3 Reasons Why Complementary Feeding Is Started at 6 Months

When a beautiful newborn baby is welcomed into this world, we advise the mothers for breastfeeding and breastfeeding alone because of all the wonderful benefits of breastfeeding for both the mother and the baby. Mothers are advised to continue breastfeeding till upto 2 years of age. But when the baby is 6 months old, we advice mothers to start some homemade foods along with the breastfeeding, to complement the breastfeeding. This process is called complementary feeding. What is the need of this complementary feeding ? Why do we start it at 6 months? Why not earlier? 

There are  3 important aspects regarding why your doctors advice you  to start complementary feeding at 6 months

1) Mothers milk has almost all the essential nutrients required for the initial growth and development of your baby. By the age of 6 months, your baby's weight is already double of the birth weight and this is a phase of rapid growth, with growing energy and nutrient demands. These demands are no longer met  by breastmilk alone and complementary foods should be introduced to make up the difference. Though the baby may keep gaining weight adequately on breastfeeding, they will start becoming deficient in the micronutrients like Iron, Zinc and other vitamins which are required for boosting your child's  immunity, and to promote adequate development of the child. 

2) The little ones after birth are  very vulnerable and easily prone to catch respiratory and gut infections , and mouth is an important portal of entry of the infections, Breastfeeding is the safest of all in this regard

3) In the initial days after birth, your baby is not ready to chew or gulp the semisolid foods down. Even the gut finds it difficult to digest any foods other than breastmilk While after 6 months infant is also developmentally ready for other foods and can hold semi-solid food in their mouths more easily. The baby's gut is mature enough to digest the starch, protein and fat of foods other than milk

 foods ,.they can hold semi-solid food in their mouths more easily.The baby's gut is mature enough to digest the starch, protein and fat of foods other than milk