An important element of proper growth and development is feeding newborns in the first days: suitable positions, diet and useful tips for young mothers. Isn't it easier to feed the baby yourself? How to maintain the emotional and physical health of a nursing mother

Instructions

From birth to six months, only breastfeeding is recommended. Mother's milk consists of 90% water, which satisfies the baby's need for liquid. You need to feed 10 to 12 times a day. By 3, most 6 to 8 feedings are enough. A six-month-old baby is breastfed 4-5 times during the day and 1-2 times at night. Sometimes a child does not have enough breast milk, then supplementary feeding is introduced in the form of milk. If the situation is not critical (when the milk suddenly disappears), then the mixture is administered starting with 10 ml, and 10-20 ml are added every day, carefully monitoring the body’s reaction. It is better to postpone complementary feeding until 6 months.

The next six months. Undoubtedly, mother's milk - perfect nutrition for the baby. But a child’s growing body needs nutrients, which are no longer enough in mother’s milk. Introduce complementary foods into your diet: pureed boiled or baked vegetables and fruits, cereals, meat. The best complementary food for the first time is vegetable puree, then you can try porridge, and by the ninth month, add meat. There is a large selection in stores now baby food. Introduce new foods into your baby’s diet gradually, preferably during morning feeding. The sample rate is no more than 10 g. Carefully monitor the child’s reaction, the condition of his skin and stool. If complementary foods are poorly tolerated, it is better to replace them or wait a month or two and try again. It is better not to add salt and sugar until a year.

Let's consider what foods are acceptable during the period from 1 year to 3 years. The leading positions are in milk and dairy products: adapted milk mixture, kefir, fermented baked milk, cottage cheese, sour cream, cottage cheese, a small amount of cheese. Remember, it is better not to give whole cow's milk. The diet includes meat of various varieties, except pork, approximately 100 g per day. Low-fat varieties fish, only 20–30 g. You should not give your child sausages. Half a boiled egg or 1 egg as an omelette. The menu can include a small amount of first vegetable, and then butter. Buckwheat, pearl barley, barley cereal, as well as pasta (but 1-2 times a week). Children can be given rye and wheat bread, crackers, and crackers. And, of course, the source of vitamins is fruits and vegetables. But it is better to postpone the consumption of sweets and chocolate until at least three years.

From 3 to 6 years. This is an extremely active time in a child's life. He spends a lot of energy and restores it with food. Carbohydrates should predominate in the diet. The daily menu should include: milk, meat, vegetables, fruits, butter, sugar. Once a week eggs, fish, cheese, cottage cheese. It is better to feed your child at a certain time and 3-4 times a day. This is necessary for complete absorption of food. The peculiarities of cooking and culinary processing of dishes boil down to the fact that it is necessary to avoid spicy seasonings and fried foods. Do not include store-bought processed foods, chips, or soda in your child’s diet.

Many parents, one way or another, are concerned about the nutritional problems of their children: some children are always very difficult to feed, others, on the contrary, eat too much. We will talk about what you should never do when feeding a baby, even with the best intentions.

Snacks

Quality and quantity

As soon as a child gets acquainted with complementary feeding products, many parents, not to mention grandparents, have a desire to pamper their baby with something tasty. Indeed, it is so nice to watch a child try a new treat with interest or smack something sweet with pleasure. Sometimes adults get carried away and can feed the baby with an amount of product that exceeds the age norm. And if at the same time the baby tries it for the first time, then a disruption in the functioning of the digestive organs is possible - the child may experience vomiting, abdominal pain, stool disorders and allergic reactions.

Adults often forget that there are foods that should be given to children with great caution. early age, and a number of them should not be introduced early into a child’s diet at all. However, you can often see on the street or at a party how small child treat them with such food. These can be chips, smoked meats, meat and fish delicacies, marinades, side dishes with hot sauce, salads with mayonnaise and various spicy seasonings, exotic fruits, all kinds of “adult” sweets - cakes, pastries, chocolate, nuts, sparkling water, Fanta, Pepsi-Cola... All these products contain substances harmful to the baby’s health, many of them are correctly called “food pollutants”, they overload digestive system, can cause and have a toxic effect on immature organs.

The formation of the baby’s liver, pancreas and other organs is not yet complete, they must be spared, therefore in the early and preschool age it is necessary to feed the child with products intended for...

Special place among harmful products take sweets with them excessive consumption. Of course, a certain amount of Sugars is necessary for the development of a child, and it is fully provided by fruits, compotes and moderate amount children's sweets (children's cookies, fruit marmalade, jam, marshmallows). However, often adults cannot resist the temptation and feed the baby with sweets, cookies, cakes, buns with sweet drinks, etc. Thus, they themselves form in their child incorrect taste habits and a harmful addiction to sweets, and excess sugar leads to completely harmless consequences, such as increased load on the pancreas, allergies, obesity, caries, weakening. An excess of refined products limits the intake of other useful substances, as a result, the child does not receive enough vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber.

Therefore, we must not forget that there are rules for introducing complementary foods, age standards products, as well as lists of foods that can and cannot be consumed at an early age.

Another spoon

Every mother tries very hard to prepare food for her child, and it’s a shame when the baby doesn’t want to finish his portion or refuses to eat at all. With the best intentions, thinking that the child needs to eat all this, the mother begins to persuade him, then force him, and then force-feed him. All this will cause a negative reaction in the baby, vomiting may occur, and, of course, the mood of both will be ruined. Ultimately, such food will be poorly digested.

If a child refuses to eat, you need to try to understand the reasons for his refusal, which can be very diverse. He may not like the dish being offered, he may not like some type of product, or he may not want this product right now. In these cases, you should not force the child to eat food he doesn’t like or that he doesn’t like. this moment doesn’t want to, you need to respect his needs.

Often mothers whose children do not eat well offer several dishes to choose from: if you don’t want this, here’s something else. No? Then the third thing... And this leads to the fact that the child becomes very capricious and often it is still impossible to please him. Therefore, it is better to offer the baby one or at most two dishes. Other dishes will only be offered at the next meal.

If the baby is very interested in something, then you should not abruptly tear him away from the activity, you can wait a little; if the lesson drags on, then try to gently switch his attention to the need to “refuel”. Children may not eat well during illness, when they are offended, upset, and sometimes there are simply periods when they do not feel like eating. Often the child’s body itself regulates the necessary supply of food, and force feeding will disrupt its condition. In addition, the baby will remember these situations very well, and for the rest of his life he may have a negative attitude towards the food that he was forced to eat in childhood.

The situation is more complicated when the child regularly refuses to eat. But even in such cases, force feeding will not lead to favorable results.

Then it is necessary to qualitatively review the child’s diet, select the necessary and favorite foods, develop a certain feeding stereotype so that the child has his own place, a favorite spoon, cup, plate, and he can participate in cooking himself. During feeding, you can tell your baby about what foods he eats, how tasty and healthy everything is, what he needs to feed mom, dad, his favorite toy, etc. But entertaining a child with “TV” or arranging home masquerade shows while eating is not very good, as he gets distracted by such fun and develops the wrong attitude towards feeding.

Violation of feeding rules includes non-compliance hygiene measures. Children who do not have their own cutlery, who are not taught to wash their hands before eating and eat carefully, do not develop the concept of hygiene. Subsequently, this is fraught with the development of infectious diseases.

In an adult oral cavity lives great amount various microbes, some of them are harmful to the child, so you do not need to feed the child from the same spoon with which you just ate yourself. The baby has its own microflora composition, and there is no need to introduce unfavorable microorganisms into it.

Food culture

It is wrong to allow children to play around at the table, to eat sloppily, to allow them to eat with their hands when the child can already use cutlery, to throw food or pour it on the table. It is necessary to accustom the child to the rules of behavior at the table: teach him to use a spoon, fork, knife, napkin, etc. The child should have a specific place to eat - his own small table or a place at a common table and a special chair on which the baby can sit independently. You should not try to feed your baby while playing.

It is very important to understand that from a very early age the child develops the correct eating behavior and habits. To avoid various problems With regard to the health and behavior of the child, it is desirable that parents feed the baby correctly from birth, and not only the child’s education, but also the correct example from adults will play a big role in this.

Marina Narogan,
Pediatrician GU scientific center health
Children of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, Ph.D. honey. sciences
Article provided by the magazine "Mom and Baby" N 03 2007

Discussion

That's how it should be. I somehow intuitively understood this from the very beginning: there were and are no problems with appetite, routine, or behavior at the table. I look at other mothers, how they suffer with their children, trying to “feed” and not “give them something to eat” - I feel sorry for themselves and their children. And then it is very difficult to break bad habits in children. In my observation, the most problems arise with grandmothers, because our children are always cold and hungry.

dear ladies, you are all so well-read and advanced in terms of raising and caring for a child, but I am not at all experienced in this matter, my child feeds himself, whatever he grabs from the table he eats and it won’t necessarily be edible, I wash my hands once a week , we smear the porridge on the table, pour the tea on the floor, why such wonderful cheerful ants have settled in our place, because all of our food is actually snacks, today we only ate 1.5 tbsp. spoons of porridge and 3 tbsp. tea and half a kilo of cookies, I think such anarchy will lead many here into a state of shock, grandmothers are far away, husband is even further away, living conditions are like in the era of brontosaurs, there is no time to brush your teeth, let alone read through them, in short, the article is necessary and for people like me it is briefly clear and Tomorrow I’ll start my day by washing my daughter’s callous hands and she’s only 1.3 years old
Hello everyone Sarina

Great article,
so what if we’re all well-read here on the site,
the article will be read in the magazine.
I know quite a few cases of “one more spoon” - and then the mother with the spoon runs after the child herself while the child plays and tries to shove the spoon in. :(

All of the above is true. And it may seem banal to one and interesting to another. My friend did exactly this - she gave her several dishes to choose from. And when I told her that she couldn’t be given more than 2 choices, I tried it and it helped.
True, I know all this, and I wouldn’t mind an article with simple, healthy and tasty menu examples. I also wonder if there are any average norms - how much is too much and how much is not enough.

I think this article is more likely for conferences 1-3.

Yeah, it’s also a pity that they didn’t write about feeding babies after 4 hours and a break at 6 hours. Rating of the article: banal, uninteresting, with distortions and excesses.

05/01/2007 12:05:51, Miri

Proper feeding of a newborn in the first days of life is the same important element growth and development, like mother's care, caring for the baby. The ideal option is breastfeeding. If according to various reasons There is no opportunity to breastfeed, high-quality infant formula will help out.

It is important for a young mother to know how to organize the nutrition of a tiny person. Study the material: you will find answers to many questions related to the organization of nutrition for the youngest children. The most important thing is to ensure maximum comfort for mom and baby.

How to feed newborns correctly

At the maternity hospital, staff will talk about the benefits of early breastfeeding and provide conditions for close contact between mother and baby immediately after birth. Now the children are in the same room with their mother, which allows them to feed the baby “on demand.”

If there is a lack of milk, do not despair, try to establish natural feeding. Drink sufficient quantity fluids, try to calm down, put the baby to the breast more often. Even a minimal amount of milk will be beneficial. Supplement your newborn with formula, monitor behavior, weight, and stool quality. If there is no milk, switch to artificial formula.

Breast-feeding

The benefits of early breastfeeding have been proven by neonatologists and pediatricians, confirmed by satisfied mothers and well-fed, peacefully snoring babies. Close emotional contact is one of the advantages of natural feeding.

Breast milk benefits:

baby (the child receives fully digestible food, develops well, and gets sick less often);
mother (the uterus contracts more actively under the influence of the baby’s sucking movements, the body recovers more quickly after childbirth).

First stage

In the first hours after childbirth, the mammary glands produce valuable product– colostrum. The volume of useful substance is small, but the rich composition and high fat content satisfy the baby’s need for food. An important detail - colostrum saturates the small body biologically active substances, strengthens the immune system.

Most maternity hospitals practice early breastfeeding. An exciting moment for mother and baby entering an unfamiliar world. The warmth of the breast and the smell of milk calm the newborn and allow him to feel protected. The more colostrum a child can receive, the better for his immunity.

Homecoming

Many young mothers get lost and panic when they find themselves at home with a newborn. There is a caring dad nearby, a familiar environment, but there is still excitement. If a woman listened to the recommendations of the maternity hospital staff, there will be fewer difficulties with breastfeeding.

Features of feeding newborns with breast milk:

The diet in the first week takes more into account the interests of the newborn. The mother will have to adapt to the baby’s needs;
It is useful to observe when the baby is really hungry, to note the interval between feedings that the child can withstand. The best option– 3 hours, but in the first week babies often demand milk with loud crying after 1.5–2 hours;
Pediatricians advise: feed your baby “on demand” when he greedily seeks the breast with his mouth. Gradually, the child will get stronger, will be able to drink more valuable liquid at a time, and will remain full longer. Active breastfeeding will increase lactation, the baby's nutritional needs and the mother's capabilities will gradually coincide;
After a couple of weeks, accustom your baby to the diet. If in the first days you fed your baby every one and a half to two hours during the day and every 3-4 hours at night, gradually switch to feeding seven times a day. The regimen improves the functioning of the tiny intestines and gives the mother rest.

Suitable poses

Choose a specific position that suits you best. Remember: Each feeding in the first weeks of a newborn’s life lasts a long time.

Please note that you are unlikely to be able to sit for half an hour or more beautifully, bending over the baby (as nursing mothers pose for photos in magazines), especially after a difficult birth. If it is uncomfortable or difficult for a mother to hold her baby, she is unlikely to have pleasant thoughts or tender feelings.

Try several poses, choose the optimal one, taking into account the condition of the breast, weight, and age of the baby. As the baby grows, an uncomfortable position may become suitable and vice versa.

Basic positions for feeding newborns:

supine position. The baby leans against mommy with her arms, legs, and head. A woman's shoulders and head are raised with a pillow. The pose is suitable for copious discharge milk;
lying on your side. This convenient option is chosen by many mothers, especially for evening and night feedings. Be sure to alternate lying on each side so that both breasts are emptied;
classic sitting position for feeding. Mom holds the child in her arms. Pillows under the back, on the knees and under the elbow will help reduce arm fatigue and “reduce” the baby’s weight;
hanging pose. Recommended for poor milk flow. The newborn lies on his back, the mother feeds him from above, leaning over the baby. Not very comfortable for the back, but effective for emptying the chest;
posture after caesarean section, when nursing twins. The woman sits, the baby lies so that the legs are behind the mother’s back, the head looks out from under the mother’s hand. This pose relieves the manifestations of lactostasis - stagnation of breast milk, accompanied by soreness and pronounced thickening of the lobules of the mammary gland.

Infant formula milk

Artificial feeding is a necessary measure, but in the absence of breast milk you will have to adapt. Properly organize the newborn’s nutrition and listen to the recommendations of pediatricians.

Features of feeding newborns with formula:

Unlike breastfeeding, when the baby eats and falls asleep, the nutritional formula has a certain dosage. It is important to know how much breast milk substitute to give to an “artificial” baby per day;
From the first days, feed the baby 7 times, every 3 hours. Later, you can switch to six meals a day with an interval of 3.5 hours;
choose a high-quality mixture that provides satiety and maximum nutrients. Unfortunately, it will not be possible to feed the baby on demand: the formula cannot be given “whenever you want”, it is important to maintain a certain interval;
It is occasionally allowed to shift the time next appointment healthy mixture, but not by much. Violation of the rules causes stomach/intestinal problems in the baby;
choose infant formula from famous manufacturers, without palm oil, sugar, maltodextrin. IN as a last resort, there should be a minimum amount of components that support a feeling of fullness;
If there is little breast milk, you have to constantly feed the baby. First offer the breast, then baby food in a spoon. Avoid bottles: it’s easier to get milk from the nipple; after a while, the baby will probably refuse the breast;
Be sure to give your “artificial” newborn boiled water. The volume of fluid depends on age;
artificial feeding will help produce healthy twins or triplets. Mom doesn’t have enough milk for two/three children, she has to give nutritional mixture. As babies grow, breast milk is replaced with formula milk.

How much should a child eat?

How much should a newborn eat at one feeding? At breastfeeding The child himself feels when the ventricle is full. The baby stops suckling and calmly falls asleep.

To feed the “artificial baby,” the mother must pour a certain amount of formula into the bottle so that the newborn does not remain hungry. Pediatricians have developed a formula for calculating the amount of baby food for each day.

The calculations are simple:

the newborn weighs less than 3200 grams. Multiply the number of days lived by 70. For example, on the third day the baby should receive 3 x 70 = 210 g of formula;
the newborn weighs more than 3200 grams. The calculation is similar, only multiply the number of days by 80. For example, on the third day a large child should receive a large portion - 3 x 80 = 240 g of baby food.

Note! The calculations are suitable for the little ones. From the 10th day of life the norms are different. You will find a detailed calculation of the amount of formula for feeding “artificial” babies in the article, which describes the selection rules and features of the use of popular infant formulas from 0 to 6 months.

Nutrition table by hour

It’s easier for young mothers to navigate if they have a clear idea of the baby’s diet. First month newborn most time (up to 18 hours per day) he will sleep, the rest of the day he will be awake.

Remember: When the baby is not sleeping, half the time he sucks on his mother’s breast or receives infant formula instead of breast milk. Pay attention to the newborn feeding chart. It schedules feeding hours for babies of normal weight.

If the newborn spits up after feeding, a simple trick will help: carry the fed baby in a column for 10–15 minutes;
The neck of a newborn is still very weak, how to act so as not to damage the bones or stretch the muscles? Place your head on your shoulder, hold the baby upright, lightly press him towards you, supporting him by the back and butt. This position will ensure the release of excess air, reduce the frequency and volume of regurgitation;
After eating, you should not disturb the baby; it is not advisable to put him in the crib. Active games, tickling, and shaking are prohibited. Change the newborn's clothes also after 10–15 minutes, when the air leaves the ventricle;
If your newborn hiccups after feeding, he may have overfed or is cold. Stroke the tummy, warm the baby, let the excess air escape (hold it in a column). If the volume and pressure of breast milk is too large, feed the baby intermittently so that the previous portion has time to get into the tiny stomach.

How to maintain the emotional and physical health of a nursing mother

Helpful Tips:

upon returning home after the maternity hospital, a woman should also get at least a little sleep, devote time to other family members and herself, otherwise psychological problems, a crisis in the relationship with your husband cannot be avoided;
constant fatigue accumulates, mommy gets irritated for any reason and gets nervous. The result is decreased milk production, always hungry, crying baby, again nerves and new worries. The circle closes. That is why it is important to take care not only of the baby, but also to maintain the health and psychological balance of a woman who has suffered natural childbirth or cesarean section;
The realization that with the birth of a baby, a successful businesswoman has turned into a “milk-producing machine” depresses many young mothers. The closest people should help here. Praise and pride for the person who gave the gift of a son (daughter)/grandson (granddaughter) must be expressed in warm words. A woman feels much more confident if she feels supported;
An important point is assistance in caring for the baby. It’s good if the husband, grandmothers and young mother share the chores around the house. A woman needs to rest, often feed her newborn, and restore her strength. In the first two to three weeks, the lack of real help has a negative impact on the physical and psychological state nursing mother;
unfortunately, it often happens that the husband stays late at work (not to mention how difficult it is to “get” vacation after the birth of a baby), and grandmothers, due to various circumstances, cannot help with household chores. It is important to save breast milk, do not fall off your feet from fatigue;
what to do? You'll have to ask for help good friends, relatives, neighbors. Surely, someone will agree to help you: go grocery shopping, buy diapers, or wipe the dust at home. Involve people you trust, don't refuse help. Even half an hour of rest will be useful for a young mother;
cook simple dishes, buy a multicooker that minimizes labor costs for cooking. The device does not require constant monitoring, which is important when tired, frequent feedings, or when the mother thinks only about the baby and sleep.

Now you know how to start breastfeeding, how to give special formulas. Pay maximum attention to the baby, remember about your health and the existence of the rest of the family members. Correct mode nutrition will provide maximum comfort for the baby and adults.

More useful tips about breastfeeding in the following video:

Kids don’t know that they need to clean up after themselves. When they get dirty, they are primarily interested and having fun. They are not at the royal reception, but at home at the table.

Rarely does any book say that you don’t have to spoon feed your baby, but let him eat the way he likes.

Yes, sometimes it seems that it’s faster and neater to feed him yourself, while depriving the baby of the opportunity to explore

new food for him. Imagine that you are blindfolded and given an unfamiliar product. Most people feel uncomfortable and anxious about eating with eyes closed, because we “taste” food not only with the taste buds of the tongue, but also with our eyes, hands and nose. No wonder experienced mothers They say - and this is confirmed by research - that a baby must “try” food fifteen times before he gets used to it. “Try” means that the baby will look at the new food, touch it, crush it in his hands, lick it and spit it out, smell it, crush it with his gums or chew it with his teeth, and finally swallow it. If a baby just sees an apple or a piece of meat, it means nothing to him, because he is not familiar with these products. “Remove the blindfold from his eyes,” that is, let him “taste” the food on his own, including with his hands. Just as it makes you feel better to see what you're eating, it's better for him to touch the food with his hands before putting it in his mouth.

It is believed that the modern epidemic of obesity and eating disorders is partly due to a rigid approach to feeding children, when parents dictate when, how and how much their child eats, they unwittingly create unnecessary conflict out of the blue. In defiance of their parents, children refuse to eat, sometimes to the detriment of their health. Research shows that any control on the part of parents who force them to finish eating, or, conversely, limit food or prevent the baby from eating on his own, leads to poor weight gain in two-year-old children. It's not surprising that bottle-feeders control their older children's nutrition more than breastfeeders.

The food itself is enjoyable. When we are hungry, we feel sick in our stomachs, and we get irritated. We eat and we feel
well, we are filled with a feeling of peace and relaxation. When a baby eats not because he is hungry, but because he is forced, all the pleasure from eating disappears. They prevent him from understanding what is pleasant to eat. It is impossible to enjoy something by force, at the behest of someone else.

Was held interesting research. The children were offered slightly more food than they needed. Most 3-year-olds tended to leave some food on their plate, and most 5-year-olds ate too much. Scientists have concluded that children have forgotten how to follow their inner feelings to please external pressure- the requirement to finish everything on the plate.

By putting your baby to your breast in response to his requests for six months, you have already laid a solid foundation of skills healthy eating. Continue to nurture your child's independence by creating conditions for exploring the taste, quality and joy of food. It's okay that it's a bit of a sticky, wet and messy process.