Feeding a baby at 4 months: is it possible and what products to use?

It seems that just recently you just left the maternity hospital, and today your baby is already 4 months old. Every day and month of his life was marked by various events.

He is already sitting quite firmly in his highchair, curiously looking at everything and everyone around him. He developed an interest in adult food. It is interesting for a child to observe how and what adults eat. During this period, he begins to become acquainted with another nutritional substance. There comes a time when you can start talking about complementary feeding for children from 4 months.

How, what and when

When it comes to feeding your children, do not listen to the advice of relatives and neighbors who insist that they know what to feed your child. Previously, complementary feeding could be regulated independently, but now everything is different. When it comes to children, trust the professionals.

Here are the foods that are strictly forbidden to give to a 4-month-old baby when breastfeeding or formula-fed:

yolk;
cottage cheese;
meat;
bouillon;
fish.

This can lead to serious consequences:

dismetabolic nephropathy;
allergy;
damage to functionally immature kidneys.

Even now, debate continues about whether to introduce food to a four-month-old baby or not. Starting complementary feeding at 4 months is an important process.

It depends on many factors. Period during which supplementary feeding can be given: 21–26 weeks. If the child does not have enough food, complementary feeding is recommended from 4 months, and if everything is fine in this regard, then from 26 weeks.

Feeding a child from 4 months of age who is prone to constipation should begin with vegetable puree.

If your baby has bowel movements frequently, you can start complementary feeding with strengthening cereals.

To begin, create a rough menu of complementary foods for children.

Basic Rules

A child at 4 months of age is by nature not yet adapted to consume any food other than breast milk or special adapted formulas.
This is evidenced by:

lack of teeth for chewing food fractions;
insufficiently developed coordination of tongue movements;
insufficiently developed swallowing movements, with the help of which food can move through the esophagus;
lack of some enzymes necessary for normal digestion of food;
the presence of a reflex to push out any solid food.

However, if, for medical reasons, complementary feeding still needs to be introduced at 4 months of age, parents should consult with a specialist, know what the schedule for introducing complementary feeding is, and adhere to the basic rules, which are as follows:

It is necessary to introduce complementary foods with minimal doses, approximately 1-2 teaspoons, and in the absence of allergic reactions and problems with the digestive system, gradually increase them;
It is best to offer complementary foods to a child before breastfeeding;
each new complementary feeding product must be introduced only after the child’s body has fully adapted to the previous one (about 2 weeks to get used to each new product);
do not allow the simultaneous introduction of several new foods into the diet of a 4-month-old baby;
for complementary feeding, it is best to use dishes of a consistency that will not cause serious problems with swallowing, for example, purees, juices, cereals;
after getting used to liquid and mushy foods, you can begin introducing dishes with a thicker or denser consistency;
promote the development of chewing movements in the child, introduce him to a new way of eating food - from a spoon;
a variety of consumed dishes and an increase in their volume should be carried out gradually.

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Keeping a diary helps mothers a lot at this stage. In this way, you can briefly describe when, what dishes were introduced, in what quantities, and what the child’s reaction was to all the innovations. Any suspicious reactions of the baby to complementary foods should alert parents and become a signal to contact their local pediatrician.

These include:

bowel dysfunction, including loose stools or constipation;
flatulence or bloating;
manifestations of any skin rash;
the appearance of blood impurities in the stool;
restless behavior of the child.

How to feed your baby correctly

How to give complementary foods correctly? This is an easy question.

It's funny to watch how your baby reacts to new food. Vegetable puree is not as appealing as breast milk or formula. Don't force your baby to eat if he doesn't want to. Wait until the baby is hungry, and then let him try a new product. In two weeks, the baby will love the puree and will eat it with a bang.

Where to start complementary feeding

Previously, all doctors recommended feeding children juices. But now, due to frequent allergic reactions, the approach has changed. It is better to start giving juices no earlier than 8-9 months. Recommended foods for first feeding are zucchini, cauliflower or broccoli. This food does not cause allergies, is easily digestible and contains many nutrients. A little later you can start giving carrots and pumpkin. Other vegetables - potatoes, cabbage, peas - are best introduced after 8-9 months.

For premature babies, as well as those who are gaining weight very poorly, it is recommended to start complementary feeding with porridge. Buckwheat or rice are very filling and high in calories.

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There is another opinion about the first feeding. Dr. Komarovsky believes that it is better to use fermented milk products for this. They are closest to formula milk and help to establish intestinal microflora.

How to prepare and choose baby foods

Where to start complementary feeding? This question is spinning in the minds of many parents. Everything depends on you. Whether the child has a mixed diet or not now, be extremely attentive to the child’s reaction.

If you prepare puree yourself, then you should know some subtleties. For example, the best choice of products for early supplementary feeding is domestic vegetables and fruits, since foreign ones are chemically processed (simplification of transportation and storage). You should not choose red and orange vegetables and fruits.

The choice of food for infants is huge. Mothers can feed their children meals that they have prepared themselves or bought. It all depends on personal preference. Know that any mother can cook a dish for a child. To do this, you must adhere to the following algorithm:

Wash the vegetable well and pour boiling water over it.
Remove the peel from the vegetable.
Place the vegetable in the pan, add water and cook for 15 minutes, covering the container with a lid.
Grind through a sieve or use a blender.
If the puree is thick, dilute it with broth.
After a week, you can add a little vegetable oil to the dish.

Cereal porridge is the next dish that can be included in a child's diet. They are very easy to prepare. After all, you just need to stir the dry mixture with water until smooth. This type of nutrition is good because parents can be sure that the product is of high quality, safe and rich in vitamins and minerals.

There are two ways to prepare fruit puree:

A dish of raw fruits. This is an excellent cooking method, since in this case all the beneficial properties of the product are preserved.
A dish of boiled fruits. This cooking method preserves fiber and a certain amount of microelements.

After the baby has eaten puree, he needs to be supplemented with breastfeeding or bottle feeding. The baby will definitely love the new food, he just needs a little time. Give the children's menu due attention.

Where to start supplementary feeding of a child at 4 months?

If old-school pediatricians unanimously claim that the best complementary food for such a small child is freshly squeezed fruit juice, it is rich in vitamins and microelements, it has an interesting taste that trains the baby’s taste buds. It will not be difficult for him to switch from sweet milk to sweetish juices. Modern medicine considers three possible options: firstly, vegetable juice and boiled and chopped vegetables, secondly, porridge, thirdly, fruit juice.

If the child is healthy and gaining weight normally, modern pediatricians recommend vegetable juice or thin vegetable puree. A good start in complementary feeding would be zucchini or cauliflower. A little later you can add potatoes, pumpkin and carrots.

If the baby is weak and underweight or has unstable stools, the scales tip in favor of cereals. Pediatricians recommend introducing fruit juices at a later date due to their allergenicity. The number of allergy sufferers is growing every year; there is no need to rush with fruit and introduce your child into the clan of allergy sufferers.

To reduce the loss of nutrients from vegetables, it is recommended to cut them into large pieces and place them in water brought to a boil. After the vegetables are cooked, they are allowed to cool and a homogeneous mass is prepared from them, chopping them together with the broth. The puree is prepared liquid.

The first portion of complementary foods should be very small, no more than 1 level teaspoon.

The child should be allowed to get used to the new food, gradually increasing the portion gradually. When feeding a 4.5 month old baby for the first time, you need to follow several rules:

puree must be prepared from one type of vegetable;
if possible, it is better to buy homemade vegetables;
if the puree is purchased ready-made, you need to take those jars that indicate “from 4 months”;
no need to add salt or sugar to vegetable puree;
the interval before introducing a new dish into the baby’s diet should be a week, if the child’s intestines do not react very well, then 2 weeks;
you cannot start complementary feeding or introduce another “new product” when the child is unwell;
You should not add another product on the day of vaccination and for another 3 days after it;
You need to give a new dish to your baby before feeding him formula;
when increasing the amount of complementary foods, you need to reduce the amount of formula for feeding, this will save the baby from overeating;
after 2-3 weeks, one feeding of the child can be replaced with completely “adult” food in the amount of 150 grams;
To feed a 4-month-old child, 3-4 types of vegetables are enough.

If your baby is not gaining weight well, and the doctor advised you to start complementary feeding with porridge, you should opt for those that do not contain gluten. You can start with buckwheat and rice porridge. Preference should be given to buckwheat, since rice is an excellent natural sorbent and it removes from the body not only unnecessary substances, but also useful minerals. It can be given 1-2 times a week. A little later you can add corn and oatmeal. The principles for introducing cereals are the same as for vegetables; complementary feeding begins with a teaspoon, increasing the amount of porridge every day.

The porridges that you can offer to your child are either regular cereals that need to be ground in a coffee grinder and boiled, special porridges for feeding children in the first year of life, which are dissolved in warm water (they do not need to be brewed) and ready-made porridges with vegetables in jars.

Composition and benefits of juices

Each juice is beneficial for infants in its own way. For example, apple drinks are distinguished among fruit drinks. It is very well absorbed and digested by the baby’s body. In addition, it contains a large amount of vitamins C, A, and B, which are responsible for the functioning of the immune system.

You need to be very careful with pomegranate and cherry juice, which has a fixing effect due to the tannins in the composition.

Parents should know that vegetable juices are beneficial for children 4 months old.

Beetroot juice is used as a laxative for children. It has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. In addition, this drink contains a large amount of iron. It increases hemoglobin and has a beneficial effect on blood composition. But perhaps the most favorite juice for babies is carrot juice. It is rich in vitamin A and helps the baby grow faster.

The main principles of introducing juice into the diet

Children's doctors believe that you should start drinking juices before 6 months. And it’s best if the baby is four months old.

Experts recommend apple juice for first feeding

Mothers should remember that there is no need to rush into introducing complementary foods if the baby suffers from allergies or has had any diseases associated with the gastrointestinal tract. In addition, it is not recommended to give juice to a baby at this age if the baby has recently been vaccinated or doctors are just planning to give it to him. But even if the baby does not have the above problems, before giving juice to a 4-month-old baby, you should definitely consult with a pediatrician.

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The baby's very first complementary feeding should be in the form of apple juice. This drink is given to the baby only a few drops at a time. At the same time, the mother must monitor how the baby’s general condition has changed and how his body reacts (for example, whether a rash has appeared on the cheeks).

If a child begins to feel unwell after feeding juice, then this complementary food should be temporarily excluded from the child’s diet. If the baby’s body reacts normally to the juice, then you can add a small drop each time. In this case, the necessary scheme for introducing such complementary foods should be given by a pediatrician in a medical institution.

Parents should also remember that they should not feed their baby the juice that remains after the previous feeding, even if it was 3 hours ago. The fact is that a fermentation process may begin in a standing drink, which will negatively affect the baby’s still unformed gastric tract.

If parents do not have the opportunity to prepare such a drink themselves at home, then they can buy store-bought drinks for this purpose. At the same time, you should remember that you need to purchase for feeding your baby those juices whose packs or jars are marked “can be given from 4 months.”

After two months have passed since the gradual introduction of such a drink, the amount of juice should be at least 6 teaspoons at a time by the time the baby is six months old.