Feeding methods (I)

Children under one year of age are especially vulnerable to stomach disorders, mainly due to the inadequate introduction of new foods and poor hygiene practices. It is therefore essential to follow all the necessary recommendations to prevent digestive disorders, which could lead to nutritional deficits in their first year of life, as their body does not yet have sufficient reserves to cope with certain deficiencies.

Currently, the ways of administering solid foods are evolving and two feeding methods are being used with very similar positive results: spoon-feeding porridges or purees and the new trends in baby-led feeding, where the baby takes small pieces of food directly with his hands.

Whether to start with one or the other method, or a combination of both, depends on the theoretical and practical knowledge of mothers, fathers and caregivers.

In this presentation we will provide general recommendations for the introduction of complementary feeding and we will refer to the method of feeding through porridges or purees with a spoon.

General recommendations for the introduction of complementary foods

• It is up to the pediatrician to recommend the order of introduction of foods depending on the baby's nutritional conditions and considering regional and family traditions. Parents should keep in mind that non-specialized recommendations can cause serious developmental and health disorders in their children; moreover, some food introduction guidelines are already obsolete.
• Generally, it is recommended to start with infant cereals, because of their iron content, and then include chicken meat, rice, vegetables, vegetables and fruits, prepared at home. Packaged purees or porridges are recommended only for special situations.
• Each new food should be introduced in isolation, given daily for a week without combining it with another new food and never at dinner time, in order to detect possible allergic reactions; although food allergies are generally immediate, appearing only a few minutes after ingesting the food.
• It is recommended to start complementary feeding by offering one meal a day; then increase the number to 2-3 meals throughout the day, avoiding that overeating leads to reduced lactation or weight gain and obesity.

• Foods that the baby refuses should not be insisted to be accepted at that moment, but should be withdrawn and offered after a few days. You should continue to offer it until it is accepted, sometimes it takes up to ten times after the first attempt. You should never insist or force the child to ingest it, remember that there is no need to be desperate or worry about the child "eating well", since the milk will continue to cover most of his needs.
• The foods introduced should never provide more calories than those provided by breast milk and/or formula, since milk should continue to be the main source of energy between 6 and 12 months of life.
• Introduce as many foods as possible and prepare them in a variety of ways, complying with all hygienic standards.
• The quantities of fruits, vegetables, cereals, potatoes, pasta, bread, rice, etc., should be moderate, taking into account the child's appetite; however, the quantities of proteins -poultry, fish, eggs- should be limited to the nutritional needs of the child, since their excesses increase the risk of overweight and obesity.
• Meat, fish, seafood and eggs should always be offered well-cooked and finished to avoid the presence of pathogenic bacteria such as salmonella.
• Vegetarian children should follow diets specially designed by nutritionists to avoid serious nutritional deficiencies. All vegetarians, and especially children after the end of absolute breastfeeding, are recommended to take regular vitamin B12 supplements.
• If the child is breastfed, the baby should not be given porridges, purees or juices in bottles to avoid confusion in the way of sucking that could affect breastfeeding.

Administration of food through porridges or purées with spoons

At the beginning of complementary feeding, foods should be introduced one by one and in the form of porridge with a completely smooth texture and without lumps or fiber so that they do not throw it out of the mouth. As the days go by, the porridge should acquire a thicker puree consistency.

So that the child can swallow easily, it is recommended to place a small amount of porridge in the middle part of his tongue with the help of a small spoon; if the food is deposited on the tip of the tongue, pro