When a baby reaches six months old, breast milk may no longer be enough for the baby to eat! In addition to adding complementary foods, it is also necessary to add milk powder! Because babies under the age of one are mainly fed with milk and supplemented with food. But how can babies who are used to breastfeeding easily fall in love with the strange taste of formula milk? So, what if a six month old baby doesn't like formula milk?
Reasons why a 6-month-old baby doesn't like to eat formula milk
When some parents add complementary foods, they use fresh soup to cook Congee or steamed eggs to make the taste of complementary foods far better than milk. Another reason is that infants lose interest in bland milk after eating complementary foods with fresh and strong taste. Some infants and young children, at 6-7 months old, indulge in adult dishes (which are too fresh or salty for infants and young children), causing changes in their taste buds and making them unwilling to breastfeed, resulting in "weaning".
Before 6 months of age, although the levels of iron and vitamin B1 in breast milk may not meet the needs of infants and young children, they can rely on the nutrients stored in their bodies to meet them. However, after 6 months, if only breast milk is fed without timely supplementation of complementary foods, these nutrients will be significantly insufficient, leading to iron deficiency anemia, which will reduce the appetite of infants and young children, make them less willing to eat complementary foods and formula milk, and only rely on breast milk. At this time, breast milk is decreasing and its quality is not as good as before. Infants and young children cannot receive sufficient nutrition from breast milk, resulting in weight loss, reduced subcutaneous fat, muscle relaxation, and even malnutrition. Their resistance is weakened and they are prone to illness, which is commonly known as "milk tuberculosis" in traditional Chinese medicine.
What should I do if my 6-month-old baby doesn't like to eat formula
1. Do not force feed: If a baby develops aversion to milk, parents should not force their child, as forced feeding will only cause their child's aversion. Give the child time to slowly adjust, and from around seven months to one year old, milk production should gradually recover.
2. Small and multiple meals: Children under 4 months old dislike milk and are concerned about insufficient nutrition. It is recommended to use small and multiple meals as long as the child maintains their original total milk intake.
3. Reduce external stimulation: Some babies' aversion to milk is due to excessive external stimulation, which distracts the baby. Therefore, caregivers should create a comfortable and quiet environment to allow the baby to concentrate on drinking milk.
4. Consider adding complementary foods: Although the medical community recommends that babies whose parents have allergy symptoms can delay adding complementary foods until they are six months old. But when the baby meets the following three conditions: the baby's weight reaches twice the birth weight (6 kilograms or more), after four months of birth, and the total milk production reaches 1000ml, it is actually possible to start adding side foods (such as fruit juice, rice paste, wheat paste, etc.). The reason why babies can only add complementary foods after four months of age is because their kidneys and pancreas are more mature at this time and can start processing different forms of food.
