John Myers
How long do you breastfeed? From what time is there evening porridge? And what are the signs of maturity for the start of supplementary food? When it comes to baby food, parents are faced with many questions. We’ll help you navigate this jungle of baby foods.
Introduce complementary food – does that also mean weaning?
No. Mom and child decide how long a woman wants to breastfeed. It is recommended that you breastfeed exclusively for the first six months – and if you wish, you can continue to do so until your second birthday. This means that you can breastfeed and feed your child, for example with porridge. All porridge foods that are fed in addition to breast milk or a bottle count as a complementary food.
And how do you wean when the time comes? With patience, slowly replace milk meals and by eating self-defeating foods such as sage tea. He supports you in this process in a natural way. By the way: You can find more information worth knowing about breastfeeding, breastfeeding problems, and weaning here.
Signs of maturity for baby food
If you want to start with baby food, you should pay attention to the so-called signs of maturity. These signs include, for example, that the baby is already imitating chewing movements, can sit independently, and can also bring objects – and thus food – to its mouth. Also, make sure your baby has stable head control. Is your baby interested in what other people eat? This is also a sign of complementary food maturity. In addition, the tongue thrust reflex should have disappeared. This important reflex ensures that babies suck on anything that touches the front of their tongue: this allows them to drink. However, to ensure that your child swallows the food and does not spit it out again immediately, this reflex should have disappeared – and this is usually the case around the sixth month of life, but can also occur earlier. In order for your child to experience eating as something beautiful and pleasurable, it is worth waiting until the baby is really ready for it: This is the case at the earliest from the 5th and at the latest in the 7th month of life. Paying attention to the various signs of maturity and waiting takes a lot of pressure off parents and children.
Complementary food plan, nutrition plan & Co.: tips and recommendations
It has been clarified when you can start complementary feeding. But does healthy baby feeding require a plan? What can I feed my baby? And is there a sequence to follow when introducing complementary food?
First of all: A nutrition plan for your baby is not necessary. From when your child starts eating which porridge, which flavors they like, and how much they eat at the beginning differs from baby to baby. If you don’t have any special allergies, you can start to your heart’s content. For example, start with a few spoonfuls of pureed vegetables like carrots, parsnips, or pumpkin at lunchtime – and stick with the same flavor for a week so that your child can get used to it. Make sure your baby isn’t too hungry or too tired when you offer the first scoop: the ideal time is between breastfeeding or bottle feedings. If your baby likes the complimentary food and can manage around 100 grams of vegetables, you can try a vegetable and potato mash in week two. In the third week and with the introduction of the vegetable-potato-meat-mash, the first meal is then complete.
If the midday meal works out, you can approach an evening porridge for your baby in the next step: A milk-cereal porridge is recommended here. As a last porridge, a fruit and cereal porridge is usually offered in the afternoon. For example, try our porridge with banana, which is ready in just ten minutes, or browse through our baby porridge recipes. Here you will also find delicious breakfast porridge for your baby and useful information about cooking yourself and storing baby porridge.
By the way: You are also welcome to offer your baby small pieces of food such as banana pieces, soft bread, or steamed carrot slices. However, you should avoid nuts (especially if there is a family history of nut allergies), raw meat, or, for example, raw fish – these foods are not suitable for babies due to their shape or consistency (risk of choking!).
