Welcome to Breastfeed Benefits
Feeding Mothers Article
What Do I Feed My Baby?
Robin Darch
For the first four to six months of your baby's life, his or her
diet consists solely of milk, whether from breast or bottle.
When it comes time to start feeding your baby solid food, many
experts give conflicting advice about what the right types of
food to feed your baby. Some of these experts are of course,
right in your own family. Grandma, Aunt Bessie, your sister, and
others will all want to help you out by telling you what is
best. What they may not understand is that recommendations may
have changed since they were the mother of a new baby.
Dr. Ronald Kleinman, chief of Pediatric Gastroenterology and
Nutrition at Massachusetts General Hospital, recalls nutritional
guidelines that differ greatly from today's recommendations.
"Several generations ago, doctors were quite dogmatic in
establishing the order of what came first, next, and next. For
example, the pediatrician would say, 'First, rice cereal. Then,
peas. Then, introduce a yellow vegetable.' There wasn't any
rhyme or reason to that dogmatism."
Without that strict guideline though, it's easy for parents to
be confused about which approach to take. What type of food is
the best to start with? How much should my baby eat each day?
What types of food are bad or harmful to my baby? What if he's
allergic to something I feed him? There are also a lot of myths
to confuse you even more.
Let's explore some myths and facts about your baby's diet;
Myth: The first food that your baby is fed must be rice cereal.
Rice cereal is a great place to start, but not the only
potential first food you feed your baby. Almost any soft,
hypoallergenic food can be fed to your baby as their first food.
Mashed sweet potatoes and applesauce are two examples.
Myth: You should not feed your baby meat as a first food. As
long as the food is soft or mashed and is hypoallergenic, your
baby should be able to eat it.
Fact: You need to allow some time after each new food you
introduce to see if it causes an allergic reaction in your baby.
Food allergies can cause reactions varying in severity from mild
to serious, including anaphylactic shock. However, the American
Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (AAAAI) reports that
only eight percent of children under age six have adverse
reactions to ingested foods, and that only two to five percent
have confirmed food allergies. People often confuse reactions to
food with food allergies. For example, if a child has a stomach
bug, he may be lactose intolerant for a week. That is a negative
reaction, but not an allergy. "There is a host of adverse
reactions to foods, and allergies are a subset of those," says
Dr. Kleinman.
Fact; Your baby has a higher chance of being allergic to
certain foods more than others, such as peanut butter, peanuts,
egg whites, shellfish, fish, and tree nuts like walnuts and
cashews. If your family is prone to food allergies you need to
wait until your baby is at least three years old before
introducing them to these foods. Even if your family is not
prone to food allergies, there is no reason to start your baby
on peanuts before age three.
Myth; If a baby refuses a food a few times, that means that she
doesn't like it. "There's a lot of good research to show that
children are notoriously stubborn about new foods," says Dr.
Kleinman. It's often necessary to introduce the unpalatable food
multiple times.
Leann Birch, head of the Department of Human Development and
Family Studies at Penn State, published a study on food
preferences in children. In it, she found that parents must
present a food six to eight times before a baby will accept it.
Don't force it, but don't give up easily, either. You really do
know more about nutrients, vitamins, and calories than your baby
does, and he's counting on you to persist.
Fact; As your baby begins to eat solid foods their motor skills
will become more efficient and they will be able to begin
feeding themselves. If you wish to speed the process along,
start out by offering your baby finger foods after they have
been on solid food for awhile, such as pieces of toasted oat
bread, small pieces of well-cooked sweet potato, banana slices,
or small chunks of avocado. Myth; Commercial baby food is
preferable to table food. Parents tend to believe that there's
something special about commercially made baby food. That's a
myth; in fact, most of the regular food on your table every
night is probably just fine for your infant to eat. By pureeing
food in a blender for your baby, you control exactly what your
infant eats. "None of the baby food manufacturers have been
found to be completely honest or accurate about what is in their
products," warns Dr. Charles Shubin, director of Pediatrics at
Mercy Medical Center and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at
The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
Fact; You need to be extra careful when preparing food for
infants and small babies. Practice good food hygiene. Wash your
hands, scrub bowls and utensils thoroughly, keep food hot or
cold as indicated, and cook food thoroughly. Make sure you keep
the portions you feed your baby small enough for them to digest.
Fruit needs to be stewed and strained to a creamy consistency to
start out with, then you can move on to chunky, then bite sized
pieces as you progress.
Myth; Parents should only offer a small varieties of bland
foods. When your baby is 6 months old it's okay to introduce
food that has more flavor. Remember, what you enjoyed while you
were pregnant may have given the baby for a taste for it as
well. Babies learn flavor preferences from the adult feeding the
baby.
Myth; It doesn't matter what I eat, as long as my baby eats
healthy. Babies and children learn by example. If all you eat is
fried chicken and ice cream, they will want to only eat fried
chicken and ice cream. If you do not want your child to be
obese, set an example and eat healthy, so they will learn to eat
healthy.
About the author:
We hope these tips on feeding your baby have been helpful to
you. Robin Darch, of PRT Specialised Services Limited has a
website, http://www.babyport.info to help parents find all the
information they need about babies, baby names, baby showers,
baby gifts, products for babies, baby clothing, and more.
Feeding Mothers Best products
Modern Guide to Raising ChildrensFeeding Mothers News
Breast-feeding curbs risk of diabetes for mothers
New moms have another reason to try breast-feeding. Mothers who breast-feed their children for at least one month appear less likely to develop type 2 diabetes later in life than those who have never nursed, new research suggests. The findings, published in the September issue of the American Journal of Medicine, confirm results of earlier studies suggesting a link between breast-feeding and ...
Read more...Why breast is best for HIV+ mothers
HIV-positive mothers have been warned against mixing breast milk and formula feeding, as this is the leading cause of HIV transmission to babies, a study has revealed.
Read more...Breast-Feeding May Lower Women's Risk for Type 2 Diabetes
Women who opted for the bottle had double the odds for the illness later, study found
Read more...Breast-feeding moms need full husband support
MANILA, Philippines - Breast-feeding is not just the responsibility of the mother, as shared by two celebrity moms who successfully breast-fed their babies exclusively.
Read more...Bonding hormone seen in new dads, too
Oxytocin is a powerful hormone that rises in women during childbirth and breast-feeding. Based on research in animals, scientists believe it is also linked to the way parents and infants bond, but its role in humans is not clear. Oxytocin - Human - Breastfeeding - Health - Childbirth
Read more...Tahoe Forest family center earns national award
On Aug. 2, 2010, at the beginning of World Breastfeeding Week, Tahoe Forest Hospital's Women and Family Center was designated the 96th hospital in the United States as a center offering optimal levels of infant feeding care.
Read more...