Recommendations For Present MPASI, Immediately Gives Full Nutrition From The Beginning

JAKARTA - Mother's milk accompanying food (MPASI) is generally given when the baby is six months old, because breast milk is not able to meet the nutritional needs of the baby.

Baby readiness to eat is usually shown when they are six months old.

"Usually in the age range of four months with a record that breast milk is no longer fulfilled, thus making the baby's weight drag. The food is adjusted to the texture," said a pediatrician from UNS Surakarta Hospital, Dr Maria Galuh Kamenyangan Sari, quoted from ANTARA, Wednesday, July 31.

Dr. Maria recommends a complete mother's milk companion (MPASI) at the beginning of the giving.

"There are many pros and cons regarding the MPASI. Usually people used to give fruits, such as bananas at the beginning of the MPASI. This is actually irrelevant today. Healthy MPASI consists of complete carbohydrates, fats, proteins, and micronutrians or other important nutrients," he said.

He said it was complete, meaning that it contained nutrients needed by babies, both macronutrients and micronutrients. Macronutrients consist of carbohydrates, fats, protein, while micronutrients include iron, calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus.

"However, when given food in the form of bananas, it is only in the group of fruit, where the fruit has a lot of fiber. The fiber must satisfy, but for the baby who is given fiber becomes full, meaning that the composition of others does not enter the baby," he said.

Thus, he continued, the nutritional needs were not met. Moreover, six months and over or less a year the need for fat and protein is very important to support growth.

"To keep it all, from an early age you have to introduce a meal, you have to have a complete menu," he said.

In terms of fulfilling carbohydrates, he said, children are better off giving white rice than red rice, brown rice, or black rice, because white rice as a carborhydrate is processed to remove antinutrient substances that will inhibit the absorption of important substances.

"Meanwhile, red rice, brown rice, black rice do not go through this process, instead it hinders antinutrient substances that are good for diet. However, for children it is actually good for white rice, then added cacah meat, cacah fish, eggs. Fruits may be given, but not the main menu, only the selection menu," he said.

However, he said, if the baby has not shown a sign of being ready to eat, such as not being able to raise the head, the baby's weight does not increase, then it is necessary to find a breast milk donor or if a formula is forced to be given.

If the baby has not been able to enforce its head, but it is over six months old, it means that there is a delay, so it needs to be reviewed and stimulated further.

"The food must be disbursed, such as formula milk to meet nutritional needs, because nutrition and stimulation must always be side by side. When the nutrients are less than automatic, the stimulation will definitely be disrupted, and too late," he said.

He said that with the improvement of nutrition, his motor will be better. "This is only seen from the motor side, which of course in the future must be studied further to see if there are other problems or not," he said.