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Nutrition for babies up to one year of age
Last reviewed: 08.07.2025

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Mother's milk is the best food for a child, guaranteeing its harmonious development and growth. After all, it is this milk that contains vitamins and useful substances, and in the most natural and "live" form.
Breast milk fully provides proper and complete nutrition for the baby during the first 6 months of life. This is the only type of food that does not need to be boiled, mixed or diluted, sterilized for a bottle or otherwise processed. It is enough to just follow basic hygiene rules and calmly give the baby the breast. As a result, the baby will be full and happy, and the mother will have to spend a minimum of effort and time on feeding him. And how important for the baby and for the mother is the moment of feeding, very intimate and touching, creating a strong connection between them!
Breast milk contains essential amino acids - with their help, the correct development of the brain, vision occurs, and they also affect the growth of the child. Protein is perfectly digestible; fats are easily and completely processed, help the nervous system develop and the baby develop its own immunity. Carbohydrates are important - without them, minerals are poorly absorbed and normal functioning of the intestinal system is impossible; minerals, as well as vitamins and other components that form muscle tissue, bones and teeth, actively protect the child from stress, infections and other troubles.
A very important point in favor of breastfeeding: the baby sucks as much milk as he needs and independently sets his own individual norm. With artificial feeding, he does not have this opportunity. It turns out that a norm is imposed on him that does not always correspond to his needs.
There are several rules for successful breastfeeding.
During feeding, nothing and no one should distract you. There is nothing more important in the world at this moment than you and your child. Explain this to all household members, turn off your phone and forget about all problems for a while.
During one feeding, only one breast is given. If it seems that there is not enough milk and the child is not getting enough, first make sure of this by conducting a control feeding under the supervision of a doctor, and only then do the actions that are necessary, again on the advice of a doctor.
Feeding time should not exceed 20 minutes. Otherwise, the baby will get tired and simply fall asleep, and in the future will fall asleep every time it is time to eat. Try not to let the baby sleep; if this does happen, carefully remove the nipple from the baby's mouth, and he will immediately wake up and start sucking again. Usually 10-15 minutes are enough to get enough. The remaining time the baby does not so much eat as satisfy his need for sucking. In any case, you should not keep him at the breast for more than 20 minutes, otherwise the nipple may be injured.
Advice for a young mother: Let's express milk!
The better you express the remaining milk, the more there will be for the next feeding and the better the quality will be (and it will be much easier for the baby to eat). Massage movements during expression perfectly knead the breast and do not allow milk to stagnate, well develop the mammary glands and ducts, and prevent mastopathy.
After each feeding, lift the baby upright so that he can burp up the swallowed air. You can place him on your chest with his tummy and hold him like that for a while or tilt him slightly to the right. If you neglect this simple procedure, the air will remain in the stomach and can cause distension, vomiting or colic.
To establish a strict and rigid regime for the child, to feed and put to bed on schedule or, on the contrary, to lead a natural lifestyle, feed on demand, carry the baby with you everywhere in your arms and even sleep with him - each mother decides this problem herself, correlating the needs of the child and her own capabilities.
It is impossible and impossible to force the adoption of a particular method of education, as well as a method and regime of feeding. If you believe that adherence to a regime is the basis of education - adhere to the regime. If you prefer to feed the child when he wants, - that is your right. If you perceive every cry of the child as a signal for feeding - first of all, you will easily provide yourself with a restless, sleepless and troublesome life. At the same time, you should not strive to strictly adhere to the feeding hours. Excessive adherence to principles is inappropriate here. Nothing terrible will happen if you feed the child a little earlier or a little later, next time everything will return to normal.
Our mothers followed strict instructions from doctors and fed us as prescribed by the doctor (at least, this is what most did). It was believed that a child cannot know how much milk to drink, how much time he needs for this and how often it should happen. Then came the turn of the "free regime", and many mothers and many doctors advocated for it. It was allowed to offer the baby the breast on demand, that is, for every cry and cry. Although in reality, most often he needed attention, affection, communication or at least a change of diapers.
Does the baby get enough milk?
What mother is not worried about this question! There are several indicators that give a positive answer. Firstly, weight gain. It is necessary to weigh it before and after feeding. If you have baby scales at home, you can do it yourself, having previously received recommendations from the doctor and then be sure to inform him of the results. Secondly, the child's good mood after feeding, joyful and calm behavior. If you are still not sure that the baby is getting enough, then before introducing additional feeding yourself; be sure to consult with a pediatrician. Experiments with a small child are unacceptable, no matter what goals you pursue. If there is a lack of milk to increase lactation, try to strictly adhere to your own regimen, eat properly and fully, spend more time outdoors and strictly follow the feeding rules. Immediately before feeding, drink a cup of hot tea with milk (if there are no contraindications to milk), drink herbal infusions that increase lactation. The diet must include fruits and vegetables, raw and cooked, lean meat, dairy products, eggs, and cereals.
There are cases when breastfeeding is impossible. And then artificial milk formulas come to the rescue. First of all, consult a pediatrician. He will help you find the product your baby needs in the huge number of different formulas that are available for sale. If there is a choice of where to buy milk formula - in a store (specialized, pharmacy, special departments of baby food), at the market or in a stall, the choice can only be in favor of the store. There is no need to chase cheapness, most likely the quality of the product will leave much to be desired, and saving on the health of the child is completely inappropriate. As a last resort, if by force of circumstances you have to use such a place of purchase, ask the seller for a quality certificate. Now any baby food undergoes very strict control and is checked by various services more than once and quite regularly, which is confirmed by the relevant documents. If you look through them and make sure that everything is in order, only then buy. But in any place check the expiration date, the integrity of the packaging, carefully read the recommendations. Instructions for use should be present on each box, can, package, etc.
Breast milk fully ensures the correct and complete development of the child during the first 6 months of life. But he grows, and with him the body's needs for various useful substances (mineral salts, proteins, carbohydrates and fats) and vitamins grow, which mother's milk alone is no longer able to provide.
At 6 months (not earlier!) it is time to introduce complementary foods: first juices, fruit and vegetable puree, cottage cheese, then various cereals, meat and bread. The consistency of food changes, becomes thicker and denser. This stimulates the digestive organs, gradually accustoming them to complex work.
As the child grows, the need for minerals (iron, cobalt, copper, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, etc.) arises. Since minerals enter the body mainly with plant-based foods, the main complementary foods should be vegetables, fruits, and cereals.