a huge amount of carotene and quite a lot of incredibly useful vitamins and, of course, minerals.

Actually, it is now that your baby may be given, in addition to natural juices, various fruit drinks, compotes and jelly. After all, at the age of ten months, completely new dishes for the baby are introduced into the baby’s daily diet. This is ordinary vermicelli or even milk noodles, which will need to be given to the baby, only once a week, say, instead of some kind of porridge. In addition, instead of the most ordinary cottage cheese, it will be quite permissible for your baby to prepare, say, a cottage cheese casserole or even pudding. Moreover, pudding can be made from meat, fish and even liver.

Approximate menu for a ten month old baby:

• At 6.00 am - if the baby is still breastfeeding, then breast milk (or for formula-fed children, formula).
• For breakfast, the time of which may vary - any milk porridge that the baby likes best, or cottage cheese and the baby's favorite fruit puree.
• For lunch, the time, which can also vary, is any vegetable broth, after which, as a second course, meatballs with some kind of vegetable puree or even small boiled noodles.
• For dinner, the time may vary - half a chicken egg yolk, any vegetable or fruit puree, you can eat one cracker or cookie.
• Immediately before bedtime - if the baby is still breastfeeding, then breast milk (or for formula-fed children, formula).

Baby's diet from 11 months

Let us immediately note that by this age the baby is usually allowed to be given a fourth complementary food, meaning morning feeding with breast milk or formula is also replaced by complementary foods, and this time it should be either kefir or whole milk. Gradually, without rushing anywhere, evening feeding with breast milk or formula is also replaced with kefir or, again, whole milk.

Moreover, as a rule, it is at this time that full-fledged lactation in a young mother also gradually ceases, since the mother’s body understands perfectly well that the baby’s need for a sufficient amount of breast milk has practically disappeared. Immediately at 11 months, your baby should continue to have the same five meals a day. As for the time of full feeding, it is still recommended to shift it somewhat, for example, to bring it closer to the time of feeding in the kindergarten. Thus, meals will have to be provided approximately at this time: at 8.00 am - a full breakfast. Let's say at 12.00 in the afternoon or 12.30 in the afternoon there is a full lunch, at 16.00 in the evening there is a small afternoon snack. A

It’s better to organize dinner at 20.00 in the evening, since it is by this time that the baby will be quite hungry. In the evening, just before bed, preferably at 10 p.m., you can drink kefir or whole milk. It is at eleven months that you should try to wean your baby off both the baby and the bottle, since this will be much more difficult to do later. Everyday drinks will need to be given to the baby only from a cup or even from a glass. So it will be possible to offer the baby a wide variety of juices, compotes, cow’s milk (both whole, boiled and diluted, if necessary), or kefir.

Nutrition for a 1-year-old baby (12 months)

The baby's first birthday has arrived. Your baby has already grown up and literally eats more and more food at every meal (and by this age, the baby’s total daily food intake is approximately 1200 milliliters). And this means that the time between full feedings, of course, increases from the previous three hours to four or even four and a half hours. Therefore, very carefully and gradually you will need to try to transfer the baby to four meals a day. As you understand, by this time any night feedings must be completely eliminated.

Some lack of food volume can be filled with kefir or whole milk, which was intended for night feeding. And remember that under no circumstances should a small one-year-old child be given sweets (meaning chocolate, halva, and other candies). After all, such sweets can easily ruin your baby’s teeth. In addition, you should not give a one-year-old baby sausage, any dubious sausages and other similar products, or smoked products. After all, from such products a one-year-old child may well develop an allergic rash or even an upset stomach. It is quite possible that your baby will be given a very small piece of ordinary rye bread spread with butter. In this way, let the child train his chewing muscles, as well as his teeth and even his gums.

Approximate menu for a baby in his first year of life:

• At 8.00 in the morning (full breakfast) - any milk porridge the baby likes - about two hundred grams, you can eat half a chicken egg yolk, and plus any fruit puree - about 30 grams, wash it all down with fruit juice - about fifty milliliters.
• At 12.00 noon (full lunch) - it is advisable to give the baby broth or some kind of vegetable soup (of course, now cooked in meat or fish broth), you can eat the first course with a cracker of approximately 30/10 grams. As a second course, your favorite vegetable puree is perfect - about one hundred and fifty grams, and with it a steamed cutlet (meat or fish, if desired) - about sixty grams, you can wash it all down with fruit or berry juice - about thirty milliliters.
• At 16.00 in the evening (small afternoon snack) - you can give kefir - about one hundred and fifty or even two hundred milliliters, in addition you can give about fifty or even sixty grams of cottage cheese, and, if the baby wishes, a little fruit puree - say thirty or fifty milliliters.
• At 20.00 in the evening (full dinner) - vegetable puree or milk porridge is perfect for dinner (they can be constantly alternated on different days) - about one hundred grams, you can also give milk mixture - about one hundred milliliters, and the baby’s favorite fruit puree - approximately fifty grams.

Baby's nutrition after one year

Good luck to you and your children! Best regards, Your Mamapedia!

This topic is extremely important, because the baby’s nutrition is the fundamental basis for his future health - both physical and intellectual. In order for the baby to successfully develop in all directions, he needs a full set of nutrients, minerals and vitamins.

The main task of parents is to organize feeding of the child and do it competently, in order to strengthen the baby’s immunity and health, and prevent certain diseases, including those that often manifest themselves in adulthood. We will rely on the recommendations of pediatricians and child nutrition specialists.

A little about breastfeeding

Mother's milk is the first and for some time the main food of a newborn. The usefulness of breast milk is difficult to overestimate: this food not only contains the entire range of necessary substances for the baby’s complete nutrition, but also plays the role of an immune protector (contains antibodies to viruses and bacteria that the mother has) and a growth regulator. Milk has a specific chemical composition that allows it to be absorbed most completely.

Milk composition:

• amino acids and proteins (in the optimal ratio, taking into account the age needs of the baby);
• fats (in an emulsified state, so they are better absorbed by the baby’s gastrointestinal tract);
• carbohydrates (needed to cover energy needs);
• immune elements (protect the baby’s body from infections until its own immunity is developed).

Alexander Valerievich Dechko (director of the pediatric center “Good Doctor”, pediatrician, doctor of the first category) notes that in addition to all the advantages of breastfeeding, during feeding, all muscle groups work in the child, and according to the laws of biophysics, the correct development of the maxillofacial apparatus occurs.

The best food for a newborn is mother's milk

Mixed and artificial feeding

But besides breastfeeding, there are also mixed and artificial. They are also worth mentioning, because not all mothers produce in sufficient quantities the most valuable food in the world for the baby - milk. Don't be upset if you have little or no milk. First, consult a specialist, perhaps you are doing something wrong, he will help you improve lactation. If lactation does not improve, then modern technologies in the form of adapted mixtures will come to your aid.

• Mixed feeding - when the mixture takes up 50% of the total nutrition.
• Artificial - feeding only with formula or mainly with formula (2/3 of the total nutrition).

The most common reasons for mixed feeding

From the newborn's side:

• light weight;
• depressed sucking reflex;
• diseases, neurological disorders.

From the mother's side:

• illness;
• taking medications;
• cracked nipples;
• mother's social activity.

When combining breastfeeding and bottle feeding, the process should be as close as possible to natural, that is, the child should work in the same way as at the mother's breast. In such a situation, your baby will never refuse breast milk. An orthodontic nipple will help imitate the mother's breast, which resembles the shape of the mother's nipple, so the newborn practically does not notice the difference.

Mixed feeding, according to most pediatricians, is better than artificial, since the baby still receives breast milk with all its benefits

Artificial feeding has a number of disadvantages. Olga Leonidovna Lukoyanova, Ph.D., pediatrician of the highest category, pediatric nutritionist, in one of her articles on mixed and artificial nutrition, highlighted the following:

• There are no protective antibodies in infant formula that will protect against infection, so it is recommended to keep artificially-bred children in so-called quarantine (do not take them to crowded places, do not organize a viewing party at home with a bunch of relatives and friends, ventilate the newborn’s room, if one of the parents is infected wear a mask, etc.);
• beneficial substances (vitamins and microelements) contained in breast milk are absorbed better than the same substances in formulas;
• Artificially born people often experience iron deficiency anemia and a variety of allergic conditions.

Lukoyanova does not recommend giving up breastfeeding if the mother simply has no desire to feed the child. She also focuses in her works on the fact that often the lack of milk is only apparent; the mother may go through the so-called “lactation period” when the milk seems to decrease. This is the norm for lactation periods. A breastfeeding specialist will definitely advise you on what to do. In most cases, milk increases. Night feeding especially contributes to this.

But if all measures to improve lactation have not been successful, and you inevitably need to introduce a breast milk substitute to your baby, then you need to choose the mixture wisely, based on the individual needs and characteristics of the baby’s body. Your pediatrician will help you with this choice.

Feeding by month to year

1-4 months

Breastfed

The first feeding of a newborn occurs in the maternity hospital - the baby sucks out colostrum. Colostrum is a secretion released from the mammary glands before childbirth and during 3-5 days after it. Colostrum is more high-calorie and nutritious than milk, it contains little liquid, which does not allow it to overload the baby’s still unformed kidneys, and it has a laxative effect to release the original feces - meconium. And this is not a complete list of the positive properties of colostrum. After five days, colostrum is replaced by our usual breast milk - first transitional, then mature.

Most pediatricians teach mothers around the world that the production of breast milk and its quantity depends on the frequency of the newborn's attachment to the breast, and sucking technique is also important. If the baby does not latch onto the nipple correctly from the first day and does not properly stimulate its production at the hormonal level, the milk will fade by 3 months. Perhaps this is the most important thing in the first days of establishing lactation.

Technically, feeding should look like this: the baby’s lower lip is turned out, and he grasps the lower areola of the nipple with his lips. There are different positions for feeding, but if he lies on his mother’s hand, then his nose is located at the level of the nipple. The baby is pressed tightly with his tummy to the mother's belly, his body and head are on the same plane. The baby's head must not be turned.

It’s better if the mother feeds while lying down - this way the body and head are automatically located on the same plane, and the mother’s arms and back rest

Remember: it is necessary to achieve the correct sucking technique in the first 3-4 days. At the age of one month, it is impossible to restructure the baby so that he begins to breastfeed as expected.

A few words should be said about the breastfeeding regimen. There are three types of diets, and which one is the best is difficult to say, since each has its own advantages and disadvantages.

1. On demand - when the mother feeds the baby at his first request.
2. Regular (hourly)- when the mother feeds at certain intervals (every 2-3.5 hours).
3. Free - combines the features of the first and second modes. Mom can reduce or increase the intervals between feedings, focusing on the baby’s mood, his well-being and depending on the circumstances. For example, if the baby is sleeping and it’s time to feed him, then according to the free schedule, you should not wake the baby, but wait until he wakes up and asks for food.

In general, a baby can eat milk up to 12 times a day. This is the norm.

WHO recommendations state that infants up to six months should be exclusively breastfed. This means that they do not need any other food or liquid (not even water). Breast milk perfectly fills the need for fluid.

On a mixed diet

Basic rules of complementary feeding

• The introduction of each new product begins with a small portion (1-2 tsp) and increases the amount gradually over 5-7 days. Such a small amount of the product is necessary in order to determine whether the baby has an intolerance or allergy to it.
• We give a new product at 1 noon to see the child’s reaction. If you give complementary foods at night, there is a risk of not noticing any reaction.
• Any complementary food should be monocomponent (mashed potatoes or porridge from one component).
• Complementary feeding must be given from a spoon before feeding with milk or formula.
• You should not give a new product to an infant if he is sick, unwell, or has recently been vaccinated.
• If the child does not accept the new product, it is recommended to try it again after 5 days.

Where to begin?

We have 2 products to choose from: porridge and vegetable puree (mono-component). Either one or the other.

Pediatricians note that if the baby is large (for example, at 5 months his weight is 8 kg), then it is better not to start with porridge. In this case, vegetable puree is preferable. And, conversely, if the baby is not very plump or has hypertrophy, then complementary feeding should start with porridge.

There is another criterion by which pediatricians judge which complementary foods to start with - stool. If stool is rare ─ once every 3-5 days, ─ then it’s good to start with vegetable puree. Porridges have the property of “locking up”. It is better to start eating them with frequent, liquid stool.

The porridge should be gluten-free and dairy-free: rice, corn, buckwheat. If complementary foods were introduced at 4 months, then at 6 months you can try gluten-free milk porridge: oatmeal, wheat.

The first vegetable purees should be monocomponent - only from zucchini, cauliflower, pumpkin.

It is not recommended to start complementary feeding with fruits or meat. Fruits have a sweet taste, after which the child may not want to eat unleavened cereals and vegetables. Meat itself is a difficult product for a baby’s delicate stomach.

Cauliflower puree in a pressure cooker

• Place the cauliflower florets in a pressure cooker (if you don’t have one, just cook). Set the “Steam/cook” mode for 10 minutes.
• After 10 minutes, put the cabbage in a glass for mashing. Puree using a blender.
• The puree should be tender and homogeneous.

If your baby is gaining weight well, it is better to choose vegetable puree for the first feeding.

Zucchini puree in a steamer

• The vegetable is cleaned, the butt is cut off, and the seeds are separated. The zucchini is soaked for 3-4 hours.
• Take a glass container, pour 50 g of zucchini with 100 ml of water, place in a double boiler and leave for 5 minutes. If you don’t have a double boiler, cook until soft.
• Place the zucchini in a chopping glass and puree.
• If it turns out too thick, add a little water in which the vegetable was cooked to the puree. And again everything is whipped up.

As you can see, organizing feeding a baby is not an easy task; it is almost a science that cannot be learned while lying on the couch. All babies are very individual, each requires a special approach and patience. Just as it is impossible to calculate in advance what positions will be comfortable for mommy when feeding, what kind of feeding regimen will ultimately be built, there is a possibility that there may be some peculiarities with complementary feeding. All data given in the article is approximate. Your pediatrician will tell you more about feeding your baby. He will also write down the schedule and proportions.

All young mothers are concerned about the same question: is my baby getting enough to eat? Especially if this is a woman’s first child. Of course, on a subconscious level, we all understand that the instinct of self-preservation will not allow the baby to starve, and yet every mother wants her child to eat well and develop properly. To do this, you need to know about nutritional standards. They differ depending on the type of feeding of the newborn - natural, artificial or mixed, the age of the toddler and its weight. Next, we will consider all the nuances of this important issue.

Nutritional features of a breastfed baby

Breastfeeding (BF) is a natural continuation of the mother-child bond, which allows the baby to more easily cope with the stress of birth. But in the new world, the baby needs to learn everything, including numbers and eat (for this you need to develop a sucking reflex). So it’s not surprising that a new mother worries whether her baby is full.

First feeding

Colostrum, or the first portions of mother's milk, is a real treasure trove of nutrients for the baby. Good health and well-coordinated functioning of the baby’s immune system largely depends on the huge amount of vitamins, well-digestible proteins and antioxidants contained in colostrum.

The first feedings are important for the rest of the little person’s life.

This is interesting. The volume of a newborn's stomach is about 12 ml.

You can't overeat colostrum. At the first meal, the baby eats about 8 ml. Considering that the number of feedings per day is usually about 12 times, in total the newborn will eat approximately 100 ml of liquid. Every day the daily norm will increase by 10 grams.

Table of nutritional norms for a child 2–4 days of life

There is another option for calculating the amount eaten. It requires a mathematical solution to the equation X x 10 = ml per single meal, where X is the age, that is, the days of the child’s life. For example, a newborn on the 7th day after birth should eat about 70 ml of breast milk at a time.

Table of nutritional norms for a child from 2 weeks of life to one year

Feeding standards are developed taking into account the introduction of complementary foods from six months of age

Please note that these figures are approximate, so a difference of plus or minus 5-10 grams is not significant. But what is really important is the interval between feedings. At first it should be no more than 2 hours. Then the intervals will increase, as the little one will suck more intensely, that is, receive more fluid. Improving the sucking reflex will lead to the fact that feeding time will decrease.

How to determine the amount of milk that needs to be consumed (depending on the child’s weight)?

So, numbers are a good thing, but many mothers will definitely have an absolutely logical question: how can you find out how much your child has eaten?

The easiest way to find out how much your baby has eaten is to weigh your toddler before and after meals.

To do this, you can weigh the baby before and after feeding. The difference will be the desired value. To calculate the daily intake, you need to add up all the feeding results obtained over 24 hours. This method is suitable for both natural and artificial scientists.

How long to keep a baby at the breast?

On average, the baby stays at the breast every 2-3 hours. How long should food intake last? Breastfeeding experts say about 30–40 minutes, unless the baby releases the breast earlier. By the way, feeding for 15–20 minutes is not a deviation from the norm if the child is gaining weight well and is not capricious. But staying “on the chest” for more than 40 minutes indicates that the baby is using the nipple as a pacifier, that is, playing. In the future, this can create a lot of inconvenience for both mother and baby, so it is better not to indulge in such entertainment.

Video. Dr. Komarovsky: the best feeding regimen for a newborn

Features of the nutrition of a bottle-fed child

Artificial feeding (IF), unlike breastfeeding, requires more accurate calculations, because formula is more difficult to digest than breast milk, so too much can lead to problems with the child’s gastrointestinal tract. But even such a task is feasible for a young mother.

Diet and feeding time

This is the most important component of proper care for an artificial baby.

For the proper development of an artificial child, you need to follow a diet

A child under 2 months should eat 8-9 times with a break of 2.5-3 hours, at 2-3 months - 7-8 times, at 4 months - 6-7 times, at 5-6 months - 5-6 times , and from 7 months to a year - from 4 to 6 times a day. In this case, one feeding will last no more than 15 minutes, because drinking from a nipple is much easier than sucking the breast.

Nutritional standards for IV

As a rule, manufacturers of mixtures indicate doses and norms on the packaging. But it still doesn’t hurt to know the average, approximate data.

Table of nutritional norms for children from 10 days to one year

How many grams are in a daily and single dose and how to calculate them?

Cans of formula must indicate the norms for children of different ages.

This is interesting. The most popular calculation formula for a daily and single dose of formula for children on IV is called the Geibener and Cherny method.

For example, a baby weighs 4,850 grams. He is 2 months old, which means he should consume 1/6 of his body weight per day. Accordingly, 4850/6, we get a daily dose of 808 ml. We divide this amount by the number of feedings, we get a single dose - 135 ml. Another example: a newborn weighs 4,000 grams, eat 1/5 of its weight, it turns out that the daily dose is 800 ml, and a single dose is 100 ml.

Methods for calculating the amount of formula for children from 10 days to a month

In the first month, the baby is just beginning to adapt to the new diet. Therefore, the calculation of the amount of mixture is slightly different from that described above. There are two ways.

• Use Zaitseva's formula. We multiply 2% of body weight at birth by days of age, which gives the daily dose. We divide the result obtained by the number of feedings, which is equal to the volume of a single dose.
• Use the Finkelstein formula. If the baby weighed less than 3,200 grams at birth, then multiply the age in days by 70, the resulting value will be the daily dose. If the birth weight was more than 3,200 grams, then to obtain the daily norm, the age in days must be multiplied by 80.

In both cases, to determine a single dose, the daily dose must be divided by the number of feedings.

How many feedings does a 400 gram jar of formula last?

Again, these calculations will be approximate, since it all depends on how much your baby weighs and how many times a day you feed him. In addition, the older the child, the more he eats. On average, up to 2 months, 1 jar is required for 5–6 days; 5 jars are used per month. At 3-4 months, 1 can will last for 3-4 days, which means 7.5 cans will be needed per month.

How much formula does a mixed-fed baby need?

In this case the math will be very complicated. We recommend using one of two methods of introducing supplementary feeding.

With mixed feeding, breast milk is still considered the main one.

• Mom introduces the mixture, starting with a minimum amount. For example, 30 ml 1-2 times a day. Once a week, the mother carries out control weighings and, if the gain is less than 125 g/week, increases the amount of supplementary feeding per day by a minimum amount: adds 1-2 more feedings of 30 ml each. If there are 6-7 feedings of 30 ml, then the volume of one-time feeding begins to increase: 6 feedings of 30 ml + 1 feeding of 40 ml until all feedings are 40 ml, etc. Increasing the amount of supplementary feeding should be stopped when the child begins to gain 125g/week or more. You can carry out one more additional control weighing (control - not the one before and after meals, but control - whether you gained 125 g or not) to make sure that this volume is enough.
• The mother counts the number of times the baby urinates and adds approximately 30 ml of supplementary food for each missing time. For example, a baby peed 8 times in one day. He is 2-4 times short of normal, which means the minimum amount of supplementary feeding can be set to 2 feedings of 30 ml each. After two or three days, the urination count is repeated. As soon as the number of urinations is set slightly above the minimum norm (12–14), the increase in supplementary feeding is stopped. Attention: this method requires confirmation by monitoring weight gain! Those. Once the desired number of urinations has been established, one or two weigh-ins are required, 7 days apart, to ensure that the weight gain is 125 g/week or more.

3 rules for supplementary feeding of children on SV

Following these tips will allow you to supplement your baby's feeding without reducing lactation.

• The mixture is given not from a bottle, but from a spoon. This will avoid a situation where the baby is too lazy to suckle, if there is an easier option - drinking through the nipple.
• Supplementary feeding must be dosed in small portions, that is, the required daily volume should be divided into several times.
• The mixture must be given strictly on an hourly basis. The rest of the time, food needs are satisfied with breastfeeding.

How can you tell if your baby is full of milk?

There are 4 main signs that the toddler is full:

• he sleeps well and is active when awake;
• the baby has stable stools, not accompanied by bloating or tantrums;
• the baby can withstand the intervals between meals; at night they are twice as long;
• Every week the child gains weight by 150–200 grams.