7 weaning mistakes that keep children from growing

Weaning too early, with few vegetables and lots of protein, and pureeing everything causes children to lack essential nutrients, leading to malnutrition.

Taking her child to the nutrition clinic at the National Children's Hospital, Ms. Chau, 30 years old, in Hanoi , said that her daughter was healthy when she was born, breastfed and supplemented with formula milk. Every day, she eats 3 meals of porridge and drinks 350 ml of milk. However, her weight gain is very slow, she is now 11 months old but only weighs 7 kg.

Similarly, Ms. Ngoc, 28 years old, in Vinh Phuc , said that because she works far from home, she cooks a pot of porridge for her child to eat all day in the morning. The child still eats 3 meals of porridge and 330 ml of milk but is still stunted and slow to grow. At 10 months old, he weighs only 6 kg.

"I'm very worried, not knowing if my child is sick or if the wrong weaning method is causing him to grow slowly," the mother said.

On August 24, Dr. Luu Thi My Thuc, Head of the Nutrition Department, National Children's Hospital, said that these are two of many cases of malnutrition in children under 24 months old. The cause of this condition is that children are not provided with a balanced and age-appropriate diet.

Below are some mistakes parents make in weaning their children.

Babies eat solid foods too early

Many parents introduce solid foods to their babies too early (3-4 months old) when the appropriate time is 6 months old. Introducing solid foods too early can affect the baby's digestive system.

Children eat few vegetables

Feeding children a lot of meat and fish, and few vegetables and fruits is something many parents encounter. Moreover, the choice of vegetables is also unscientific . Instead of feeding their children a variety of vegetables, parents only choose nuts and fruits such as beans, carrots, and pumpkins, causing monotony and boredom.

While dark green leafy vegetables are very good for children. Parents should combine a variety of vegetables so that children's meals always have different flavors and are attractive. Do not simmer or stew vegetables for too long or store them in the refrigerator for too long, as this can cause loss of nutrients and bacterial contamination.

Children eat too much protein

A diet with too much protein is also not good for children. Many mothers think that feeding their children a lot of meat, fish, eggs... will help them grow quickly and gain weight quickly. However, this is a serious mistake because too much protein not only causes digestive disorders in children, but also leads to anorexia. Instead, the diet should be diverse in food groups, such as starch; milk and dairy products; oils; vegetables; meat and fish; eggs; nuts; yellow and dark green vegetables.

Blend food into water

Some parents only feed their children "the liquid without the solids". For example, when stewing bones, grinding vegetables, or grinding meat, they only use the liquid to cook porridge for their children because they think this method of preparation is nutritious enough or they are afraid that their children will choke or vomit. This is a method of preparation that causes a large amount of nutrients to be lost in the food.

Puree food

Some parents always think that pureeing all food is good for children. However, this prevents children from learning to chew, only knowing how to swallow, thus not feeling the taste of food, leading to boredom.

Do not add oil or fat to the porridge.

Cooking oil is easy for children to digest, rich in energy and helps dissolve other substances, making it easier for the body to absorb. If parents do not add or add very little cooking oil to their children's porridge, it can prevent children from getting enough energy needed for development.

Cook a pot of porridge to eat all day

Many parents have the habit of cooking a pot of porridge with meat and vegetables for their children to eat in a day. This causes the food to have an unpleasant smell, the amount of vitamins and nutrients in the food is reduced or lost, causing the baby to not receive enough nutrition.

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