It is currently supposed well that the milk (maternal or industrial milk ler age) must be the only food of the child during first four-six months of life. Indeed, knowledge today more definite of the ripening of the main systems and apparatus of the new-born baby, as well as considerable progress in nutritional quality accomplished by the industry of food for new-born baby allow to give some rules or main principles which have to lead to avoid some errors and therefore to limit food risks of a badly driven diversification.

Anatomy and physiology

During the first months of life, physiology and anatomy of the new-born baby are badly adapted to a not lacteal feeding: it is only towards the age from 4 to 6 months that the new-born baby is capable of drawing food away towards the back to swallow them and it will be necessary to wait 9 months to see appar tre the first masticatoires reflex movements. The water needs of the new-born baby diminish progressively with age; also the too precocious introduction of solid food diminishes milk consumption, and therefore daily water ration;

contributions sod s sontmultipli s by ten during the diversification of feeding, drawing away an osmolaire load too important for the kidney, because the capacities of excretion renal some sodium limited to birth increase only progressively in the course of life; the secretion of pancreatic amylase is practically no one in birth and becomes significant only towards the age of 6 months; finally, bacterial kinds of the flora colic particularly implicated in the digestion of the food fibres attain a suff sante concentration only in the course of the second semestre of life (but sound mixing and cooking allow the dissociation of fibres and make easier digestion).

Lack and excess

Current milk for new-born babies, and a fortiori maternal milk, allow to assure all the nutritional needs of the new-born babies of birth in 5 months, excepted those in vitamin D. In case of too precocious diversification, the new introduced food does not compensate, on quantitative and qualitative plan, reduction of milk consumption which they entr inent. So, a reduction of contributions in essential fatty acids, in calcium and iron, was brought back at the the place of new-born babies whose feeding had been too much early and badly diversified. In the opposite, risks of excess are possible, notably as regards the dietary intake in proteins, in sodium or in sucrose.

Risk of allergy

Several prospective jobs show that the introduction in the feeding of food others than the milk before the age of 46 months augments significantly the risk of happening of allergic demonstrations, notably eczema and food allergy.

On the other hand, the precocious diversification not augmenting the risk of happening of an asthma during first four years of life. These risks being even more important at the children's having a family ground atopique, it is recommended to push back diversification at the beginning of the sixth month at these children at risk.

So, it is important to avoid some errors to limit risks of a badly driven diversification. So, it is strongly recommended, in case of ground atopique, to postpone at the farthest, at best until the age of 9 months, the introduction of food very antig niques (eggs, fish, peanut, soya, wheat, oranges).

Moreover, the introduction of starches (flours, starchies) and that of saturated grease (natural lacteal grease, meats) must be avoided before the age of the ripening of secretions amylasiques and lipasiques pancreatic which is at about 6 months.

No gluten before 6 months

The introduction of the gluten before 6 months is also disadvised: to predisposed subjects, she indeed favours the happening of coeliac disease illness (flours given before the age of 6 months therefore have to be diastas es, instantaneous, not sweet and without gluten).

Do not add salt

Protein contributions brought back in weight augment at the time of diversification, it is so strongly recommended to use these proteins as in the course of the only one of four daily meals. Salt contributions augment at the time of diversification, you should not therefore add of salt in feeding or use food in small pots which obey regulation on the dietary food guaranteeing reduced contents of salt.

The excess of sugar

Moreover, the excess of sweet food is frequent at the time of diversification. Indeed, the mothers have tendency to choose or to prepare food for the taste sweetened for the feeding of their child (this habit is detrimental as long for its character cariog ne that for the particular appetence for the sugar to which she drives).

Keep 500 ml of milk a day

Finally, even if milk consumption diminishes diversification in the course of 1a period to the advantage of the not lacteal protido-lipidic food, the milk must remain the central food of the feeding of the new-born baby, because it is the only food to be able to cover needs in calcium. It is never necessary to go down under 500 ml from milk a day (or the equivalent in dairy products).

It is important at the the place of new-born babies to prefer industrial milk 2nd age (or following milk) in the cow's milk. Their iron suppl mentation, essential fatty acids and vitamin D imposed by legislation allows to reduce risks of deficiency. Nevertheless, the suppl mentation in vitamin D is necessary and the dose, function of the used milk: from 600 to 800 UI a day in case of the use of a milk 2nd enriched age and from 1000 to 1 200 UI a day in case of breast-feeding or of use of cow's milk. According to communications of J.-Ph. Girardet and P. Tounian (Armand-Trousscau hospital, Paris) during a Day of post university education of Bunch.