After a diet exclusively based on milk, the baby reaches a time full of novelties for his palate. Although the pediatrician is still the best adviser in terms of nutrition, the way in which new foods are introduced, with different flavors and textures, and the environment in which the food is developed will help promote the art of good eating of the child, here we share some tips of baby nutrition
During the first year of life, the baby's digestive system matures to be able to insalinate and digest different types of food apart from milk. By his second year of life, he has matured enough to accept a wide variety of foods and chew properly, so her diet can be quite similar to that of adults.
When we introduce a new food, we must be prudent and have the approval of the pediatrician, but from that moment we must mix it with those already incorporated and offer the child a varied and balanced diet. In addition, it is necessary to ensure that he acquires adequate eating habits.
Once the baby abandons his exclusively milk-based diet, you have to start incorporating new foods, following the pediatrician's instructions. From this moment they will begin to express their private opinion. You have to be patient, learning to eat takes time.
From 6 months, with his incipient teeth, he will love to chew. Little by little, porridge with a fine and homogeneous texture should be dispensed with.
Many moms prolong purees for too long. Chewing is essential, not only to guide the eruption of the first teeth, to avoid dental malpositions or to develop adequate mandibular development, but also for the correct evolution of language. In addition, proper chewing allows you to savor the food, since it allows the taste buds to obtain valuable information.
From 9 to 12 months, at the same time that he incorporates new flavours, he wants to be independent and begins to use his fingers to eat: with a spoon it is very difficult! He must learn to handle it, although the food does not always end up in the right place.
At one year, the child can already sit at the table and share the family menu, although you still have to be careful when introducing new foods. These moments are very important to correctly channel his eating habits. It is not about tricking him into eating or constantly scolding him, but leading by example, praising appropriate behaviors and ensuring that mealtimes are pleasant. The tricks help at the moment, but they don't educate.
Keys to a varied diet
The more new and varied flavors are introduced to the diet, the more chance there is that he will become a child capable of tasting and enjoying food. But there is no rush: it is convenient to introduce the novelties little by little and great care must be taken in the way they are offered.
If the baby is hungry, the presentation is attractive and the quantity small, everything will surely be easier. But they don't always like everything. If on some occasion you reject a dish, it is best not to force it and let some time pass, next time your ability to distinguish and value flavors will surely have changed.
It is also important to establish a series of routines around the act of eating. It gives children security to know the established schedule and the associated behaviors (after the bath, they dress me, put my bib on me, sit me in my chair and I have my glass and cutlery on the table: it's dinner time! ). This helps them locate and orient themselves in space and time, and to have clear reference points. Although it does not mean that on some occasion we cannot have unforeseen situations (go to a restaurant and eat in the stroller).