Breastmilk is the best for babies. The World Health Organisation recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life. Unnecessary introduction of bottle feeding or other food and drinks will have a negative impact on breastfeeding. After six months of age, infants should receive age-appropriate foods while breastfeeding continues for up to two years of age or beyond. Consult your doctor before deciding to use infant formula or if you have difficulty breastfeeding.
After 6 months, it is time for the introduction of complementary feeding because your baby needs more iron now. In the first half year of life, your baby was still well supplied by the iron stores that it already had before birth but now, your baby will grow quickly and move around more often now.
Parents who have already implemented the iron-rich vegetables and meat porridge (with potato inside) can now replace another milk meal with the milk grain porridge. Cereal gives your baby a lot of energy. It also contains a lot of essential vitamins, minerals and fibre that your baby need for a healthy development.
Next up, you can introduce a nutrient rich but dairy free grain-fruit porridge. Fruit or fruit juice containing Vitamin C can aid the absorption of iron from the grains and vegetables.
• Feeding of complementary foods should not be equated with weaning or the complete abandonment of dairy meals. In addition to the 3 porridge meals that your baby takes on a daily basis, the morning milk meal and often another milk meal in the evening will be essential for the whole of its 1st year of life.
• It can take up to 10 times before a baby can accept new food.
• Before introducing a new variety to your little one, wait three to four days to get him settled on one type of food first before moving onto the next.
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