Since the baby enters the age of 6 months, the nutrients in breast milk alone will be lacking to support growth and development. That is why complementary feeding is needed since the baby reaches this age.

Because the goal is to meet nutritional needs, complementary foods should ideally complement the energy and nutritional needs that cannot be fully obtained from breast milk. So, what about the 4-star baby complementary food?

baby complementary food 4 star is known as a complementary food menu for breast milk which consists of 4 nutritional elements, namely carbohydrates, animal protein, vegetable protein, and vegetables. These four nutrients are needed by babies for their growth and development. However, the actual nutritional needs of babies are not limited to those 4 contents.

Until now, there has been no research or study that discusses the effectiveness of using 4-star complementary foods as a guide for providing complementary foods for children. In addition, neither WHO nor IDAI recommends 4-star complementary foods as a menu given to babies.

To ensure the nutritional adequacy of the Little One, Mother needs to know about the rules for giving healthy complementary foods and according to the baby's needs. If baby complementary food is given in the wrong amount and composition, it is not impossible for the baby to be malnourished so that his growth and development is disrupted.

The complementary foods recommended by IDAI are complementary foods containing macronutrients, namely carbohydrates and fats as energy sources, animal and vegetable protein, and micronutrients, namely vitamins and minerals in the form of iron, calcium, zinc, vitamin C, vitamin A, and folate.

Well, the content in the 4-star baby complementary food only fulfills 4 nutritional elements. Whereas sources of fat, vitamins, and minerals are also important to include in baby complementary food. Not only for the growth and development of the Little One, this nutrient content is also useful for preventing various diseases.

The following are examples of good foods to include in a child's food or snack menu:

Tomatoes, oranges, carrots, pumpkins, mangoes, papayas, broccoli, and spinach as sources of vitamin C

Dark green leafy vegetables, bananas, melons, and oranges are good sources of folate

Complementary feeding is done gradually, both in terms of texture, amount, and time of administration. For example, the texture of baby complementary food starts from mashed food that is shaped like liquid porridge. After that, the texture gradually rose to filtered food, chopped food, to family food.

The amount of food will increase as the baby grows. At 6–9 months, 1 serving of baby food is just 3 tablespoons. This amount will increase to 1 cup measuring 250 ml when he is 2 years old.

Even though the nutrition in the 4-star baby complementary food menu is actually good, Mother must make sure the food on the Little One's baby complementary food menu in a day has really fulfilled all the nutrients he needs. Also make sure that you continue to give your little one breast milk at least until he is 2 years old.

If you still have questions about the 4-star complementary food menu or are confused about choosing the right complementary food menu for your little one, don't hesitate to consult a doctor.