Mother’s milk is best because
- It is the natural
source of milk.
- Human milk is good for
humans from every point.
- Many anti-infective
properties present in mother's milk saves the newborn
from many infections, which he is prone to. - Mother's milk is
always available without any preparation to be followed.
- Mother's milk is the
only thing, which the newborn can get at the right
temperature, which again is best for the health of the new born. - If at times
mother is not in a state to feed baby then the only source to
feed baby is with milk powders readily available in the markets according to
the age of the baby.
The food that your child
consumes during the first few years of his life would surely affect his growth,
energy levels, resistance to disease and ability to concentrate and do well at
school. None of us follow healthy eating patterns most of the time. But you
could definitely plan your baby’s menu at least for the first two years of his
life, because it does get difficult to monitor your child’s diet once he/she
starts going to school, birthday parties et all. So, I guess as parents we all
should do that for our little ones. Did you know that babies are not physically
ready to eat solid foods until they are about 4 to 6 months old? Reason being
the baby’s digestive system is so designed that baby needs only mother’s milk
during this time. A baby has only learnt how to suck and takes a bit to learn
tongue movement. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, whose
guidelines state that best time to feed babies is closer to 6 months especially
if the baby is being breastfed and also that Solid foods should not replace breast
milk, they should complement it. ‘Normally
it is always advised that the new born should only be fed after-6 months. Prior
to this age they should only be on mother’s milk, which is best for them’ says
Dr S K Nakra, Pediatrician, G M Modi Hospital, Saket. ‘Newborn babies should
always be fed on demand that is only when they are actually hungry.
In the first few days (2-4 days) they should be given 8-10 times of feed and
then after that the new born should be fed 7-8 times in every 24 hrs’, further
adds Dr Nakra.
And after your baby is
ready to eat solid food after an ok from your pediatrician try and make the
first time a real special one for your baby, even though the baby would consume
only a tea-spoon or two the first time. Firstly the very first time you try and
feed your baby should be in the morning or early afternoon, because some babies
may have an allergy or get gassy at times and Iam sure you wouldn’t want any of
that happening in the middle of the night would you? And secondly try this when
the baby is not too hungry or he’ll probably hate this unfamiliar eating
method. Make the baby comfortable and use a plastic spoon, keep the temperature
of the food lukewarm and most importantly smile when you feed your baby (can be
trying I agree). ‘It is always advised to start with cereals, all sorts of
pulses, juices and if possible mashed fruits. One should always start with
small quantity and then should increase the dosage gradually. One should always
stick to the same food for few days instead of changing on a regular basis
because sometime the food may pose some kind of difficulty for the newborn,
which can be in any form and can be dangerous also sometime’, says Dr. Nakra.
The best and most nutritious food for babies is freshly prepared home food and
with modern electrical gadgets like a blender or food processor it’s easier to
puree most foodstuffs.
I would in this case recommend the KitchenAid food chopper, Cordless Hand blender or the new Diamond
Blender that KitchenAid has just launched as the plastic is BPA free and very
safe to make warm baby food as well.
SUGGESTED BABY FIRST FOODS
- Mashed Ripe Banana.
- Mashed potatoes.
- Homemade cereals like
suji ki kheer, porridge.
- Cooked sweet potato.
- Khichdi.
- Yogurt
Another important thing to
remember is that when the baby starts consuming solid foods, it increases the
load on the kidneys and therefore it is required to add some water also to the
baby’s diet. As for how much quantity a baby is required to eat Dr Nakra says, ‘As
such the quantity cannot be measured. If the baby is fit and fine with
the dosage of food being given to him in any age, then one should stick to the
same pattern of food habits for the new born’. So parents let’s gift our babies
a healthy future.
