First baby food When to start with the first baby food

Now I want complementary food! Time window instead of deadline for the start
Beikost should be introduced at the earliest with the beginning of the 5th month and no later than the beginning of the 7th month of life, recommends the network healthy in life. Decisive is the individual development of the baby. With the message "time window instead of deadline" you can bring serenity into the topic.

Breast milk generally covers the nutritional needs in the first 6 months of life. Some babies are already ripe for the complementary food. The recommended time frame for the introduction of a complementary diet - between the beginning of the 5th month of life and the beginning of the 7th month - takes into account the nutritional requirements of the child, individual differences in motor development, aspects of sensory acceptance and allergy prevention. It is safe to start eating during this period and has no health problems. This is the conclusion reached by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in a scientific opinion. But it should not start before the beginning of the 5th month of life. Because only at the age of 4 months are kidneys and digestive tract in mature born infants sufficiently developed to be able to digest food even. Even after the introduction of the complementary foods should be further breastfed.

(Image: Elena Stepanova / fotolia.com)

The baby shows when it's ready for the porridge. Accordingly, there is not "the one" start date, which is optimal for all. Decisive is the maturity of the child. Parents should make the time for the introduction of complementary foods dependent on the signals of the child, d. H. from its ability to eat, its prosperity and its interest in complementary foods. These signs of maturity indicate a favorable time for the start of the complementary foods:

The baby can sit upright with help and keep his head independent.
It is interested in what parents, siblings and others eat.
It demands what others eat.
It opens its mouth when the spoon comes.
It no longer squeezes the porridge out of his mouth with his tongue.

"Parents do not have to constantly test whether their child already wants porridge.The time frame of about 60 days gives them the opportunity to wait calmly until their child on their own the willingness for solid food," said Maria Flothkötter, director of the network Healthy into life. Andrea Fenner, www.aid.de