Be careful when your child is anorexic when switching from flour to porridge

This is an automatically translated article.

The article was professionally consulted by Resident Doctor Ho Thi Hong Tho - Neonatologist - Pediatrics - Neonatology Department, Vinmec Phu Quoc International General Hospital
Your baby is about to start solids but you don't know where to start? You are not sure about the right time to transition to solid foods for your baby and do not know how long it is reasonable to give your baby powdered food to switch to porridge? Because switching from eating powder to eating porridge at the wrong time can make children lose their appetite.

1. Why do children need solid foods?

According to nutrition experts, in the first 6 months of life, a child only needs to be breastfed to ensure adequate nutrition for the baby's development. From 6 months onwards, children begin to be more active, so they need more energy to develop physically, mentally and physically. At this time, breast milk will not be able to meet the baby's needs, so it is necessary to use nutrition from outside food.
Weaning is a way to help babies get used to food sources other than breast milk, which are coarser and thicker than breast milk. During the first year, weaning will help your baby get used to different types of food but not to completely replace breast milk or formula.
The best time to introduce solid foods to babies is from 6 months, but there are some 4-month-old babies showing signs of "craving". So if the baby is ready, we can start introducing solids at this point.

2. Principles when giving solid foods to children

When giving solid foods to children, the principle of transposition is very important, this makes children eat more deliciously, discover many different flavors, thereby helping children to be more interested in eating solids. When starting solids, you should choose powders with a sweet taste similar to breast milk so that your baby can recognize the familiar taste.
The process of using sweet-tasting powders should last from 2 to 3 weeks, then you can switch to salty powders to diversify foods and help your baby absorb better.
You should feed your child from little to a lot and from thin to solid. At this time, the baby's digestive system is not fully developed, so the metabolism of nutrients is also slower. To make sure the stomach and other organs work properly, you need to introduce your baby gradually from low to high.

3. When to switch from eating powder to eating porridge for babies?

For mothers who are wondering "when to switch from eating powder to eating porridge for babies", depending on the adaptation and development of each child, parents should choose the appropriate transition time.
Normally, babies at 8 months can start to eat porridge if you give them solid foods from 6 months, and if babies start eating solid foods at 4 months, you should let them switch to porridge at 7 months. You should end the period of eating powder after the child has learned to eat for 2 months to switch to porridge.
The period from 7 to 8 months is considered a golden time to switch from eating powder to eating porridge because babies begin to develop their senses. At this time, children have the need to explore and can basically remember the taste of food, so you should practice giving your baby porridge right now.
In the first time when switching from eating flour to eating porridge, the baby will eat less, because he is used to the smell of flour. Weaning porridge usually has a lighter taste than powdered food, the coarseness is higher, so it makes children feel flat and unattractive with flour. In this case, you can alternate between flour and porridge at meals, to let your baby get used to it gradually. Note that this is the time to practice weaning, if your baby refuses to eat, you should stop.
Children may have anorexia due to structural disorders when you delay in the transition from eating powder to eating porridge. This is a complicated condition of anorexia, because it makes the baby unable to distinguish the structure of food, gradually leading the baby to be afraid to eat. When the baby often spits or turns his head away when he sees food, he may cry a lot.

4. How to switch from eating powder to eating porridge for babies

Here is a reasonable way to switch from flour to porridge to limit anorexia in children:
Just like when giving baby powdered solids, when switching to porridge, you should also pay attention to feeding your baby sweet words. to salty, from thin to thick, and from little to a lot. At the first time for children to eat solids, you should combine porridge with vegetables or legumes. When your baby is used to the taste of porridge, you can combine it with foods with a higher protein content such as meat, shrimp, and fish. Note, when giving your baby a new food, you should only use a small amount to check if the child's body is allergic or not, if the child absorbs completely normally, you can increase the number of times. weaning later. Weaning is the first step for your baby to get used to food, setting the stage for later eating skills. In addition to paying attention to the time of transition to weaning, you also need to pay attention to the nutritional balance in your baby's daily diet. Feeding your baby solid foods requires an investment of time and patience.
Besides, the baby needs to add the necessary micronutrients: Zinc, selenium, chromium, vitamins B1 and B6, ginger, acerola fruit extract (vitamin C), ... to improve taste, eat delicious , reach the right height and weight and exceed the standard, have a good immune system, strengthen the resistance to get sick less often and have less digestive problems.
The improvement of symptoms can take place for a long time, so it is recommended that parents be calm and persistent when supplementing with nutrients for children, even through eating or functional foods. In particular, the use of functional foods should choose those of natural origin that are easily absorbed, do not allow simultaneous use of many types or continuously change the types of functional foods.
To have more knowledge about taking care of children by age, you should regularly visit the website vimec.com and make an appointment with the leading doctors, Pediatricians - Nutritionists when you need advice.