How many months does a newborn need to add complementary food?

The birth of a new life brings joy to the family, and parents pay great attention to the diet of the newborn. Some newborns don’t like to drink milk very much, become very thin, and their parents are very worried. So at how many months should complementary food be added to newborn babies? What should we pay attention to when adding complementary food to newborn babies? At what month is it best to add complementary food to newborns? Let’s take a look at it together below.

Most parenting books will tell you that the best time to start adding complementary foods is between 4 and 6 months of age. In fact, this does not mean that all babies must start trying complementary foods from 4 months old. Modern parenting concepts and professionals at home and abroad advocate that when adding complementary foods, one should see whether the baby has a request for complementary foods, rather than looking at how many months to add complementary foods; and it is not recommended to add complementary foods too early for babies under 6 months old. This is because: 1. For full-term babies who can eat high-quality and sufficient breast milk and whose height and weight gain are healthy, breast milk is their most perfect food before 6 months. 2. Starting to add complementary foods earlier than 6 months or even 4 months may cause indigestion and allergic reactions, because the baby's digestive system is not mature enough and cannot accept complex foods - especially when the parents have a history of allergies. 3. Due to the development of taste, some babies will be attracted by the rich flavors after tasting food other than breast milk, and thus will be unwilling to drink breast milk, which affects the secretion of mother's milk. Replacing perfect breast milk with relatively simple nutritional food is really a loss-making choice. Tips-- From this we can see that the time to add complementary foods needs to be individualized and flexible. Mothers should be reminded not to add complementary foods later than 6 months, because the baby's sense of taste is more sensitive at this time, and extensive exposure to light-tasting foods is helpful to prevent picky eating and partial eating. If complementary foods are added too late, it will affect the normal development of the digestive function, resulting in poor nutrition for the baby and the body being prone to iron and zinc deficiency. Moreover, the opportunity to develop chewing and swallowing skills will be missed, affecting the development of the baby's jaw and facial muscles and the eruption of deciduous teeth.

The above article introduces in detail when to add complementary foods to newborns, as well as what to pay attention to when adding complementary foods to newborns. And how many months is it best to add complementary food to newborns? I believe everyone understands. So when we have friends or family with newborns at home, we must give them some advice. When your baby has a poor appetite, do not add complementary foods to your baby casually. You must look at the best time to add complementary foods to the newborn and the precautions.