Baby Feeding Guide

Baby Food Recipes

admin — Sun, 17 May 2009 20:45:43 +0000

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Should Babies Drink More Juice Or Water?

admin — Wed, 13 May 2009 23:44:55 +0000

In the first 12 months of their life, babies will drink milk almost exclusively. One they are past the one year mark and generally allowed to begin drinking other things, parents often wonder what is ok to give them and in what amounts. Should the baby continue to drink milk as it’s main source of fluid, or should water be increased? What about juice?
There are researchers that have linked juice to child obesity and therefor discourage it. The idea behind it is that young children get way too many calories from the high sugar juices that are in our grocery stores.

That doesn’t mean that fruit juices are bad, and in fact they provide valuable nutrients for a baby’s diet, but those nutrients are usually found in 100% fruit juices.

It’s important to read the labels. If it doesn’t say 100% fruit juice, then in most cases, you are looking at about 75-90% sugar in that juice, and that adds up quick when a child is drinking a few glasses a day. In fact, even 100% fruit juices should be diluted to being a ratio of 1:1 for babies to avoid too much sugar that could be damaging to their teeth and body.

Babies shouldn’t be drinking any more than 12 ounces of juice per day and the younger they are, the less you should be giving them. There are so many better ways to give your baby the nutrients they need without filling their bodies with sugar and other junk.

Water on the other hand is a no-brainer. With human bodies being made up of 90% water and also being a component of our blood, it only makes sense to give our babies water to cleanse the body on a regular basis and keep things flowing naturally.

But, that doesn’t mean that you have to give young babies a lot of water on it’s own. Babies who are drinking breast milk and/or formula are getting plenty of water through those mixtures.

Ultimately, juice isn’t necessarily bad for your baby, but keeping it to a minimum is definitely healthier, especially if you avoid the ones loaded with artificial sugar.

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When Is Baby Ready For Solid Foods?

admin — Mon, 18 May 2009 06:00:45 +0000

It’s quite typical for a Mom to notice that her baby is starting to get hungrier than usual and will ask her pediatrician when she can introduce solid foods. Ultimately, the baby decides when he/she is ready to make the transition, but there are a few signs you can watch for that will let you know that the time is near.

It’s important to note that just because your baby seems hungrier than usual, it doesn’t mean that they are ready for solid foods. Just like older children, babies can go through sudden growth spurts at which times they also eat more. The main thing to watch for is consistency in the hunger.

In theory, your baby can begin to eat solid foods as early as 4 months old, but there is no definitive rule. So, if your baby is not showing signs of wanting to eat solids, then don’t push it. It will come.

Here’s a few things to watch for:

Neck control
Your baby is going to have to have adequate neck control in order to swallow anything other than milk. If your baby’s head still wobbles around uncontrollably, then solid foods aren’t ready to be on the menu yet.

Extrusion reflex
Babies will naturally push things out of their mouth with their tongue to protect themselves from choking. This is known as the extrusion reflex. In order for your baby to begin eating solid foods, he/she has to be past the extrusion reflex.

Chewing
It goes without saying that you need to chew in order to eat solid foods. You may see your baby start to naturally make a chewing motion which may indicate that he/she is ready to eat solid foods.

Weight gain
Another good indication that your baby is ready to make the transition to eating solid foods is weight gain. Although, this alone is not a sure sign that your baby is ready, if he/she has double in weight, then it might be time for solids if combined with any of the other indicators.

Ultimately, your baby will begin to let you know when he or she is ready to move past breast milk or formula and on to solid foods.

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Why Make Your Own Baby Food?

admin — Tue, 19 May 2009 04:00:55 +0000

The vast majority of the foods we eat today are processed in some form or another, and while that may be convenient in some ways, it removes many of the nutrients that our bodies need. These are the types of food that you want to avoid feeding to your baby so that you know he or she is getting the most out of their meals.

You can get around this by making homemade foods for your baby from fresh items like fruits and vegetables that have natural sugars without the preservatives. Preparing the meals for your baby at home guarantees that the food you choose is fresh, and you can even go as far as growing your own if you have a green thumb.

By not buying traditional packaged food for your baby at the grocery store, you are cutting back on a ton of salt as well as sugar. The only downside is that your food may spoil quicker, but that’s because fresh food that is healthy for you isn’t supposed to last for 6 weeks!

Some parents tend to not even look into making their own baby food because they think it is either too expensive, too hard, or both.

Homemade baby food can actually be cheaper in the long run. It may not seem that way at a glance when you are buying small jars of baby food for fifty cents each, but you will be buying MANY of those jars to feed your baby over time. If you were to make your food at home, comparable to what’s in those jars, you can easily double the amount of food for the same amount of money.

You also have more variety when you’re making your own baby food at home and it can be easy to make. You can simply puree fruits and vegetables in a blender and mix it up often.

If you make your own baby food, your baby will be healthier, and you will save money in the process. Sounds good, doesn’t it? Plus, why not introduce solid foods to your baby as nature intended it, without all the preservatives and other junk?

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How To Make Baby Food

admin — Mon, 18 May 2009 20:38:40 +0000

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Feeding Your Baby On The Go

admin — Tue, 19 May 2009 06:59:22 +0000

Having a new baby in the house is a huge adjustment on it’s own, but when you have to prepare to take your baby out for the day or travel with him for an extended period, it can be overwhelming to say the least. Often, the biggest reason that new parents feel stressed about that scenario is that they are not used to planning ahead. Doing so can save time, stress and money for the whole family.

Now that you have a baby, things are going to change when you are on the go and want to stop and eat out a restaurant on a whim. When you have a baby or small child, you are going to need to have food on hand that is appropriate for them to eat.

If you have a young baby, then obviously milk or formula will be fine, but if you have an older baby that is on solid foods, you might have to carry a few extra things with you.

You’re going to want to carry a durable, insulated bag, to keep store your cold milk and formula. Try to use baby bottles that have disposable liners if possible, so that clean up is easy and painless on the go.

If you breastfeed and are going to be away from home for more than a day or two, then it’d be a good idea to bring the breast pump and extract breast milk in the night when baby is sleeping. This way you have bottled breast milk to last the day.

Traveling on a plane is something that needs extra preparation as well. As with some adults, the changes in altitude can be irritating for babies, so it is best to schedule feedings beforehand to be sure they get their daily nutrients with problems. You don’t want to be 30,000 feet in the air and stressed out because your baby didn’t eat yet that day. Also, it’s more likely that they will sleep through the plane ride if they have already eaten. There’s one less thing to upset them.

As with everything to do with being a new parent, traveling with your baby will get easier. If you remember to take the time and plan out the trip well, then you should be fine.

Technorati Tags: baby food, breast milk, breastfeeding, travel

Buying Organic Baby Food

admin — Fri, 15 May 2009 04:21:53 +0000

Whether or not to buy organic baby food is a huge debate, and one that causes many parents frustration as they have enough to worry about, so they often avoid the whole subject because it seems overwhelming to research the organic food choices for their little one.

The basic idea of buying organic food for your baby is simple. The difference is that organic food is free of preservatives, pesticides, and other chemicals that are unnatural and potentially harmful to the body. To many parents, it seems outrageous to feed an innocent new body these types of ingredients.

In a perfect world, babies would only eat food that is all natural without any preservatives, but in order to give the baby food that is jarred and packaged a longer shelf life in the stores, some unnatural ingredients have to be added. This is usually the main concern of parents who want to buy organic. However, it’s important to note that the organic foods that are sold on the shelf in your grocery store still have gone through a bit of processing in order for them to be last in the store longer.

The truth of the matter is that most foods that are labelled organic aren’t actually 100% organic anyway. So ultimately, if you want to be 100% sure that your baby is eating organic, you will want to buy organic fruits and vegetables and make homemade baby food yourself, which is actually the healthiest thing you can do for your baby.

It’s also important to not that a some point in your child’s life, it is 99.9% likely that they will encounter all of the same preservatives that you are protecting them from with organic foods now as a baby. That’s often the argument from parents who don’t have a problem buying the packaged foods loaded with preservatives.

The choice is yours for your baby. If choosing organic, do some research on what’s available in your community as far as organic foods, and consider making your own baby food at home from organic fruits and vegetables if you want the healthiest choice for him or her.

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Caring for a Baby

admin — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 09:23:07 +0000

Mother’s milk has all the nutrients that your baby needs to grow and develop healthy. You don’t even need to give your baby water if your breastfeed him/her. Those are the very important times for your baby feeding . …