In order to provide the best nutrition for your baby, it is generally recommended to start introducing solid foods when they reach 6 months old. This is because the nutrients and energy in breast milk are no longer sufficient to meet their daily activities and growth needs. So how do you introduce solid foods to your baby in the cold winter? Here are some tips to help you.
【When to Introduce Solid Foods in Winter】
Theoretically, solid foods can be introduced after 4 months, but in reality, it depends on your baby's individual situation. Most babies start solid foods at around 6 months old. You can determine whether to start introducing solid foods based on the following factors:
1. Weight: Your baby should weigh at least double their birth weight, or at least 6 kilograms.
2. Still hungry: For example, if your baby used to sleep through the night but now wakes up crying, or if their sleep duration has become shorter; if they are breastfeeding 8-10 times a day or consuming 1000 milliliters of formula milk, but still seem hungry and cry frequently. When your baby enters a period of rapid growth around 6 months, it is the best time to start introducing solid foods.
3. Development: Your baby should be able to control their head and upper body, sit with support, and have a strong chest. They should be able to indicate whether they want to eat or not through head movements and body language, so that force-feeding situations can be avoided.
4. Behavior: If your baby shows interest when someone is eating next to them, and even tries to grab the spoon or chopsticks. If your baby puts their hands or toys in their mouth, it indicates their interest in eating.
5. Tongue reflex: Many parents find that when they first introduce solid foods, their babies often spit it out, thinking that they don't like it. In fact, this tongue reflex is a natural self-protective mechanism called "tongue thrust reflex," which indicates that it is not the right time to introduce solid foods yet. This reflex typically disappears around 4 months. If solid foods are introduced before it disappears and parents forcefully feed the baby, it can be frustrating for both parents and the baby, and it does not promote the development of good eating habits.
6. Eating behavior: If your baby licks the food and swallows it when you spoon-feed them, and they appear happy and enjoy the taste, it indicates their interest in eating. However, if your baby spits out the food, turns their head away, or pushes away your hand, it means they do not want to eat. Parents should not force them and can try again after a few days.
【Dietary Recommendations for Adding Solid Foods in Winter】
1. In the cold winter, it is recommended to choose high-protein and high-calorie foods to enhance your child's ability to keep warm. This includes meats, eggs, dairy products, and soy products. You can also add more soups and porridge, which are both warming and easily digestible.
2. The diet should provide sufficient calories but not excessive amounts of fats. Some babies with poor digestive functions may develop fatty diarrhea or gastrointestinal inflammation if they consume excessive amounts of oily foods.
3. Since there are fewer leafy green vegetables in winter, it is important to ensure an adequate intake of yellow and green vegetables, such as carrots, Chinese cabbage, spinach, and mung bean sprouts, to prevent vitamin A and vitamin B2 deficiencies.
4. The winter climate is dry, so it is important to regularly offer your baby vegetables and fruits to increase their intake of vitamin C, which is beneficial for preventing upper respiratory tract infections.
5. Due to the short daylight hours in winter, children under the age of 1 are prone to developing rickets due to a lack of vitamin D. If your baby is under 1 year old, it is especially important to provide them with foods rich in vitamin D, such as fish, eggs, dairy products, and animal liver. Under the guidance of a doctor, you can even supplement them with a certain amount of vitamin AD drops.
【How to Add Seasonings to Baby's Solid Foods in Winter】
1. Salt: For babies under 6 months, the recommended sodium intake is 200 milligrams, equivalent to 0.5 grams of salt. Most solid foods already contain a small amount of salt, so there is no need to add salt when starting to introduce solid foods. After 10 months, you can start adding up to 2 grams of salt per day.
2. Sugar: Consuming excessive amounts of sugar can harm your baby's teeth and reduce their sensitivity to other tastes, leading to aversions and picky eating. However, sweet taste is the most preferred taste for babies. So young mothers should control the amount of sugar in their baby's diet, with a daily total of no more than half a spoonful of sugar.
3. Cooking oil: Plant-based cooking oils, such as olive oil, are the preferred choice for adding to baby's solid foods. They do not have any adverse effects on the baby's body and are easily absorbed. When introducing solid foods at around 6 months old, you can use a small amount of oil, about 2-3 drops per day.
4. Soy sauce: It is best to start adding soy sauce to solid foods after 1 year old, and the amount should be limited to 1-2 drops per serving. When using soy sauce for the first time, observe your baby carefully to prevent any allergic reactions.
5. Vinegar: Similar to soy sauce, it is better to wait until your baby is 2 years old and their taste buds have fully developed before using vinegar and similar seasonings. Introducing them too early can reduce your baby's sensitivity to taste and dull their taste buds.
【Key Points for Adding Solid Foods to Babies in Winter】
1. The significance of taste
When food enters the mouth, we perceive its taste, which immediately transforms into a chemical signal within the body. Various digestive enzymes are then secreted, and the gastrointestinal tract starts to digest and absorb nutrients. If the food is delicious, it increases the absorption rate. Therefore, delicious food not only tastes good, but also has physiological benefits for digestion and absorption.
On the other hand, when we have indigestion or gastrointestinal problems, our appetite decreases, food tastes bland, and we are unwilling to eat more. This is the body's self-protective mechanism at work.
2. Babies prefer sweet and savory tastes, and dislike sour and bitter tastes
Babies' taste buds are not fully developed, and this physiological characteristic makes them prefer simple tastes like sweetness and savoriness. This is why babies enjoy eating sweet foods and meats. They dislike sour and bitter tastes, and immediately spit out such foods, making unpleasant facial expressions. The younger the baby, the more pronounced their aversion to these tastes.
For complex tastes like sour, bitter, and spicy flavors, the brain needs to develop to a certain maturity for the child to accept them. This usually happens after the preschool age. Through continuous tasting and practice, children gradually accept, get used to, and even enjoy these tastes, which means their taste buds have become more complex.
3. Baby food should be mild, without salty taste
Taste preferences are shaped by diet habits. Regular consumption of heavily salted foods can dull the sensitivity to saltiness, making us require more salt to perceive the taste. Excessive salt intake is detrimental to health. Under normal circumstances, the salt content naturally present in foods is sufficient for our bodies. When we perceive a salty taste, we have already consumed more salt than necessary.
It is recommended to consume mild-tasting foods, especially for infants and young children. Healthy baby food products are almost free of salt. Children who grow up eating mild foods are less likely to develop a preference for heavily salted foods, which benefits them throughout their lives.
