At what age should breastfed babies start to eat complementary foods? Introduction to the time to add complementary foods to breastfed babies

How many months does it take for breastfed babies to add complementary foods? Today, I will introduce to you the time to add complementary foods to breastfed babies. Some mothers believe that breast milk is the best food and insist on feeding their babies with breast milk. Do babies who have enough breast milk do not need to add complementary foods? Please see the detailed introduction below.

How many months does it take to add complementary food to breastfeeding babies?

Breastfed babies, like formula-fed babies, need to try adding complementary foods when they are six months old. Breast milk alone cannot satisfy the baby's development and growth.

Many mothers have the wrong idea that breast milk is rich in nutrients and there is no need to add complementary foods before teething as long as the baby is fed with breast milk. In fact, whether the baby is fed with breast milk or animal milk, complementary foods should be added on time.

The first few months after a baby is born is a period of rapid growth, and they need sufficient, high-quality and comprehensive nutrition. As the baby grows older, their digestion and absorption functions are gradually developing, and the nutrition in breast milk can no longer fully meet their needs. Therefore, from this stage, you should add complementary foods to your baby, especially the intake of trace elements such as iron and zinc, to ensure the baby's healthy growth.

Adding complementary foods can also exercise the baby's gastrointestinal digestive ability and swallowing function of liquid food, and lay a good foundation for weaning. In the first year after birth, the baby should transition from liquid food to solid food, and from sucking on the nipple to eating from a cup, plate, or bowl with a spoon.

In order to complete this transition safely, the nature of the food must be gradually changed according to the baby's development, including feeding skills, digestive function, and kidney function. After a gradual adaptation process, the sudden change in the nature of the food and feeding method will not cause the baby to psychologically reject it or cause digestive disorders, metabolic disorders, and other problems during weaning.

In addition, adding complementary foods to babies can also reduce the risk of allergic diseases such as eczema and asthma. The World Health Organization and UNICEF both recommend that babies under 6 months old should be fed with full breast milk, and then after adding complementary foods, they can be fed continuously until 2 years old or older.

When to add complementary food to breastfeeding babies

After the baby has been breastfed for half a year, on the one hand, the mother's own milk secretion will begin to decrease, and on the other hand, the baby's own appetite will gradually increase. Therefore, if the baby is still exclusively breastfed at this time, it will be difficult to meet the baby's nutritional needs within one day.

When babies are 6-12 months old, they will enter a critical period of chewing and swallowing development. For babies, chewing and swallowing abilities are not innate abilities, but need to be learned. Babies who have not practiced will be unwilling to try after the age of 1. Even if they are willing to eat, they may spit it out, and feeding will be difficult.

Adding complementary foods to your baby in time can provide more diverse and complete nutrients, such as calories, iron and vitamins, as well as trace elements such as zinc and copper. Gradually adding different types of complementary foods to your baby will allow your baby to slowly adapt to various tastes, which can prevent your baby from developing a partial eclipse in the future.

When babies are 4-6 months old, they will begin to secrete some gastrointestinal amylase and various digestive enzymes. At this time, their digestion and absorption functions have gradually matured, so they can practice eating complementary foods to enhance their gastrointestinal function. Moreover, timely addition of complementary foods and adequate nutrition will enable babies to thrive.

Will breast milk decrease after adding complementary foods?

At 4-6 months, babies are mainly fed with breast milk. The importance of complementary foods at this stage is practice and adaptation. Let the baby try foods of different flavors, practice taking food through the mouth, and practice using the tongue to push food puree. There is no need to deliberately reduce the amount of breast milk, unless the baby starts to stop eating breast milk. Adjust at any time according to the baby's condition; 6-8 months old can eat two meals of complementary foods a day, at this time you can replace 1-2 meals of breast milk, 9 months to 1 year old, three meals of complementary foods and snacks, the amount of breast milk can be reduced to 1-2 meals, and change at any time according to the baby's situation.