After 6 months, a baby’s nutritional and energy requirements start to out space those of breast milk, necessitating the consumption of supplementary foods.

At this stage the baby is also developmentally prepared to eat other foods. Complementary feeding is the term used to describe this shift.

An infants growth may stall if complementary foods are delayed to be offered at the age of 6 months or if they are introduced improperly.

Complementary food must meet the following criteria;

1. Introduced at the appropriate moment, when the infants requirement for energy and nutrition surpasses what can be met by exclusive nursing.
2. Adequate (that is, they supply energy, protein, and micronutrients to satisfy the nutritional requirement of a developing child).
3. safe in the sense that they are handled with clean hands, fed with clean utensils instead of bottles and teats, and stored and prepared in a hygienic manner.
4. Appropriately feed , being supplied in accordance with a Childs signals of hunger.

Note: Infants should be actively fed by their care givers who should pay attention to the Childs hunger cues and actively encourage eating.

Seek Nutritional guidance on how to feed your baby appropriately.

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Kangaroo mother care is a method for Low Birth Weight babies (read our previous post on How to feed a low birth Weight Baby) that provides skin-to-skin contact for the purpose of;

• Providing warmth
• Allowing the baby to be in close proximity to the mother’s breast makes the demand for breastfeeding easier.
• To encourage early and exclusive breastfeeding.

Point to Note: Different caretakers can care for the baby using the kangaroo method.

How it’s done?

• Dress the infant in a nappy/diaper, hat, and socks only.
• Place the infant skin-to-skin on your chest ( either mother or caretaker) between the breasts, with the infant’s head turned to one side.
• Tie the infant with a cloth while he/she is attached to your body. You can ask someone to help you.
• Use your clothes to cover yourself and the infant too.
• Encourage the mother to breastfeed the infant frequently if she’s doing kangaroo care.

If the infant can not breastfeed, then give him/her expressed breastmilk with a spoon and cup. When the infant starts to suckle well and is gaining weight, reduce the feeding from the cup and use the breast.

Contact our nutritionist on how to feed a low birth weight baby especially when it comes to complementary feeding.

Dietician /Nutritionist Aunt Porridge ||  +256 787 070 057

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