How long should you breastfeed your child? A guest commentary.

How long should you breastfeed your child?

A few years ago it was thought that breastfeeding for longer than 6 months did not have any additional benefit for a baby. Today we know that children who are breastfed longer suffer statistically less from diarrhoea or respiratory diseases, diabetes, overweight and much more. Also, breastfeeding at the complementary feeding age of 4-12 months is not only food intake. Processes such as teething, being shy with strangers, the first crawling, the first steps and many other things take place during this time and your child will have great fluctuations in his or her breastfeeding and bonding needs.

When can you start with the complimentary food introduction?

You may have already wondered from when it makes sense to start with complementary foods.

It is recommended to start with the introduction of complementary foods between the 4th and 6th month. In addition to this, you should, of course, continue breastfeeding or bottle feeding. But how exactly do you know that your baby is ready for the introduction of complementary foods?

5 signs to start complementary foods

1. When sitting alone and upright in a high chair is no problem

2. When keeping the head up on their own for a longer period of time works quite well.

3. When there is a lot of interest in what the "big ones" eat. (Open your mouth to taste, reach for it etc.).

4. When the tongue stretching reflex has decreased. (The spoon is not pushed out of the mouth with the tongue).

5.When your baby can open his mouth wide enough and can move his tongue to all sides.

The beginning of baby food

If you can answer all the above signs with a yes! your baby is ready to start eating baby food. It is best, to begin with, simple mashes that consist of only one ingredient. From then on you can mash your way through the vegetable and fruit assortment, mix varieties and after a while even introduce meat, fish and cereals. Don't feel stressed when your baby's needs change from meal to meal.

Trust your baby that he knows best how much he wants to eat!

Freshness and vitamins

Homemade and fresh purees made from high-quality ingredients are rich in vitamins, delicious and preferable to anything else. But if you can't find the time between baby, household, job or other children, or if you simply prefer to spend your time with your baby rather than in your kitchen, then there is another fresh and tasty option.

What do Anthony Pumpkins, Cocohontas, Beetney Spears or Broccoly Balboa have in common? They are all fresh and tasty baby food types from yamo. They are cold-pressed to preserve vitamins, are made from 100% natural organic ingredients, no added sugar/salt or other additives. Many different taste combinations with different textures of fruit and/or vegetables. These can be eaten hot or cold and are also perfect to take away. The porridge cups are made of recyclable PET. Yamo sends the puree directly to your home, perfectly adapted to your baby's age and needs.

You can even link your personal menu plan for your baby in the online shop here. And how the nutrition of your baby should look like from the age of 1 you can read in our next article.

This blog post is a series in cooperation with yamo. Yamo is a Swiss start-up that is revolutionizing the baby food industry with delicious and above all fresh organic baby food. Just like us, Yamo places great emphasis on high quality and wants the best for our children. This blog post was written in collaboration with Yamo and is the second part of a 3-part series.