After transitioning from breast milk to formula and other complementary foods, parents often worry whether these foods provide sufficient nutrition for their baby's growth, if the baby might have allergic reactions to certain ingredients, or if the foods could harm the baby's digestive system. To determine if the baby is experiencing digestive discomfort after eating complementary foods, parents can look for these four symptoms.
1. Bad breath
Upon waking the next morning, both adults and children may experience some oral odor. This is especially true for babies who haven't yet learned to brush their teeth. Parents typically don't brush their baby's teeth before bedtime and often don't restrict their baby's diet before sleep. In fact, parents may even intentionally prepare milk for their baby to drink while falling asleep. This inevitably leaves food particles lingering in the mouth.
These food particles are broken down by oral microorganisms into proteins, peptides, and amino acids, producing pungent sulfur-containing gases. When the baby wakes up the next morning, these gases are released all at once from the mouth, naturally causing morning breath. Therefore, parents should pay attention to their baby's oral hygiene from an early age. If the baby cannot brush their teeth yet, parents can wrap a wet towel around their finger and gently wipe the inside of the baby's mouth.
If the baby's mouth still smells bad after cleaning before bed, it might be due to indigestion. This indicates the baby's digestive system struggled to process the previous day's food. Parents should reduce serving such foods or cook them thoroughly until soft for easier digestion. Additionally, avoid overfeeding before bedtime—aim for about 70% fullness.
II. Thick, Sticky Tongue Coatings
Doctors routinely ask patients to stick out their tongues during examinations, as observing the tongue's condition provides a rough indication of overall health.Parents can also assess their baby's digestive health by observing the tongue coating. Generally, a white coating indicates potential digestive issues. Parents should also monitor the baby's stool consistency. If the stool is dry and hard, it suggests undigested food accumulation in the stomach. In such cases, giving the baby probiotics can help regulate digestion.
III. Bloated Abdomen
When people hear stomach rumbling, they often assume hunger is the cause. However, rumbling can occur even after a full meal—not due to hunger, but rather indigestion.If you hear gurgling shortly after feeding your baby, don't assume they're still hungry. It's more likely that their stomach is uncomfortable and bloated. Besides gurgling, this can also cause your baby to pass gas frequently.
Parents needn't worry excessively about gas. Simply massage the baby's Zusanli acupoint—located four finger-widths below the knee cap—or pinch the skin along both sides of the spine, moving upward from the sacrum to the neck. Repeat several times, and the gas will naturally dissipate.
4. Dry Mouth with Saliva Marks
After sleeping through the night without eating or drinking, a baby should naturally wake up with a dry mouth. However, if parents notice saliva marks around the corners of the mouth upon waking, and it's not due to oral inflammation, it likely indicates poor digestive health.In such cases, increase intake of spleen-tonifying and qi-nourishing foods like rice, Job's tears, lotus root, red dates, and carrots. Reduce consumption of cold-natured foods such as bitter melon, cucumber, water spinach, banana, loquat, and pear. Through dietary adjustments, the baby's digestive system will naturally improve.