Introduction to complementary foods: 10 tips for the transition
Are you wondering what you should look out for when switching to complementary foods? Since a completely new phase of life is beginning for your baby, patience is required above all. We have collected 10 tips for you here and tell you what you can look out for when choosing foods when switching to complementary foods.
With the introduction of complementary food, a completely new world begins not only for your baby, but also for you many questions arise: How much complementary food does my baby eat? Should I buy jars or cook the porridge myself? And is my baby even ready to switch to complementary foods? Here we have put together 10 helpful tips for you on what you should definitely consider when switching to solid food and what you should refrain from doing at first.
Index
Toggle1. Fresh ingredients when introducing complementary foods
If you decide to prepare the baby food yourself, you should be particularly careful when choosing the ingredients. If possible, always use only fresh and untreated products to prepare the complementary food, preferably from organic farming. The fresher the ingredients are, the more important nutrients are still contained and you can be sure that your baby is optimally supplied with everything it needs to develop healthily.
2. Always just one new ingredient
Everything is still new to your baby when it comes to solid foods – and the same applies to their immune and digestive systems. Therefore, it is important that you introduce only one new ingredient at a time to relieve the still immature digestive system. In addition, you can better observe whether your child has any intolerances due to the unfamiliar food, such as abdominal pain, flatulence or diarrhea. You can find more information on the right way to proceed when switching to complementary food in our article “ Complementary food plan: gradually introducing complementary food ”.
Note: If you’re just starting out with complementary foods, digestive problems aren’t uncommon as the gut isn’t used to the new form of food. Only persistent symptoms probably indicate an intolerance.
3. Offer additional drinks with the introduction of complementary foods
When you switch to supplementary food, some milk meals are automatically eliminated. For this reason, you should now slowly start offering your baby additional liquids on a regular basis. At the beginning, about 200 milliliters per day are sufficient, since the fluid balance is still relatively stable due to the remaining milk meals. Only with the introduction of the third porridge meal does drinking become really important. Can I give my baby tap water? Is unsweetened tea suitable? You can read more about this topic in our article “Water, teas and juices – what should your baby drink?” .
4. Optimum nutrient composition is important when introducing complementary foods
Breast milk and ready-made infant formula contain all the nutrients your baby needs to develop healthily. To ensure that this remains the case even after the introduction of complementary foods, you should definitely make sure that you have a balanced selection of foods with a combination of different foods. In our special on complementary foods you will find many great recipes that will give your baby everything it needs.
Note: You should not only avoid “too little”, but also “too much” of nutrients. Therefore, in the first year of life, refrain from dairy products such as yoghurt, quark or sour milk, as the protein content in these products is usually too high for babies.
5. Not too much variety
Despite the great importance of a balanced diet, you should be careful not to overwhelm your baby with too many new impressions. It is perfectly fine for your baby if the menu is only very rarely varied, since tastes that you take for granted are still new to your baby. The new diet will therefore not get boring for him so quickly, on the contrary: familiar things give the baby security. So once you find a food mix that contains all the essential nutrients and that your baby eats with no problem, feel free to stick with it for a while.
6. Do not use spices when introducing complementary foods
When introducing solids, it’s especially important to remember that your baby’s needs are very different from your own. Your child’s taste buds are still very sensitive and should therefore not be overstrained. Therefore, avoid using spices such as salt, sugar or other flavorings in complementary foods. This gives the baby the opportunity to get to know the taste of the food on offer. Even if the paps may taste bland to you, your little one has only known the taste of breast or baby milk and finds unseasoned vegetables very exciting.
Tip: Babies usually find it easier to switch to complementary food if you offer sweet vegetables at the beginning, since breast milk also has a slightly sweet taste. Early carrots, courgettes, pumpkin or parsnips are particularly suitable.
7. Do not reuse leftovers
Even if your baby will probably only eat very small portions at the beginning of the solid food introduction, you should not reuse the leftovers from feeding at the next meal. Firstly, they lose a lot of nutrients when they are heated, so that your baby can no longer be optimally cared for. Secondly, bacteria and other germs can easily settle through saliva residues that get into the mash from the feeding spoon. Therefore, dispose of leftover pulp after feeding.
Tip: If you use jars, you can use a clean spoon to pour a small portion of complementary food into a bowl and only heat this part before feeding. Anything left in the jar can usually be kept in the fridge for a while and fed at one of the next meals.
8. Don’t be too strict when introducing solids
Not only the taste, but also the consistency of the new food is likely to be very exciting for your baby. You should therefore allow your child to explore the new food with their fingers, because touching it is an important sensory experience. This allows your baby to perceive the porridge with all their senses and slowly get used to it. So you shouldn’t take too much interest in playing with the food, because it doesn’t mean that your child doesn’t want to eat the complementary food, but on the contrary that it is very interested in it. So let them discover the porridge in their own way, that keeps them wanting to eat.
9. Don’t force baby to eat when introducing solids
In babies, the feeling of hunger and satiety usually works very well. If your little one doesn’t want to eat, then by no means force it to do so. Eating should be a positive and self-determined experience for your child. The first attempts at porridge are also not intended to make your baby full. With mini portions at the beginning of the transition to complementary food, your child can slowly get used to the new form of food.
Tip: Don’t be discouraged by a failed attempt with a certain porridge. Just offer it to your child a few more times at the next mealtime, maybe it will get used to it over time. However, if a type of vegetable or fruit is vehemently and permanently rejected, you should think about an alternative.
10. The introduction of complementary foods requires patience!
Switching to complementary foods is almost as exciting for you as it is for your child. But no matter how many great recipes for complementary foods you still want to try: your child always determines the pace of the introduction of complementary foods. Because it not only has to get used to the taste of the new food, but also learn to coordinate its tongue in such a way that it can pick up the porridge from the spoon and then swallow it. Since these processes are very complex for your baby, it naturally takes time for feeding complementary foods to run smoothly. Above all, patience is required from you in order to make the transition from breastfeeding to solid food as gentle and pleasant as possible for your baby.