How much of the first feed should be given to the baby?

Giving a baby's first food is certainly not as easy as feeding an adult, there are many aspects that need attention. Starting from the schedule, type, portion, texture of food, to the way it is given. Moreover, not all babies have the same appetite. In fact, sometimes a baby's appetite between meals can change.

This of course affects the amount of food intake that enters the baby's body. So, how much food should actually be given when the baby first eats?

Baby's first food should be given from the age of 6 months

WHO and the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia recommend that babies be introduced or given complementary foods for their first breastfeeding at the age of 6 months. Not without reason, at the age of 6 months, breast milk alone cannot meet the increasing nutritional needs of babies. So, in addition to breast milk, babies must be given complementary foods.

Infant nutritional needs, especially iron and zinc, increase at 6 months of age and breast milk alone is not sufficient to meet these needs. Please note, the iron content in breast milk is very low. If babies aged more than 6 months are still fed only breast milk or the baby's food intake is insufficient, this can encourage the baby to experience iron deficiency anemia.

Baby's first food, how much should be given?

Introducing baby's first food is certainly not as easy as imagined. Many problems may arise when first feeding your baby solid foods.

Starting from what foods can be accepted by babies, babies have certain food allergies or not, babies have no appetite, what food textures are suitable for babies, to the amount of food that must be given to babies. Importantly, an inadequate intake of baby food can certainly affect nutritional adequacy as well as infant development and growth.

When you first feed your baby, you can start from 1-3 tablespoons at each feeding time (2-3 times per day). For example, 3 tablespoons of banana puree in the morning.

Furthermore, you can provide a larger number of servings, of course, it must be gradual, yes. At 6 months of age, the baby's stomach is still small, so even the baby cannot receive much food. As the baby develops, the baby's stomach gets bigger and bigger, so that it can receive more food.

At 8-10 months of age, you can feed your baby to 1 small bowl of baby porridge which can be mixed with 3-4 tablespoons of protein, vegetable, and fruit sources.

A good first food is given to babies

When giving your baby their first food, you can give them fruit (such as bananas, avocados, papayas, oranges, etc.), vegetables (such as carrots, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, potatoes, etc.), minced chicken, fish, and mixed minced meat. with baby porridge.

Your child's appetite will increase if you provide him with a variety of different foods every day. As it develops, you can also feed the baby in a form finger food or food that the baby can hold.

What are the signs if the baby is full?

Babies have different appetites, from baby to baby, to breakfast, lunch and dinner. So, the amount of food that babies eat varies. Babies who do not finish eating may not necessarily feel full. For that, you certainly need to know the signs if the baby is full: