Breast Milk Complementary Foods (MP-ASI) is food that is easily consumed and digested by babies, which must provide additional nutrition to meet the nutritional needs of growing babies. When entering the age of 6 months, there is a gap between the baby's energy needs and the energy obtained from breast milk. Therefore, breast milk alone is insufficient to meet the nutritional needs of children aged six months.
Even though Breast Milk Complementary Foods (MP-ASI) have started to be given, breast milk still needs to be given regularly because breast milk remains the most important part of baby food. Providing Breast Milk Complementary Foods (MP-ASI) is one of the gold standards in feeding infants and children. One sign that a child is starting to need Breast Milk Complementary Foods (MP-ASI) is that the child becomes hungrier and still shows signs of hunger, such as restlessness and unrest, even though the mother has given breast milk regularly.
Breast Milk Complementary Foods (MP-ASI) are given gradually according to the child's age, starting from the MP-ASI in the form of mashed and soft until the child becomes accustomed to family food. Breast Milk Complementary Foods (MP-ASI) is prepared by considering food diversity to meet children's nutritional needs optimally. If needed, micronutrients such as multivitamins and multimineral powder can be added as nutritional powders. Reporting to the Guidelines for Balanced Nutrition (Ministry of Health RI, 2014), the following is some information regarding the provision of Breast Milk Complementary Foods (MP-ASI):
1. Breast Milk Complementary Foods (MP-ASI)
- Breast Milk Complementary foods or drinks contain nutrients given to infants or children aged 6-24 months to meet their nutritional needs other than breast milk.
- Breast Milk Complementary Foods (MP-ASI) are in the form of solid or liquid food, which is given gradually according to the age and digestive ability of the baby or child.
2. When do babies get Breast Milk Complementary Foods (MP-ASI)?
- From 6 months to 24 months old.
3. Why should infants and children receive Breast Milk Complementary Foods (MP-ASI)?
At the age of 6-12 months, ASI only provides ½ or more of a baby's nutritional needs, and at the age of 12-24 months, ASI provides 1/3 of his nutritional needs, so Breast Milk Complementary Foods (MP-ASI) must be given immediately starting at six months old.
Breast Milk Complementary Foods (MP-ASI) must contain sufficient micronutrients to complement the already lacking breast milk and cannot meet the baby's needs.
4. What are the signs that the baby is ready to receive Breast Milk Complementary Foods (MP-ASI)?
- If the baby is seated, his head is straight.
- The baby begins to reach for food and put it in the mouth
- If given mashed food, the baby does not spit food out with his tongue
5. What forms of Breast Milk Complementary Foods (MP-ASI)?
- Mashed foods, namely vegetables, meat/fish/eggs, tofu/tempeh, and mashed/filtered fruit, such as strained tomatoes, finely mashed bananas, mashed papaya, sweet orange juice, milk porridge, and breast milk porridge
- Soft or chopped foods that are easy for children to swallow, such as mixed rice porridge, smooth steamed rice, green bean porridge
- Family meals such as rice with side dishes, vegetables, and fruit
6. What must be considered when the child starts eating Breast Milk Complementary Foods (MP-ASI)?
- The first Breast Milk Complementary Foods (MP-ASI) should be mashed food made from staple foods, especially rice/rice flour, because rice is gluten-free, which can cause allergies.
- If the baby has started eating complementary foods, the baby needs time to get used to the taste and shape of the new food.
- Introduce various types of fruit, vegetables, side dishes, and sources of protein in complementary foods gradually while observing the baby's reaction to the foods introduced
- As the child grows older, the amount given also increases. By 12 months, your child can eat one small bowl full of a variety of foods at each meal.
- Provide scheduled snacks with small portions such as bread or biscuits spread with butter/peanut butter/meses, fruit, and pastries
- Give your child three meals a day and two snacks between them on a scheduled basis.
- Snacks that are not good contain lots of sugar but lack other nutrients, such as soft drinks, sweet fruit juices, candy, ice lolly, and overly sweet cakes.
If you want to learn about Breast Milk Complementary Foods (MP-ASI). In that case, you can refer to the Balanced Nutrition Guidelines issued by the Indonesian Ministry of Health. But don't worry, Fitie will also help provide the latest nutrition and health information through our channel!
Source:
Kementerian Kesehatan RI. (2014). Pedoman Gizi Seimbang. Jakarta: Kementerian Kesehatan RI.