Expanding Babies' Diet: Current Recommendations
Jak expand the diet toddler according to the current one infant nutrition regimen? What to pay special attention to when introducing new foods to a child's diet? What to avoid with expanding the infant's diet? Detailed information and dietary recommendations below.
The most optimal way to feed infants from the first days of life is breastfeeding, considered the "gold standard." An infant who is not breastfed or fed human milk must receive products that replace human milk. This is most often infant formula. According to recommendations, exclusive breastfeeding should be pursued for the first 6 months of life. Breast milk produced in adequate quantities fully meets the child's energy and nutrient needs during this time. When should we start expanding our diet? In the second half of the baby's life, the baby's needs grow. Gradually, it acquires the ability to eat food other than just female food. This is the time of introducing complementary foods, i.e. expanding the child's diet.
Why introduce complementary foods?
By definition, complementary foods are all foods or liquids other than breast milk or formula milk that contain nutrients and are introduced into an infant's diet during weaning. These foods are introduced into your toddler's diet to provide additional energy and the nutrients they need (proteins, iron, zinc, fat-soluble vitamins - A, D, E, trace elements). An additional goal of introducing them is to gradually prepare the baby for an increasingly varied diet later in life.
When is the time for extending the infant's diet?
The timing of introducing complementary foods is determined by exclusive breastfeeding (6 months), but each child should be treated individually, depending on their characteristics and development. The table with age ranges and product types serves as a guide and aid in expanding a child's diet. When should a child's diet be expanded if deficiencies are detected? For example, infants at risk of iron deficiency may require the introduction of supplementary foods before 6 months of age. According to the ESPGHAN (Eng. European Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition) You can start introducing complementary foods as early as 17 weeks of age (beginning of the 5th month of life) and no later than week 26 (beginning of the 7th month of life). The results of the research indicate that at this time the child is ready for a different consistency of meals, eating solid foods, as well as learning and accepting new tastes. This is the best period for shaping proper eating habits. Early taste experiences can have an impact on making favorable food choices later in life.
How to expand your baby's diet?
When introducing complementary foods to your infant's diet, remember that new products are best served one at a time, starting with small amounts (2-4 teaspoons), by watching your baby's reaction and gradually increasing the portion size. The order of introducing new products is less important, but most often it starts with introducing porridges, vegetables (e.g. boiled carrots, broccoli), fruit (e.g. grated / scraped apple, crushed pear, banana) into the diet, and then eggs , meat, fish and other products.
Expert advises
Research shows that infants who are breastfed more readily accept new flavors than those who are fed with formula. The taste of mum's food depends on her diet, hence the earlier variety of sensations / taste sensations and easier assimilation. As the taste of vegetables is more difficult to accept than that of fruit in young children, it is recommended that vegetables be included in their diet before fruit. Do not be discouraged by the first failures, sometimes even a dozen or so attempts to serve a new flavor are needed before our child stops rejecting it.
Extending the diet: texture, volume and number of meals
Along with diversifying the child's diet in terms of taste, its consistency also changes: from liquid, through mushy, to demanding chewing and chewing. Introduce more solid foods gradually. As your baby grows older, complementary foods gradually replace dairy meals. A child of about 12 months, fed with modified milk, should eat 4-5 meals a day - 3 main meals and 1-2 smaller ones. Breastfed babies may receive more meals as they latch on more often as needed. You should follow the principle that it is the parent / guardian who decides when and what the child eats, while the child decides how much to eat. The serving sizes specified in the nutrition regimen for children in the first year of life are guide values - each child may eat smaller or larger meals, depending on individual needs. A child in the second year of life is usually ready to eat the so-called "Family table diets", provided that the diet of the parents / guardians complies with the nutritional recommendations.
Foods that are potentially allergenic in extending the diet
In line with current views there is no scientific basis for the delayed introduction of allergenic foods into the infant's diet - in relation to other complementary foods - because it does not reduce the risk of allergy, even in children at risk of developing it. Products / foods classified as potentially allergenic include: chicken eggs, products containing gluten, milk and dairy products, fish, honey, peanuts.
Chicken eggs
Due to the fact that they are a source of protein, beneficial fatty acids, iron and B vitamins, eggs should be introduced into the diet of infants in a hard-boiled form, in the amount of 1 small egg 2 times a week. It is not recommended to give eggs in a raw, undercooked or insufficiently cut form due to the risk of infection with bacteria of the genus Salmonella.
Gluten-containing products
According to the current recommendations, gluten products should be introduced into the diet of infants at any time - from the age of 4 months to the age of 12 months. The amount that can be given to the little ones remains debatable. Large amounts of gluten-containing products when expanding the diet, and 1/2 slice of bread was considered as such, are not recommended. It was assumed that a small amount of gluten is contained in 1/10 slice of bread.
Milk and dairy products
A small amount of cow's milk can be used to prepare complementary foods. Whole cow's milk is recommended to be introduced only after the child turns 12 months of age due to its low iron content. In the nutrition of the youngest children (up to the age of 2), it is also not recommended to feed cow's milk with a reduced fat content. Among dairy products it is worth introducing yogurt, preferably natural - in small amounts, 1-2 times a week. Cheese can be served as a variety and addition to the diet. Cheeses made of pasteurized milk, natural, without flavorings and sugar, are recommended.
Fish
Fish should be given in small amounts, not more than 1-2 times a week, due to the benefits of essential fatty acids. It is recommended to eat fatty species of fish (e.g. Atlantic herring, Norwegian salmon, sprat, sardines, trout, flounder, cod, Atlantic mackerel, hake). It is not advisable to feed infants with carnivorous fish meat (e.g. swordfish, shark, king mackerel, tuna), because they can accumulate harmful compounds in their body.
Honey
Honey should not be introduced into the diet of infants due to the risk of infection Clostridium botulinum (botulinum toxin). Consumption of honey by older children is considered safe.
Peanuts
Research results suggest that in populations at risk of developing peanut allergy (e.g. in the UK), peanut ingestion is important in preventing allergy. Children can be given, for example, peanut butter, peanut flour, as an addition to food or modified milk. Recommended amounts are 1-2 teaspoons 1-3 times a week.
Recommended products
Head of the Department of Assessment and Development of Cooperation at the Institute of Mother and Child
Other products in expanding the diet
How can you extend your baby's diet to include other foods such as meat, non-cow's milk, salt, and sugar? In addition to possible allergies, there are other factors to consider.
Meat
There is no scientific data on the order in which different types of meat should be introduced into the diet of infants. Most often, poultry (e.g. turkey, chicken), beef / veal, lamb and rabbit are introduced first. Pay attention to the origin of the meat. The youngest children (up to 3 years of age) should not be given offal and processed meatsuch as sausages, smoked meats, canned food, sausages, raw meats, luncheon meats, salami.
Goat's or sheep's milk
Unmodified goat's or sheep's milk is not recommended in the nutrition of infants because it contains very high concentrations of minerals, which may overload the functioning of the kidneys of a small child. On the other hand, these milks are low in folic acid and vitamin B12.
Plant-based drinks
Plant-based drinks - e.g. soy, rice, oat, nuts - are not recommended in the nutrition of infants because their composition does not meet the basic nutritional needs of young children. The introduction of such products into the diet is associated with the risk of inadequate weight gain and length / height of the child's body, malnutrition and nutrient deficiencies. (proteins, vitamin C, lactose-free, limited calcium bioavailability, high pH, presence of phytates). Consumption of plant-based drinks by young children can cause iron deficiency anemia, rickets, electrolyte disturbances, and kidney stones. Moreover ingredients not recommended for the nutrition of young children are added to plant-based drinkssuch as sweeteners such as fructose, grape syrup, and agave syrup. They can also be contaminated with mycotoxins (toxic substances produced by fungi, such as mold found in food) and metals harmful to health (arsenic). Only formulas intended specifically for feeding infants may constitute an alternative to female formula.
Sugar and salt
Neither sugar nor salt should not be added to complementary foods prepared for children in the first year of life - due to the formation of correct habits and taste preferences, as well as due to the long-term impact on health.
Fennel
According to the current state of knowledge not only infants, but also older children - until the age of 4 - should not be given fennel, ie fennel oil and tea.
Extending the infant's diet: table
Current (2021) nutrition scheme for children in the first year of life is presented in the table below.
| The age of the child | Diet recommendations |
| 1-4 months of age | Babies should only be breastfed. Babies who are not fed mother's milk should receive formula. |
| 5-6 months of age | Babies should continue to be breastfed. You can start with smooth vegetable or fruit purées with meat or eggs, gluten-free porridges / gruels, and small amounts of gluten-free products into the diet of children who are mixed or formula fed. |
| 7-8 months of age | Children should receive smooth vegetable or fruit purées, gluten-free porridges / gruels, small amounts of gluten-containing products, products / foods with greater variety and texture, e.g. mixed / finely chopped cooked meat, fish, mashed cooked vegetables and fruits, chopped raw vegetables and fruit, soft parts of vegetables, fruit, meat, groats, bread served to the handle. |
| 9-12 months of age | Children should receive products / foods with greater variety and consistency, e.g. mixed / finely chopped cooked meat, including fish, mashed boiled vegetables and fruits, chopped raw vegetables and fruits, soft particles of vegetables, fruit, meat, served to the hand, bread, groats. Children of this age should eat 3 main meals and 2 smaller meals, including 3 milk meals. Small amounts of cow's milk may be used as an adjunct to the preparation of complementary foods for older infants. |
Źródła:
- De Silva D., Halken S., Singh C et al: Preventing food allergy in infancy and childhood: systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Pediatric Allergy and Immunology 2020; 31 (3): 243-249;
- EFSA NDA Panel (EFSA Panel on Nutrition, Novel Foods and Foods Allergens). Castenmiller J., de Henauw S., Hirsch-Ernst KI. et al .: Scientific Opinion on the appropriate age range for introduction of complementary feeding into an infant's diet. EFSA Journal 2019; 17 (9): 5780;
- Szajewska H., Horvath A. [eds.]: Nutrition and nutritional treatment of children and adolescents. Practical Medicine, Krakow 2017;
- Szajewska H., Socha P., Horvath A., Rybak A., Zalewski BM., Nehring-Gugulska M., Mojska H., Czerwionka-Szaflarska M., Gajewska D., Helwich E., Jackowska T., Książyk J ., Lauterbach R., Olczak-Kowalczyk D., Weker H .: Principles of nutrition of healthy infants. Position of the Polish Society of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition for Children. Medical Standards / Pediatrics 2021; 18: 805-822.
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