After becoming a mother, I understand the feeling of wanting to give my baby the best in the world.
Especially at the age of six months, that frail little person finally opens its little mouth without teeth, waiting to taste its first bite of human food besides sucking milk. At that moment, the sense of mission in my heart was so strong that it exploded, and at the same time, I was extremely anxious: What should I do? How to do it? Will he not be happy to eat it?
Don't panic.
Really, don't panic.
In the murky waters of complementary feeding, people who have waded through it will tell you: relax, it’s not a big deal.
There is really no need to worry about "quantity"
Look at those densely packed recipe tables, such as 5 grams of rice flour and 10 grams of vegetable puree.
Just throw it away.
A six-month-old child is just playing with complementary food. Today his appetite is good and his mouth is as wide as a swallow's. Tomorrow he may close his mouth and play hide-and-seek with you. If the amount of complementary food is too much, freeze it. If the amount of complementary food is too little, add a little more milk to keep the sky from falling.
Remember one thing: act based on your baby’s face, don’t believe the grams on the recipe.
Rice cereal is the foundation, but meat is the king
In the traditional concept, the first complementary food is always rice noodles.
Yes, the high-speed rail rice noodles are indeed quite good, but don’t just look at this one. Today's feeding concepts have already changed. Feed your children some meat as soon as possible! For example, pork liver, beef, and pork, as long as they are made into a thin mud-like form, they contain heme iron, which is much easier to absorb than the iron contained in rice noodles.
There is no need to worry that your child will have digestive problems or that your child will not be able to bear it. As long as your blender can produce food that is delicate enough, your child's stomach will be able to accept and adapt to it.
### A daily complementary feeding schedule for six-month-old babies (dummies version)
Don't remember the extremely complicated points, just capture the most important core: add complementary foods at the meal when the child is in the best mood.
In the morning period (for example, 10:30 to 11:30), between two feedings, when the baby is neither sleepy nor crying, this situation is an extremely precious time and is used to try new foods.
If the eating status is good in the morning, then in the afternoon (such as 3:30-4:30), you can give some pure fruit puree without adding rice cereal.
A different time? Drink milk! Drink goat milk! Drink camel milk! Before one year old, milk can be the main food, and the word "supplementary food" means "auxiliary food".
Practice! I can make these mud pastes with my eyes closed.
(The following are written in terms of "production quantity". If you can't finish it, freeze it and eat it tomorrow)
Mashed potato rice cereal
Cut the potatoes into cubes and steam them until they are cooked through with a chopstick.
Make the high-speed rice noodles and decide the consistency yourself.
Mix the mashed potatoes into the rice cereal, and remember the golden ratio. The amount of mashed potatoes will not exceed half the amount of rice cereal. Mix them well and start feeding.
Broccoli puree rice cereal
You need to be more careful when it comes to broccoli. First, rinse it with running water for a few minutes to wash away any hidden bugs.
Break it into small florets, remove the stems, boil the water and put it in to blanch.
Take it out, add some water and throw it into the mixing cup. What if you want that silky feel that’s comparable to Dove ads? Then add a little more water and beat for a longer time.
Mixed into rice cereal, it's green and appetizing.
Egg yolk rice cereal
The eggs are cooked and the golden yolk is taken out.
First time eating? Start with 1/4.
Put it in a bowl, press it with the back of a spoon, press it again, and press it again. Dry? Add some warm water to dilute it.
Mixed into rice cereal, it is called a fragrance. But don't be greedy for too much, this stuff is not easy to digest.
Sweet potato puree rice cereal
Wash the sweet potatoes, steam them and peel them.
Throw it into a mixing cup. The sweet potato itself has a high water content. It still has a sweet taste even without adding sugar. It can be beaten into a puree even without adding water and milk powder.
Mixed with rice cereal, it's so sweet that most babies can't resist.
Broccoli, Yam, Beef and Rice Porridge
Knock on the blackboard! This is advanced gameplay, but simple as hell.
Broccoli and beef are cooked, and yams are steamed.
Throw it all into a mixing cup, add water, and puree.
Why do they match like this? The fishy smell of beef is neutralized by broccoli, making it more tender and nutritious. As long as your child has eaten each of these foods and is not allergic, feel free to mix them.
The stubbornness of fruit: Eat it alone, don’t mix it up
For bananas, take a hard spoon and scrape them directly.
Cut the apples into slices, steam them until soft (fear of sourness), and puree them.
Remember this sentence, just let the fruit be treated as a pure fruit. Do not mix it into the rice cereal. On the one hand, it is too sweet and you worry that the baby will be picky. On the other hand, heating the vitamins in the fruit is also a waste.
Let’s talk about that troublesome pork liver
Pork liver is a magical iron supplement, but the taste... not even adults like it.
Don't worry, I will teach you how to make pork liver powder.
Cut the pork liver into large pieces and soak it for two hours, changing the water in between.
Cut into small slices and cook in a pot of cold water with ginger slices.
Take it out and fry it dry in a pot over low heat. Don't add oil and keep turning.
Beat it into coarse powder for the first time, then fry it in a pan, then beat it into fine powder, and sift it again.
After the items are made, place them in the refrigerator for freezing. Sprinkle a small amount every time you eat rice cereal, which can not only supplement iron, but also has no weird taste, and children will not resist this kind of giving. It should be remembered that despite the high nutritional value of pork liver, the weekly consumption should not exceed 50 grams of its weight before cooking and ripening.
The last few heartfelt words
There is no fixed order for adding complementary foods. Whether it is red meat, egg yolks, or vegetables, you can add any of them as long as they are desensitized.
A baby who spits out food does not necessarily mean he hates it. It may be that his tongue has not yet learned to deliver food backwards.
Be more patient and smile more. If you are nervous, your baby can feel it.
In this feeding battle, the louder you laugh, the greater your chances of winning.
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