Those days when we gave babies all the nutrients in puree aren't far off, and they're still guests for some families. Let's talk a little about why it was taken away and why the guests.
Consuming food is not just a caloric process. Preparing, cooking and serving food are the three steps we go through before we even put the food in our mouths. Steps like these are the moments when we become integrated with food.
Let's make children see and recognize these basic processes.
It gets mixed up in our stomach, and there is a lot of thought why we shouldn't mix it and send it mixed in our stomach. In fact, we get the answer when we ask. It doesn't get into our stomach. With the blender, we do the work that our lips, tongue, jaw and teeth should do.
When we complete these processes with a blender, our organs cannot complete these processes and become stronger. These non-strengthened organs lead to different results in later life stages.
They cause many physiological and subsequent psychological conditions, especially swallowing and speech retardation or disorders. Let's let our mouths work to get through this process better and to minimize our risk of encountering these problems.
At the same time, consumption of puree food can lead to loss of nutrients.
There are losses in B group vitamins and some minerals, especially vitamin C.
Since we also break down fibrous foods with the blender, we affect the rapid passage of food from the stomach, blood sugar levels and insulin release status. In addition, it can appear as many factors, from intestinal laziness.
Although intestinal laziness usually appears as constipation, it can also return as different diseases.
We can see that preparing their own food is the basis for many individuals to maintain a healthier diet throughout their lives. At 6 months, the best way to prepare your own food may be to bring finger foods to your mouth.
The 6th month is perhaps the key to a lifetime.
BLW:
Baby Lead Weaning
With this method, the baby is fed freely as much as he wants and at his own pace.
Chewing skills, hand-eye coordination development and the ability to recognize food increase in self-fed babies.
It can be applied from the 6th month until the end of breast milk consumption.
This method can be very specific and baby-specific.
First of all, the baby should be at the level of development where he can stand upright. We should be able to reach for the food in front of him and take care that his hands are clean before eating.
Foods in season should be finger-sized (5-6 cm), soft enough to be swallowed and hard enough to handle. We can boil it in steam, boil it in water or cook it in the oven.
Let the baby spend time with food. The time we need to bond with him.
As he gets to know it and spends time, he will feel the urge to put it in his mouth. Keep the baby under surveillance during this process and make sure you are there.
At this point; Prepare the same food at every meal for 3 days. You can both learn the taste and observe possible allergic reactions.
The baby will encounter foods that he does not like or dislike because he will actually have determined it himself.
Here, it may be useful to take a 1-2 week break and try again.
When trying foods, first try to try them alone without different flavorings or nutrients. Again, we can prevent allergic reactions that may develop in this way, and we can also understand the taste of foods and understand their reactions to them.
It is very valuable to know that babies are also individuals and that they cannot love everything.
I graduated from Hacettepe University in as a dietitian in two thousand nineteen. During university, I spent my summer months together with young people whose target audience is between the ages of seven - seventeen, in out-of-school educational institutions and camps, and strengthened my communication skills with them. Together, we found our nutrition routine and formed the basis of healthy eating.
