Weaning is considered a turning point in the development process of the child, so mothers need to pay special attention to the baby through this stage well. At birth, breast milk is an important and essential source of nutrition for babies. But only a few months later, it will come to the time when breastmilk is not enough for the baby to develop and enter the weaning stage.

So this stage should feed your baby what kind of food? Does baby food need more seasoning?

What is weaning?

 Is the period of transition from a completely breast milk diet to a diet with solid foods such as flour, porridge, rice, vegetables ... The best time for weaning is usually at the age of 6 months. At this age, your baby will be able to function on the tongue to be able to swallow solid food.

 This is an interesting but not less difficult process for both mother and baby. It is the transition from a liquid to a thick diet and then to the pig and finally the piece. That's why we cannot rush, we must do it slowly so that our children get used to it and adapt it gradually.

Weaning diet

Must be nutritious foods in both quantity and quality so that children can continue to grow. At this time, the child's digestive system is developed enough to digest most foods. However, some risks are also common when starting solids such as children do not receive enough nutrients from outside food to meet their developmental needs, which can lead to malnutrition and micronutrient deficiency such as leading to rickets due to calcium deficiency, iron deficiency anemia ... Besides, in complementary meals, children also use salty spices such as table salt, dipping sauce ...

 So weaning doesn't just need to ensure diversity, provide sufficient nutrients, but also pay attention to the proper use of spices. A diet lacking or excess of sodium (na-tri) all adversely affects the health of children.

Is it safe to introduce salt to baby's diet?

Baby food needs a sufficient amount of salt.

 Sodium and chlorine are the main components in salt and are two elements that play a very important role in the body's fluid balance, affecting the survival and normal functioning of all cells. Functional activities of all organs, parts of the body. This means that salt is added at all stages of child development.

 However, depending on the stage, the amount of salt provided is different. The recommended nutritional needs for Vietnamese people were approved by the Ministry of Health on June 16, 2016, accordingly, the demand for sodium / salt for children is recommended as follows:

Age Group	Natri (mg per day)	Salt (g per day)
0 - 5 months	100	0,3
6 - 11 months	600	1,5
1 - 2 years	< 900	2.3

Depending on the stage, the amount of salt provided is different.

Does weaning for babies under 1 year need extra salt?

01 cup of 100ml pumpkin meat porridge provides babies with 5.55mg of sodium, not to mention the amount of sodium in breast milk or formula milk.

 Adding salt to food for children under 1 year of age carries a lot of risk for their kidneys, because their kidney function at this age is very immature. Tasting too much salt can create a habit of eating a lot of salt for children when they grow up, affecting kidney function and risk of hypertension, cardiovascular disease in the future. In addition, some studies have shown that children who eat a lot of salt at this time may be more vulnerable to brain damage.

 Therefore, when making weaning foods for children under 1 year of age, mothers should not add salt, because in fact some of the daily foods such as milk, eggs, meat, fresh vegetables, etc. are sufficient. sodium for children aged 6-12 months.

Notice when preparing weaning foods for children

Tasting moderate spices for children's food  - When the mother tasted the baby's food, he saw that his mouth fit would mean more salty than the child. Therefore, when tasting weaning foods, bland foods are suitable for children.

 

Tips:

• Cheese can be added to baby foods instead of fish sauce or salt.
• Cheese should be added after cooking oil, so the baby's food will also be fragrant, delicious, fatty and not too light.

City International Hospital' Pediatric clinic

Official hours 

• Monday to Friday 7:30 am - 4:30 pm with a lunch closure between 12-1 pm.
• Saturday 7:30 am - 11:30 am

After-hours clinic located at Accident and Emergency Department. Helpline: (028) 6290 1155.

At City International Hospital, the doctors and technicians are very gentle and careful.

Source nhidong.org.vn

Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us: 

City International Hospital

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