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In the previous episode we began discussing the transition to complementary foods and reached 7–7.5 months. At this stage our baby has begun eating breakfast, lunch and dinner. The baby can gradually be introduced to legumes, tasting rice with dried beans or chickpeas. Rice is fine; children need carbohydrates to grow.
When to introduce fish also depends on family culture. Some babies in families from Trabzon and Rize whose children I have cared for eat fish from the sixth month. I also care for children from families from Urfa and Diyarbakır. We can share family meals with the child; let's prepare the food more healthily, reduce fried foods as much as possible, and use olive oil and smaller amounts of butter.
At 7.5–8 months, our baby can take small tastes of kebab, döner or non-spicy lahmacun. I have named many different foods, but the amount should not be large. Until the ninth month, feeding should be 70% breast milk and 30% complementary foods.
After fish and legumes, we can introduce liver. I recommend lamb liver as a good source of iron. Until age one, our child sits with us for breakfast, lunch and dinner; keep the amounts small. There are special bowls for babies. A six-month-old baby's stomach is the size of a mandarin, so let's not give very large amounts. The baby will signal fullness.
For babies who want to feed themselves, there is a method called baby-led weaning (BLW). Some babies can bring food to their own mouths and eat by biting it. We need to respect the baby's preferences. If we introduce complementary foods this way, our children will later eat with us at the table and we will move away from the concept of a child with a poor appetite.
We will make another video for mothers who say “My child won't eat; my child has a poor appetite,” about how to deal with this. The way to prevent poor appetite is to make the transition to complementary foods from the sixth month in a happy, relaxed, stress-free and appropriate way.
