Stages of baby's gastrointestinal development

As we all know, a baby's stomach and intestines are very fragile when it is just born. Newborn babies can only supplement nutrition through breast milk, but when they reach a certain stage, they can eat some complementary foods appropriately, and the complementary foods must be easy to digest. When the baby is two or three years old, he can start to slowly eat some soft and easily digestible food. So, how many stages does the baby's gastrointestinal development fall into?

Gastrointestinal care can be roughly divided into two stages: before 4 months and from 4 months to 3 years old.

0-4 months old infants

The gastrointestinal structure of a newborn is actually not much different from that of an average adult. The main difference is that the digestive enzymes in the stomach and intestines only begin to develop gradually 4 months after birth. Therefore, for babies under 4 months old, breast milk is the best source of nutrition to absorb and digest. Formula milk is recommended only when breast milk is insufficient.

A common gastrointestinal problem in newborns is gastroesophageal reflux. For example, when a child cries, the abdominal pressure increases, which can lead to gastroesophageal reflux. Since the esophagus of infants and young children is mostly located in the chest cavity, unlike the esophagus of adults which is partially in the abdomen, when the abdominal pressure increases, the esophagus of infants and young children is not squeezed by the pressure, so it is relatively easy for food to be ejected.

Infants and children aged 4 months to 3 years

Four months after birth, the gastrointestinal system of babies begins to mature gradually and the secretion of digestive enzymes increases. These can break down large molecular foods, such as fats, proteins, carbohydrates, etc., and help the stomach and intestines absorb nutrients. By the age of 2 or 3, the gastrointestinal function is basically fully developed.

Gastrointestinal care for young children at this stage is mainly about feeding issues. Some parents let their children try complementary foods too late, which will cause the children to have maladaptive diarrhea when eating semi-solid foods, such as ten-fold porridge, fruit puree, etc.

Babies aged 4 months can start trying complementary foods, and toddlers around 1 year old can eat the same food as adults, but be careful to cut it shorter or into smaller pieces to avoid choking.

As your baby grows, you can progress from liquids, pureed food, semi-solids to solids when cooking, allowing your baby to gradually adapt. In terms of chewing, even if the baby has not yet grown teeth, he will still use his gums to practice chewing. Don't think that he has no ability to chew because he has not yet grown teeth.

Common gastrointestinal diseases

Because the gastrointestinal tract of newborn babies is not yet mature, they often have some problems that make their parents worry. Common gastrointestinal problems include gastroesophageal reflux and milk protein allergy. Dr. Ye Shengxiong said that hydrolyzed protein milk powder can be used to improve the phenomenon of milk protein allergy.

When children start to eat complementary foods, the source of their food intake is relatively complicated. There is almost no bacterial infection when breastfeeding, while when using formula milk, it is necessary to ensure that the water source is clean and well preserved to avoid bacterial growth. Therefore, complementary foods are more likely to have bacterial infection problems. Once children eat stale food or are allergic to the food, they may have rashes, vomiting, and diarrhea. Therefore, parents need to pay more attention and care to their children's diet and environmental hygiene.