Doctor’s answer: Number of weaning meals per day for children?

Weaning is a very important stage for a child’s development. This is the time when your baby will no longer eat exclusively breast milk or formula as in the first months of life, but will gradually switch to more diverse foods. Here are the knowledge about the weaning diet, the number of weaning meals a day for children and some notes that mothers need to know.

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1. Signs that your baby is ready for solid foods

Weaning too early or too late can have a great impact on the health and development of children. As follows:

If you give your baby solid foods too early

Experts say that breast milk is a very good source of nutrients for the development of babies. If the baby is introduced to solid foods too early, the baby will not want to breastfeed and therefore cannot take advantage of this wonderful source of nutrition. Moreover, weaning when the child is too young, the digestive system is not yet complete, leading to a situation where the baby is prone to digestive disorders, poisoning, infections, etc., even leading to malnutrition.

Weaning too early puts the baby at risk of giving up breastfeeding

Besides, when children eat foods such as cereals, vegetables too early, … the ability of children to absorb iron when breastfed will be much limited. Over time, it can lead to iron deficiency anemia.

Some studies also show that eating solids too early makes children more likely to have high blood pressure, obesity or food allergies.

If you give your baby solid foods too late,

As children grow older, their nutritional needs increase. After 6 months of age, mothers should note that breast milk should not be the only source of nutrition for the baby and breast milk cannot meet the full nutrition of the baby.

If the mother gives the baby solid foods too late, it is easy to lead to the risk of nutritional deficiencies in the child. Because of this, children will be slow to grow or have a weak immune system and are at high risk of infections.

The right time to eat weaning

Usually, the appropriate time to start solids in children is from 6 months of age. However, you can also recognize some signs that your baby is ready for solid foods, such as:

It is advisable to give solid foods to babies when they can sit up on their own with the support of a high chair

– Baby can have good head and neck control, he can sit upright or sit upright with the support of a booster seat.

– Mothers who observe will see that the baby shows a very clear interest in food, he is always curious and explores the food bowls and plates in front of him.

– Baby can handle food with his own hands without anyone’s prompting, this is a deliberate and independent action.

– When feeding the baby, the baby is always eager to open his mouth and receive the food happily.

2. Baby food and some notes on how to prepare it for moms

When starting to introduce solid foods to babies, mothers should not completely cut off breast milk, but should still give babies breast milk in combination with solid foods. Later, you can gradually increase the number of meals and the amount of weaning food. Mothers need to ensure to provide children with 4 main nutritional food groups as follows:

Carbohydrate group: This group of foods provides energy for children. Mothers can choose porridge, oatmeal, when the children are older, they can choose beef potato soup, pho, etc. Should change the diet to avoid the child’s loss of appetite.

Protein food group: This is an important nutrient to help babies develop well. Some foods contain a lot of protein such as beef, fish, crab, shrimp, chicken eggs, etc., or some plant-based protein sources such as beans, etc. Do not abuse but give children too much meat because of it. can harm the digestive system of children. Combining vegetable and animal protein is the best way to help your baby develop.

At first, you can only feed your baby one meal a day

Group of vegetables and fruits: This group of foods helps to provide vitamins, fiber and minerals for children, such as orange juice, mango, banana pepper, etc. Mothers should not store vegetables for too long to cause loss. nutrients in food and in many cases can affect the health of the baby.

Fat group: Helps children provide energy and it is also like a solvent to help vitamins A, D, E, K, … absorb into the body in the best way.

Some notes when preparing food:

• Do not feed your baby too much because it can overload the baby’s kidneys, causing some kidney problems.

• Processing materials need to be safe and clean, mothers need to pay attention to wash their hands before eating, mothers need to pay attention to remove fish and shrimp for their children carefully to avoid bone choking, etc.

3. Number of weaning meals per day for children

Mothers should feed children from thin to solid, from small to large amounts. At first, your baby may only eat 1 to 2 tablespoons of food. But if the baby’s mood is excited, the next meal, the mother can gradually increase the amount of food, until the baby eats 50 to 100ml each time.

Not only the amount of food in each meal, but also the number of meals should be gradually increased. At first, you can only feed your baby one meal/day, but then, about every 2 months, you can increase it, until your baby eats about 3 meals/day.

Children should not be forced to eat

In most cases, babies who have been introduced to solid foods will be breastfed or drink less formula. However, babies under one year old still need breast milk. Therefore, mothers should combine a balanced nutrition between breast milk and solid foods to ensure that their children are always healthy and develop well.

Here are some tips for mom to determine correctly number of snacks per day of children. Mothers need to be aware that the baby has some unusual signs such as bloating, abdominal distention, a small red rash on the face, runny nose, watery eyes, loose stools, and a rash. redness around the anus, children often cry, or vomit or spit up, etc. hot wire 1900 56 56 56.