Complementary food plan: Introduce complementary food with the complementary food plan

Ready for porridge cheeks? Because between the fifth and seventh month of life, your baby’s energy and nutrient requirements increase significantly. Mere nutrition from mother’s or baby’s milk is no longer sufficient. Time to introduce complementary food. So the baby gets everything it needs for healthy growth. When is which porridge due? We give you an overview:

Supplementary food plan: when which porridge?

Zucchini, carrot, parsnip? Which ingredients you choose for the first porridge naturally also depends on what your child likes and what he gets. Even more important, however, is a balanced nutrient balance: That’s why you gradually introduce three different types of porridge with the complementary food – with the remaining milk meals.

The special complementary feeding plan, recommended by many specialist societies, such as the Research Institute for Child Nutrition in Dortmund (FKE), will help you with the introduction:

First porridge: vegetable-potato-meat porridge

From around the 5th month, the vegetable-potato-meat mash is introduced as the first mash. Above all, it ensures the supply of iron and vitamins. Due to the many ingredients, it is introduced step by step.

First as a pure vegetable porridge – in the second week the complementary food is supplemented with potatoes, in the third with meat. You can vary the meat later with fatty fish.

Second porridge: milk-cereal porridge

A few weeks later, another milk meal is replaced by a milk-cereal porridge . The milk it contains provides your child with protein and calcium.

Third porridge: cereal-fruit porridge

Again a few weeks later you introduce the third and last porridge of the complementary food with the cereal-fruit porridge . The combination of fruit and grain primarily increases the absorption of iron.

In principle, a different mixture of the individual food groups is also possible when feeding with supplementary food. For example, you can offer your child a vegetable-grain-meat porridge in which the potatoes are replaced with pasta.

However, you should then pay more attention to maintaining the balance of the individual nutrients in a similar way to that guaranteed by the combinations recommended by the FHE.

Introduce complementary food: Gradual complementary food plan

One after the other: When introducing complementary food, it is important that the transition from milk to porridge is very slow and gentle.

So your baby is not overwhelmed by too many new impressions. The first milk meal is replaced step by step by the first porridge so that your child gets used to it.

By introducing new foods one at a time, your baby will become familiar with the new taste. At the same time, your child’s sensitive immune system has enough time to deal with the new stimulus.

This procedure also makes it easier for you to determine whether your child has an intolerance or an allergic reaction to a certain food.

Note: Digestive problems do not necessarily indicate an allergic reaction. Since the intestines first have to get used to the new food, changes in bowel movements and temporary problems when introducing complementary foods are not uncommon. However, if very severe reactions occur or if they last for a longer period of time: It is better to stop eating the food that probably triggered the reaction and, if necessary, consult a doctor.