The order of food in the complementary diet of the baby

Around six months of age, babies are usually ready to start taking solid foods, so it is advisable to be attentive to signs such as your interest in food of adults, the loss of the extrusion reflex (which makes them expel what enters the front of the mouth) and the ability to stand upright in a sitt

Around six months of age, babies are usually ready to start taking solid foods, so it is advisable to be attentive to signs such as your interest in food of adults, the loss of the extrusion reflex (which makes them expel what enters the front of the mouth) and the ability to stand upright in a sitting position.

Until then, breast milk, or artificial milk if you are not breastfeeding, is enough to cover your nutritional needs. However, from this age, deficiencies may begin to appear and that is why se it is recommended to start introducing other foods . It is the so-called complementary feeding.What order should be followed by complementary feeding in babies

Traditionally pediatricians or health centers have been providing a list of foods to mothers, in many cases so specific that specifies the specific amounts of each of them that should be used. However, is this necessary?

The truth is that respecting recipes or a specific order when introducing new foods in the baby's diet,

is absolutely unnecessary. Nevertheless, certain rules must be respected, such as not introducing foods with high risk of allergies or hard foods with the possibility of causing choking , but otherwise, the introduction of pear or banana, green beans or zucchini, it's not important. With this in mind, a set of basic rules can be established to be respected.7 basic rules when introducing complementary foods in the baby's diet

1

. Wait until the baby is ready to start introducing new foods to your diet.2. Start with only one meal a day

, and keep offering your breast regularly as you did before you started complementary feeding.3.It does not matter if you choose to start with fruits or vegetables

, and they do not have to be mixtures, you can offer a pear puree, a crushed ripe banana or an apple in thin strips if you choose the option of the baby led weaning . In the case of vegetables, the purées usually work better if they have sweeter vegetables such as carrots.4. Introducing meat should be one of the priorities, since iron is one of the micronutrients that breast milk does not provide in sufficient quantities. Fish and eggs can cause allergies so they should not be the first on the list, and should be introduced with caution.

5.Respect the baby's rhythm

, start by just tasting the new food and little by little it will be more interesting and eating more. Large quantities are not necessary, since this is only a test, it is not about changing your diet but about introducing new foods so that you know and accept them. The baby will manifest his own tastes and will let you know.6.Some vegetables should be avoided for different reasons

. Green leafy vegetables such as spinach or chard should not be introduced until after one year of age, and from there, should be introduced in small quantities. The others, as well as the vegetables, can be chosen according to what is consumed at home normally. There is no need for the baby to eat pumpkin if it is not eaten at home.7.Some fruits should also be postponed

, such as strawberry, kiwi or peach, as they may be related to allergies. The others can be chosen without problem. Again, there is no need for the baby to eat mango if it is not eaten at home.Each house has menus and the final goal of complementary feeding should be for the baby to taste the foods that his family eats regularly, to adapt to family meals as soon as possible.