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Complementary feeding is when you start incorporating new foods into your child’s diet – this can involve solid, liquid, and semisolid components — while you continue to breastfeed.
A complementary diet is recommended for babies age six months and older. It helps provide babies with more nutrients as they continue to grow.
Complimentary feeding means introducing a variety of foods to your baby’s diet, in addition to breast milk. But it’s important to note that the new foods don’t serve as a substitute for breast milk, which babies should consume for at least 24 months.
These complementary foods have specific characteristics; certain foods are not recommended for babies.
The purpose of complementary feeding is to solve nutritional deficiencies that breast milk doesn’t cover. When your baby gets bigger, they have more nutritional needs. This also applies to formula fed babies.
As such, these foods should have the following characteristics:
The foods you incorporate into your baby’s diet when they’re six months old should also help them learn to eat and use utensils.
As such, we should let them eat on their own. We should allow them to pick up foods with their hands, recognize smells and textures, and bring the foods to their mouth.
Your child should also recognize their own plate, spoon, and cup, which should be small and the right size for them.
Liquids aren’t recommended to be introduced through a bottle because this encourages gastrointestinal issues and delays the transition between breastfeeding and complementary foods.
Specialists recommend starting at six months of age. However, there are other criteria to consider before beginning this stage.
For example, it is important that the person in charge of feeding the baby dedicates time to properly preparing the baby’s food. They should also be prepared to feed the child and watch them patiently.
Additionally, it is important that the baby has developed sufficiently in regards to motor skills, senses and mentally. We recommend observing your baby until they begin to show signs of independence in day-to-day life. Once they do, complementary feeding can begin.
Other criteria to consider include: