Feeding a child is a very responsible process. And it all starts with choosing a mixture. What to feed a newborn or one-month-old baby? For babies in the first half of life, it should be highly adapted, that is, as similar as possible to.
This mixture is called the "starter" and will have a 1 on the packaging. For children over six months of age, “follow-up” formulas are intended, the composition of which meets the needs of the growing body.
They contain more protein, fats and microelements. The packages are marked with the number “2”.
If the child burps frequently and more than expected, an anti-reflux mixture will help. If food digestion is disrupted, fermented milk mixtures and mixtures containing beneficial bacteria will come to the rescue.
When choosing a mixture, it is advisable to consult a doctor. When purchasing a mixture, you need to pay attention to the expiration date and integrity of the packaging.
There are also mixtures that contain special components that have specific therapeutic effect. So, if someone in the family suffers from allergies, it is advisable to start with a hypoallergenic mixture.
Specially prepared dishes
Bottles used for feeding must be washed with a brush and sterilized in advance. This can be done by boiling them for 5 - 10 minutes or using a special sterilizer. The bottle in which the mixture is diluted must be dry.
The pacifier should be selected with the expectation that the mixture will flow out of it not in a stream, but drop by drop. This will ensure active sucking, and not just swallowing of the pouring mixture. Which is important for the development of the maxillofacial apparatus.
Diet and routine
This is a very important point. The baby receives his food on demand. How many times does a child need to eat on IV? The schedule depends on age. So, a newborn eats 7 - 9 times a day, a child 2 - 5 months old - 6 - 7 times, a six-month-old child needs to eat 5 - 6 times a day.
To do this, you first need to determine the daily amount of food. How much a baby should eat depends on his weight and age. So, up to two months, a child needs a volume of food in the amount of 1 - 5 of his body weight, at 2 - 4 months - 1 - 6, at 4 - 6 months 1 - 7 of his body weight, over six months - 1 - 8.
For example, a 1 month old baby weighs 4.5 kilograms, then he needs 900 milliliters of formula per day. It must be remembered that this volume should not exceed 1 liter.
To determine the volume of mixture required for one feeding, divide the daily amount by the required number of feedings. This will be 100 - 130 milliliters of the mixture.
It happens that a child eats a little less or more. A slight run-up is possible. Systematic overfeeding or underfeeding should not be allowed. For a child, this is fraught with obesity or...
The volumetric method described above is the simplest and most convenient to use. If necessary or if there are problems with weight, the doctor can calculate the volume of a certain mixture for a particular child using the caloric method and taking into account the age-related needs for proteins, fats and carbohydrates.
How to prepare the mixture?
Must only be used boiled water. The volume of water required for one feeding at a temperature of 50˚C is poured into the bottle and the prescribed amount of mixture is poured (indicated in detail on the packaging). Everything is thoroughly shaken and mixed.
How to feed formula?
How to feed a child correctly? Before feeding, you need to make sure optimal temperature prepared mixture. To do this, drop it on your wrist (on the palmar surface). Its temperature should not be felt by the skin.
Wash your hands with soap. Find a comfortable position. Special pillows will help with this, using which you can comfortably position both yourself and the child. In this case, feeding will become a pleasant relaxation for the nursing mother and a source of necessary tactile contact for the baby.
Therefore, it is better to take it in your arms. If your baby is prone to excessive spitting, it is best to hold him upright. In other cases - semi-vertical.
Turn the bottle upside down so that the mixture completely fills the nipple and neck, and the air rushes to the bottom. This will prevent the baby from swallowing air and developing colic.
It is necessary to ensure that the mixture drips from the nipple and does not flow. Over time, nipples wear out and need to be replaced.
If there is any ready-made mixture left
According to the rules, the mixture remaining after feeding must be poured out. But it can still be stored for a little while. For one to two hours and no more than half a day in the refrigerator. Before feeding this mixture, it must be heated to an acceptable temperature.
Additional soldering
The child's artificial nutrition must be supplemented with liquid - water, weak infusions of rose hips and tea (not the regular one that you and I drink every day, but children's herbal tea).
In the heat and in a room with dry air, the amount drunk should be increased by 50 - 100 ml. It is also worth monitoring the child’s health.
Formula-fed babies begin to introduce complementary foods earlier than infants. From 4 - 4.5 months they begin to be given porridge, from 5 months.
How do you know if formula is not suitable for your baby?
Often it is not possible to select a mixture the first time. What will indicate this?
- indigestion;
If after eating the child spits up a lot and or diarrhea or constipation begins, the formula is not suitable. When there are violations, but they are minor, it can be left for a week. If nothing changes during this time, the diet needs to be changed;
- allergic manifestations.
The very first sign of an allergy is a rash (dermatitis). These can be either individual elements or merging spots throughout the body.
Reactions to formulas based on cow's milk develop more often. They can be replaced with mixtures based on protein hydroisolate and soy isolate or with mixtures prepared on the basis;
- deficiency states.
Development in a child iron deficiency anemia, malnutrition or other disease associated with a lack of certain substances, requires the selection of a special mixture with a therapeutic effect.
Full and adequate nutrition the key to the harmonious growth and development of your baby!
At a wonderful time in her pregnancy, almost any future mommy I am sure that she will definitely breastfeed her baby. But, unfortunately, sometimes situations occur in which breastfeeding is impossible for various reasons.
Undoubtedly, a young woman needs to try to preserve her milk and to do this, stimulate its flow by all means, but if she cannot do this, then there is no need to be upset. Many children grew up quite healthy and just need to familiarize themselves with the necessary information in advance and know until what age a child should eat formula.
Benefits of bottle feeding
There is a widespread belief that cow's milk is a product that is best not given to children at a certain age, since it contains much more phosphorus than mother's milk. Therefore, such an excessive concentration of this microelement can have an unnecessary effect on the kidneys, which will subsequently lead to poor absorption of vitamins and calcium by the baby’s body.
For this reason, many are in favor of artificial feeding. Parents who do not want to include animal products in their baby’s food in the first years of his life have own opinion regarding the age at which children should be fed formula. You can see those using mixtures in the diet who are going to give all the necessary nutrients in this way to their baby until the age of three.
Another advantage of artificial feeding is that the mother knows exactly how much her baby has eaten, unlike the one who is breastfeeding and cannot understand whether her child is getting enough. required quantity milk. The mother of an artificial baby just needs to know for sure at what age the child should eat formula in order to understand when to correctly include this or that product in his diet.
Flaws
Of course, there is no person who does not understand that dairy products for infants are necessary measure. There are those whose composition meets all the needs of the baby. But then, until what age should a child be fed with an adapted formula? Many people wonder whether it is worth using it at all, when the baby is already eating everything from the common table? Why, in this case, dilute the mixture from the pack if he can be given real foods?
Therefore, supporters of this theory are confident that they know for sure. Arguments against the use of this complementary food for a child are based on the experience of our grandmothers, since cow's milk, and not formula, has always been considered the food of children over one year of age. After all, even the generation of modern mothers was fed only on natural dairy products and semolina porridge. Therefore, many do not believe in the fact that it can harm the child’s body, but on the contrary, they consider it proper nutrition for their children, as opposed to artificial feeding. But even despite any disadvantages of infant formula, it is better to give preference to them, since they are hypoallergenic, which cannot be said about cow's milk.
How to find the right solution?
There will never be the same opinions, and there will always be those who decide to argue until what age to feed a child with formula. We are looking for a middle ground in this matter. For example, the famous pediatrician Oleg Evgenievich Komarovsky claims that the harm from cow's milk for a baby over one year old has been greatly exaggerated. At the same time, he does not speak out at all against feeding infant formula and believes that it is possible to feed children in this way even before three years. Many experts also see nothing criminal in giving a toddler milk product or kefir.
But you need to take into account the baby’s protein tolerance and then make a conclusion about the age at which children should be fed formula and when they can be switched to natural products. Mommy will have to decide this issue herself, of course, with the assistance of a competent pediatrician.
Reviews from doctors
Experts also have their own opinion about the age at which children should be fed formula. Their advice on this issue is as follows: you need to clearly follow the recommendations on the product boxes and carefully monitor the condition of your child (how he reacts to this or that complementary food).
If the mixture is chosen correctly and the baby gains weight, then he can be fed this way until he is about two years old, gradually eliminating night snacks. But you should stick to one chosen brand and not jump from one mixture to another in order to avoid its poor absorption and not cause allergies. Doctors' advice on the age at which children should be fed formula may vary, so you should always monitor your child and never overfeed him.
Nutritionist opinions
If you ask experts a question about up to what age should children be fed formula, their arguments will be such that when choosing correct formula of the product can be given adapted dairy products until they reach the age of three.
They are simply necessary, according to nutritionists, for full development child, especially for those who live in cold regions of the country. Mixtures can be given as follows: pure form, and add it, for example, to tea or porridge. These products create a small load on the child’s body as a whole, so there will be no harm from them, but only benefit.
The World Health Organization has advice on the age at which infants should be fed formula. These experts believe that a low-weight baby who is unable to receive mother's or donor milk should be kept on artificial feeding after discharge from the hospital until he is six months old. They also argue that for such babies it is necessary to purchase not a standard formula, but one enriched with nutrients.
Healthy artificial children, according to WHO, can include this product in their diet for up to two years.
Reviews from experienced mothers
On many forums for new parents you can often come across the question: in general, until what age should you give formula? But it is impossible to give a definite answer to this, since each mother proceeds from her own personal experience and is guided by how her baby tolerated this or that mixture.
Many say that this complementary food can be given to children up to three years old, others - that after one and a half years the mixture must be gradually replaced with kefir and natural milk. Therefore, it is better not to rely on the advice of even experienced mothers, but to monitor the well-being of your child and periodically do not forget to consult with specialists in these matters.
When can I stop night feedings?
This question is solved as individually as the one that asks at what age to feed children with formula. Reviews from experts on this matter say that you should not wean your baby off night snacks at any cost. All children are different, and some babies can sleep through the night after six months, while others continue to drink formula until they are three years old.
But no need to worry about this: healthy child will gradually give up night feedings and formulas altogether when his time comes. When the baby switches to four meals a day, then in the dark, dairy products can be replaced simply with water.
How to choose the right mixture?
In order not to be afraid to give your baby such complementary foods and to know exactly at what age to feed infants with formula milk, when purchasing it you need to follow the main recommendations from leading nutritionists and pediatricians.
When purchasing, you must carefully read its composition. It should not contain starch and sucrose. The mandatory components of this product should be Omega-3 and probiotics, which the child needs at an early stage of his development. Therefore, it is recommended by many experts to include mixtures in the diet of children under three years of age.
As a child grows, his need for fluids and various nutrients becomes different, this is the reason why the compositions of the mixtures are different and correspond to a particular age.
What types of baby formulas are there?
Several types of this children's product have been developed, and they all have different purposes:
- Standard ones are recommended for babies who do not experience any problems with eating and digesting food.
- The lactose-free product is prescribed to children who are lactose intolerant.
- Hydrolyzed ones are used to feed a child who is allergic to cow protein.
- Probiotic products - for children with impaired intestinal function.
- Powder mixtures containing goat milk.
- Antireflux - suitable for a child suffering from frequent regurgitation.
- Soy products are for children who cannot tolerate animal milk at all.
- A product for prematurely born babies, which contains properly balanced components that help to quickly gain weight.
Naturally, nothing can replace mother’s milk, but if circumstances arise in such a way that the child will grow up on artificial complementary foods, then the choice of formula must be approached in a thorough manner.
Cooking rules
Before using this product in your baby’s diet, you must adhere to the following rules:
- The temperature of the liquid in the bottle should be approximately +37 degrees Celsius.
- It is necessary to carefully adhere to the rules of personal hygiene when diluting the mixture, and also use only boiled filtered water.
- Strictly follow the required proportions indicated on the jar, as improper preparation can cause problems with the child’s digestion.
- Pay attention to the expiration date after opening the package.
- Do not mix mixtures from different manufacturers under any circumstances.
- Do not heat the bottle in microwave oven, and after shaking, make sure that no air remains in the form of bubbles, which can lead to colic and belching.
- Give your child only recently prepared food.
Myths about bottle feeding
Many people think that if you add more powder to the water when preparing the mixture, then in the end it will turn out to be higher in calories - this is not true. Such food will take longer to digest and will also overload the baby’s kidneys.
All mothers try to give their child as much milk as indicated in the table on the pack, because they are sure that the child should eat exactly this portion - this is a myth. Each baby has individual needs, so the portion should be selected for each baby. If it suddenly seems that your child is not eating enough, you need to consult a pediatrician.
Good for every mother to know
New parents try to listen to the advice of every specialist, but they can be different. Therefore, you just need to know a few generally accepted rules:
- You should never force-feed your baby or sleep, as he may swallow too much air, which will subsequently lead to colic.
- In the first months of his life, a bottle-fed baby must be fed on demand, just like one who is fed breast milk.
- When a baby has a cold or is sick and refuses to eat for these reasons, there is no need to force him. But he must drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration.
- When your baby eats, you should always tilt the bottle correctly, and if he swallows too quickly, buy a smaller pacifier.
There are no clear answers about at what age to stop artificial feeding. Parents just need to listen to the needs of their baby, who will decide for himself when he no longer needs formula. Only one thing is known, that this product, if chosen and used correctly, cannot harm the baby’s body.
Adapted formulas or milk substitutes are the basis for artificial feeding of a child. Most substitutes are formulas made from regular cow's milk. The fact is that this mixture is almost identical in composition to human milk and corresponds to the substances of babies.
Less adapted casein mixtures, they are made from whey-free casein. In other respects, they are exactly the same as human milk. Such mixtures are usually given to children from 3 months and fed for a short time. Recently, women have been actively using formulas for older children, whose age starts from six months, since they contain a high content of proteins and calories.
In the very first weeks of your baby’s life, it is best to feed unleavened formulas. The fact is that fermented milk can cause increased regurgitation. Next, it makes sense to add fresh mixtures to fermented milk mixtures, mixing everything in equal proportions. For proper feeding you need to know that nutritional formulas take a little longer to digest in the baby’s stomach than human milk. So there is no need to overfeed in large portions. Otherwise, the risk of loss of appetite may increase, which will be very difficult to restore.
How to feed your baby an adapted formula
In the very first months, it is necessary to feed the baby often, approximately six times during the day and every three and a half hours. Formula-fed children switch earlier to less frequent feedings.
By four months, when your baby's stomach is already strong and digestive system works more confidently, you need to reduce the intake of mixtures to five times a day.
It is also important to consider that the need for nutrients increases as the child grows. You should add fruit juices and egg yolk to your diet. It is extremely important to strictly follow the schedule and feed the baby by the hour. Under no circumstances should you feed your child every time he is naughty.
Otherwise, you risk giving your baby a digestive disorder and causing damage to the gastrointestinal tract.
remember, that artificial feeding does not replace mother's milk, but if you follow all the rules, the child will grow up healthy. The period of such feeding itself lasts up to one and a half years, however, the moment of stopping and switching to another diet should be done only after consultation with a pediatrician. As a rule, by the age of two, the child is already able to eat food and refuse formula, smoothly switching to baby food.
All pediatricians agree that children should be breastfed for as long as possible - up to one and a half, or better yet, up to two years.
A bunch of scientific research conducted for last years, have proven that there is nothing more beneficial for a child’s development than mother’s milk.
What about those parents whose children must, for one reason or another, eat formula milk? Many parents have questions: do formula-fed infants need additional nutrition, do they get enough nutrients from adapted formulas alone, how long should a child be given formula milk?
We can absolutely say that until the artificial baby reaches 6 months, his diet should consist only of an adapted milk formula (regular or specialized if the child has any health problems).
This is due to the fact that in the first months of a newborn’s life, his stomach is not yet able to process regular food; at this time there are only enough enzymes to digest milk.
Starting from 6 months, all babies can very gradually begin to introduce complementary foods - introducing them to other foods. But formula milk still remains the main “dish”. It makes up 90% of a child’s diet up to one year, while complementary feeding is only 10%.
From one to one and a half years, the ratio of formula and complementary foods should gradually change towards the latter. Now the adapted dry formula will make up approximately 50% of the child’s daily nutrition. From one and a half to two years, children usually switch almost completely to regular food, and formula milk makes up 10-20% of the daily diet.
Whether or not to give a child formula after two years is ultimately decided by the parents.
Manufacturers always label baby formula by age- from birth to 4 years, so that the mother can quickly and correctly choose food for her child.
A properly selected adapted milk formula will provide the baby with everything necessary for his growth and proper development.
- Number 1 or letters PRE (PRE) Adapted formulas developed specifically for low birth weight babies or children born prematurely are labeled;
- Number 1 marks mixtures intended for healthy children from birth to six months;
- The number 2 marks formulas for children from six months to one year;
- The number 3 marks mixtures that can be given to children over one year old.
Some manufacturers produce infant formula labeled 4. Such formulas can be given to older children (up to 6 years).
The composition of adapted milk formulas is carefully balanced and almost exactly replicates the composition of natural human milk. It is impossible to completely replace all components of formula milk with regular baby food.
And here Until what age does a child need formula? after 1.5-2 years, parents can decide for themselves, based on the needs of the child and their financial capabilities.
As we have already noted, you can start feeding your child complementary foods from six months. By this time, the digestive system is ready for the gradual introduction of new foods into the diet.
As a rule, children are given vegetable purees first - starting with half a teaspoon before or immediately after the main formula feeding. Then dairy-free porridges and fruit purees are also gradually introduced, and by 7-8 months you can already give the child a taste of meat-based baby food.
When a child reaches one and a half years old, the share of regular baby food in the diet should increase from one teaspoon to a full serving, which means that it’s time for the mother to start preparing her baby delicious and healthy dishes from a variety of products.
Healthy recipes - baby food after formula
Perfect for babies after one year cottage cheese casserole with carrots.
You will need:
- Cottage cheese 9% fat (100g).
- Small carrots (approximately 50-70g).
- One egg.
- In glass or enamel dishes mix cottage cheese and egg until the consistency of thick semolina porridge.
- Grate the carrots on a coarse grater and add to the egg-curd mass.
- Stir.
- Preheat the oven to 100 degrees.
- Place the mixture into a baking dish.
- Bake in the oven, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
For children from one to two years old you can cook vegetable puree with chicken broth.
You will need:
- Small carrots (50-70g).
- Cauliflower (50-70g).
- Broccoli (50-70g).
- Unsalted chicken broth (about 100g).
- In a double boiler or slow cooker (in the “steamer” mode), cook the vegetables.
- On a separate plate, dry the vegetables from any condensation and let them cool slightly.
- Mash the warm vegetables with a fork and add chicken broth.
- Mix all ingredients thoroughly until the consistency of thick sour cream.
Children over two years old can prepare delicious and healthy steamed meatballs.
You will need:
- Minced chicken (100g).
- Ground beef (100g).
- Small onion (about 50g).
- Short grain rice (100g).
- Rinse the rice running water twice.
- Drain off the last of the water and leave the rice to dry.
- Finely chop the pre-peeled onion.
- Mix chicken and ground beef with onion and pass through a fine meat grinder.
- Mix the resulting mass with rice, squeeze out all the liquid.
- Add a pinch of salt and mix well again.
- Make small (about 3-4 cm in diameter) meatballs from the resulting mass.
- Place them in a steamer bowl and steam for 20-25 minutes.
Although the benefits breastfeeding It is well known that sometimes a child has to be switched to formula. Of course, the mother needs to try to preserve breast milk for as long as possible and stimulate its production in every possible way, but if this does not work, there is no need to despair. Many children grew up quite healthy on artificial formula.
Unfortunately, no one can give an exact answer. The opinions of doctors and experienced mothers can be diametrically opposed. Some claim that milk and fermented milk products are harmful, and you need to feed your child with formula until at least 3 years of age. Others are sure that there is nothing better than a natural product, and from the age of one year you can give your baby kefir and milk, abandoning powder mixtures.
There is an opinion that cow's milk is a product that should not be given to a child until a certain age. The fact is that this product contains a lot of phosphorus. The content of this microelement is many times higher than the amount contained in breast milk.
An excessive concentration of phosphorus creates an excessive load on the kidneys, and can create additional difficulties in the child’s body’s absorption of calcium and vitamin D. Difficulties also arise due to the fact that farm animals are fed artificial feed with added hormones, which, naturally, cannot but affect quality of milk.
Read also: Why does a baby spit up after feeding? Causes and treatments
Therefore, supporters of giving up milk believe that it is necessary to feed a child with adapted formulas until at least three years of age. Only the mixture must be chosen correctly, focusing on the age indicated by the manufacturer on the product. That is, for babies who have already celebrated their first birthday, you need to select mixtures that indicate that they are intended for children one year and older.
Of course, a one-year-old baby cannot be fed exclusively with formula milk. By this age, children should receive vegetables, a variety of cereals, meat, and sea fish. The mixture is usually given at night, as the last feeding.
It is not necessary to give formula, or any other product, at night to a child older than one year. Moreover, it is even recommended to wean the baby off night feedings so that by 1-1.5 he is already asleep without an additional portion of food.
Arguments against the use of mixtures
There is hardly a person who would not understand that adapted formulas for a baby are a necessity, since this, although not entirely complete, is an alternative breast milk. But is it worth giving formula when the child is almost transferred to the general table?
Why dilute powder from a jar if your child can be fed natural products? Proponents of this theory rely on the centuries-old experience of their ancestors, because milk has always been considered a “children’s” food. They drank it just like that, cooked porridge with it, fermented kefir, etc.
Read also: Why does a child’s fontanel not heal? What to pay attention to
After all, the generation of current mothers was mainly raised on milk, so not everyone believes in its harm to the child’s body. And there were much fewer allergy sufferers in previous generations of children than there are now.
Looking for a middle ground
As always happens when there are two opposing opinions, the truth is somewhere in the middle.
For example, Dr. Komarovsky believes that the harm of milk for children over one and a half years old is greatly exaggerated. This famous children's doctor does not at all deny the option of feeding children with formula until 2 or even 3 years old. But he doesn’t see any particular tragedy in giving toddlers kefir or milk.
If the mother still has doubts, then you can give children goat milk after a year. Despite the fact that it also contains a lot of phosphorus, it is much better absorbed by the child’s body than cow’s milk.
Children who cannot tolerate milk protein deserve a separate discussion. Some babies cannot drink milk, but they digest kefir and cottage cheese perfectly. Others simply do not accept milk protein. Their bodies lack enzymes that break down this substance. In this case, not only should milk not be given, but special formulas should be selected.
After all, most mixtures are made precisely on the basis of cow's milk, its composition is simply slightly modified. And if you have milk intolerance, you need to select mixtures on a different basis.
