Experts point out that pureed meals that are rich in ingredients and easy for babies to eat are harmful to their development and emphasize that this feeding style is easy, fast but harmful, just like "fast food". According to experts, this method, which accustoms the baby to easy, causes problems in taste awareness, chewing, effective tongue movements and following the healthy processes of swallowing.
Üsküdar University NPISTANBUL Hospital Language and Speech Disorders Specialist İbrahim Yaşa pointed out that the "mashed food" in the form of puree, which is widely preferred in the feeding of babies, causes many problems from swallowing disorders to learning chewing and effective tongue movements.
May invite problems
İbrahim Yaşa, who likened the consumption of pureed foods to fast food nutrition, made the following evaluations:
"It is a well-known fact that fast food diet, which is very fast and simple to consume, is very harmful for our health. We see no harm in applying this diet, which we do not prefer for ourselves, for our babies. Directing our babies to simple nutrition, which can be as harmful as fast food consumption, in order to feed them healthy food may invite them to face serious problems in the future: I'm talking about the blender.
Beware of pureed foods!
Feeding our babies by quickly pureeing many solid foods into a puree consistency has recently been preferred by conscious mothers. Feeding many different foods together and in a way that can be swallowed very easily is indispensable for families with babies. Two slices of cheese, a few pieces of cucumber, tomato, bread, 2 spoons of honey and a little milk can easily turn the meal into a puree. It is very nutritious in terms of content. It is debatable whether being nutritious means that it supports the development of the individual sufficiently."
The way of consumption is as important as food diversity
Emphasizing that the way of consumption is as important as the variety of food consumed for healthy cognitive development, Language and Speech Disorders Specialist İbrahim Yaşa said, "For a pureed mixture, all a 9-month-old baby needs to do is to swallow this mixture in one go! No need to taste, no need to turn the bite (bollus) in the mouth, no need to chew, no need to push it towards the root of the tongue, just hold it on your tongue and swallow. Simple is not enough for effective nutrition, simple consumption causes problems in the follow-up of the healthy processes of taste awareness, chewing, effective tongue movements and swallowing that the baby should acquire with advancing age."
Swallowing problems arise
"The biggest excuse of mothers in this situation is to take refuge in the complaint of 'lack of appetite', which comes with the complaints of 'not eating', 'whatever we give, he pulls out with his tongue'," said İbrahim Yaşa, "No matter how valid the excuses are, babies who are supported with additional food after 6 months with the consumption of fast food prepared using a blender may experience serious chewing and swallowing disorders in the future and intervention in the process is important."
Transition period to supplementary food should be followed
After 6 months, İbrahim Yaşa emphasized that the transition to supplementary food should be followed step by step and said, "Solid foods should be crushed and fed in small bites. The acquisition of various taste sensations in the baby should be ensured, chewing skills should be reinforced and it is important to follow persuasive processes with games that bring them together at a common point instead of an overly insistent attitude, and it should not be forgotten that the incompatibility between mother and baby may cause anorexia."
In suspicious cases, a specialist should be consulted
Speech and Language Disorders Specialist İbrahim Yaşa emphasized that it should not be forgotten that getting support from a specialist is critical in the healthy development of the child in the feeding processes during the transition to solid food and in case of suspected chewing and swallowing difficulties.