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Infant feeding and Nutrition |
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Infant feeding and NutritionBreast feeding is an important and initial aspect of infant feeding.
Infants are first put on mother’s milk, especially colostrums, the first milk. It is a natural phenomenon, initially unknown to the infant. Perseverance and patience from the mother's side is essential, for the baby to benefit. The position and the attitude during a feed enhances the bonding established between the mother and child. Suckling results in the 'let down' reflex, triggering milk production.
Colostrum is a yellowish, thick, sticky substance secreted, prior to milk production. It is rich in antibodies, helping to ward off infection. It is also a concentrated source of minerals and proteins.
Advice is available from everybody around, for a new born infant. A physician’s guidance is more recommended and reliable, though age old techniques might help, at times.
Nipple chewing is an indication of the child wanting solid foods. Weaning foods are commenced from the fourth month. This is because of its inability to digest solid foods, prior to this. This also decreases the risk of food allergies.
In addition to the mother’s milk, these foods aim at targeting the other necessities of a growing infant, such as, improving muscle tone and coordination.
Weaning foods, such as mashed fruits, soft double-cooked cereals, cooked potatoes and yoghurt are recommended. Iron fortified nutrition is essential for the formation of hemoglobin, and thereby enhancing the oxygen and nutrients carrying capacity. Finger foods (apple slices, peas, carrot slices) are introduced in the eighth month, to enable their eye-hand coordination.
Foods like spinach, fish, berries, corn and wheat might result in allergic reactions. These are made a part of the meal, after 9 months, when they are comfortable.
Take your time to adjust with the child’s varying requirements. Introduce one food at a time to improve infant nutrition. Mash them properly and sieve them for bigger pieces.
Carbohydrates are needed to compensate for the energy breakdown. Proteins and amino acids are essential for growth and infant development. They are also required for connective tissue growth.
Breast feeding poses the advantage of easily available, cost effective and sterile milk, possessing all the essential nutrients, in comparison. It also saves the mother from a variety of diseases, such as, colon cancer. Infant formula available commercially in the market is of different features. They are not affordable by every part of the community. Proper sterilization of bottles is required, in the case of artificial feeds. Measuring feeds is another issue, in the case of bottle feeds.
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