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FEEDING YOUR BABY
Feeding Your Baby
(teacher) Sample question: “Hopefully your baby is doing well on your breast milk or the infant formula you are preparing. What were some of your challenges when you first began feeding your baby?”
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(teacher) Share with participants: “From birth through 4 to 6 months of age, breast milk or iron-fortified infant formula is the only food a baby needs.
From birth to 6 months of age, babies need only breast milk or iron-fortified infant formula.
• Offering solid foods to a baby before 4-6 months does not benefit the baby. • Some caregivers want to introduce solid foods earlier than 4 - 6 months of age. Some reasons given: • breast milk/formula is not satisfying the baby’s hunger. • The baby needs to be fed too many times during the day. • Solid foods will help the baby sleep through the night. • Offering solid foods too early may harm a baby. Reasons to resist feeding your baby solid foods too early: • Young infanys may choke on solid food. • Baby may not get the recommended amount of formula needed for proper development. • Baby may develop food allergies because of an immature digestive tract.
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From birth to 6 months of age, babies need only breast milk or iron-fortified infant formula.
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(teacher) Sample question: “How do you know when your baby is ready to have solid foods?” • Baby can sit with support and hold their head steady; this is necessary to spoon feed a baby. • Baby can draw in their lower lip as a spoon is removed from their mouth. • Baby can keep food in their mouth and swallow it. Babies are born with a “tongue thrust” reflex that causes the tongue to push most solid objects out of the mouth. This usually disappears by 4 to 6 months of age.
Teacher Information: Most babies are “ready” to receive solid foods by 4 – 6 months of age because: • The infant’s intestinal tract is developing defense mechanisms that can protect the baby from foreign proteins reducing its risk of allergic reactions to foods.
Signs your baby is ready to eat solid food. • Baby can sit with support and hold their head steady. • Baby can draw in their lower lip as a spoon is removed from their mouth. • Baby can keep food in their mouth and swallow it.
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• The baby’s body is better able to digest fats, carbohydrates and proteins besides those found only in breast milk or formula. • The infant’s kidneys are better able to excrete waste products that come from foods such as meat • The older baby is better able to recognize and accept a spoon, chew, swallow non-liquid foods and appreciate different tastes and color of foods. Feeding Your Baby
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Signs your baby is ready to eat solid food. • Baby can sit with support and hold their head steady. • Baby can draw in their lower lip as a spoon is removed from their mouth. • Baby can keep food in their mouth and swallow it. Feeding Your Baby
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(teacher) Share with participants: “There are a few things you should do as first steps to feeding your baby solid foods.” • A baby’s hands can pick up germs so wash the baby’s face and hands before he/she eats.
First Steps to Feeding Your Baby Solid Foods • Wash the baby’s face and hands. • Face the baby when offering food by spoon. • Wait for the baby’s mouth to open before putting the spoon to the baby’s lips.
• Face the baby when offering food by spoon to your baby. • Wait for the baby’s mouth to open before putting the spoon to the baby’s lips.
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• It is not unusual for the baby to force much of the food out of his or her mouth when he first starts to learn to eat solids. Eventually your baby will increase the amount of food eaten.
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First Steps to Feeding Your Baby Solid Foods • Wash the baby’s face and hands. • Face the baby when offering food by spoon. • Wait for the baby’s mouth to open before putting the spoon to the baby’s lips.
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(teacher) Share with participants: “Introduce one new food, at a time, to your baby.”
Introduce one new food, at a time, to your baby.
• Wait one week before introducing another new food. • Feed small amounts using a spoon when introducing the new food – only 1 to 2 teaspoons. • A baby spoon will help you get the cereal on the tip of your baby’s tongue. A regular spoon is too large. Never feed cereal to a baby using a bottle. It could cause the baby to choke. • After feeding new foods, watch the baby closely. If the baby has a bad reaction to the food, stop feeding that food to your baby and contact your health care provider. • Do not force your baby to finish a serving of food. Babies are the best judge of how much food they need. • Be patient. Give your baby time to adjust to new textures and flavors of solid foods.
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Teacher Information: Symptoms of an allergic reaction or food intolerance may include: diarrhea, vomiting, coughing, wheezing, hives or skin rashes. Food allergy is caused by a reaction of the immune system to food.
Foods most often causing food allergies: cow’s milk, eggs, wheat, peanuts, fish including shellfish. Food intolerances are not caused by an immune reaction but from reactions due to the absence of enzymes or presence of toxin or disease. Examples – lactose intolerance (milk), gluten intolerance (grains) Feeding Your Baby
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Introduce one new food, at a time, to your baby.
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(Teacher) Share with participants: “Start your baby on iron-fortified infant rice cereal.”
Choose iron-fortified infant rice cereal as the first solid food to feed to your baby.
• Iron-fortified infant rice cereal is a good choice as baby’s first solid food for several reasons: • It is easily digested. • Least likely to cause a food allergy reaction Feeding Your Baby
• Texture is easily altered to meet baby’s needs by how much liquid formula or breast milk is added to the dry cereal. • After iron-fortified infant rice cereal has been fed to your baby for one week with no problems try introducing oat or barley cereal one week apart from each other.
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• When introducing your baby to cereals, do not feed your baby iron-fortified adult cereals. Adult cereals contain mixed grains, often has more salt and sugars added compared to infant cereals and the iron is not as easily absorbed as that found in infant cereals.
• Wheat cereal is the one most likely to cause food allergies in your baby. Feed this cereal to your baby last.
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Choose iron-fortified infant rice cereal as the first solid food to feed to your baby.
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(teacher) Share with participants: “Start feeding your baby a very small amount of baby cereal mixed with breast milk or formula. Gradually feed your baby a little more cereal each feeding time.”
Start by giving your baby a teaspoon of iron-fortified baby cereal mixed with breast milk or formula at each feeding.
• Mix one teaspoon of baby cereal mixed with formula or breast milk at each feeding. • Gradually work up to feeding your baby 2 Tablespoons of cereal per feeding
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• Make cereal a little runny until your baby learns to swallow better. • Feed your baby cereal from a baby spoon. • Let your baby touch his/her food to become familiar with it. • Relax. Be patient with your messy baby. • Do not scold your baby for making a mess. • Place newspapers or fabric (old sheet or tablecloth) under the highchair so cleaning up is easier. Feeding Your Baby
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Start by giving your baby a teaspoon of iron-fortified baby cereal mixed with breast milk or formula at each feeding.
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(teacher) Share with participants: “The next foods to introduce to your baby after cereals are pureed fruits and vegetables.”
Vegetables and fruits can be introduced to your baby after cereals.
• Commercially prepared baby food is ready to serve. Your baby may like the vegetables warmed. • Homemade vegetables and fruits must be cooked so they are very soft and mashed to a consistency the baby can safely eat. Cool before serving to your baby. • Do not add salt, sugar, butter, or other seasons to cooked or commercially prepared vegetables or fruits. Babies have a strong sense of taste and don’t need extra seasoning in their food. • Add one new food at a time. Remember to wait 1 week between introducing each new vegetable or fruit to observe your baby carefully for reactions to the food.
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• Do Not feed home-prepared spinach, beets, turnips, carrots or collard greens to your baby if he or she is under 6 months of age. These vegetables have a tendency to be high in nitrates that can be harmful to very young babies.
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Vegetables and fruits can be introduced to your baby after cereals.
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(teacher) Sample question: “By the time your baby is 6 to 9 months of age they are ready to try finger foods. What are some examples of safe finger foods for your baby?” Provide safe finger food for your baby: • Unsweetened, “O” shaped oat cereal • Toast • Crackers • Banana slices • Soft, cooked vegetable pieces
Safe finger food for your baby.
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Avoid foods that may cause choking: • raw carrots • popcorn • grapes • hot dogs Babies should never be left alone when eating any kind of food.
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Safe finger food for your baby.
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(teacher) Share with participants: “Safely prepare and store your baby’s food.”
Safely prepare and store your baby’s food.
• Opened baby food jars must be refrigerated and stored for no longer than 2 days. • Dish out servings of baby food. Do not feed your baby directly from the jar or a large bowl of food and then save the leftovers. Your baby’s saliva transfers from the spoon to the feeding container and the saliva can contaminate the food.
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• Food heated in the microwave must be stirred well to make sure there are no hot spots that could burn the baby’s mouth.
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Safely prepare and store your baby’s food.
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(teacher) Share with participants: “Children should start drinking from a cup at 6 to 9 months of age. Plan to take your baby completely off the bottle between 12 and 15 months of age.”
Children should start drinking from a cup at 6 to 9 months of age.
• Start introducing juice and water in the “sippy” cup. • Drinking formula or juices from a bottle past 12 months of age can increase your child’s risk of early childhood tooth decay (cavities) especially if the child takes the bottle to bed or carries it in their mouth while playing.
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• Children need to drink plenty of water each day. Serve water between meals and snacks. Other beverages served too close to mealtime may prevent the child from eating. Soda, fruit drinks and sweetened beverages provide empty calories and should be limited and not served daily.
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Children should start drinking from a cup at 6 to 9 months of age.
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(teacher) Sample question: “Why do you think it is important for your baby NOT to drink too much fruit juice?”
Babies should drink only 2 – 4 ounces of fruit juice per day.
• If the baby drinks too much juice then he or she will cut back on drinking breast milk or formula which is still very important nutrition for the baby. • Too much juice can give the baby diarrhea or abdominal pain or bloating. 4 – 6 months of age: only 2 ounces of fruit juice per day should be given to your baby from a cup. 6 – 8 months of age: only 2 – 4 ounces of fruit juice per day should be given to your baby from a cup. 8 – 12 months of age: only 4 ounces of fruit juice per day should be given to your baby from a cup.
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• Do not feed juice to your baby until they can drink from a cup. Juice fed to an infant in a baby bottle can cause dental cavities and over consumption because it is easy to drink from a bottle.
• Do not introduce citric juices (orange, tangerine, grapefruit), pineapple or tomato to you baby until after 6 months because these juice can cause food allergy reactions. Feeding Your Baby
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Babies should drink only 2 – 4 ounces of fruit juice per day.
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(teacher) Share with participants: “Babies 10- 12 months old are ready to eat meat, egg yolk and cheese.” At 10 – 12 months babies: • can drink from a cup, • have teeth and can chew, • are slowing down in growth, • have a smaller appetite, • may want to feed themselves, and • will be messy.
Babies 10- 12 months old are ready to eat: • cheese • yogurt • cooked lean, strained or chopped meat • cooked egg yolk (no egg white until 1 year old)
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Foods for 10 -12 month babies might include: • breast milk, iron-fortified formula • unsweetened, iron-fortified cereal • unsweetened fruits and juices • breads, crackers • cheese, yogurt • cooked lean, strained or chopped meat • cooked egg yolk (no egg white until 1 year old) • water.
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Babies 10 - 12 months old are ready to eat: • cheese • yogurt • cooked lean, strained or chopped meat • cooked egg yolk (no egg white until 1 year old)
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(teacher) Sample question: “Older babies can have eating schedules similar to yours. How do you think it will be easier feeding your baby now that he or she is older?”
Older babies can be fed meals and snacks with the rest of the family.
• Feed your baby three meals and two snacks with the rest of the family. • Feed your baby table food whenever possible. Commercial baby food is expensive.
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• Provide a variety of textures and flavors. • Limit formula - 2 to 3 cups per day. You need to limit milk so your baby develops an appetite for other food. Breast milk and/or formula can no longer satisfy all of the baby’s nutritional needs when he/she becomes about a year old.
• Avoid overfeeding. Let baby decide when to be finished eating.
• When weaning from breast or bottle, do it gradually. Drop one daily bottle or breast feeding for a week and then drop an additional feeding each week after that. Feeding Your Baby
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Older babies can be fed meals and snacks with the rest of the family.
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