Premature baby food

Premature birth is an increasingly common phenomenon in modern life. There are many reasons for premature birth. Among them, premature birth caused by various external stimuli has the greatest impact. Usually, premature babies develop more slowly, and their various body functions are much weaker than those of normally born children. Therefore, it is very important to add nutritional supplements to premature babies. How to add complementary foods to premature babies? Let’s take a look at the explanation below.

There are individual differences in the age at which premature infants start adding complementary foods, which is related to their level of developmental maturity. The introduction time of premature infants with small gestational age is relatively late, generally not earlier than 4 months of corrected age and not later than 6 months of corrected age. The order of introduction is also between the corrected age and the actual age. Adding complementary foods too early will affect the amount of milk or cause indigestion, while adding them too late will affect the absorption of multiple nutrients and cause difficulty in eating. The principle of adding complementary foods is gradual, from one type to multiple types, from little to more, and from thin to thick. Premature babies need to learn how to eat, such as training their chewing and swallowing functions, and coordinating oral muscle movements. But within 1 year old, milk is the baby's staple food. The amount of complementary food should not be too much, but there should be a variety of foods so that the baby can get sufficient and balanced nutrients and develop good habits of not being picky about food.

Most babies have good swallowing function at 3-4 months, and the tongue's function of controlling food is also well developed. Signs include: the head can be lifted and moved freely, drooling (salivary glands are developed and contain amylase), interest in adult food, and the ability to drink water with a spoon (good tongue and swallowing function).

Emphasize the signs of adding complementary foods: stable head lift, ability to sit with support, interest in adult food, drooling (amylase), and being able to eat with a spoon (try using water). Let me talk about my clinical observations. Take, for example, a premature baby born at 28 weeks. By 4 months of age, the corrected age is about 1 month. At this time, there are no above-mentioned signals and it is not suitable to add complementary foods. By 6 months of age, the correction age is 3 months. The baby can lift his head, drool, and the tongue's function of controlling food is significantly improved.